Cuisenaire rods are a deceptively simple tool. Once you see them in use they are very easy to build into your own teacher toolkit. You do not need to be a mathematician; though maths departments around the world have used them with success in the Singapore Bar Modelling Method.

In the Modern Foreign Language Classroom, in primary schools, secondary and with adults, there is much to learn from 10 coloured bars. They can be used in a very structured, prescriptive way to model language, but equally have the power of suggestion, able to take the teacher and their class into unchartered, unplanned territory.  Emergent language will abound when you open a box of rods, students don’t even need to be terribly imaginative to get involved. 

In the first workshop, we explored icebreakers; describing places; comparing things – colour, size; assessing level, working on error; helping with grammar; functional English practice and exam work.  This session will look at storytelling in depth, pronunciation, controlled practice, ways of checking progress, The Silent Way and Dogme, potential pitfalls and benefits of rod use.

This second workshop is a great stepping stone into DELTA and the Professional Development Assignment (PDA) in which you need to choose an area for Experimental Practice.  Cuisenaire Rods and the Silent Way are a popular area to choose.

Presented by Anna Cuccia – CELTA & DELTA Trainer School Governor @United Learning Trust.

Our Masterclass workshops are typically delivered in 90 mins.

At Gallery Teachers, we endorse the philosophy of building on your previous knowledge and experience as opposed to just imparting knowledge on you. 

Therefore, in order to prepare you for the webinar and help you activate what you already know about the topic, we will suggest two to four reflective questions for you to consider before you join the event.

You will also be given the opportunity to post your reflections, along with any questions you may already have at the pre-watching stage, to the discussion forum. 

The reflective questions, as well as ideas and shared experiences posted to the forum by attendees, will be used in the real-time Q&A session in order to generate an engaging and meaningful discussion, involving the presenter and teachers from around the world. 

After the event, the forum discussion will take on a life of its own and teachers will be encouraged to continue posting their experiences, reflections and questions related to the topic of the webinar. So, if you feel strongly about the topic, we will make it possible for you to take the discussion beyond the scheduled workshop and continue sharing your ideas with like-minded teachers and teacher trainers from other countries