In December, ETA Kylie Eiselstein and her co-teacher, Ibu Siska, traveled to Jakarta for an AMINEF-hosted mid-year conference on lesson plans, problem-solving, and cross-cultural learning and tolerance. They crafted new lesson plans on recount texts: students would write a recount text about one day in their life and recreate that “day in my life” by recording a video.

In January, Kylie and Ibu Siska utilized their lesson plans to introduce the “day in my life” concept, review and practice verb tenses, and practice writing with sequence words like ‘then,’ ‘after,’ and ‘finally.’ Students were then given a week to record, edit, and prepare their videos. In class, students presented their “day in my life” videos by participating in paired interview exchanges, where they sat down in pairs, asked a series of questions about each other’s videos, and recorded their partner’s answers.

While some students’ videos were gorgeously aesthetic (the girls) and others were full of character (ahem… boys), all the students did an equally fantastic job, and each video truly reflected its creator’s style. The “day in my life” videos allowed everyone to embrace their “inner influencer” and take on a creative, personal project while practicing their English writing and speaking skills.

Below are a few stills from one of Kylie’s favorite videos: Deodatus Jesen’s “day in my-life from XB! This student filmed his “day in my Life” on February 12, the last day of the Chinese New Year. His video features the sunrise, attending church with his friends, and watching the dragon parade.

Kylie Eiselstein is currently teaching at SMA Santo Paulus Pontianak, West Kalimantan.