Designing Interactive Learning Tasks with a Pancake Theme: What I Learned from Using Genially

    When preparing a micro‑lesson on “How to Make Pancakes”, I experimented with combining a written article, a short video, and a series of interactive tasks created in Genially. The process turned out to be surprisingly insightful. It pushed me to think more deeply about what makes an interactive task meaningful, and how digital tools can support good pedagogy.💬👏✊

• Designing an Interactive Task

    To create the task, I started with a short instructional text. The article introduces ingredients, cooking steps, and useful tips. Because procedural texts are commonly used in ESL classrooms👍, they are ideal for practicing reading comprehension, sequencing, and vocabulary. Using Genially, I transformed the text into an interactive quiz-based activity. After students read or watch the content, they answer questions embedded in slides. For example, the interactive questions include concept checking question, vocabulary and cooking knowledge, multiple-choice comprehension question and procedural understanding question.

• Advantages👍

    1. Increased student engagement

    Interactive elements such as clickable answers, instant feedback, and visual design make learning more dynamic than traditional worksheets.👥

    2. Visual support for comprehension

    The slides combine images, questions, and text, which can support learners who benefit from multimodal input.👀

    3. Immediate feedback

    Students can see whether their answers are correct instantly, which encourages self-correction and reflection.😀

    4. Flexible use in class

    Teachers can use the activity for individual learnin, pair work, group competitions and homework tasks. This flexibility makes the tool adaptable to different classroom contexts.🙋

• Disadvantages👎

    1. Preparation time

    Designing interactive slides can take more time than preparing traditional worksheets.

    2. Technology dependence

    The activity requires internet access and digital devices, which may not always be available in every classroom.

    3. Risk of focusing on form rather than communication

    If the activity only involves multiple-choice questions, it may focus more on recognition than on productive language use. Teachers therefore need to add speaking or discussion tasks after the quiz.

    Overall, Genially is a powerful tool for transforming traditional materials into interactive learning experiences. By combining a simple procedural text with interactive comprehension questions, teachers can create a task that is engaging, visually appealing, and pedagogically meaningful.🙌

    However, like any digital tool, it works best when integrated into a broader lesson design that includes discussion, collaboration, and communicative practice. When used thoughtfully, interactive platforms like Genially can help bridge the gap between input, interaction, and active language use in the ESL classroom.❗️