TeachingEnglish newsletter 30 March 2016

TeachingEnglish - the global home for teachers 30 March 2016 Welcome to the TeachingEnglish newsletter! This week we are excited to announce the nominees for the 2016 ELTons Awards. We also announce that registration for two of our popular courses, TKT Essentials and Primary Essentials, is now open. For the classroom this week we have a fun dictation activity for kids, a lesson about pets for teens which you can also use with low levels, and a speaking activity for adults based on pictures prompts. And finally, if you are think there just isn't time for proper reflection, read David Petrie's blog which takes a look at how it happens even when we don't have time for it. We hope you find these resources useful. Deb TeachingEnglish team Teaching kids 'Picture dictation' is a low preparation fun activity that works well with large classes, especially with young learners and teens. All your students need is a blank piece of paper and all the teacher needs is a little bit of imagination. Instructions include tips for making the activity work well and variations. Go to the activity Teaching teens This lesson is about pets and some tasks are suitable for very low levels. Students will review basic lexis related to animals and then do a class survey to find out information about their classmates' pets. Students will practise speaking with a role play activity and then read a text about the trend of pampering pets. Finally students will play some vocabulary games and practise giving opinions in a discussion about dogs. Go to the lesson Teaching adults This activity can be used at any level from elementary up. The aim of the activity is to get students talking about people's lives and homes using pictures as prompts. At lower levels it can be used to practise present simple in the third person. For higher levels it can be used to practise expressions for giving opinions or for using modal verbs for deduction. It can be used at any level to teach or revise a wide range of vocabulary or just as a warmer to get students talking. Go to the activity Development Registration is now open for our TKT Essentials and Primary Essentials courses which start in April.  TKT Essentials is for beginning and experienced teachers who want to update their methodology.  Primary Essentials is for teachers of learners aged 7 to 11 and aims to provide teachers with an introduction to the essential principles and practice of primary English language teaching. Events We are excited to announce the nominees for the 2016 ELTons Awards - the only international awards that recognise and celebrate innovation in the field of English language teaching, sponsored by Cambridge English Language Assessment. The shortlist includes some outstanding applications in the areas of young learners, EAP and 21 century skills and using digital media for ELT among others. Read more about the nominees Magazine David Petrie's blog post 'On reflection' takes a look at how reflection happens even if we feel there is no time and space to do it properly. He explains how the three simple questions which he returns to most often help to remind him that just because a lesson went badly, it doesn't mean there weren't any positives, and vice versa. Read more You have received this newsletter because you registered on our website or previously showed interest in British Council news. If you wish to opt out of future newsletters please unsubscribe here.

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TeachingEnglish newsletter 23 March 2016

TeachingEnglish - the global home for teachers 23 March 2016 Welcome to the TeachingEnglish newsletter! This week we have a brand NEW blog of the month award which goes to Mike Astbury and his post 'Agree or disagree (and why?)' And we also celebrate 30 years of The Teacher Trainer Journal with a brief overview by the editor, Tessa Woodward. For the classroom we have a speaking activity for kids with good imaginations, a range of NEW resources celebrating the life and work of Shakespeare for teens, and two useful articles on teaching delexicalised verbs for teachers of adults. And, finally, we have a NEW freely downloadable publication, 'English language teaching and learning in Egypt: an insight'. We hope you find these resources useful. Deb TeachingEnglish team Teaching kids Desert Island Escape is a speaking activity for higher level students with good imaginations. A group of students have ended up on a desert island with a few random objects and they have to use the objects they have to help them survive on the island.  Go to the activity Teaching teens We have over 30 lesson plans and a range of articles celebrating the life and work of Shakespeare for you to use with your teenage students.Macbeth is one of a series of lesson plans to accompany the short animated videos of five of Shakespeare's plays on LearnEnglish Teens. In this lesson, learners will discuss what they would do if they ruled their country, and reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of having power. Go to the lesson Teaching adults In the first part of this two part article Shaun Dowling looks at delexicalised verbs, and the problems they cause for our students.  Part 1 In the second part Shaun goes on to outline some ways in which we can help our learners with this tricky area and help them to make their English sound more natural. Part 2 Development The Teacher Trainer Journal celebrates its 30th Birthday! The Teacher Trainer is a practical journal especially for those interested in TESOL teacher training. Whether you are an experienced teacher who tends to be asked questions by others in the staffroom, a Director of Studies with an office of your own, whether you are a course tutor on a teacher training exam course, or an inspector going out to schools, this journal is for you. Read more Events 'English language teaching and learning in Egypt: an insight' consists of two pieces of preliminary research into ELT in Egypt to better understand the current situation particularly in the Basic and Secondary stages of education from the point of view of ministries, teachers, students, parents and employers. These varying perspectives are considered within the parameters of the education goals of the ministry of education and the National Curriculum Framework for English as a Foreign Language: Grades 1-12. The publication is free to download.  Read more Magazine Our featured blog of the month award for February 2016 goes to Mike Astbury and his post Agree or disagree (and why?) Do you have shy students in your class? Do you find it hard to get them to speak? Mike Astbury has designed this speaking activity with them in mind! This month's shortlist includes some great posts that offer a number of different ideas for using and creating gap-fills, writing 'for and against' essays and professional emails, ways of reviewing vocabulary and suggestions for getting students to peer-teach phrasal verbs. Read more You have received this newsletter because you registered on our website or previously showed interest in British Council news. If you wish to opt out of future newsletters please unsubscribe here.

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TeachingEnglish newsletter 16 March 2016

TeachingEnglish - the global home for teachers 16 March 2016 Welcome to the TeachingEnglish newsletter! For the classroom this week we have a NEW lesson for teens - Hamlet, an article on using poetry with kids, and a story activity introducing phrasal verbs for adults. We also have news about The Hands Up Project, which teaches English through online storytelling and other remote learning activities. If you are looking to develop in the area of Business English, this week we feature our Learning Technologies for Business English Teachers course. And finally, if you are looking to refresh yourself as a teacher, see Mario Rinvolucri's blog and accompanying seminar recording 'Mutual supervision'. We hope you find these resources useful. Deb TeachingEnglish team Teaching kids Poetry is a great tool to use with your students as it helps practise not only listening, speaking, reading and writing skills all together, but stretches students' imaginations too. Using poetry in the classroom may seem daunting at first, but in this article you'll find steps and tips to help you get your students appreciating and writing poems. Go to the article Teaching teens Hamlet is one of a series of lesson plans to accompany the short animated videos of five of Shakespeare's plays on LearnEnglish Teens. In this lesson, students will discuss the idea of 'taking revenge', and watch a video about Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Students will check their understanding of the plot and characters in the play, and then work together to ask for and give advice to the main character, Hamlet. Go to the lesson plan Teaching adults A persistent problem area for students is phrasal verbs. This story activity presents the verbs in a context helping the students to work out the meaning. It is also memorable so it's easier for students to remember them too. There is also a suggested speaking activity that personalises the verbs. Go to the activity Development Learning Technologies for Business English Teachers is a 25-hour, self-access course which has been designed to give both experienced and new business English teachers an introduction to the types of tools that can enhance their teaching and help them deliver engaging lessons with sound pedagogical outcomes. The course is open for enrolment now. Find out more Events Many teachers run the risk of suffering from stress and burn-out. How can they release their anxieties and frustrations and refresh themselves? Mario Rinvolucri offers one approach, 'Mutual supervision'. You can read his blog and also watch a video of the seminar. Read more Magazine The Hands Up Project, started by Nick Bilbrough, teaches English through online storytelling and other remote learning activities. The project works with children in circumstances that may be challenging because of social, political or economic reasons. Current projects include groups of children from UNRWA schools in Gaza and the West Bank, Syrian children in refugee camps in Jordan, and an NGO in Pakistan. Read more You have received this newsletter because you registered on our website or previously showed interest in British Council news. If you wish to opt out of future newsletters please unsubscribe here.

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