E V O L V E S C H O O L: TeachingEnglish newsletter 27 May 2020

TeachingEnglish newsletter

27 May 2020

Welcome to the latest edition of the TeachingEnglish newsletter!

The British Council is committed to supporting teachers and teacher educators during the Covid-19 crisis. To this end, this week we bring you a webinar on own language use, a blog post on how to plan for teaching young learners online, an online lesson plan for primary learners and news of a series of weekly webinars by the IATEFL LTSIG.

We also have news of this year's ELTons finalists, a series of short video clips to accompany Developing expertise through experience, and a free online course.

We hope you find these resources useful.

The TeachingEnglish team

Own-language use in the language classroom: why, when, and how?

Join us on 3 June for a webinar with Graham Hall on exploring the ways in which use of the learners' own language(s) can support learning in the classroom - both face-to-face and online. This workshop explores the ways in which use of the learners' own language(s) can support learning in the classroom - both face-to-face, and, of course, online! Read more.

What's the weather like?

Our latest online lesson plan for primary students at A1/A2 level looks at different weather vocabulary and encourages creativity. Learners will sing a song to introduce the topic, then they will review and practise weather vocabulary using flashcards and worksheets or online activities. They will then make a weather wheel to practise talking about the weather in different seasons. For homework they will follow up by recording the weather for a week and then talking about it in the following class.

ELTons Innovation Awards 2020 - Finalists

Now in their eighteenth year, the ELTons celebrate the most original courses, publications, projects, apps and platforms, and more, which are finding new ways to help English language learners and teachers around the world achieve their goals. The awards also recognise the organisations, teams and individuals whose original approaches are helping to shape the future of English language teaching and learning. Read about all of the finalists in the five different categories for this year's awards here.

Effective planning for teaching young learners online

Nobody would believe that we would be asked to deliver online classes within 24 hours without any guidance and training. Actually it sounds frustrating, doesn’t it? Especially when it comes to teaching young learners? Not in the least. Read these recommendations on how to plan your online lessons more effectively.

Developing expertise through experience: short videos

Twenty English language teaching practitioners from around the world were invited to reflect on the role of experience in teacher training and life-long development for the British Council's recent publication Developing expertise through experience, edited by Alan Maley. As well as reading each original and engaging chapter, you can watch short clips by contributors talking about their thoughts and ideas on developing expertise through experience and their reaction to taking part in the book. Read more.

New version of the Changing Englishes online course for teachers

Looking for a new opportunity for professional development? The Changing Englishes online course for teachers is a free resource designed to help trainee and practising teachers of English meet the new challenges—and realise the benefits—of Global Englishes. The course typically takes between 10 to 15 hours to complete and all content is free for users to incorporate into their own online teaching or training programmes. Read more.

IATEFL LTSIG FRIDAYS!

The IATEFL Learning Technologies SIG warmly invites members and non-members to join in a series of weekly webinars, which are designed to help English teachers around the world cope with the Corona crisis. The weekly meetings started on 27 March and recordings include: How to get started with remote teaching, Pair and group work, Motivating and Engaging students online. The next event is scheduled for 6 June - 'Reflections on video remote teaching in challenging circumstances' with MariCarmen Gamero. Find out more here.