TeachingEnglish newsletter 25 November 2020

TeachingEnglish newsletter 25 November 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. First, we are pleased to announce our upcoming webinar, 'Teacher professional development through WhatsApp-based Communities of Practice in challenging contexts', on Wednesday 25 November. And on 27–29 November it's the IATEFL YLTSIG online conference – register now to avoid disappointment! For the classroom, we have lesson plans and activities for primary learners to mark International Day of People with Disabilities and to prepare for winter and Christmas. This week we also bring you a blog post and a free online course on assessment in the classroom. And finally, we have a new publication reporting on the current situation in 44 countries as schools begin to reopen, and news of a recently launched PEPELT Practitioners' Blog on using picturebooks. We hope you find these resources useful. The TeachingEnglish team Teacher professional development through WhatsApp-based Communities of Practice in challenging contexts This webinar describes the setting-up of WhatsApp group Communities of Practice (COPs) in rural areas of Côte d’Ivoire, where teachers typically have little access to professional development opportunities. It explains the rationale for the use of WhatsApp in the project and shows how the project began with learning from the use of WhatsApp to support COPs in Rwanda, another challenging context. Join us on 25 November for a webinar looking at using WhatsApp for professional development in challenging contexts.  IATEFL YLTSIG 2020 online conference Places are filling quickly for the IATEFL YLTSIG 2020 web conference. While the theme ‘Ages, life stages and educational spaces’ is aimed at supporting early-career teachers, all English teaching professionals are welcome. The line-up includes six plenaries, seven inspire sessions and 19 shorter talks. Sessions will take place over three days: 27–29 November, 12.00 to 20.00 UTC. The event is free of charge for all participants. Find out more. Susan Laughs Thursday 3 December is International Day of People with Disabilities, and this year's theme is 'Not all disabilities are visible'. To mark the day and raise awareness, try out this lesson plan for A1 level primary learners aged 9 to 10. The plan includes a series of activities and related worksheets which you can use with the storybook Susan Laughs. Learners will make a personalised or class book based on the story and give a presentation.  A test about testing: Let's see how you score! 'We tend to correct mistakes, we tend to tell our students what they can improve, but we don't normally tell them what they've done well. Let's reflect on our assessment and on the feedback we give to our students.' In this post, Ingrid Mosquera poses seven questions that we can ask ourselves when correcting and marking an activity. Test yourself and check your final score. Picturebooks in European Primary English Language Teaching The Picturebooks in European Primary English Language Teaching (PEPELT) team have recently launched a PEPELT Practitioners' Blog to provide a platform for student teachers, teachers, librarians and teacher trainers to share their experiences of using picturebooks for teaching primary English. This is a great opportunity for sharing your work with like-minded colleagues who are passionate about using picturebooks in the primary English classroom, as well as an excellent opportunity for your professional development. Read more. A global snapshot of Ministries of Education responses during the period of school reopening In June 2020, the British Council published a report which provided a snapshot from late April/early May 2020 of how Ministries of Education were responding to the challenges of the educational crisis in respect of English language teaching and learning. This report gives an updated snapshot, with data collected in September and October 2020 from 44 countries and territories. Winter, Christmas and making decorations It's that time of year when primary learners get ready for Christmas by making decorations for the classroom or the home. In this lesson, children practise Christmas words with flashcards and online games. Then they make a Christmas item – a snowflake, a snowman or a Christmas tree – and enjoy a Christmas song or story. And if you don't celebrate Christmas where you are, why not focus on winter and make a snowflake? Language Assessment in the Classroom MOOC Improve your language assessment skills and discover new types of assessments. This free British Council course is aimed at teachers and teacher educators who want to learn more about best practices in assessing learners. The MOOC started on Monday 16 November and will continue for four weeks.  ‌ British Council teacher community on Facebook Join the British Council teacher community on Facebook to share ideas, resources and learning opportunities. ‌ Visit our website STAY CONNECTED ‌ ‌

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TeachingEnglish newsletter 11 November 2020

TeachingEnglish newsletter 11 November 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. First, we are pleased to announce our next webinars on CLIL, EMI and transition to university, taking place on Wednesday 11 November. And our blog topics are back – check out the themes for November and December! For the classroom, we have two lesson plans – one for primary and one for secondary – plus a discussion activity for teens and adults. We also have a new publication reporting on Teacher Activity Groups and we feature two video recordings from our Teachers' Day web conference. And finally, if you missed last week's webinar on assessment, you can find a recording here. We hope you find these resources useful. The TeachingEnglish team Upcoming webinars: CLIL and EMI – from schools to higher education Join us on 11 November for three webinars looking at CLIL, English-medium instruction (EMI), and the transition from school to university for English language learners. This series of webinars looks at various aspects of CLIL and its application in secondary education, including how integrated learning happens in classrooms, and English-medium instruction in relation to students in their first year at university, as well as during the transition between pre-sessional course and their disciplinary studies.  Blog topics for November and December 2020 It's been a long time since we wrote with a new list of blog topics, but we're back, just before the end of what has so far been a very challenging year, with some new ideas for you to think about (and hopefully write about). As you might expect, our four topics for the final part of 2020 relate to teaching and development in difficult circumstances. See all four of the latest blog topics here. If you are not already a registered TeachingEnglish blogger, find out how you can register here. Epilepsy awareness This lesson plan for secondary students at CEFR B1 and above gives students the opportunity to learn about the brain and a brain disorder known as epilepsy. Students develop reading and speaking skills and watch a video to learn first aid. The lesson can be freestanding or used in conjunction with November’s annual Epilepsy Awareness Month.  Changing our teaching in challenging times Watch a recording of this session from the IATEFL British Council World Teachers' Day web conference 2020 about adapting our teaching in challenging times. In this presentation, a panel of four educators from Africa and Europe discuss some of the ways in which they have managed to sustain teaching and learning while their schools have been closed. We show some short videos of teachers talking about their innovations and discuss some of the issues with technologies and resources that we have confronted and how teachers have overcome these. Kindness calendar This lesson for older primary learners looks at the theme of kindness and involves creating a 'kindness calendar'. The lesson starts with an age-appropriate activity to make sure learners understand the meanings of peace and war. Learners think about how they can live in peace and about the importance of kindness in our everyday lives. Then they are introduced to the idea of a kindness calendar, and they brainstorm ideas of acts of kindness that they could do at home, at school and in the community. Which English? Whose English? There’s considerable controversy in academic circles around which models and targets of English(es) are suitable for different learners and teachers worldwide. This webinar presents research which addresses these controversies and which sought the views of practitioners on present and future realities as they see them. Watch a recording of Tony Young's session about different Englishes at the IATEFL British Council World Teachers' Day web conference 2020. Professional development through Teacher Activity Groups This report examines use of a model of continuing professional development (CPD) called Teacher Activity Groups (TAGs). Drawing on evidence from six British Council projects in different countries, the analysis reviews the implementation of TAGs, their impact on teachers and students, and the challenges that TAGs may give rise to. Recommendations for setting up TAG projects are also provided. The report is free to download. Noah's Ark in space This is a small-group, free discussion activity aimed at adult or secondary students at pre-intermediate level and above. In this activity, students work in groups to decide which animals should be selected to go aboard a space-craft in order to safeguard their survival. Follow-up activities include a class discussion and/or a written assignment.  ‌ British Council teacher community on Facebook Join the British Council teacher community on Facebook to share ideas, resources and learning opportunities. ‌ Visit our website STAY CONNECTED ‌ ‌

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