Collaboration – Often times, we wonder or talk to people who are curious about the reasons why we should collaborate with our colleagues in various roles in the realm of education. Some teachers once asked me why they should help their colleagues improve (doing peer observation or peer teaching, for instance) when their work in …
The teaching of English as a second or foreign language industry has not only grown in numbers all over the world over the past three or four decades, but has developed in different directions, catering for different needs and teaching situations. Looking specifically at the Brazilian market, it is fair to say that we operate …
Some time ago, I wrote about some mistakes teachers make and their negative effects on their students’ progress. Let’s take a look at other examples, shall we? English only from day one This is scary for beginners. When we acquire our mother tongue, we spend a long, silent period, until we are able to …
Many times we teach very challenging groups and draw conclusions to justify unsuccessful classroom management. We end up blaming parents for their kids’ misbehaviour. Had they been firmer with their children and provided them with interpersonal skills knowledge we wouldn’t need to teach them manners in school. Sometimes we label students according to their social …
Amidst current global political changes taking place, I would like to share with you a story and activity that can be used with learners of English. My hope is that it will help people to have a clearer picture of multicultural Britain. The short story is about an English man called Josh. He tells his …
Before talking about the importance of reflective teaching, it is crucial to define what it is. Reflective teaching is all about looking at what you do in the classroom, gathering information, analyzing and reflecting on the things that are being done, and why they are being done. It is a process of self-observation and self-assessment. …
Summer holidays are often cherished moments for teachers and learners, especially in regular schools. In language institutes, the scenario is usually different, as many students enroll for intensive courses. In any case, it is not the ordinary school term and it may be a time for teachers to work on their own development. Here are …
Louise Potter – One of the important steps I pointed out in the previous blog referring to lesson planning was to include different learning skills in your class plan. What are learning strategies? They are conscious steps or behaviors used by language learners to enhance the acquisition, storage, retention, recall, and use of new …