In this post, National Geographic Learning author John Hughes reflects on his experience traveling to Peru’s Boiling River and shares what learning and working in an interdisciplinary environment taught him about English language education.
Multiple Literacies in the English Language Classroom
Download our position paper to learn about the value of multiple literacies in the English language classsroom.
Teaching Sustainability in ELT: What, Why, and How
Sustainability isn’t just a trending topic — which is why it’s more important than ever that we start considering how we can weave it into our educational practices. In a recent webinar, ‘Sustainable Life: Combining Project-Based Learning and Problem Solving in English Language Teaching’, we looked at why sustainability really
Creating Pathways Between Academic and Employability Skills
If you already have experience teaching English to college and university-aged students, you’ll understand that we can develop their academic skills alongside their language skills. Note-taking, listening to lectures, research skills, and giving presentations are all skills needed to operate in a demanding educational environment. But is it enough to
Navigating CASAS STEPS
With CASAS being used as a tool in almost every US state as a way to evaluate ESL learners, the new CASAS STEPS tests have become a major topic for discussion in adult education. An analysis of the standards reflected in the STEPS reading tests allow us to distill the information
Navigating Climate Emotions in the English Language Classroom
The Climate Crisis has the power to evoke the widest spectrum of emotions you can possibly imagine, from anxiety and fear to hope and empowerment. These feelings profoundly impact how we approach the topic in educational settings. In a recent webinar with National Geographic Learning, I explored strategies for addressing
Inspiring Wonder and Curiosity in Young Learner English Language Instruction
A few years ago I came across an extraordinary photo entitled Moonwalk by filmmaker and photographer Renan Ozturk. The image is of tightrope walker Andy Lewis, poised, midair, between two towering granite rocks in the state of Utah. The crisp, white, larger-than-life moon rises from the horizon in the background
Inquiry-Based Learning in the Young Learner English Language Classroom
Creating space for inquiry-based learning in the English language classroom can be difficult for teachers to navigate. We often feel caught between the spontaneity of the group before us as we explore an ongoing unit, and our need to meet curricular demands and make the best use of pedagogical materials.
Developing Students’ Visual Literacy Skills
“Worldwide visual culture has never been so rich and varied” (Riechers, 2024). Visual Literacy, the ability to interpret and understand the ideas and meanings in what we see, and to communicate our ideas in visual form, is an essential life skill. To understand more about what visual literacy involves, and
Promoting Learner Autonomy by Giving Students Choice
Teaching English to young teenagers can be challenging, but it can also be exciting and rewarding. Remember that young teens are actually very efficient language learners. They still have some characteristics of young learners and retain their childlike playfulness, but they also have the adult-like ability to hypothesize and think