More and more is being written about self-directed professional development (SDPD) as teachers (and indeed all professionals) start taking their professional development into their own hands. SDPD garnered more interest during the pandemic, as teachers began turning to resources outside their institutes to help them rethink how they taught and
As English language teachers and educators on the path of enrichment, we’re always on the lookout for new ideas and activities that we can incorporate into our classrooms to enrich our students’ learning experience. In the past, I would spend hours trawling my favorite ELT resource sites looking for that
With a move to online learning, the value of the digital coursebook represented through classroom presentation tools has never been higher. While many teachers will have used them in their real-world classroom, they perhaps weren’t seen as an essential component of the classroom, rather a luxury. In contrast, in the
With schools, colleges, and universities back in classes, the educational landscape is very different to what it was the last time teachers were in the comforting physical confines of their classrooms. However, a return to the physical classroom does not simply mean going back to the way things were before.
They say a lot can happen in a year. Indeed, a lot can happen in a few months. Cast your mind back to the start of the year when everything was still normal for most of us – schools were open, classes were running, and a fully online teaching world
10 Tips for Successful Online Lessons Teaching online for the first time might seem a bit intimidating, much like the first time we do anything. Remember the first time you had to teach your own class? How did you feel then? Excited and a bit anxious, I suspect. But guess
In this blog, Alex Warren looks at how we can help encourage our learners to take more responsibility for their own learning and be more autonomous. Mention the concept of learner autonomy and these words might spring to mind – a myth, magic, a miracle, impossible. How can we actually
How do you become a better teacher? Being a better teacher has as much to do with learning new ideas as it does with being aware of what is working well in your classroom, and things that you need to improve on. In other words, teachers need to be aware
Talk to teachers about using TED Talks in the English language classroom and you generally get one of two responses – “I love using them and my students love them” or “I love using them, but my students find them too difficult”. Often, these statements are followed by something along
As a continuation from his previous blog post, teacher trainer, Alex Warren shares four more ways to ensure a positive learning experience to develop motivation for teen learners within the ELT classroom. 1. Learner-Centered Learning Take a step back from being the sage on the stage and become the guide