The job market our students are preparing to enter looks very different from the one most of us entered ourselves. Artificial intelligence, global collaboration, digital transformation, and ever-changing career pathways are reshaping the skills people need to thrive. While subject knowledge remains important, employers increasingly value more than just technical expertise. During my talks at the National Geographic Learning Experience Brazil in May 2026, educators were
Whether we call them future skills, employability skills, transferable skills or life skills, there is no doubt that more and more organisations are highlighting their importance as the world becomes more connected and more diverse than ever before. Educators, including those in ELT, are pushing to include these soft skills
In my previous blog post, I explored why replacing an instruments-based approach to assessment with an outcomes-based one can be beneficial for students. I explained what outcomes-based assessment actually is and gave some examples. I imagine some readers might have thought: “This is easier said than done.” So now we’re
Learn why outcomes-based assessment is a more effective way to measure students’ progress and make their learning visible.
For a long time, conversations about the future of education felt somewhat distant — the kind of discussions found in policy reports, conference keynotes, or strategic plans rather than everyday teaching practice. Recently, however, those conversations have moved much closer to the classroom.
Like many industries of today, the world of English language teaching is changing rapidly. In our attempt to keep up with the times and stay relevant, we have spent decades trying to embrace the newest technology in our classrooms – from IWBs (interactive white boards) to iPads, from classroom management tools to digital
In Part 2 of his blog series on teaching C2-level learners, National Geographic Learning’s Alex Warren examines how we can challenge and “level up” learners by using activities that push them out of their comfort zone and develop their communication skills as well as their language skills. Read Part 1 here. What makes a C2-level communication task effective? As we
English is a useful tool that will enable our students to communicate internationally. When communicating with people from different language backgrounds, students will inevitably also be communicating with people across cultures. This means communicating with people who might have different norms, different behaviors, and different communication styles from what they
Don’t press play (yet!) Using authentic video to develop communication skills? Don’t press play until you do three things! When I started teaching in the 1990s, I believed in the power of authentic video — news reports, documentaries, TV shows, films — to engage learners and bring real English into
Are your students struggling with parts of the IELTS or Cambridge exams? This post is for you!