One of the most challenging parts of being a teenager is the process of discovering who you are. When they are teens, our English language learners first engage with the world around them with purpose, lay claim to it as their own, and decide what kind of person they want to
Category: Teaching Teens
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
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
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
Preparing High School Newcomers for Content-Area Classes
Newcomer students who have recently arrived in the United States bring diverse backgrounds, languages, and experiences that enrich our classrooms. Newcomers also often have huge gaps to close before taking part in content-area high school classes. A newcomer will be new to the on-level concepts of algebra, civics, and biology,
Confronting Climate Change Education in ELT
Our world faces a number of challenges, and for many people, the most serious global issue is climate change, driven by the unsustainable use of the planet’s resources. But what does climate change have to do with English language teaching (ELT)? At first glance, ELT might have little to do
Activities to Inspire Your Impact Learners
Impact is a six-level series for teenage English learners that is designed to inspire future global citizens. Sign up now to receive updates and teaching tips related to the new edition! Today’s learners are exposed to vast amounts of information. That means that now, more than ever, it is vital that students gain
Teaching Real-World Communication in the English Classroom
In the constantly evolving landscape of English language teaching, the necessity to focus on real-life communication over rote learning has gained much more prominence in recent years. Many researchers and practitioners have emphasized vocabulary acquisition and its role in fostering fluency and natural language use. This blog post explores the
Mediation: What Is It and Why Is It Important?
When you hear the term ‘mediation’, what words come to mind? Perhaps you might think of words such as negotiation, conflict, or resolution. In the common understanding of the term, the ‘mediator’ is a neutral third party in a situation of conflict who helps each party define the issues, see