This activity gives students an opportunity to speak in an online English language classroom. Besides, it gives teachers a chance to assess students speaking skill in distant mode. As the second wave of Covid-19 started rising in Pakistan in October, the educational institutions were closed as a precautionary measure. The situation compelled many teachers including myself to complete the remaining semester online. Usually, I have a graded presentation activity for my Functional English students near the end of the semester; however, this had to be adapted now as the classes had moved onlin ..read more

“Here is the coursebook. Open it to unit 1. Read the title” Can there be a more discouraging start to a new class? I, unwisely, did that 12 years ago when I started teaching! Now, that I am wiser, hopefully, I wish to share with you 3 simple ideas to start a new class that require zero preparation. Funnily enough, I was a trainee when those ideas were implemented by the trainers, and therefore, can vow for their effectiveness. Activity 1: Nothing is more interesting to a student than knowing more about the mystery person who stands before the class announcing himself as its teacher! My lif ..read more

We approach the start of the upcoming academic year with renewed uncertainty: Will we be able to study face-to-face or will studies continue through distance learning, despite the optimism we enjoyed just a few months ago when it seemed that Covid-19 was under control? One prominent thought in my mind when anticipating what will be, concerns a supportive learning community. The value of the support offered by participants of a learning community to its members is widely acknowledged. When studies were conducted face-to-face rather than screen-to-screen, our faculty prided itself on the str ..read more

September is upon us, and we are all gearing up for the new classes, new courses. With the pandemic still very much on, none of us know quite what the new school year may turn out to be. Yet we are teachers and as such we must always be ready for the unexpected. WHAT’S IN A NAME: FIRST CLASSES. Nina Koptyug. In Russia, September 1 is the universal day for the new academic year at all levels, from pre-school to university. Traditionally there are no classes yet, it is named The Day of Knowledge. It is either the day allotted to getting acquainted with the school, teachers and students, and ..read more

UDL is a way of understanding Education. UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning and we are not talking about a methodology here, we are talking more about a model or even a philosophy. It seeks to achieve the inclusion of all students by flexibility and personalization. WHAT IS UDL? UDL is based on three main principles: 1. Representation We can present content by diverse means, that is, not only talking or with a textbook. We can present our material by using audios, images, videos, and so on. That will make our material accessible to everyone. 2. Engagement Give control and autonom ..read more

Have you ever prepared a joke to share with your students and expected them to burst into laughter, but ended up merely hearing crickets? I bet you felt embarrassed and thought what a lame joke that I shared! Believe me your joke was so funny, but students who did not laugh or react did not get your message. In other words, these students struggle with listening skills. Most English teachers turn a blind eye to teaching listening skill. It is not because they underestimate this skill but rather because they lack professional development to maneuver listening skill in their lessons. Others ..read more

Are you an EAP teacher who is interested in practical ideas on how to assist your Higher Education learners to become more autonomous? There are several aspects that you need to consider in order to maximize learner opportunities for autonomy when a new course starts. Familiarization with criteria used for feedback provision and feedback provision are two of them and will be discussed in this post. Adults tend to assume that their tutor will be the exclusive source of feedback on their work.  However, if you don’t want your learners to be over-dependent on tutors, you aim at thei ..read more

Listening and hearing are two different skills. People may listen but not hear and they may hear but not really listen. This refers not only to EL lessons but to life in general. I am sharing some techniques which help my students understand spoken English better, and help me plan my lessons during the pandemic. I can also share some of my very short videos. LISTENING AND HEARING. Nina Koptyug Listening and hearing are two different skills. The former is what we acquire while learning a language; the latter depends on the inborn abilities. Some people hear better than others; lots of human ..read more

What is rhythm in the Reading journey?  How can it affect readers and their varied pace? Rhythm is the flow in the learning process.  Getting started and persistence increases learning. Let me share a few proven methods that help the reading journey. 1) Flow for fascination: Just like other skills, reading too demands continuous practice and training. With no significant academic interruptions, learners’ basic reading skills are developed. Once this routine gets embedded, it can lead to branching novel ideas in the reading process. The continuity of any skill, especially rea ..read more

Engaging young learners seems to be a neverending topic and we are always in a constant search for effective activities that will practice all four skills. Keep reading to explore some activities designed to promote chit-chat in the classroom without putting pressure on young learners to speak. Speaking as a production skill somehow always comes last in large classrooms simply because there is this lingering idea that having too many students lowers the chances for speaking activities. While every teaching context is unique, I always disagree with my colleagues when it comes to skipping ou ..read more