June 15 2013: Athens: Presentation by Dr. Merrill Swain on “Languaging” and Second/Foreign Language Learning”
June 15 2013: Athens: Presentation by Dr. Merrill Swain on “Languaging” and...
QLS Parent Conference: γοΝέα Μέρα
QLS (Quality Language Services) opened the activities for 2013 with a series of...
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June 15 2013: Athens: Presentation by Dr. Merrill Swain on “Languaging” and Second/Foreign...
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Getting your Brand Online and protecting…
Picking up from the last article “The secret to transforming your successful Business into a Successful Brand” (ELT News- The Consultancy Corner – March 2013), this month we will examine...
Read moreThe IWB activities & ideas series
In this article we will present 2 different activities focusing on vocabulary and reading respectively. Activity 1: What do you remember? Aim: To revise vocabulary, structures and functions Level: Any Language focus: Vocabulary topics,...
Read moreThe April Edition
In line with our traditional policy of having an April laugh, two of the following news snippets are totally genuine but the third contains a lie. Answers given next month. Why do...
Read moreScroutzos: Marmalade and Mumbles
Drachmophilos Scroutzos, owner and director of the fairly well known School of Eloquent English, in Ano Ftochia, was in the kitchen. In front of him were several kilos of Seville...
Read more“Tutorials Revisited: how they work and …
Our school life is dominated by a paradox: we spend time with our students, we (try to) educate them and yet when it comes to giving information about their progress...
Read moreThe IWB activities & ideas series 5
In this article we will present 3 different activities focusing on grammar, vocabulary and listening respectively. Activity 1: Get your tenses right Aim: To review tenses Level: Any Language focus: Tenses Procedure: Make enough paper...
Read moreLegal Bombshell on heads of Language Sch…
A salute to a brave man! You will understand the meaning of this later. As most foreign language school owners are aware, the government has decided to enact new laws (4093/2012...
Read more“Procedures: A means to an end or the en…
I have often wondered why Greek foreign language schools are perhaps the only formal institutions without clearly stated out procedures. When I visit schools and ask this question, the answers...
Read moreThe IWB activities & ideas series 4
In this article we will present 2 different activities focusing on vocabulary and speaking respectively. Activity 1: Word mind-mapping Aim: To develop mind-mapping skills for vocabulary storing and recycling Level: Any Language focus: Any...
Read more‘The Christmas stranger’ - Another day i…
A short story for upper- intermediate learners It was a cold Christmas night when the wind was screaming with rage and the thick snow covered the ground like a white mantle. The...
Read more“How customer focused is your website? I…
If your school does not have an official, corporate website, stop reading this article now and start thinking about the reasons why you have opted against one. Hopefully, this article will...
Read moreForeign born Greek wives, husbands and c…
Anyone following the meteoric rise of Golden Dawn (Greece's extreme right party with a Nazi/fascist style agenda) is well aware of their well-published, wide-ranging and openly stated aims should they gain...
Read moreThe IWB activities & ideas series 3
In this short article we will present 3 different activities focusing on grammar, vocabulary and speaking practice respectively. Activity 1: An authentic textAim: To analyze grammar included in a textLevel: Intermediate...
Read moreSchool Rhetoric: Effective communication…
On the surface it might seem a bit pointless to discuss school rhetoric. After all, schools are run by teachers and teachers teach writing, so they know all the proper...
Read moreScurrilous Snippets.
Most months I sit and craft an article solely with my readers’ interests at heart. Today, in Snippets, I am just poking irreverent thoughts at odd bits of news, in...
Read moreThe IWB activities & ideas series 2
In this short article we will present 3 different activities focusing on grammar, vocabulary and speaking practice respectively. Activity 1: Grammar text correction Aim: To recognize and correct grammar errors in...
Read moreScroutzos’ Academic Plan for 2012-13: Ho…
“Mr Scroutzos, Mr Scroutzos, have you heard the news?” gasped Bobbos Kratsits, the main teacher and general factotum of the Scroutzos Academy of Eloquent English in Ano Ftocheia, as he...
Read more“Using social media to promote your sch…
The development of the social media has reshaped the rules of marketing and the way we do business. Still, we should not forget that this inexpensive, attention-grabbing and far-reaching means...
Read moreThe IWB activities & ideas series
Common Tools and Ideas In this article I will present some of the most common tools, usually already built in any IWB you may be using, along with some practical teaching...
Read moreParents: Clients, Associates or Bosses? …
So, summer is over and as we all try to find our notes from last June and dolefully gaze at those books we meant to read during summer but didn’t,...
Read moreHRH Anne, the Princess Royal, talks to t…
I was rather thankful that Friday, 18th May, was a little cooler than usual, so walking from Lycabettus Hill where I had parked didn’t leave me as sweaty as it...
Read moreThe IWB activities & ideas series
INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW ARTICLE SERIES The IWB in our lives … It is for sure that new technologies have changed our lifestyles and, of course, this could not be missing from...
Read moreCoordinating In-service Training
My last article ended with a comment on how busy school owners can use the summer months to regroup and restructure the next school year. I firmly believe that schools...
Read moreHOW TO … exploit the language teaching m…
This is the last of the three articles concerning the exploitation of the language teaching methods available. In the previous articles we examined the Grammar Translation method, the Direct Method,...
Read moreNews
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Αυξάνεται το ωράριο των καθηγητών από το…
Αύξηση του ωραρίου κατά δύο ώρες εβδομαδιαίως από το επόμενο σχολικό έτος για όλους τους καθηγητές γυμνασίων και λυκείων προβλέπει το πολυνομοσχέδιο του υπουργείου Οικονομικών που κατατίθεται εντός της ημέρας στη Βουλή. Σύμφωνα με...
Read moreCambridge English - Changing our name
2013 is the 100th anniversary of Cambridge English exams. Coinciding with this important milestone, we are also changing our name from University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) to Cambridge English Language Assessment. This...
Read moreQLS Parent Conference: γοΝέα Μέρα
QLS (Quality Language Services) opened the activities for 2013 with a series of seminars for the parents of their students in towns where there is a QLS member school. This ‘road-show’ aimed at...
Read more“Education and innovation in the 21st century: Opening frontiers for the business market”
The connection between the Greek educational system, as a key pillar of development and broader perspective and Innovation and Entrepreneurship were explored at this international conference, organised on the 28th of February by…
Prof. Jan Blommaert lectures on the ‘decline’ of democracy
Democracy is one of the main victims of the financial crisis which started in 2008. The crisis has, in particular, revealed the limits of the power of democracy and has aggravated public distrust…
British Council Open Seminars
The British Council and Cambridge English Language Assessment round up their highly successful Open Seminars with over 500 participants in Athens and Thessaloniki Held on 15 and 19 February 2013, a series of open…
The TESOL Greece Pitta cutting event and World Café workshop
On 12th January TESOL Greece held the annual Pitta cutting event at the theatre space kindly provided to us by the Hellenic American Union. The event was celebrated with a unique World Café…
City & Guilds to reduce its IESOL and ISESOL examination fees in Greece
City & Guilds, the leading certification body globally, with more than two million learners working towards one of its qualifications on a yearly basis, has been represented in Greece over the past four…
Prof. Bill Grueskin: The Future of the Media is Digital
Bill Grueskin is dean of academic affairs and professor of professional practice at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. He began his career at the Daily American in Italy, and then founded a weekly…
Christmas event and Dickens’ bicentenary
Teachers of English in Emathia had the chance to enjoy a feast for Christmas, combined with an original tribute to the 200th anniversary since Charles Dickens’s birthday (1812) featuring Mr David Gibson and…
Language School helps feed needy Greek families
This came about through the Salvation Army programmes ‘By Your Side’ and ‘Adopt a Family’ which are designed to enable concerned people to help others badly hit by the economic crisis, and ultimately…
Αυξάνονται οι ώρες διδασκαλίας των εκπαιδευτικών - Μειώνονται οι προσλήψεις
Ασφυξία σε σχολεία, Πανεπιστήμια και ΤΕΙ προκαλεί το νέο Μεσοπρόθεσμο που ψήφισε η Βουλή. Στη λαιμητόμο μπαίνουν οι προσλήψεις αναπληρωτών και μονίμων όλων των βαθμίδων. Δεύτερο και τρίτο κύμα συγχωνεύσεων σε Πανεπιστήμια και ΤΕΙ…
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Το target group: το μυστικό συστατικό της επιτυχίας ενός Κ.Ξ.Γ.
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Presentation Skills? Seriously? (Part Six)
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Articles
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Το target group: το μυστικό συστατικό τη…
Ένα Κέντρο Ξένων Γλωσσών, όπως και κάθε επιχείρηση, έχει ανάγκη από μια στρατηγική μάρκετινγκ που θα το βοηθήσει να αναπτυχθεί, να διατηρήσει τους μαθητές του, να βρει νέους για να...
Read morePsychology and ELT: Case Study - Brasila…
“Factory workers ordered to carry out certain tasks in a certain order function as inefficient automatons and sullen time-servers; the same workers asked to help design their jobs function as...
Read morePresentation Skills? Seriously? (Part Si…
The main characteristic of human interaction, and presentations for that matter, is verbal communication. It covers just about all aspects of human activity: it is used to inform, to intimidate,...
Read moreKey Data on Teaching Languages at School…
Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe 2012 provides a complete picture of the language teaching systems in place in 32 European countries. More precisely, the report combines statistical...
Read moreΤο Πουλάκι τσίου, το πουλάκι τσίου, ο σκ…
Τυχεροί όσοι ασχολούμαστε με την αγωνιστική ποδηλασία εδώ στην Κρήτη, εφόσον διανύουμε αρκετά χιλιόμετρα μέσα από κυματοειδή τοπία απείρου κάλλους. Ειδικά οι μοναχικές εξορμήσεις προσφέρουν χρόνο για απαράμιλλο συλλογισμό, καθώς οξυγονώνεται...
Read moreAt Least 21 European Languages in Danger…
Good News and Bad News on the European Day of Languages Most European languages are unlikely to survive in the digital age, a new study by Europe’s leading Language Technology experts...
Read moreSetting Students Up for Success
Create the path of least resistance What do a successful teacher and a wealthy grocery-store owner have in common? This sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but the answer...
Read moreThe use of the L1 in the ESP/EAP classro…
Both second language acquisition theory and the relevant research seem to concur that the mother tongue can definitely play a role in the learning process. This arises mainly from the...
Read moreOnlineBooks@Intertrade - A new approach …
It is true that the language-book market has been changing rapidly for the past few years, with certain publishers leaving it for good, while others have been setting up their...
Read moreΤα Χριστούγεννα του Μετανάστη
Ποτέ δεν πόθησα τίποτε περισσότερο από τα Χριστούγεννα. Όλα τα παιδιά μικρά και μεγάλα περιμένουν ανυπόμονα κάθε σχολική αργία, κάθε Πάσχα, Χριστούγεννα και καλοκαίρι, να ησυχάσουν τ’ αυτιά τους από...
Read moreHow Parents Choose Language Schools
The Research Institute of the University of Macedonia conducted a survey on the most important factors that parents take into account when choosing a foreign language school for their children....
Read moreUsing Advertisements in Class 1 ‘Why red…
Duchamp's Idea: The great 20th Century artist Marcel Duchamp came up with an extraordinary notion. He thought that in the past artists had to create something from scratch; yet the industrial...
Read moreOnce or twice?
One of the most widely discussed topics in relation to listening comprehension tests is how many times the test taker should hear the spoken text. If you look at the various...
Read moreReport reveals wide fluctuations in cost…
The cost of higher education for students varies dramatically in Europe, according to a new report issued by the European Commission last month. Tuition fees are highest in England, where...
Read moreThe Theoretical and Practical Value of G…
Introduction Have you ever found yourself in teaching situations of mixed ability classes? Of course, this is a rhetorical question, since this is usually – if not always – the...
Read moreThe Beast Within – the (golden) dawn of the Greek morality
It’s almost a year since my first article was published where I talked about the financial hardship Greece was going through and how we as teachers should turn all that…
My greatest mistake
The seminar: Imagine a large room full of 20 leaders of some prestigious Non-Profit Associations. A seminar is in session. The rules are very simple: each person has to relate…
Eurobarometer: 98% say language learning is good for their children, but tests highlight skills gap
Almost nine out of ten EU citizens believe that the ability to speak foreign languages is very useful and 98% say that mastering languages will be good for the future…
“Connecting for consistency: how common items make for better tests
“Good news! This year’s exam results are 5% better than last year’s. Our schools are improving!” “No they aren’t. This year’s exams are easier!” This kind of debate about education is…
Ζητούνται παλληκάρια (Με δυο λάμδα και ήτα,παρακαλώ)
Το 1988, διαβάζοντας τα τεκταινόμενα της τότε εποχής και φοβούμενος για τα μελλούμενα στον τόπο μας (που δυστυχώς επαληθεύτηκαν) εκτονώθηκα δια του στίχου και της ζωγραφικής. Με τίτλο “Οπλίτου Κραυγή”…
Special needs children and disabled adults still getting a raw deal from education, says report
Despite commitments by Member States to promote inclusive education, children with special educational needs and disabled adults are still getting a raw deal, according to a report published today by…
World Teachers Day 2012: Take a stand for teachers!
Held annually on 5 October, World Teachers’ Day (WTD) is an important date in the calendar of the entire educational community. Celebrated since 1994 across the globe, it is an…
Multilingualism is essential to go further on European Integration
This is one of the main conclusions of the latest general assembly of the civil society platform to promote multilingualism held in Brussels on the 29th of June 2012.The civil society platform…
Teaching Materials and Young Learners
The enormous amount of existing materials for the teaching of English to young learners might lead us to think that everything has been invented and nothing is left to be discovered…
Assessment and Reporting English
• Assessment in English • Assumptions • Principles • Classroom Practice • Access, Success and Equity-Assessment in English
GOOD TEACHING: THE TOP TEN REQUIREMENTS
One: GOOD TEACHING is as much about passion as it is about reason. It’s about not only motivating students to learn, but teaching them how to learn, and doing so…
Practice Makes Perfect
Why are attention, repetition, and intensive practice the prerequisites of brain plasticity? Do we really have to listen to our teachers, go to class every day, and do homework every…