When teacher plan, fate guffaws!
Planning lessons
Lesson planning is an essential part of a teacher’s professional life. In some cases, it consists of merely having a quick look at the syllabus and/or coursebook material a few min...
Why should I care about my students? Why should I care about my colleagues? It’s just a job!
“Empathy is a choice, and a vulnerable choice because in order to connect with you, I have to connect with something in myself that knows that feeling”. During a management course in July, I came acr...
November 2022
A C2 Level Certificate: A midsummer’s night dream?
A C2 Level Certificate was, and still is, the dream of most English language learners.
For the vast majority of learners reaching a C2 Level i...
Cambridge University Press and Assessment is partnering with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
Cambridge University Press and Assessment is partnering with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on a new English language assessment. The goal of the new assessment...
A different approach towards B2 preparation
When someone listens to the word ‘exams’ instantly the mind shifts into long hours of studying, mock tests, demanding preparation, and pressure, both for teachers and students. It is true though that ...
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Fortune Cookies by Dimitris Maroulis
Exams
ELT Magazine Selections
Exams & Exam Preparation
A different approach towards B2 preparation
When someone listens to the word ‘exams’ instantly the mind shifts into long hours of studying, mock tests, demanding preparation, and pressure, both for teachers and students. It is true though that ...
Teaching Speaking to B2 Students- The “Building Block” Method
This may seem like an unusual introduction to an ELT article, but bear with me- I have a point and I promise I will be making it soon. You see, my two sons are huge fans of LEGO. They spend hours on ...
Creative Writing Through Our Senses
Are you looking for a creative way to get your students more enthusiastic about writing? Are you one of the many teachers who want to make their writing lessons more engaging and awaken your students’...
B2: A stepping stone to the English language acquisition
I find it really hilarious when people post tips on how to succeed in B2. Advice like 10 things to do in order to succeed in the exam is not only intimidating but also totally unnecessary. For m...
Teaching to the Test?
How many times have you taught students in Exam Prep classes and felt that your teaching has not actually improved their communication ability or their general command of the language but still they...
USING VIDEO FOR DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILLS
INTRODUCTION
Many young learners nowadays are visual and auditory learners who are also generally quite computer literate, have no problems with digital technologies and enjoy watching videos on the ...
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic
The examiner was pacing up and down the aisle in the examination room which was gradually getting crowded. Nearly all the candidates had arrived for the written part of a C2 level examination, and it...
Don’t Panic! It’s Just an Exam!
Five Essential Approaches to Test Taking
Is it that time of the year again? My, oh, my, how time flies! After months and in many cases years of preparation, it all comes down to that final exam which...
Grading Exam Papers: Dismantling Your Teaching
Summer of 2021 was a disillusioning experience: working as an exam marker brought me before grave teaching decisions of the past. And several others chosen not to be made.
An accepted application for...
Education
Why should I care about my students? Why should I care about my colleagues? It’s just a job!
“Empathy is a choice, and a vulnerable choice because in order to connect with you, I have to connect with something in myself that knows that feeling”. During a management course in July, I came acr...
Simple ways to find out more about your learners’ progress
Monitoring learner progress throughout the course can be a useful source of information for the teacher. Even though we tend to rely heavily on tests (summative assessment) to grade learners, summat...
Teacher research: Giving students roles to help develop their identities
Throughout my long career I have been committed to two fundamental goals: the professional development of my teachers and using the learning environment as a space to develop identities. In this artic...
Getting to know Computer Adaptive Testing and the LanguageCert Test of English (LTE) Listening & Reading
Introduction
Over the last 30 years or so, computers have had quite an impact on language testing. As regards Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) in particular, it is currently on the leading edge of ...
Learning by Heart - a Plea for Poetry
Learning by Heart - a Plea for Poetry
A strange expression that. A very guilty one as well. The “by heart” approach has carried all the negative effects of Behaviourism in Education so the demonizati...
Choose the right graded readers for your course
Research shows that the more students read in English, the more proficient they become. Reading can significantly improve students’ level in all four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speakin...
News
Cambridge University Press and Assessment is partnering with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
Cambridge University Press and Assessment is partnering with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on a new English language assessment. The goal of the new assessment...
Mind-mapping makes writing easier
When you sit down to write an essay, a story, or another piece of work, one of two problems often occurs:
(1) You have dozens of ideas competing for your attention and you don’t know where to begin...
Are you familiar with the Occupational English Test?
The Occupational English Test (also known as OET) is a well-respected international English language test for healthcare professionals. Since 2013, OET has been owned by Cambridge Boxhill Language A...
The Future of Education Is All About the Experiences We Create
What Is Learner Experience Design (LXD), And Why Is It Such A Big Deal?
Learner Experience Design is all about putting the learner at the center of any learning experience. It’s a holistic approach t...
QLS Celebrated Its 20th Anniversary at Zappeion Hall
QLS, the multi-award-winning network of Quality Language Schools, celebrated its 20th anniversary with a unique gala on Thursday 23 June, at the iconic Zappeion Hall.
QLS has made a difference in f...
The sinking boat led to the discovery of the big IELTS scam
The IELTS scam came to light when Unites States border officials arrested six Indian students who tried to illegally enter the country on a boat from Canada.
Six students from Gujurat in India, ...
Professional Development
Teacher Collaboration Part B; why is it so hard to work together?
Just be kind…
Some of you might remember my first article about teacher collaboration, some of you might not; it doesn’t really matter. My point is a different one. I am not sure if this happens in...
Co-teaching: It takes two (or more) to tango!
Co-teaching is when teachers are paired together in a classroom and they share equal responsibilities for planning, instructing, and assessing students. The most common way of co-teaching is when g...
Communication can change your… colours
I bet you have all listened to this Cyndi Lauper song. Quite cheesy I would say as seeing the true colours of someone could lead not to love but to a million different emotions to start with. ...
Teacher well-being - ‘Teacher what?’
..you think to yourself when you see this title and you smile ironically but you start reading the article because you still want to -slash- need to think positively!
Let’s try to describe what a ...
Successful Continuous Professional Development
Professional development is very important in educators’ personal and professional life. We have all seen teachers, who passionately attend preservice courses but are left unsupported afterwards. Th...
Doctors specialize, shouldn’t you as an English teacher?
In my experience of 32 years in the ELT trade I have seen and worked in most sectors and I have one thing to say: it’s about time that the majority of EFL teachers who teach general English move on ...
Interviews
Feature Sections
When devices are left to their own…devices!
How can technology work in class?
Every now and then, I can see articles popping up on the media with huge, eye-catching headlines like “School ditches tablets”. Flashy stories come as no surprise. B...
Practical Tips for the Beginning of the New School Year
So here we are again, ready to start a new school year, in volatile times, not aware if we are to continue in our classrooms or whether we will remain at home and teach (and our students and pupils ...
If I walked into a new class: Tips on unlocking engagement with a new class
When we walk into a new class, we have “absolute musts” in mind. Some of my “absolute musts” is that I inspire trust through personal credibility, that my students get an overview of the academic ma...
The strategies begin with lesson one at the start of the course
Like most teachers, I use the first lesson for a ‘getting to know you’ period to establish a harmonious classroom community. There are three activities that we do at this time:
By Helen Papadopo...
Never lose contact with your inner child!
Teaching junior classes! Some of us love it, others dread it. In the latter case, kindly abstain from ever getting involved with it, lest you discover that it is not the nightmare you feared it would ...
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 in EFL. But when y...
The energy chants & rhymes bring to teaching
Rhymes and chants bring energy and joy to the learning experience of kids, add variety to our teaching materials and practices and help the class bond. Rhymes usually tell very short stories in verse ...
It is Yoglish o’clock
Do you remember yourself when in kindergarten? Do you remember your itchy feet when you were asked to sit still?
Human beings start their journey to knowledge through movement and imitation. Moving ...
Teaching Young Learners: You Belong!
When teaching young learners there is one thing I want them to feel; safe. Vocabulary, grammar, and skills are important. But nothing really matters, if our students do not feel comfortable in their l...
Make learning fun
Fun, fun, fun! This is one factor that really matters to kids. And that goes for kids on the playground as well as those in the classroom. Many educators believe that kids learn best through play. And...
Fortune Cookies
Wear Your Sunscreen
“Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” (Mary Schmich)
The Appetizers
Mary Schmich, a Chicago Tribune columnist, was strolling along a beach when she noticed a small group of youn...
Some Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
“We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems” (John W. Gardner)
The Appetizers
Picture this: you are under a shady umbrella, lying on ...
Self-healing
“Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in”… Leonard Cohen
The Appetizers
The end of the school year evok...
Decoding CODA
“There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see” Leonardo Da Vinci
Text by: Dimitris Maroulis
The Appetizers
Child of Deaf Adults is what ...
Imagine IF…
“Our role is to create the right conditions for life and learning to flourish. When we do that, we realise we have been in the miracle business all along”
(Sir Ken Robinson)
The Appetizers
There ar...
The Power of Metaphors
“Your time is limited: don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinion drow...
Special Education Needs
The 3 Principles to Supporting Special Educational Needs Students
Research in the field of special educational needs and inclusion has equipped the educational community with evidence-based practices and ideas to support classroom diversity. How come that stude...
Teaching Dyslexic Learners Online
Technology is a gift for students with dyslexia, provided that it is used properly. This is because most dyslexic learners are visual learners and computer materials are designed to be accessed t...