ELT Events and Conferences

Next week is IATEFL 2024 (I’m speaking! [Page 80] come and say hi!), so the wonderful world of ELT conferences is very much on my mind. They’re a great opportunity to learn more about English Language Teaching, meet up with friends and colleagues (and make new ones!), and explore new materials and resources.

It’s been a real privilege to have spent the last few years attending (and often speaking at) conferences in different countries, and I love having the opportunity to learn from teachers as well as experts in the field. In many ways, though, it doesn’t seem like that long ago since the first ELT conference I attended back in 2016, and I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned.

Firstly, go with a plan! The programme is normally available before the start of a conference, so take a look and choose some initial sessions you think look interesting. This doesn’t need to be set in stone (in fact it’s probably better if there’s some flexibility), but it makes it less overwhelming if you have an idea of where you want to go and what you want to see. If you’re attending with colleagues you could attend different sessions and then exchange notes afterwards.

To save any notes you make being filed and never looked at again, share what you’ve learned. We know that our students learn best when there is a genuine reason to use the language. As teachers, I think a lot of us learn and consolidate new things by teaching them to someone else! Can you give a training session at your school to share what you’ve learned with your colleagues? (This was one of the first teacher training sessions I ever did). Why not write a blog post about it? Or if you’d rather share less publicly, use your notes to start (or continue) writing a teaching journal.

It’s also important to take time to reflect on what you’ve learned. I’ve found that I get the most out of conferences if I set some intentions before I go, and structure my learning so that I think about how it relates to my own teaching practice and context. In the light of this I’ve put together a framework that I’ll be using for any conference sessions I attend next week.

Before I attend the session (and the conference overall), I’ll be thinking about what I hope to get out of it. What topics I’m particularly interested in learning about, and any other things I’d like to make sure I prioritise during my time there.

After each session I’ll be reflecting on:

1. What? What were 3 great ideas that were presented? What one of those ideas do I want to take away and try?
2. So what? Why is that idea important to me and the context that I work in?
3. Now what? How can I put that into practice? When will I follow up and reflect on anything I do put into practice?

I also particularly want to make sure I’ve made a note of any additional books, materials or other resources I think look particularly interesting!

If you want to join me and try out this structure too, I’ve added it to a PDF document you can download and print. I’d love to hear if you find it helpful!

Although great fun, conferences can also be a full-on experience. Below are my tips that are more focused on wellbeing and keeping you happy, healthy and sane while attending!

• Check the weather forecast – and dress and pack appropriately! If you’re somewhere where the weather is unpredictable (like the UK!) then layers are a good idea and give you more options.
• Look after your feet! It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you will be spending a lot of time sitting down. However, with moving around between sessions and visiting exhibition stands you can end up doing a lot of walking too. Wear comfortable shoes and put some plasters in your bag just in case!
• Bring a portable charger if you have one. There likely will be some charging points available – but also an awful lot of people trying to charge devices at the same time. A portable charger may well be the difference between being able to enjoy walking around and making the most of the conference and sitting in a corridor trying to charge your phone!
• Eat and drink. If you’re trying to move around between sessions, network, socialise, and make the most of everything else the conference has to offer, it’s easy to get to the end of the day and realise that you have a raging headache due to dehydration and haven’t eaten since breakfast. Ideally take some snacks and a water bottle with you to give you more flexibility and be less reliant on whatever is available at the conference. (Organised tea/coffee breaks often involve very large queues!)
• Don’t be overly ambitious in your schedule. A full day of talks does not mean you need to give yourself a full timetable of things to attend. Fewer talks, and more time to reflect on what you’ve heard and why it’s useful/interesting/relevant, is likely better.
• Lots of conferences, particularly the big ones, have a ‘Quiet Space’ or ‘Calm Space’, where you can take a few minutes to get away from it all and relax. If there isn’t something like this available there’s no shame in finding yourself a quiet corner or even stepping outside the conference venue for some fresh air.
• If you’re attending on your own, and that makes you nervous, look out for social events and meet ups. Remember, if you’re at an ELT conference then you automatically have something in common with every other person who is there: a love for English Language Teaching. Even something as simple as saying ‘hello’ to the person sitting next to you in a session could be the start of a new friendship!

First time conference-goers, is there anything you’d like to know about attending your first conference?

Seasoned conference-goers, are there any other tips or insights you want to share?

Fantastic Flashcards

Whether you use ones that come with your textbook, find them on the internet or make your own (or get your students to make them!), flashcards are a great tool for the young learner teacher to have in their arsenal. Using pictures helps the teacher establish the meaning of new vocabulary quickly and easily – but they also provide lots of opportunities for games that require no prep time, provided you’ve remembered to take your flashcards with you. Here are four of my favourites…

Spider

For this game you’ll need a set of flashcards for vocabulary you want to practice, plus a flashcard featuring something ‘scary’: a spider, shark, monster or similar (it doesn’t matter if this card is completely unrelated to the rest of the vocabulary). Add the spider (or similar) flashcard to the other cards, so that it appears several cards in.

(NB: This game requires quite a lot of space, so it’s great to play outside if you have the opportunity to do so!)

1. Ask your students to stand in a line along one side of the classroom. Stand at the opposite end of the room to them.
2. Start by modelling the game – play a trial run to practise!
3. Show the students a flashcard. They must collectively say the name of whatever is featured on the flashcard, and take one step forwards.
4. Repeat with the next flashcard, so the line of students gets closer and closer to the teacher.
5. When the students see the spider flashcard, they must turn and run back to their starting point as quickly as possible.
6. Repeat until you feel that the vocabulary has been practised appropriately, or your students are worn out!

With older students this game can also be played as a competitive version, where the last student to reach the wall is out each time. Give your students a chance to be the ‘teacher’ and show the flashcards too!

Hide the Flashcard

This game gives lots of opportunity to practice questions with ‘Have you got…?’ ‘Yes, I have/No, I haven’t’ answers. For lower level students model and practice the correct question and answer forms first, and write them on the board as a reminder if appropriate.

1. Get your students to sit in a circle.
2. Nominate one student to be the ‘finder’. They must stand away from the group with their eyes closed (either just outside the classroom door, or the other end of the classroom is ideal).
3. Choose a flashcard and give it to one of the students in the circle. They must hide the flashcard. (Choose how heavily you want to police this/what the parameters are. Ideally the student will sit on the flashcard, but I have taught classes where students will inevitably try and put it up their shirt/down their trousers/anywhere else they can think of).
4. When the flashcard is hidden, the ‘finder’ returns to the group. Tell them ‘Please find the …(whatever the missing flashcard is)’.
5. The ‘finder’ must guess who has the flashcard, asking their classmates ‘Have you got a/the …?’.
6. When the flashcard is found, the student who was hiding it becomes the ‘finder’. Repeat the process with another flashcard.

Memory

This game gives lots of opportunity for group productive practice (drilling). It works best with between six and ten different flashcards!

If you’re playing with older students and/or sitting on the floor isn’t appropriate in your context, you can stick the flashcards to the board instead. Remember to use magnets or blutack to stick them rather than tape as you need to be able to turn the cards over quickly!

1. Ask your students to sit on the floor in a circle.
2. Show the first flashcard, and elicit what it is. Lay it on the floor in front of you in the middle of the circle.
3. Repeat until all the flashcards are laid out in a line in the middle of the circle.
4. Once you’ve drilled all the flashcards, turn one of them over.
5. Repeat the process – but this time your students need to remember which picture is turned over in order to name the card correctly.
6. Repeat until all the cards are face down, and your students need to remember and produce all the words in order.

What’s This?

This is a very energising game, so follow with something calming!

1. Sit with your students in a circle. Take your first flashcard, turn to the student next to you, and ask them: ‘What’s this?’
2. They must tell you what the flashcard is, then turn to the student next to them and ask ‘What’s this?’
3. Repeat until each student has had a turn asking ‘What’s this?’, then introduce a new flashcard.
4. You can then start to gradually introduce more flashcards, so that there are two or three different flashcards circulating around the group. Encourage your students to go as quickly as they can!

As an added twist, add your last flashcard moving the other way – so one card is moving round the circle anti-clockwise while the others move clockwise.

I hope these give you some new ideas (or remind you of some old favourites) and you enjoy playing them with your students!

Learning Styles: a myth?!

One of my most memorable learning experiences in my own education was a study skills workshop that I attended whilst at secondary school. Led by a former circus performer, the day included a juggling lesson (and the workshop leader juggling our teachers’ mugs as a demonstration), but it also made a lasting impression as it was my first introduction to the idea of learning styles. In short, the idea that everyone has a particular preferred way of learning, and their learning will be more effective and efficient if instruction matches that learning style. Along with my classmates, I took a quiz to determine my VAK learning style (mostly visual, a bit auditory, definitely not kinaesthetic) and approached all my exam revision accordingly: armed with a pencil case of brightly coloured felt-tip pens, colour-coded timetables and mind maps.

When I became a teacher I naturally took my enthusiasm for learning styles into the classroom with me. I bore them in mind as I planned classes, adapted textbook activities to cater for the different learning styles I had within my class, and even gave some of my teenage and adult students quizzes so that they, too, could determine their own preferred learning style!

But then, last year, I discovered something: although incredibly popular, learning styles are widely regarded as a myth.  And I’ve been dying to talk about it ever since.

At first, I went through something resembling the seven stages of grief. How could this not be true? It was reinforced and supported by my own experience – my colourful visual notes had certainly helped me, as did my brief foray into recording my study notes so I could listen to them back whilst going on walks (Yes, I was a cool teenager). When I run teacher training workshops now, I would say that someone references different learning styles in over 80% of the sessions. It’s hardly an obscure concept, or the educational equivalent of a conspiracy theory. Having got over my initial horror, though, I started to look into the research behind it.

To summarise:

• Learning styles are based on a hypothesis that each student has a preferred learning style, and will learn better if they receive instruction which caters to that style (eg. a student identifying as a visual learner will perform best when information is presented in a way that emphasises the visual).
• Both adults and children do express preferences about how they prefer information to be presented to them.
• There is evidence that people have different aptitudes for different kinds of thinking and for processing different types of information.
• However, there does not seem to be a direct link between people’s aptitudes and the need to receive a specific form of instruction in order to perform at their best.
• Very few studies into how learning styles are applied to education have used a method that would count as scientifically valid.
• Of those studies that did use an appropriate method, several found results that directly contradict the idea that students favouring a particular learning style perform best when presented with information in that style.
• Overall, scientific evidence that students perform best when information is presented in their preferred learning style simply does not exist.

So what can we learn from this? Should we put learning styles back in a box to gather cobwebs like other, outmoded educational concepts? Well, not exactly.

• We can recognise that all students benefit from different kinds of instruction – research shows, for instance, that students learn more deeply from a combination of words and pictures or video than from words alone.

• Presenting the same information in different ways means that we process it differently. Processing the same information in different ways means that we remember and retain that information better in the long-term. It also enhances how well we are able to generalise and make connections between what we already know and other things. Again, multimedia presentation encourages active cognitive processing, promoting more meaningful learning (Mayer 2003).

• While giving our students quizzes to work out their learning style might not be an effective use of their (or our!) time, students do benefit from thinking about how they learn. Strategies such as using exit tickets in our classrooms, using self-assessment, or asking our students to keep a learning journal all help students develop their metacognitive skills (or their ability to ‘think about thinking’), which in turn can lead to greater learner autonomy and more effective learning outcomes.

To conclude: while the science tells us that the theory behind learning styles is suspect, the implications for our classrooms are perhaps not as earth-shattering as I initially feared. If anything it makes a stronger case for making our instruction and activities as varied as possible – for the benefit of all our students, not just some of them.

Five things I’ve learned about teaching (from the world of publishing)

It’s been an interesting transition from the world of English Language Teaching into working for an ELT publisher. My job sees me still working with teachers on a regular basis, and talking, thinking and writing about teaching, but I’m well aware that there are some things I perhaps see differently now.

I’ve taught in private language schools, summer schools, a state school, and online, but I’d never stopped to consider the overall breadth of English Language Teaching. How there are so many different contexts in which English is taught, who it’s taught by and who it’s taught to, and all the different goals and needs and requirements within that. In my current role I get something of an overview of ELT in a way I never have before, and it’s been a learning curve! So here’s just a fraction of what I’ve learned.

1. We’ve moved on!

This is a personal one, and may not be representative of the experience of people who’ve taken a TEFL qualification more recently. I trained to teach in a super low-tech environment – I took my Trinity CertTESOL in a church hall, with laminated magazine picture flashcards and a cassette recorder. My first teaching job was also relatively low tech – CD players were about the height of modern technology, we had one computer (in the staffroom), a lot of photocopies, and the idea of a classroom having an interactive whiteboard or a projector was something of a far-flung dream. Over the last couple of years the world has become more and more reliant on technology to do everything (not just teach!) but it’s been a real revelation to me just how much is out there. It’s still dependent on the context you’re working in, but teachers now have so much technology at their disposal: IWB software, learning management systems, and apps. At IATEFL last week a fellow publisher was demonstrating their AR software. Who knows, maybe that will be the future of language learning. I firmly believe that technology will never replace a good teacher. But still, it’s pretty cool!

2. Tried and tested (and checked)

I think pretty much everyone has a story about a coursebook (or other book!) that they’ve found which had typos in it, or incorrect answers, or an activity that simply didn’t work or make sense. But as a general rule I’ve realised what coursebooks have in their favour (as opposed to materials that have been made by a school/a random teacher on the internet) is the sheer amount of eyes on them before they become published materials. It’s a bit like watching the film credits; I’d never really appreciated the amount of work (and the amount of people!) that go into that coursebook in front of you. You’re not only drawing on the experience of the authors, but also of the Editorial team, and countless other internal stakeholders, who all have a good level of English, an eye for detail and who potentially all have teaching experience themselves. Of course, this is no guarantee that everything will be perfect, or that nothing will have slipped through the cracks. But it does give you a better chance that the materials you’re using will actually be good quality.

3. Rules, Regulations and Parsnips

As a teacher, I’d never really thought too much about what was, or wasn’t, included in coursebooks. I do remember, however, a conversation with a colleague about some coursebooks we had in the staffroom which he referred to rather dismissively as being ‘for a middle Eastern market’. The reason for this assertion? The lack of dogs, pork products, and alcohol. In the same setting, I taught a group of middle Eastern students using a coursebook that didn’t have this affliction – and to be honest I remember feeling a bit embarrassed by how heavily some of the content seemed to revolve around alcohol. Now that I’m more experienced I think I’d probably try to handle it differently, but at the time we simply struggled through conversations based on ‘Do you like wine?’ and ‘Would you like a beer?’, which frankly seemed inappropriate and didn’t acknowledge my students’ culture.

I think it’s more standard now for coursebooks to be created for a ‘global’ audience. Although there will still be custom versions created for particular markets, the majority of international publishers will aim to ‘play it safe’ and avoid certain topics, commonly known as PARSNIPS (Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, “isms” [eg communism, atheism…] and Pork). There are plenty of arguments both for and against this (I recommend reading Scott Thornbury’s blog post on the topic and the accompanying comments), but whatever side of the argument you subscribe to it’s been interesting to learn more about it.

4. There is no one size fits all

On a related note, there is no one size fits all. There are so many different approaches to English Language Teaching, and I do think working in publishing has given me a better sense of that. Teachers in some regions still love a grammar chart, while others prioritise a more communicative approach. I think globally we’re moving away from ELT focusing on British and American culture, but there are still some countries/schools/teachers who want their syllabus to include information about  ‘festivals and holidays’ like Halloween and Christmas. Others want to teach students about their home country and culture through the medium of English. Teachers have different levels of training, and experience, they have different amounts of time available to spend planning lessons – and there are different expectations of what they will and will not do. Although there are overall trends, the ‘right’ way of doing things does very much depend on where you’re teaching. It’s pretty fascinating!

5. The coursebook isn’t everything

This is more of a reminder, really, as adapting, omitting and supplementing was definitely something I did as a teacher. Since working for a publisher I’ve realised increasingly how impossible it is to meet everyone’s needs perfectly – and therefore how important it is for the teacher to know their students and contribute to this too. If you need your coursebook to include something that is missing, by all means suggest it to the publisher (see also point 4, as it’s possible it’s not there for a good reason). But also create your own materials, adapt the coursebook, and supplement it. If the book doesn’t work for your students, make something that will.

I do believe coursebooks are a great tool – they save the teacher time and effort, contain a wealth of ideas, and give you access to content that you wouldn’t be able to create yourself. But at the end of the day a coursebook is just that; a book. It’s what you do with it that counts!   

It’s been a long time – and what a time it’s been. Since I last posted I’ve moved from teaching to the world of ELT publishing, moved to a different part of the country, studied for Module 1 of my Delta, travelled to many, many new countries to work with teachers there (something that was beyond my wildest dreams when I started this blog), and on a more personal note bought a house, got married and had a baby. Oh, and there’s been a pandemic.

Last week I had a fantastic time at IATEFL – and without wanting to be trite, it reminded me of how priviledged I am to work in this industry. How I firmly believe that EFL teachers are among some of the best people you’ll ever meet, and just how exciting it is to teach people a language and all the skills that accompany that.

So The Best Ticher is back, sharing some thoughts – with no promises about how regular they will be!

Interview with an EFL Teacher: Charlotte

When I first started teaching English abroad, I had no idea that it would turn into my career, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. Much as I know many ‘lifers’, I’ve also lived, worked and played alongside teachers who’ve decided that working in ELT  isn’t for them.  Many people take their CELTA or a Trinity with a view to living, teaching and travelling abroad for a year or so, but don’t see a career in the classroom as a long-term goal – and that’s perfectly ok!

If you’ve started teaching but aren’t sure if it’s for you, or can’t decide if TEFL is worth it if you’re only going to be doing it for a year, please read my interview with Charlotte, who shares how her TEFL experience led her to start her own business. 

 

Charlotte grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is an International Business graduate. She completed the CELTA after finishing university and accepted a teaching position in Prague. She enjoyed the experience but decided she wasn’t suited to the job long-term. She returned to the UK and has since started her own travel consultancy business, which you can find out more about here. 

 

Hi Charlotte, and thanks for agreeing to answer some questions for me! First thing’s first, why TEFL? 

I first became interested in TEFL after a friend of mine completed a TEFL course and moved to Argentina to teach. I love travel and had always fancied giving teaching a try. While I was reading about the industry online it became clear that a TEFL certificate could help me find work all over the world. I’d gathered that CELTA was a tough course rather than something to be taken lightly. About a year after graduating from university I was in need of a challenge so I decided to give it a bash!

What was your favourite thing about teaching English abroad?

I’m sure this is what everybody says, but honestly my favourite thing was simply the opportunity to live in a different county and get to know the people by teaching and working with them. I also loved working with little kids (for about the first 5 minutes of each class!)

Is there anything you’d do differently now?

I don’t think I’d do anything differently to be honest! It was a good experience just the way it was.

Why did you decide teaching wasn’t right for you long-term?

I decided it wasn’t for me long-term because although I found the job interesting, to be brutally honest the passion just wasn’t there! I’ve always dreamed of having a career that I would never, ever get bored of, and I knew that teaching wasn’t that.

So what did you do next? How has teaching and living abroad helped prepare you for what you’re doing now?

I realised after I left teaching that I really needed to go after a career related to a passion in my life – one of those passions is travel! I ended up starting my own travel consultancy business and although it may seem unlikely, my teaching experience has really helped me out! I have to speak publicly quite a bit in order to promote my business, and teaching has made me comfortable with this. I also find that people take me more seriously as a travel consultant when I talk about my stints living abroad, rather than just holidays I’ve been on. Most importantly, teaching and living abroad makes you adaptable – this is essential for me being self-employed!

If you could give a new teacher one piece of advice, what would it be?

Get to know your students and try to make lessons as relevant to them as individuals as possible. In my opinion, a CELTA style lesson that you are taught to run during your training isn’t always what they want or need.

Complete this sentence: “Teaching English abroad is…”

…not easy! People have this idea that if you can speak English you can teach it…no. Think about it…if a person joined your class and all they could say is “hello”, where would you start? It is really very difficult at times! I find it very sad that a lot of people think TEFL is “not a real job” and simply a fun gap year for everybody involved. Even though I haven’t stayed in the industry I have nothing but admiration for those who have made this their career. Teaching English abroad is a profession that deserves a lot more respect.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Charlotte, and I wish you and your business all the best of luck!

 

 

A-Z of Self Care for Teachers

Yesterday in the UK (2nd February) was Time To Talk Day, which encourages people to break the silence and talk about mental health problems. I’ve already come across a couple of helpful ELT related posts – Phil Longwell’s brave and honest interview on the Teachers as Workers blog and Sandy Millin’s list of useful links on mental health in ELT, but couldn’t help but feel that this should give me the impetus to write a post I’ve been meaning to write for ages.

One in four people are estimated to suffer from mental health problems every year, which means that it’s far more common than a lot of people think. I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety on and off since my early teens, and although my mental health has thankfully never prevented me from teaching (if anything it’s been helped by it) it has certainly negatively affected my life outside of work.

That brings me to this post.

What is self care? Well, it’s about taking proper care of yourself, identifying your own needs and taking steps to make sure that they are met.

Why is self-care important? English language teaching is far from the easiest of professions – low wages, variable (and often not great) work conditions, added to the stress and uncertainty for many people of moving to a new country. Adapting to a new culture can be really challenging, especially if you don’t necessarily speak the language. It’s also a job which means you’re constantly dealing with people, yet the need to maintain professionalism means that you can end up feeling quite isolated if you’ve got any personal problems going on.

I love teaching, but let’s face it, it can be difficult, stressful, and downright disheartening at times. Whether you suffer from mental health problems or not, there’s no harm to be done by taking a little more care of yourself.

So, here’s my A-Z of Self Care for Teachers. These are all things I’ve tried, or that I routinely use personally, which have helped me feel a little more sane when the anxiety gremlin is knocking at my door. I hope they help you – and if you have any other resources or suggestions I’d love to hear them.

Awareness – Teaching is not an easy job, and EFL teaching, whilst in a different context and with different challenges to teaching in a mainstream school classroom, is still teaching. It’s important to be aware of some of the stresses and strains of working in this profession, as well as where you can get help and support if need be. Organisations like TEA and Teachers as Workers are there to support and offer advice, and don’t overlook your own colleagues, friends and management team. Be aware of the difficulties and challenges that come with teaching (and moving and living abroad if you aren’t working in your home country), and remember that if you’re feeling stressed, anxious, lonely or down, you aren’t alone and it isn’t your fault.

Breathe – If, like me, you’re prone to anxiety, your breathing is one of the first things to go out of the window if you’re stressed or worried. It’s worth taking a few minutes to slow down and breathe, whether it’s first thing in the morning, in the evening after you’ve got home, or even in the middle of a class that’s going wrong. This PDF offers some good tips on how to calm and slow down your breathing, or you can find a similar audio version here. Another helpful technique can be using a simple mindfulness technique to help you focus on your breathing. I often use this before I go to sleep, particularly if I’ve had a difficult day, and find it really helps.

Compassion – I’ve written about self-criticism before, but I really do think it’s important to be kind to yourself. Even if you’ve had a terrible day at work, you’re really struggling with your classes and you’re starting to wonder if you even made the right decision to be a teacher (trust me, we’ve all been there!)… if your best friend came to you with similar problems, would you listen to them and be understanding, or would you spend the whole conversation judging them and being critical? Why not afford the same compassion to yourself? Think I’m just being a hippie? Well, research has shown that people who practise self-compassion are happier, have better relationships with others, bounce back more easily from set-backs, are more resilient, and are less likely to be stressed, anxious or depressed. 

Daydream – I think, as teachers, we often have rather a negative view of daydreaming – we often associate it with that student who never pays attention in class, preferring instead to gaze out of the window! It’s been proven, however, that daydreaming can make you happier, more creative, boost your memory, and even consolidate learning. Next time you’re feeling stressed out or low, why not allow yourself a little daydream break??

Exercise – We all know we need to exercise… and it’s true, if you’re working with young learners teaching alone tends to keep you active. Outside of work, though, it’s quite easy to get into couch potato habits: talking to friends and family on Skype, watching things on Netflix, using social media and so on. Getting regular exercise doesn’t just have physical benefits,  it also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts overall mood. So whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the lift, getting off the bus/metro a stop early, joining a local sports club or simply taking the time to go for a walk before or after work, find a way to work some exercise into your weekly (if not daily) routine.

Food – Let’s face it, after a long day in the classroom, the last thing you probably want to do is cook a meal. It’s far easier to grab a ready meal or stop at McDonalds on your way home from work. The same can go for lunch – one of the schools I worked at often used to order a takeaway around lunchtime and it’s pretty hard to resist temptation and go for the healthy option! I’ve always found that the key to eating more healthily is preparation – taking snacks or a packed meal with me makes it far easier to eat a balanced diet rather than immediately going for junk food. If you’re short of ideas (or if packed lunches just remind you of what you used to take to school) this website has lots of great ideas. If you’ve got a microwave available to you why not cook extra at dinner and then take in leftovers the following day? My current personal favourite is homemade miso soup – pack veggies, rice noodles and seasoning in a jam jar, then simply add boiling water when you want to eat.

When it comes to dinner, the problem most EFL teachers face is that many of us don’t finish work until 9 or 10pm. By the time we get home, cooking is the last thing we want to do! As someone who spent four years working on this schedule, it seems to me that there are 3 main options (that aren’t simply getting a takeaway every night!).

1. Change your schedule so that you’re eating a larger, main meal at lunchtime, then have something smaller, lighter, and quicker to prepare as your evening meal – either at work, pre-evening class, or after you get home.
2. Prepare your meals in advance as much as possible – I can see ‘meal prep’ (where you prepare and store all your meals for the coming week on the weekend, leaving only minimal cooking time on the day) working really well for some teachers. (See here or here for some ideas, if you’re curious).
3. Find a selection of quick recipes you really like: for example, these under 20 minute recipes.

I tended to do a combination of all three, depending on my mood, the time of year, and my timetable. It’s also worth bearing in mind that it’s not just what you eat, but how often (which can be tricky to fit around a busy teaching timetable). Low blood sugar can make you ‘hangry’ (hungry+angry), so if you find yourself lacking energy and snapping at your students mid afternoon, this could be why. Another reason to take snacks with you to work!

Gratitude – The more we dwell on negative thoughts and the bad things that have happened to us, the worse we are likely to perceive things are. Don’t believe me? See here. One way to conquer this is gratitude. Try to take a few minutes out every day just to think about the things you’re grateful for – write them down if that helps. Personally, my best friend and I have an arrangement where we email each other a short list of positive things (or things we’re grateful for) every morning. I find the accountability helps! Keeping a list of things you’re grateful for can feel silly at first, but I promise that once you’ve started, you’ll find there’s more to be grateful for than you first think. Want to find more about the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal? You can find reasons why you should, as well as helpful tips for getting into the habit, here.

Hobbies – It can seem like teaching takes up all your time, especially if you’re new to the job and find you’re spending much of your weekends and evenings planning. Remember that it’s important to have a life too! Either look into continuing (or restarting) an old hobby, or see if you can take up something new.

Imagine –  When you’re faced with a problem (even one that seems insurmountable), rather than focusing on all the ways things could go wrong, why not try imagining what could go right? I find that often a simple change of perspective can help me to find solutions or even simply steps forwards that I hadn’t previously considered.

Judgement – In a previous blog post I discussed ways of dealing with the ‘inner critic’ – that nasty little voice in your head that tells you you’re a failure and everything’s headed for disaster. I think it’s worth reiterating here: one of the most important things you can do to look after yourself is not to judge yourself. Everyone has difficult classes, everyone teaches less than perfect lessons, and everyone feels low or isolated or homesick occasionally. Don’t beat yourself up for how you feel!

Kindness –  Doing something to help others has a positive effect on our own happiness too. If it’s not possible for you to volunteer with or donate to a charity (volunteering can be harder to organise when you’re not in your own country, especially if you’re in a bit of a TEFL teacher bubble, and different people have different financial situations), why not look a bit closer to home? Write a note to a colleague telling them you appreciate them, buy a friend a bar of chocolate, offer to do your flatmate’s chores or call or email someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.

Laugh – Laughter therapy is a thing. When we laugh, our body relaxes and endorphins (natural painkillers) are released into the blood stream. This is a great natural stress-buster! If everything’s getting on top of you, watch a couple of episodes of your favourite sitcom, see a film, or even just look up jokes online. I also like to keep a little record of funny things my students have said in class – never fails to make me smile!

Mindfulness – Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can improve your mental wellbeing. Personally I’ve found this to be one of the most helpful things in dealing with my own depression and anxiety. You can find some tips on exploring mindfulness here, if it’s something you’d like to try.

Negative thoughts (learning to deal with them) – It’s completely normal to have negative thoughts, everyone does! Stopping having negative thoughts should never be a goal; it’s far more important to learn to deal with them when they do appear. As with dealing with the inner critic, the first step to overcoming negative thoughts is to recognise them. Once you’ve identified a negative thought, you can then look for evidence to support it (often there won’t be any!), evidence against it, and potentially reframe it (think ‘how can I look at this in a different way?’).

Organise – This might be more of a personal one, but I often find that when things are starting to get too much, organisation and tidiness go out of the window…and the ensuing mess only makes me feel worse. Put on some of your favourite music, open some windows, and have a proper clean and tidy. If everything’s too overwhelming, tackle it bit by bit – say only your desk, or your wardrobe. You don’t have to do everything today.

Play – All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy… and the same goes for teachers too! No matter how many other things you have going on, try to take the time to do something for you, every day. If you’re stuck for ideas, try some of these 50 ways to take a break! Sandy Millin also has a selection of bookmarks  on how to maintain work/life balance.

Quiet – With social media, smart phones and easily available wifi it can seem like we’re almost constantly surrounded by noise, information, and people wanting our attention. Choose a short period every so often to disconnect and be in the silence.

Read – I’ve put this one in as I always find reading helps me to relax, but it’s often something I don’t consider to be a priority and so struggle to find the time to do. If you think you don’t have time to read, how about reading on public transport on your way to and/or from school? If that still doesn’t sound like something that would work for you, I love audio books as you can then listen while walking, running, cooking or doing the ironing.

Socialise – Spending time with friends can make you feel much better about things! If you’ve just moved to a new country to start your TEFL adventure it can be tricky to meet new people, especially if you want to build a network of friends outside of English language teaching. Meetup.com can be a great place to start if you want to meet new people – it’s free to join and there are thousands of different groups based around different hobbies and activities. From what I can tell it’s pretty much international – I first joined while living in Prague, and made some great friends.

Talk – It’s important to talk to someone if you are finding things difficult, be that a friend, a colleague, your DOS or a family member. The Time to Talk website shares some conversation starters if you simply don’t know where to start. If you want to talk to someone from a detached perspective, I’m always happy to respond to emails or facebook messages (you can find my email address on the ‘about’ tab at the top of the page).

Understand (you’re not alone) – I’m grateful that more and more people are now talking about mental health – because it is important. If you’re struggling with depression, stress or anxiety (or indeed other mental health issues) please remember that you are not the only one in this situation. Phil Longwell talks openly about mental health and the effects anxiety has had on his life and teaching career in this interview, and Rebecca Cope writes about her experiences here. If you’re looking for more personal stories (not specific to ELT), Time to Talk has quite a collection!

Visit – Whenever I’m completely caught up in whatever’s going on in my head, I find getting a change of scenery really helps. Whether it’s visiting a tourist attraction, taking a mini break and seeing a new town or city, going to a cafe or restaurant or even simply stepping outside your apartment and getting some fresh air, going somewhere different can be a good idea. Why not go with a friend?

Water – We’ve talked already about food, but equally important is water. Dependent on the climate you’re in, aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day (around 1.2 litres, more if you’re in a hot climate). If you’re in a country where it isn’t safe to drink the tap water, consider investing in a water filter – it’ll save you loads on bottled water in the long-run.

eXhale – The way we breathe affects our nervous system. If we’re under pressure or stressed, we tend to emphasise the ‘inhale’ section of our breathing, our heart rate rises and our ‘fight or flight’ mechanism is stimulated. By consciously paying attention to our breathing, and exhaling for longer than we inhale, we can calm our body and our nervous system.

Yield – Be it anger, resentment, or past memories, there’s something in our minds that likes to cling on to the bad things that have happened to us – and in the long-term that doesn’t do us any good. If you’ve had a bad class, a disagreement with a friend or colleague, or a bad observation, now is always the time to let go. Talk to someone, write a letter, punch your pillow, exercise, or do what ever you need to let your emotions out. Then, make a conscious decision to let it go, and move on.

Zzzz – I struggled with low mood quite a bit in my first year of living and teaching abroad, and this was largely due to sleep – or lack thereof. I finished teaching at 9-9:30pm, came home, ate dinner, and then stayed up until 2 or 3am talking to friends back at home on Skype – not helped by the 4 hour time difference. The amount of sleep we need varies from person to person (I’ve always needed more than the average to feel well-rested), but it’s generally advised that we need between 7 and 9 hours’ sleep a night. Many of us don’t get anywhere near that, and sleep deprivation can lead to moodiness, irritability, depression and a weakened immune system, as well as more serious health issues. Getting enough sleep (and aiming to make it good quality sleep too!) is an easy way to look after yourself just a little bit more.

Watch your language: how, and when, and how not to grade.

One of the challenges of teaching lower level students is knowing when, and how, to grade your language. Although by the end of my Trinity I’d just about got my head around how to talk to elementary students, I still tended to find that I’d frequently be greeted by blank stares for the first few minutes of the lesson – before I’d graded my language enough to be easily understood. The first time I taught beginner students I had no idea how to speak to them!

Grading your language is one of those things that seems much easier in theory than it is in practice. You just use simpler words, right? Well, yes… and then some. Like any other aspect of teaching, grading your language is a skill that takes practice. So while you’re getting to grips with it, here’s my ‘Grading Your Language 101’.

 1. Speak slowly (Edit: enunciate and add pauses).

As everyone who’s witnessed the stereotype of a British or American tourist on holiday knows, repeating yourself loudly and slowly doesn’t guarantee comprehension. However, speaking more slowly in addition to other techniques WILL increase your chances of being understood.

2. Use simpler vocabulary.

If you’re teaching a level you don’t have much experience of, reading through an appropriate level coursebook or two before planning your lesson/teaching your class is always a good idea. This applies to any level, not just beginners/low-level students! Having a look at a coursebook will give you an idea of the types of text and what kind of vocabulary your students are likely to be familiar with. A good rule of thumb is not to introduce too much new material at any one time – so if you’re giving students practise of a new grammar point, don’t include lots of new vocabulary as well. Let your students focus on one thing at a time.

The same holds true with your spoken language: use simpler vocabulary for instructions or explanations (times when you want your students to be able to focus on the content of what’s being said, but not necessarily on the individual words being used).

3. Use simpler grammatical structures.

Grading your language isn’t only about using simpler vocabulary – it’s also important to pay attention to the grammatical structures you use. ‘If you had a million pounds, what would you do?’ isn’t likely to be understood by students who aren’t ready to study conditionals… but ‘Imagine – you have a million pounds. What do you want to buy?’ expresses the same idea (without the complex grammar!). Again, if you aren’t sure it’s worth looking through a coursebook to get an idea of what your students are likely to be familiar with.

4. Use natural English.

Especially if you’re teaching a lot of low-level classes, it’s not too unusual for teachers to find that they are mimicking their students’ English – missing out articles, using ‘is’ instead of ‘are’, or not using full sentences are common ones. This is a bad habit that it’s remarkably easy to get into – even though few people want to admit that they do it! The problem with this is that it provides an incorrect model for your students, and therefore they’re more likely to copy the mistake than to learn to correct their own errors.

5. Say things in a different way.

Don’t assume that the blank expressions mean that your students don’t understand the gist of the question or don’t have the vocabulary to respond – they may simply not understand the way you phrased it. As an example, one of the things I’m most guilty of is the following conversation:

Me: Where are you from?

Student: Russia.

Me: Ah, cool! Whereabouts in Russia?

Student: Sorry, I don’t understand.

When speaking English naturally I always tend to phrase the question this way – for some reason ‘whereabouts’ comes far more easily to me than any possible alternative. If I’m talking to anyone other than a high level or native speaker, though, they’re not going to understand! I could assume that they don’t understand or can’t answer the question and completely write it off… but it makes more sense to ask the question in a different way first, like so:

Me: Where are you from?

Student: Russia.

Me: Ah, cool! Whereabouts in Russia?

Student: Sorry, I don’t understand.

Me: Sorry, where are you from in Russia? What town or city?

Student: Ah! Moscow.

Reframing the question (and using simpler language when doing so!) gives the student another shot at answering, especially if you slipped up and didn’t grade your language enough the first time!

6. Allow them thinking time.

Before jumping in and rephrasing the question, it’s worth remembering that your students need time to think – so don’t jump in and reframe or move on immediately. This is something that most teachers (including myself!) find tricky – not least because it can feel really awkward standing and simply waiting for an answer. When teaching low level students, though, that pause is vital, to give them time to understand the question and formulate their answer. If you want to find out more about thinking time (or ‘wait time’) I highly recommend Rachael Roberts’ post, ‘The wonder of wait time’.

7. Don’t Patronise Your Students.

Your students don’t speak much English, but that doesn’t mean that they’re stupid. I’ve taught doctors, engineers and phD candidates – people far more intelligent than me and with more qualifications than I will probably ever have…but circumstances, situations and priorities have meant that they’ve still been beginner English language students. Yes, you’re going to need to speak slowly, use simple language and perhaps talk about simpler topics than you would do normally, but it’s important not to treat your students like idiots. Bear in mind also that your low-level adult students are not children. That might sound obvious, but many of the ‘beginner’ resources out there are aimed at young learners – particularly if you’re looking to teach vocabulary such as rooms in a house, furniture, clothes, etc. Some of these materials are still fine to use with adult students, but others aren’t appropriate. Use your discretion and be discerning when it comes to choosing materials.

8. Don’t be afraid to use some unknown language.

When I first taught ‘starter’ students (complete beginners) I used to worry about using language they didn’t know, or at least language that I hadn’t taught them or wasn’t in the process of teaching them. On joining my class anything beyond ‘hello’ was new language for them – so wasn’t it a bit much to expect them, six or so lessons in, to be able to understand a text containing lots of new vocabulary? Well, no – because of how we acquire language. Your students might not be able to produce the language, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t understand it. Your students’ vocabulary will grow as they are exposed to new language, so don’t be afraid to introduce them to it! Do grade your language – but don’t worry that your students need to know and be able to produce every word you say.

 

The Art of Smile and Nod

I read Joanna Malefaki’s post on Disciplining Adult Learners, and was immediately inspired to write my own thoughts on the topic. You see, we spend a lot of time talking about how to manage challenging behaviour in our young learner classes… but much as we shy away from admitting it, challenging behaviour happens from time to time in adult classes too.

Similar to Joanna’s experience, I’ve had students:

• Openly text/play on their phones throughout the lesson
• Answer a phone call, then have a phone conversation in the middle of the lesson
• Ignore instructions (problematic when those instructions are to start or stop an activity)
• Argue with and openly criticise the teacher
• Laugh at, bully or otherwise be unpleasant towards other students
• Refuse to participate in activities (more often than not communicative tasks) because they are ‘pointless and stupid’
• Repeatedly arrive late (upwards of half an hour), with no apology or explanation

Normal behaviour for teenagers, you might think. But I’ve encountered all of this with adult students too.

The challenge here is ‘what do I do when my adult student is behaving badly?

I definitely don’t have all the answers to this one (if you have any more ideas I’d love to hear in the comments), but here are my thoughts.

Remember that in the classroom, you are the boss.

Personally, one of the reasons I find it difficult to ‘discipline’ adult students is simply because of how I perceive their position in relation to mine. Often my difficult adult students have been older than me, and in the case of in-company classes, may well occupy a very senior position. Meanwhile, I’m someone who is being paid to provide a service – and the first rule of customer service is that the customer is always right.

After several years of teaching, my opinion now is that where teaching is concerned, this way of thinking has to go. Yes, I may be younger than this student, earn less money and be regarded as being less senior, but in the classroom, I am the one in charge.

This means that if a student’s behaviour is disrupting their or other students’ learning, I have the right to say something about it – regardless of that student’s age, gender or position.  

(If you ever doubt that you’re in charge, I strongly recommend asking troublemaking older kids, teens or even extremely disruptive adults to stand up and come and take the lesson instead of you. I’ve never had any takers).

Stay calm.

Getting angry (especially in front of the student) is simply not worth it. It jeopardises your
professionalism, can turn a positive classroom atmosphere into something very negative, and is unlikely to have the result that you are looking for. I have a bit of a temper, so definitely don’t find it easy to practice what I preach here – but taking a moment to breathe, remaining calm and not allowing things to get heated (however strongly you feel) is more likely to improve the situation than not.

Decide how much it’s worth fighting over.

This is a tricky one… and a personal one, because I do think it depends largely on the situation.

In terms of things like texting in class, the students are only disrupting their own learning. Yes, it’s disrespectful and impolite, but at the end of the day they are the ones who will suffer. This is something I might address if it becomes a regular occurrence, but if it’s only once or twice I may well let it go.

If a student refuses to participate in an activity, again, that’s fundamentally their problem. I’ll explain to them my rationale for doing it and why participating would be beneficial for them, but at the end of the day I cannot force them to do something they don’t want to do. In this situation I’d simply devote my attention to the other students and ensure they get the most out of the activity as possible.

I will not tolerate students being rude, disrespectful or bullying towards other students in the class. In these situations I will almost certainly make my views clear to the class immediately, and may well speak to the individuals involved after the lesson as well.

In terms of topics such as racism, homophobia, sexism, and political views, it’s a tough call. I’m well aware that my students come from different cultural backgrounds to myself, and therefore their views, while intolerant and unacceptable in my culture, may well be the norm in theirs. Here I think all you can do is make it clear that their views are not universally accepted. If ideas are expressed that really bother you, simply steer the conversation away and make it clear that you are not willing to participate in that discussion.

Put the students in your shoes.

One thing I have found to work well when working with difficult adult students is to ask them to stand in your shoes for a minute – or equally in the shoes of other class members. While teenagers or kids don’t necessarily have the empathy required in order for this to be effective, adults generally do,  and most adults do agree with the idea of ‘treat others as you would be treated’. If they wouldn’t be happy with their teacher  chewing gum, or texting in the lesson, or arguing with other students, why is it ok for them to do so with you?

One thing that’s worth bearing in mind here: remember that your students are adults. While it’s fine to tell them that their behaviour is unacceptable, don’t make a big show of it or single out one difficult student in front of the class. If one or two students are acting out of line, the rest of the class will have doubtless noticed it too – but they are also likely to be watching to see what you do about it! Wherever possible take a difficult student aside or speak to them after class. Make it clear that you consider their behaviour to be disrespectful or inappropriate, but do this calmly and respectfully.

Ask others for advice.

Several years ago I taught a really difficult adult student. The kind who would argue and tell the teacher that they were wrong, who would roll their eyes and sigh loudly if they didn’t like an activity, who would threaten to complain at the end of every single lesson, and who would from time to time simply refuse to participate, instead sitting there, arms folded, glaring at everyone. After several lessons of this (she joined part way through a course), I was jittery, paranoid, and concerned that I was doing things horribly wrong and was a terrible teacher. Until I spoke to my colleagues.  It turns out that almost all of them had had a similar encounter with that student – she would routinely turn up, sulk and pout her way through six months of lessons, and then disappear until she decided that she needed to improve her English again. I never did figure out exactly what her rationale behind this was – but knowing that I wasn’t alone helped a lot.

Even if your colleagues haven’t taught the student you’re currently having difficulties with, they may well have been in a similar situation with a different student. Ask people for help – they may be able to make suggestions, offer advice, or simply make you feel better.

Get back-up.

If you’re teaching on a free-lance or private tuition basis, this one is harder, and I don’t honestly know what to suggest beyond try some of the above ideas and decide how much you’re willing to tolerate.

If you are working for a school, however, it’s worth speaking to your Senior Teacher or ADOS. Even if they won’t speak to the difficult student on your behalf (and sometimes they will!), it can be worth it just for reassurance. The prospect of students complaining gets a lot less scary when you know that the school management has already heard your side of the situation!

Have you ever had problems dealing with a difficult adult student?

What happened, and what did you do?

Interview with an EFL Teacher: Allison

One of my many plans for The Best Ticher this year is to showcase some other voices, not just my own. After all, I’m not the only EFL teacher out there! To kick off my new series of ‘Interview with an EFL Teacher’ posts, I’d like to introduce my friend (and former colleague) Allison. 

 

Allison is an EFL teacher from Long Island, New York. She did her CELTA in Wroclaw, Poland and currently works in Prague, Czech Republic. In her free time, Allison likes to read, draw, do arts and craft projects and play on her ukulele.

Hi Allison, thanks for agreeing to answer some questions for my site!

So, first thing’s first, the big question: why TEFL?

One of the big reasons I chose TEFL was because I knew someone who had done it; my sister! She taught in Prague and in Japan. She really loved the experience and culture in the countries she was in and inspired me to travel and teach! 

Did you have any teaching experience before taking your CELTA?

Yes, actually I did! Before I did CELTA, I received a Master’s in Science in Elementary Education (aka: Teaching Primary School Children). I looked for some jobs after I graduated, but I was a little nervous. I kept asking myself if teaching in one place was what I wanted to do. Before settling down, I wanted to travel. Teaching and travelling seemed like the best option for me. It made me excited to think about the possibilities of living and teaching in another country.

What was your next step after receiving your certificate?

After I got my CELTA, I stayed in Poland for at least a month in order to find a job as soon as possible. While I applied to jobs, it gave me the opportunity to travel around central Europe. 

What’s been your favorite teaching moment?

My favorite teaching moment was when I taught in pre-school in Prague. One day, I arrived to class and a little girl came up to me, grabbed me by the hand and showed me a picture she drew. She pointed out the colors that we learned the week before and said them in English. I gave her a high five and she grinned.

I also love singing songs to my pre-school and primary school children. It’s wonderful to hear them hum the songs that we learned and then they sing it for you. ^_^

What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned?

The most useful thing I learned was that experience is valuable. The more practice, support and resources I got, the more I grew in my teaching skills.

Is there anything you wish you’d changed or done differently?

No, not really. I don’t regret anything and I think everything I learned helped me to become a better teacher.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new teacher, what would it be?

Be patient. The art of teaching is not mastered overnight. 

Complete this sentence: “Teaching English abroad is…”

Teaching English abroad is life changing, yet rewarding. 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions Allison!