Grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages. It is also one of the more difficult aspects of language to teach well.
Many people, including language teachers, hear the word “grammar” and think of a fixed set of word forms and rules of usage. They associate “good” grammar with the prestige forms of the language, such as those used in...
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 Papadopoulou, EFL Teacher
1. Play 10 questions Before the students enter the classroom, I write five statements on the board about myself. Two of them are true; the...
A new school year is a fresh opportunity to revisit, reconnect, and reimagine your school’s mission and vision. It’s the perfect time to open up your leadership practice and share the work with your team to truly and sustainably make a change. Hear from the leading experts on school leadership to learn how to become a transformational leader for your...
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 hopefully learn) through various applications online, synchronously or asynchronously, or even if what lies ahead is a combination of contact teaching and of...
In his 1997 masterpiece Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella) Roberto Benini narrates the story of a father who tries to create a world for his son while being in a Nazi concentration camp. Far-fetched as it may sound, during the pandemic era educators have acted (or at least they should have) like this caring parent in a dystopian environment that has...
In an ordinary year, a child’s entrance into kindergarten is a major milestone for students and their families. The transition can be filled with trepidation, anticipation, eagerness and uncertainty. Some kids enter more prepared than others, with more support and more exposure to formal educational settings. Other children will have experienced nothing...
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 map of the year, and that I get across as a pleasant professional with expectations of myself and my students. Formulating a shared class vision is top on my...
They say that every profession yields its own merits and concerns. Although some adhere to a strict albeit fixated working schedule, there are others that do not follow suite. It would be inconceivable to even suggest that an educator’s occupation is limited to his presence in class. Hours upon hours of preparation, conducting research, attending...
Who has not experienced moments seeing that flash of interest in students’ eyes, smiling as the bell rings because the energy is so high and no one wants the period to end? How do we extend these moments? How do we create an environment that keeps students stimulated and craving more? How do we have more fun? How can we prevent ‘boredom’? What is it that...
