Inspiring English Teachers

Are inspiring teachers born or are they made?

– What makes an inspiring teacher? When you think about the inspiring teachers that you’ve known, can you spot any common features that they all share?

Inspiring English teachers: a comparative study of learner perceptions of inspirational teaching

Martin Lamb and Martin Wedell

What makes teachers motivating? This paper reviews the literature on motivational teaching and presents findings on the nature of inspiring teaching in two countries, looking at how learners perceive the qualities of teachers who inspire them.

This research project received funding from the British Council’s English Language Teaching Research Award.

This publication is free to download.

The "How to teach" Series from Jeremy Harmer.

The How to series is written by teachers and teacher trainers, people who know the reality of the classroom and the support teachers need to get the most out of their students. The aim is to build teachers confidence, knowledge, and classroom abilities and inspire them to try out new ideas.

This collection of user-friendly development books will assist a broad range of teachers and trainers in expanding their classroom capabilities. Each text offers practical information within a clear theoretical framework. The series builds teachers' confidence, knowledge and classroom abilities -- and inspires them to try out new ideas.

The series includes:

How to Teach Writing by Jeremy Harmer
This book delivers an uncomplicated analysis of the nature of writing, particularly in terms of process, product, and genre. Descriptions of a broad range of writing tasks enable teachers to select those that will be most effective in developing students’ writing skills.
How to Teach Writing - 69 M
https://vk.com/doc222861790_336751558
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How to Teach Grammar by Scott Thornbury
Here you’ll find a host of ways to develop or enhance your grammar teaching skills. How to Teach Grammar demonstrates methods for practicing a variety of grammar topics, dealing with errors, and integrating grammar instruction into general methodologies such as task-based learning.
How to Teach Grammar - 7 M
https://vk.com/doc222861790_336750273
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How to Teach Vocabulary by Scott Thornbury
Finally...an introduction to teaching vocabulary that’s both accessible and content-rich. You’ll find details on the characteristics of words, how they are learned and memorized, and the best ways to teach them. Complex issues are presented in the context of the real-life challenges of today’s classrooms.
How to Teach Vocabulary - 9 M
https://vk.com/doc222861790_336751052
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How to Teach Speaking by Scott Thornbury
This book examines the different approaches and activities that can be used for teaching and testing speaking. It covers areas of speech such as articulation, fluency and register, and looks at classroom approaches including discussions, drama, and drills. A task file and reading list is included.
How to Teach Speaking - 71 M
https://vk.com/doc222861790_336750976
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How to Teach Pronunciation by Gerald Kelly
A straightforward primer on the theory and teaching of pronunciation, this text offers detailed analysis and teaching techniques for vowels, consonants, stress and intonation, and the features of fluent speech. An enclosed Audio CD provides spoken examples of the material in the text.
How to Teach Pronunciation 13 + 22 M
Book
https://vk.com/doc222861790_336750368
Audio CD
https://vk.com/doc208922441_322833503
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How to Teach for Exams by Sally Burgess and Katie Head
This text offers a thorough analysis of how listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as grammar and vocabulary, are tested in a range of exams, along with appropriate teaching strategies for each. Also includes a guide to all major international English language exams.
How to Teach for Exams - 24 M
https://vk.com/doc222861790_336750206

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How to Teach English, New Edition by Jeremy Harmer
This essential introduction to the theory and practice of teaching English illustrates a variety of methods, based on the author’s extensive teaching and training experience. Ideas on lesson planning and textbook use can be put into practice immediately.

How to Teach English - 21 M
https://vk.com/doc222861790_336750005

How to Teach English - Second Edition - 8 M 
https://vk.com/doc243798239_315335328

The Practice of English Language Teaching 4th Edition Book

The Practice of English Language Teaching 4th Edition Book

The Practice of English Language Teaching is the reference of choice for tens of thousands of teachers of English. This fourth edition offers new input for digital teaching, mixed ability classes and assessment.

In this new edition, Jeremy Harmer brings you

• a review of global English
• ideas to help you continue your professional development alone or with others 
• methodology for teaching all the skill sectors in ELT
• DVD with clips from real classrooms, observation tasks and interviews with teachers on their classroom techniques.

Get your copy, here: http://bit.ly/1y8Vm2d

Strategies to develop students´s oral language

Being able to talk and express your thoughts clearly is vital in life. Yet, too many students are graduating without sufficient experience with group discussions, or arguing their ideas effectively, and they are finding themselves unprepared for the communication demands of college and their careers.

How can we prepare our students for these rigors?

To lay a better foundation for this learning, we can do a few things: we can value oral language development, we can value communication of ideas over grammatical correctness, and we can value oral language as a powerful way to learn and remember content.

Here are three strategies to help develop oral language skills:

Strategy One: Adapt Activities to Include Authentic Talk

Adapting current activities to include more authentic, original, and extended discussions gives students opportunities to contribute more than one sentence to a conversation. Sometimes, we miss the opportunity to encourage language development. For example, many teachers use some form of a jigsaw activity, in which students get into expert groups, read a text, and answer questions or fill in charts. They then go to mixed home groups to share their information. Yet, often what happens is this: students just read aloud what another student has copied from a resource — and opportunities for oral language development are lost.

To improve this strategy, you can have the experts engage in a discussion of what to put, in their own words, onto paper. Then, they can rehearse what they’ll say — covering their papers to avoid reading aloud. Then in home groups, you can have each person glance at their notes, cover them again, and share with the group members, who listen and take notes. You can even ask students to try to speak in paragraphs, starting with a general claim or topic sentence, and then support it with evidence sentences. For example, in this video, notice how the talk evolves as students prepare their ideas for sharing.

Strategy Two: Use Activities that Develop Strong Language

Use activities that allow students to develop a “stronger and clearer” answer, as they talk to different partners successively in an activity. Instead of the all-too-common whole class discussion, with the teacher asking questions and a few students answering, ask a question and have students talk to three different partners. Or have students talk in different groups (see this 1-3-6 activity video).

A crucial aspect of this strategy is that students shouldn’t say the same thing each time; rather, they need to build on the language and ideas of previous partner(s) to improve, expand, clarify, and support their evolving answer each time they share it.

Example Activities (from Zwiers, O’Hara, Pritchard, 2014):

Interview Grid: Students talk with one different partner each time, making their answers stronger and clearer each time, taking minimal, if any, notes on the chart. Note that this activity can also work using inner-outer conversation circles, such as the one in this Debrief Circles video.

Opinion Formation Cards: Students receive a quotation from the text (before it’s read) that includes evidence for one side or the other of an issue. Students share their quotations and their evolving opinions, with reasons and evidence for them.

Opinion Continuum: Students share where they fall on the continuum of a two-sided issue and why. At the end, they share if they shifted at all along the continuum based on their conversations with partners.

Strategy Three: Use Strong Discussion Prompts

Try to use discussion prompts that foster evaluation in some way. Evaluation is usually needed for ranking, prioritizing, and choosing. For example, if you ask for evidence of a theme or a claim, many students just find the first three remotely evidence-y things they can, and stop there. But if you prompt students to rank the evidence from strongest to weakest, or to find the most influential cause of some war, you can often get deeper thinking and better conversation.

For instance, I was talking with a teacher who was asking this question, “How did the Civil War affect the families in the South?” I encouraged her to simply add “most affect” to force students to evaluate and discuss their opinions. When students evaluate, their ideas often differ. And if you allow them time to argue and negotiate the ideas, lots of learning can happen.

Active Engagement Strategies

Keeping students actively engaged throughout the day is critical for academic success. However, active engagement involves more than "hands on" instruction. Students need opportunities to work collaboratively with a partner or team in order to gain a deeper understanding of the content they are exploring.

On this page you'll find a two free webinar recordings with lots of practical and easy-to-implement active engagement strategies.

• Part One includes strategies for whole group engagement and partner activities.
• Part Two focuses on cooperative learning team management and strategies for teams.

Options for Active Engagement Strategies for Success Webinar

• Mp4 Video Version - Available on YouTube and embedded in this page above. You will not be able to see the chat panel.
• Full Recording in Blackboard Collaborate - Watching this format will make you feel that you are right there in the room with us! You'll be able to see the chat panel as you watch the webinar.
• Active Engagement Strategies Part One Chat Transcript - Over 250 pages long with lots of great strategies from participants. Just scroll and scan to find what you need or use the Find feature in Word if you are looking for something specific. The times listed in the chat will help you navigate.

Part Two - Taking the Chaos out of Cooperative Learning

Options for Active Engagement Strategies for Success Webinar - Part Two

• Mp4 Video Version - Available on YouTube and embedded in this page above. You will not be able to see the chat panel.
• Full Recording in Blackboard Collaborate - Watching this format will make you feel that you are right there in the room with us! You'll be able to see the chat panel as you watch the webinar.
• Active Engagement Strategies Part Two Chat Transcript - Over 70 pages long with lots of great strategies from participants. Just scroll and scan to find what you need or use the Find feature in Word if you are looking for something specific. The times listed in the chat will help you navigate.

 

Source: http://lauracandler.com/strategies/activeengagement.php

Two awesome visuals on ADHD for Teachers

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopment disorders. People with ADHD find it hard to concentrate on a single chore at a time, however, though they are strong symptoms of ADHD, lack of inattention or focus alone is not enough to diagnose somebody as having ADHD. Academy of Pediarics categorized ADHD into three major types:

1- Inattentive:

Child exhibits significant inattention across multiple domains with no significant hyperactivity or impulsivity. This is what used to be considered ADD.

2- Hyperactivity:

Child exhibits adequate attentional control, however, presents with significant deficits with activity level/or impulse control.

3- Combined:

The most common form of ADHD in which the child struggles with paying attention as well as regulating behaviour.

To help teachers learn more about ADHD, here are two awesome infographics I want you to have a look at.

source: pinterest.com/adhdcanada

2- What is ADHD

source : http://info.nspt4kids.com/adhd-infographic/

Simple Tenses

Paul goes to work at 9 every morning. 

The simple tenses are used to talk about regular or repeated actions:

The simple tenses are also used to talk about permanent situations:

 

	The past and future simple can be used to talk about single events: but in the present we are in the middle of it, so we have to use the present progressive:
	The present simple simple is used to talk about general truths, such as scientific facts:
	The present simple simple is also used in book and film reviews, because books and films always tell the same story: We also use it for jokes and anecdotes, which always tell the same story, and in dramatic narrative: Finally, we use it in sports and concert commentaries: even though the events are taking place at the moment of speaking (it's a lot easier to comment live using the present simple, too).

10 Things Experienced Teachers Want New Teachers to Know

The first day of school is nerve-wracking for students — but it's even scarier for new teachers.

When you're facing a whole room full of bright-eyed students whose future is in your hands, it's an empowering and totally terrifying feeling. Like any practice, it takes time and experience to learn your way around the classroom. But that doesn't mean you can't benefit from a few words of wisdom from experienced colleagues.

A few seasoned teachers at Math for America provided tips that first-time educators should know. But even seasoned teachers could benefit from these pieces of advice.

• 1. Be yourself.

  

  Be a well organized, fiercely boundaried, teacher-shaped version of you, but be yourself. They can smell a faker a mile away.

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• 2. Keep a teacher journal and write down all the great things that happen in your classroom.

  

  Because some days you are going to feel like the worst teacher on the planet. Some days that kid is going to get to you and you’re going to fly off the handle. Some days you are going to want to walk out the door and not come back into your classroom. Ever.

  You are going to need to look at those moments that made you laugh, made you smile, made you so proud of them you felt like your heart was going to burst, and made you remember why you signed up to do this amazing, exhausting, fantastic job in the first place.

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• 3. Don't yell.

  

  Seriously, don’t. Because that one time the whole year, where you actually need to yell to communicate emphasis, it needs to count.

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• 4. Work it out.

  

  Lesson planning will drain your mental energy. Students will drain your emotional energy. You'll have to channel your physical energy somewhere. Take up running on the weekends or cycling in the afternoons. Yoga also works well, but taking up boxing may be more efficient.

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• 5. Say their names.

  

  One strategy to learn all of your students' names is to use their names often in the first few days of class. The more you use their names, the easier it will be to memorize them all. After class, you can use a seating chart and rehearse which students sit at which tables/desks so that you will associate a desk with a name and a face. Teaching becomes easier when students feel comfortable in your classroom. (Obviously don't make them too comfortable.)

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• 6. Sleep.

  

  Establish good sleep habits. There will always be something left undone at the end of a day. Make a list for the next day and let it go for the night. If you don't sleep well, you will have the same amount of work the next day but it will be a lot more overwhelming.

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• 7. Assemble a think tank.

  

  You will need people to bounce ideas off of and to engage in meaningful discussion about pedagogy and classroom management with like-minded people in your situation. It has a few effects: a. It lets you know you are not alone, b. others can see what you cannot, c. collaboration is stimulating and d. someone else might pay for beer.

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• 8. Stick to routines.

  

  Nervous about the first day? That's normal. First impressions are important, but what's more valuable is how you reinforce your routines during the first few weeks (and months) of school. Choose routines that are short and easy to do. You'll forget how to execute long routines when you are managing a room full of children.

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• 9. Remember how hard it is to learn something new.

  

  Learning isn't instant. Teach students that deep, meaningful learning takes time and effort. Tell them how long it took you to learn something like swimming, skiing, cooking, spear fishing, etc. Students often think that if they don't learn something right away that they're not "smart" enough.

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• 10. Forget about yesterday.

  

  Some students may test your nerves today. Don't hold grudges; tomorrow those same students may be amazing in class. Though they made you angry yesterday, show them your smiles today. Smiling makes us all happier anywhere -- it's scientifically proven.

10 Essential books for Teaching English

1. The one book you absolutely need to get started:

How to Teach English by Jeremy Harmer

This is the one: if you do no other reading before embarking, make sure you read this. This book is simply the complete manual of teaching English as a foreign language.

If you’re a native English speaker who’s worried about coming to terms with the grammar of the language this book will be a life saver, as it takes a practical approach, concentrating on examples of teaching and teaching practice rather than on detailed analysis of learning theory. Don’t start without this!

2. The other book you absolutely need to get started: 

Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener

This is the other one! Together with Jeremy Harmer’s book, Learning Teaching is the essential guide for your first years as a language teacher and will remain an invaluable resource for your continuing career.

Again, the really practical approach makes it a perfect introduction to teaching English as a foreign or second language.

3. The book to stop panicking about not knowing English grammar:

Grammar for English Language Teachers by Martin Parrott

Let’s face it… we need to talk about grammar! The beauty of Grammar for English Language Teachers is that it is designed to help trainee teachers develop their knowledge of English grammar systems.

It encourages teachers to appreciate factors that affect grammatical choices, as well as evaluating the kinds of ‘rules of thumb‘ that you’ll see presented to learners in course materials. The consolidation exercises provide an opportunity for you to test these rules against real language use and to evaluate classroom and reference materials. If you’re stressed by the prospect of having to teach grammar, buy this book!

4. The go-to-guide for all things Grammar:

Practical English Usage by Michael Swan

One thing I can guarantee you is that you will be asked questions about grammar that you can’t immediately answer… a state of being that will probably continue for many years! That’s where Practical English Usage comes to the rescue!

This classic reference guide succinctly – and comprehensively – addresses all of the problem points in the English language as encountered by learners and us as teachers. It gives information and advice that is practical, clear, reliable, and easy to find. Don’t leave home without it.

5. The reference guide to teacher training courses;

A Course in English Language Teaching by Penny Ur

What do you need to know about language teaching and what will you encounter? If you want a text that will act as an easy to read and easy going book reference guide discussing the various methods of teaching English, this is the book for you.

While this is ideal for your initial teacher training, it will remain a useful reference for when you become a fully-fledged teacher. The book combines theory and practice, with each unit containing tasks that encourage reflection and discussion, plus action tasks such as classroom observation and practice

6. The orientation:

The CELTA Course Trainee Book by Scott Thornbury and Peter Watkins

While the purpose of this post is primarily to list the books you should be reading before undertaking teaching, I hope the message is also coming through that you should get cracking in advance and not wait until you’ve started!

The course itself may probably represent the most difficult month of your life, so reading this title – which wasn’t available when I did my course, unfortunately – will enable you to orient yourself in advance and know exactly what to expect when you get started. A word of caution: reading this won’t enable you to take the course easily; you’ll still have a huge mountain to climb.

7. The comprehensive introduction to how to teach listening:

Teaching Listening Comprehension by Penny Ur

Listening isn’t something you’ll necessarily have given much thought in your non-language teacher phase of life… so be prepared for a bit of a shock when you have to teach listening in the classroom.

Luckily, the wonderful Penny Ur is here to help us with this fantastic text in which she defines the characteristics of real-life listening, analyses the problems encountered by language learners, and discusses the considerations involved in planning successful classroom listening practice. The book also contains loads of example tasks to give you plenty of ideas about how to deal with listening in class.

8. The comprehensive introduction to how to teach reading:

Developing Reading Skills: A Practical Guide to Reading Comprehension Exercises by Francoise Grellet

Reading isn’t something… aagghh, just see the above paragraph and replace the word ‘listening’ with ‘reading’! Developing Reading Skills is the kind of book that you’ll want to keep close at hand whenever you’re planning a reading lesson.

This is a comprehensive reference handbook offers a wide range of sample reading comprehension exercises which will enable you to incorporate meaningful reading into your lessons. I was using this book years after my certificate course when I did the DELTA and still refer to it on a fairly regular basis.

9. The ‘slow burner’:

Discover English by Rod Bolitho

Get your thinking caps on and be ready to be in this for the long haul. This is one of the first books I bought and it took a while for its usefulness to sink in.

Not the immediate go-to-guide that you’ll get with most of the titles I’ve mentioned here, Discover English operates as a language-awareness workbook which highlights and explores selected areas of grammar and vocabulary. The exercises are designed to confront myths and preconceived ideas, and to explore common areas of difficulty, while commentaries offer support to all users, especially English teachers. Think of this as a course for you to take to learn about the language :trust me, you’ll almost certainly need it!

10. What’s your number 10?

I’ve noticed that these lists tend to work best when I leave the final choice open to you.. so here you go! There have been some great suggestions so far.

10.1 Grammar Practice Activities by Penny Ur

David Harbinson recommends this title:
"I think it is especially good for new teachers who have no real idea about English grammar because it contains a lot of great activities that will help the teacher to discover the grammar along with the students."

10.2 Clear Speech: Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension in North American English by Judy Gilbert

Claudie Graner has this suggestion:
"Understanding the ‘content’ of pronunciation was the most difficult issue I faced as a beginner teacher. Grammar and methodology were familiar (I had learned grammar and been taught by progressive teachers!) but pronunciation was tabula rasa… this gave me somewhere to start."

10.3 Sound Foundations: English Pronunciation (Methodology) by Adrian Underhill

Sinead Laffan has this to say:
"Gimme, gimme, gimme! [Agreed... this would have been my 'natural' number 10 if I hadn't left it open to you all]"

10.4 Vocabulary in Language Teaching by Norbert Schmitt and Vocabulary Myths: Applying Second Language Research to Classroom Teaching by Keith Folse

Gordz O’Doberman explains his choices:
"For me, trainee, novice and experienced teachers all need to be aware of the primacy of lexis in language learning (and teaching)."

Good reads everyone!