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https://www.tttjournal.co.uk/

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1.      Includes both asynchronous and synchronous content, with approximately 3 hours online per module.

2.      With the direction and oversight of a tutor.

3.      Flexible number of modules from 5 to 8 core modules.

4.      Flexible time period from 4 to 12 weeks.

5.      Flexibility to submit Evidence of Learning up to 3 months after course completion

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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Task-based Learning and Teaching (TBLT): An Action Research

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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Task-based Learning and Teaching (TBLT): An Action Research

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Luke O’Duffy, UK/South Korea

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Luke O'Duffy is a Teacher of Adults at the British Council in Seoul, Korea. He recently completed the Trinity Diploma in TESOL and has been teaching in South Korea for five years. His professional interests include TBLT, error correction and pragmatics. Email: luke.o'duffy@britishcouncil.org

Abstract

This is an account of an action research cycle undertaken as part of the Trinity Diploma in TESOL. The topic of the research was task-based language teaching (TBLT), which was chosen for two reasons: my own personal development as a teacher and the needs of my learners. Ten lessons were taught using an explicitly TBLT framework and task types. The two specific objectives I had set were both achieved. Other benefits and drawbacks of using TBLT in my context were also noted, enabling me to draw up a list of nine "rules of thumb" for using this approach in future.

I hope the rules of thumb in particular might be useful for any teacher interested in using TBLT, especially in a general English class with adult learners.

Rationale for topic and objectives

This was informed by both developmental and learner considerations, supported by the available literature.
Teacher's personal development
1. Prior to the research, the vast majority of my lessons followed a PPP-style approach in which language items are pre-selected, taught inductively and practised before a final communicative task. Although the final element is certainly influenced by TBLT, my background reading made it clear to me that many methodologists would consider this quite "weak" TBLT and would recommend instead a "strong" or "pure" form. Pure TBLT posits that "learning should emerge from the tasks rather than preceding them" (Harmer, 2007, 73). The framework I decided to use was Jane Willis's influential Pre-task - Task cycle - Language focus (1996, 56-8), which she describes as "PPP the right way up" (Willis, 1996, 62). I felt that gaining confidence using this framework would improve my flexibility as a teacher.

2. Reflecting on my own doubts about TBLT, it was necessary to add a second objective (see below). A former colleague of mine had strongly suggested that TBLT should mainly be used for discussion and decision-making tasks e.g. organizing a party. I felt that for TBLT to be a useful tool for me going forward, it would have to be useful for a wider range of tasks, and so I aimed to teach the six task types listed below.

3. I felt there was not enough genuine communication in my lessons, especially considering the strong evidence supporting Michael Long's Interaction Hypothesis, which states that negotiation of meaning (NoM) is vital for acquisition (Mitchell, Myles & Marsden, 2013, 48). Long is a staunch advocate of TBLT due to its "reactive quality ... [which] means that the timing of attention to grammar is more likely to be developmentally appropriate and occur at the most propitious moment" (2016, 17). I felt TBLT could promote interaction during my lessons.
Learner needs
1. Student feedback at British Council Korea continually suggests that our learners would like greater variety in their lessons. I reasoned that pure TBLT could be one way of achieving this and could be used to give learners a wider variety of language experiences.

2. I had a growing conviction that my learners should have greater control of the language they learn in class. This belief was fueled by statements such as "[r]esearch suggests that ... the topics that learners remember best (i.e. their uptake) are those raised by other learners" (Thornbury, 2017, 289), as well as my own observations that autonomous, self-directed learners usually improve faster than others. TBLT supporters argue that it increases learner control: for example, Richard Frost, listing the advantages of the method, notes "the students are free of language control" and "the language explored arises from the students' needs" (2004).

Definitions

While perhaps the most comprehensive definition of task is provided by Ellis (2003, 16), for me the most pedagogically useful was the six questions from Willis and Willis (2007):

"The more confidently you can answer yes to each of these questions, the more task-like the activity:

1. Will the activity engage learners' interest?

2. Is there a primary focus on meaning?

3. Is there a goal or an outcome?

4. Is success judged in terms of outcome?

5. Is completion a priority?

6. Does the activity relate to real world examples?"

I adopted this definition, combined with Jane Willis's taxonomy of six task types (2008B): listing and brainstorming; ordering and sorting; matching; comparing; problem-solving; and sharing personal experiences and storytelling.

Objectives

1. To implement a task-based approach to give learners greater control of the language focused on in class and promote interaction.

2. To use a range of different task types to give students a variety of language experiences and develop my ability to use TBLT

Background

Ten classes using the TBLT framework and six task types mentioned above were taught at the British Council in Korea for 900 minutes in total. Each 90-minute class was part of a general English course for adults called "myClass", which has a flexible booking system and usually focuses on improving speaking skills. I taught Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate and Advanced lessons, but not Elementary due to the skepticism in the literature about the effectiveness of TBLT at this level (see Littlewood, 2007, 244 for an example of the skepticism). Questionnaires were distributed to students after L9 and L10 so that they could give their opinions on the effectiveness of the method.

Lesson records

Evaluation
Objective 1
This was achieved because all ten lessons used pure TBLT, albeit with some modifications (see the nine "rules of thumb" below). Students undoubtedly had more language control than usual for the following reasons:

1. They asked me for language much more often.

2. This language was often recycled and shaped later lesson content e.g. "tactile paving" (L1).

3. Useful student language was often shared with the whole class e.g. "I don't get it" (L3).

4. Students spoke much more, including formal reports.

5. L1-L6 either did not have a planned language focus or I did not insist on focusing on it in class, since "the teacher [shouldn't] pre-determine what language will be studied" (Frost, 2004). This was replaced with more on-the-spot error correction.

However, after L6, I deliberately chose to reduce the amount of student control, in response to a classic TBLT difficulty: "how do you deal appropriately with language problems that emerge spontaneously from the task performance?" (Thornbury, 2017, 277). Before L7, I reflected that the most successful lesson had been L4, in which I had introduced a planned skills focus after the task cycle and then repeated the task. This reflection dovetailed with student complaints in L3 and L5 that they had not learned enough "language". Therefore, in L7-L10, I predetermined a language focus, did a controlled practice and repeated the task, an approach which gave much more salience to the language focus and received positive feedback in the student questionnaires.

Interaction was also promoted in the following ways:

1. Defined outcomes for tasks led to much more NoM, such as clarification requests.

2. The reporting stage clearly promoted NoM, as students made great efforts to understand what their partners had said before reporting it.

3. Students also had to engage in genuine communication when listening to others' reports, for instance when voting on who had the strictest parents in L2.

However, from listening to occasional negative student feedback and having discussions with local staff, I gathered that many of my students might not see interaction as beneficial. Rather than believing NoM is the stuff of language acquisition, they are more likely to believe that other students' language is simply "wrong", especially if those students are weaker than them, and may prefer to hear more of the teacher's "right". This belief is hard to shift and teachers should accommodate it to some degree.
Objective 2
I succeeded in using all six task types at least once:

1. Listing and brainstorming: L1, L8.

2. Ordering and sorting: L3, L9.

3. Matching: L6.

4. Comparing: L2, L10.

5. Problem-solving: L5.

6. Sharing personal experiences and storytelling: L4, L7.

These tasks gave learners a range of language experiences beyond the "organize a party"-type tasks that are synonymous with TBLT. For example, the five most successful lessons focused respectively on speaking skills (L4), grammar (L7) and vocabulary (L8-L10); moreover, I used webquests effectively in L3 & L10. My preparation time decreased as I became more confident about lesson design and quicker at adapting tasks to the Willis & Willis criteria (see "Definitions" above). The only exception to this was the matching task (L6), as it was time-consuming to find photographs or headings that match a text while giving an appropriate level of challenge. It seems to me that "matching" tasks are the most challenging to create.
Other benefits
1. Task performance improved as it truly felt like the focus of the lesson, especially when the task was repeated.

2. Reporting stages enabled students to practise informal and formal registers each lesson, which was praised enthusiastically by one student in her questionnaire responses.

3. Students felt the benefits of "noticing the gap" between their own language and that of native speakers, as shown by two positive questionnaire comments to this effect.

4. Students found all the classes enjoyable: a recurring word in the feedback (both oral and in the questionnaires) was "interesting".
Other drawbacks
1. "The teacher's role in TBLT requires greater expertise, and is more important, more demanding and certainly more communicative than in PPP" (Long, 2016, 24). I found this to be true, especially for time management, since several early tasks overran. I remedied this by disciplining myself to start the Language Focus stage after no more than 60 minutes.

2. Although I became much faster at preparing the lessons, it was still very time-consuming when I had to create my own post-task listening (L5, L7 & L10). However, it was also very rewarding.

Conclusions

I was satisfied that I achieved my objectives and am now confident supplementing my lessons with TBLT lessons. Along the way, I developed three other skills:

1. I became more confident composing and recording my own listening texts. Now that I know I can grade these and make them rich enough for effective mining, I will not hesitate to compose more in future.

2. I developed new techniques to make activities more communicative, such as by asking students to vote on each other's reports or identify the student most similar to them by listening carefully. I have continued to use these techniques in non-TBL lessons and am now much more sensitive to communicativeness in the classroom.

3. I became better able to reflect critically on the strengths and weaknesses of a lesson, and adapt lessons to learners in my context. This is shown by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from students in their questionnaires, and the "rules of thumb" I was able to devise (see below).

Future implications

The benefits of deep-end TBLT outweigh the drawbacks for my learners and since completing the research, I have used it much more frequently in my teaching, with the main constraints being preparation time and learner beliefs. To accommodate my learners' beliefs, I have adopted TBLT as part of a principled eclecticism and I try to abide by the following nine "rules of thumb" that emerged from my reflections on the ten lessons:

1. Repeat the task after the language focus. The lesson feels incomplete otherwise, and its usefulness is widely accepted, (Long, 2016, 11).

2. Have a clear language focus prepared before the lesson, including a controlled practice. This contradicts traditional TBLT methodology (see Frost 2004), but is the most practical way to give salience to language features.

3. Inform students of the lesson format at the beginning of the class. Several aspects of TBLT are likely to be unfamiliar, such as the reporting stage and delayed language focus.

4. Perform copious error correction throughout the lesson. This is what students expect, even if correction during the task cycle is expressly discouraged by Willis (1996, 56).

5. Restrict the timing of the reporting stage. Reports should last no longer than two minutes, otherwise other students lose interest.

6. Include the reporting stage nevertheless. At least some students value it, and they are even more motivated if it is referred to as a "formal presentation".

7. Record a bespoke post-task listening before class if the existing text is not sufficiently similar to what was required in the task.

8. Be disciplined about starting the language focus on time.

9. Include a checklist at the end so that students know what they have achieved. TBLT lessons risk the students leaving without a sense of how they have improved.

Bibliography

British Council (2008). Personas Project.

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford.

Frost, R. (2004). A task-based approach. Retrieved from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/a-task-based-approach.

Harmer, J. (2007). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Pearson.

Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). TESOL methods: Changing tracks, challenging trends. TESOL Quarterly Vol 40.

Lightbown, P. & Spada, N. (2013). How languages are learned. Oxford.

Littlewood, W. (2007). Communicative and task-based language teaching in East Asian classrooms. Language Teaching Vol. 40.

Long, M. (2016). In defense of tasks and TBLT: nonissues and real issues. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics.

McDonough, K. & Chaikitmongkol, W. (2007). Teachers' and learners' reactions to a task-based EFL course in Thailand. TESOL Quarterly Vol. 41.

Mitchell, R., Myles, F., & Marsden, E. (2013). Second language learning theories. Routledge.

Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge.

Swan, M. (2005). Legislation by hypothesis. Applied Linguistics Vol 26.

Thornbury, S. (2017). The New A-Z of ELT: A Dictionary of Terms and Concepts. Macmillan.

Willis, D. & Willis, J. (2007). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford.

Willis, J. (1996). A flexible framework for task-based learning in Willis, J. & Willis, D. (eds) Challenge and change in language teaching. Macmillan.

Willis, J. (2008A). Criteria for identifying tasks for TBL. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/criteria-identifying-tasks-tbl

Willis, J. (2008B). Six types of task for TBL. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/six-types-task-tbl
Please check the Methodology and Language for Secondary course at Pilgrims website. Please check the Teaching Advanced Students course at Pilgrims website.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Task-based Learning and Teaching (TBLT): An Action Research
Luke O'Duffy, UK/South Korea

CCQs and ICQs in the Korean Educational Context: Some Practical Tips
Andrew Griffiths, South Korea

EAP Outcomes, Instruction and Future Directions at the University Level in Korea
Richard Prasad, South Korea;Chris Kobylinski, South Korea

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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Task-based Learning and Teaching (TBLT): An Action Research

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Luke O'Duffy is a Teacher of Adults at the British Council in Seoul, Korea. He recently completed the Trinity Diploma in TESOL and has been teaching in South Korea for five years. His professional interests include TBLT, error correction and pragmatics.

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An A to Z of Language Assessment

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How to Use Google Docs for Collaborative Writing

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How to Use Google Docs for Collaborative Writing

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https://eu-lti.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback/load/e3dbba10f218495dbd84f67c7e79c777
Dr. Zubair Baig

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Q Skills for Success Special Edition 3rd Edition

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Q: Skills for Success 3e Special Edition - 1

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Maintaining motivation and monitoring engagement

Using interactive materials in your lessons

Introduce online activities into your lessons with our interactive and automatically marked Google Forms activity packs:

Log in with your Oxford Teachers' Club details to use the activities. Not an OTC member? Join now.

Test your learners' knowledge and understanding of grammar with these interactive exercises.
Go to Learn & Practise Grammar
Running skills lessons

Develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills using your digital course book resources, the tools on your remote learning platform or the features and apps on your students' smartphones. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

For more tips on teaching the four skills in the remote classroom, read our guides on teaching online:

Log in with your Oxford Teachers' Club details to download the guides. Not an OTC member? Join now.

Teaching grammar and vocabulary
Vocabulary game teaching tip
Test your learners' knowledge and understanding of grammar with these interactive exercises.
Go to Learn & Practise Grammar

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Maintaining motivation and monitoring engagement Using interactive materials in your lessons Introduce online activities into your lessons with our interactive and automatically marked Google Forms activity packs: Log in with your Oxford Teachers' Club details to use the activities. Not an OTC member? Join now.

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Valeria, a 22-year-old computer engineer and programmer, first started learning English from her father at home in Costa Rica.
"He spent time in Canada and the States. But I think I'm better at English than him now - don't tell him, though!"
English proficiency for a brighter future

Her father saw the opportunities that can come from learning English during his travels overseas, and now Valeria has seen them firsthand too. "I have better job opportunities, and I get paid more because I can prove I have a great level of English."

This became clearer when she landed her dream job - working for a company whose headquarters are based in Atlanta, making English language skills a must for any member of staff. "Most of our clients and vendors are in Atlanta, so we have to use English every day." Luckily, she was able to get her B2 certificate while at university. Knowing she could prove that she had a good level of English gave Valeria the confidence to apply for the role in the first place.

It was all made possible when her professor arranged for her class to sit the Oxford Test of English at the end of their course. She found the experience of taking the online test quite relaxing and was able to complete all the modules in two hours. And, unlike other English proficiency tests, the students didn't have to learn a particular way to answer the questions, which Valeria appreciated.

"I could focus on my English instead of learning how to take a test."

It also didn't hurt when she learnt that her Oxford Test of English certificate is valid for life.
"Whenever I need evidence of my English proficiency, I can show my Oxford Test of English certificate. You can use it for business or travelling - the possibilities are endless. It's amazing for anyone who needs to prove they have a good level of English."
Like Francisco, for example - a Mechanical Engineering Student & Basketball Coach from Spain.

Proving English proficiency to study abroad

Francisco needed to prove he had a B2 level of English when he was applying to spend a year studying abroad in Finland, as all his classes there were in English.

Once he arrived, he found his English also came in handy when he was socialising too, as not that many of the locals or other foreign students spoke Spanish.
"I realized that if you can speak English, you can communicate nearly everywhere you go."
Just like Valeria, Francisco certified his English level with the Oxford Test of English, and also enjoyed the fact that it was online and adaptive.

"The structure of the test is great; it adapts to your ability, getting harder or easier depending on your answers. It's nice because you're being tested during the whole exam."

So would he recommend it?
"Yes, absolutely! The test takes just two hours, and then the certificate endorsed by the University of Oxford stays with you and remains useful for your whole life. It's ideal for people who need to prove to a company they can operate in English, and it looks great on a CV."
Not to mention, it helped open the doors to a once in a lifetime experience of studying in Finland -
"I think it was probably the best period of my life. It was just four months, but they were so special. I travelled around the Nordic countries and Russia and met people I'd never meet in any other situation. I'm so glad I was there - and all because of the Oxford Test of English!" You can read other students' success stories and find out more about the Oxford Test of English on our website. Don't forget to share this link to our Learning Resources Bank with your students - where they can find additional tips and support to guide them through their English learning journey.

Categories: Adult ESL, Adults / Young Adults, Exams & Testing, Skills, Teenagers | Tags: Adult Learners, Assessment, English Proficiency, Language proficiency, Oxford test of english, Skills, Teenagers | Permalink.

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The Power Of Proficiency: How English Changed My Life | OUP

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Valeria, a 22-year-old computer engineer and programmer, first started learning English from her father at home in Costa Rica. "He spent time in Canada and the States. But I think I'm better at English than him now - don't tell him, though!"

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Cambridge English Teaching Framework | Cambridge English

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Find out where you are in your teaching career – and plan where you want to go next – with the Cambridge English Teaching Framework.

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This booklet shows you:the four stages of developmentthe 12 professional practices and the elements which describe each professional practice

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Video is a great tool for instruction and research tells us that it has become the 'go to' medium for many millennial and younger students, but how often do you get your students to make videos rather than watch them as part of your lesson?

With so many teachers and students owning powerful smartphones with high quality video recording and editing capabilities it's never been easier to produce good quality clips with clear digital sound, so let's look at why and how we can utilise those phones to help our students develop their communication skills.
Why make videos?
There are lots of good reasons why we should be encouraging students to create videos. Here are my top 7 reasons:

1. Increasingly video is becoming a mainstream means of communication. As remote working becomes increasingly common, the ability to communicate confidently using video based platforms will be an important aspect of our students' employability. To develop the confidence and necessary skills to do this in English, students need practice.

2. Video is an excellent means of developing understanding of body language and non verbal communication. Students have the chance to see how they and others use their bodies, gestures, proximity and expression when communicating and have the chance to practice using body language and see themselves.

3. With large or even moderately small groups of students it can still be hard to give time and focus to each student, to watch and listen to how they communicate and diagnose where they need help and support to develop. Having video recordings of students can give us time to look and listen more closely to how our students are using language and communicating and enable us to develop a more personalised approach to how we help them develop.

4. Getting our students to record themselves regularly and add these recordings to a digital portfolio can make it much easier for both you and your students to really see progress over a period of time. Students can repeat tasks they did earlier in the course and go back and compare their present performance with the older video. This can be a powerful tool to motivate students and show them that they really are making progress.

5. Making and editing video clips can be a very creative process for students and can give them an opportunity to actually use the language they are learning in a creative way.

6. Collecting video clips from students over a period of time can prove very enlightening for linguistic research. You can create a form of corpus of language and communication which can help you to develop insights into how your students' linguistic capabilities develop and the kinds of common challenges and problems they face.

7. Getting students to create and edit video is a great way to develop their digital literacy skills and the kind of knowledge that will be valuable in their day-to-day and academic future lives.

What activities can we use?
There are lots of different video creation activities that you can get students to do with their phone or a webcam. Here are my top 9 activities:

1. Poems - Either choose a poem or get your students to choose a poem and get them to record a version of it. Encourage them to try to memorise the poem rather than reading directly from the text. They may well be able to find a recording or video of the poem on YouTube and they can use this to inform their own reading. This is a great way to get students trying to speak expressively and also a good way to diagnose any pronunciation problems they may be having.

2. Sales pitch - Get students to find a household product or object of some kind and record a sales pitch for the product. They can show it to the camera, describe it, talk about its benefits and generally try to persuade the viewer that it is a good product to buy. This activity helps students to try to address the camera like it's a person and to work with visual prompts and persuasion.

3. Joke/anecdote - Jokes and anecdotes have a significant role in social interaction, so knowing how to structure and deliver one in English can be a useful social skill to have. Recording a clip of themselves telling the joke or anecdote and then watching it can give the students the opportunity to learn from their performance, develop and improve on it.

4. Video vocabulary - Students can create their own video dictionary. When they learn a new word they can create a short video clip and include the word, an example sentence, an image and even a translation. They can use these clips to revise their vocabulary. Groups of students can share their videos together and help each other develop and learn more words.

5. News report - Students can read through recent news and then create their own video news report. This can be done with students working individually or they can work in groups and have different roles within the report such as anchor, live reporter, bystander, etc.

6. Video dictation - You can record yourself reading a text and then send the video to your students. Ask them to write down what you say in the video and then record their own version and send it back to you. This should show you how much of the text they were able to clearly identify. This is a great test of receptive and productive pronunciation.

7. Movie monologues - Ask the students to find a monologue from a movie and make their own recording of it. It's quite easy to find monologues from movies online and students can find both the script and an example video clip from the film. They can then rehearse and work on their own version of it. This can help the students to develop both their listening, speaking and reading skills and help them to work on body language and expression.

8. Show and tell - Get the students to choose an object that has some special significance for them. Ask the students to record a short clip describing and telling the other students about the object, how they got it and why it has some significance for them.

9. Learning diary - Students can create their own learning video journal. They can create a clip each day that records what they have been learning, what challenges they had and how motivated they were feeling. They can then share clips from the diary with you for your comments, or they can keep the clips for their own reflection. Learning journals are a great tool for consolidating learning and for showing you what students are really understanding from your lessons.

What are the problems?
As with any use of technology, we need to make sure that we approach it with an understanding of any potential problems. Here are a few things to be aware of when getting students to create video.

Especially with younger learners we need to make sure we have permission from students and parents to make and to store the video we or our students make as part of their study.

We need to be especially careful that we protect our students and that these videos are kept safely and only shared beyond the classroom with the students' or parents' permission.

It's good to share your rationale for making the videos with your students, but we should never pressure students to be included in videos if they feel uncomfortable about it.

Make sure you have a code of conduct for how the videos will be used and especially if students are recording each other on their phones, that they understand that these videos can't be stored indefinitely or shared with others outside of the classroom or through social media.

If students are making videos in the classroom then there can be problems with background noise and poor lighting that can impact on the quality of the videos, so many of the tasks suggested here are more appropriate for students to do at home.

Video editing tools
Here are my pick of a few video editing tools which can be used when making videos for your classes:

Kapwing has a great collection of simple free editing tools:

Clips is a useful simple video editor for iPhone users:

InShot is a good simple video editor for Android users

Folmora works on both Andriod and iOS phones

Shotcut is a fully featured open source video editing suite

I hope you find these ideas useful and that you are able to access the power of student created video in your face-to-face or blended classroom. Using video really can have significant benefits for students and help to power up their learning and reflective abilities and help to make them more autonomous learners.

As more and more of our courses have moved entirely online, such as our 100% Online CELTA course and our Trinity DipTESOL course, we will be embracing this medium and encouraging our students to do the same. What about you?
If you need help developing course content for teaching online, take a look at Nik Peachey's tips here.

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7 Reasons why you should be making videos with your students and 9 activities to get you started - Oxford TEFL

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Nik Peachey is a freelance writer, teacher trainer and consultant specialising in digital publishing, online course development and the development of digital resources for teachers. Since 1992 he has worked all over the world as a teacher, trainer and project ... Continue reading →

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The Oxford Test of English is a multi-level, general English proficiency test which assesses the ability to understand and communicate effectively in English, reporting at three CEFR levels: B2, B1, and A2.

The test covers all four skills: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing.

The Reading and Listening modules are computer adaptive, which means that the test adjusts the difficulty of questions based on the test taker's responses, making the test more motivating, shorter, and giving a more precise measurement than traditional proficiency tests.

The Speaking and Writing modules use task randomization, making each test an individualized experience.

Overview of the Oxford Test of English structure

Module-by-module overview

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The Oxford Test of English is a multi-level, general English proficiency test which assesses the ability to understand and communicate effectively in English, reporting at three CEFR levels: B2, B1, and A2. The test covers all four skills: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing.

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TBT Rod Ellis

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Cambridge University Press ELT on Facebook Watch

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These seven worksheets are most effective if you do them in this order.

Task for lesson planning
5 questions to get you reflecting about how you plan lessons.

Lesson plan checklist
A checklist of all you need to include on a DELTA lesson plan.
Acts as a good reminder for the rest of us too.

Lesson plan aims
A list of 25 possible aims that give you a good idea of how to phrase yours.

Lesson Planning 2
The second session from our DELTA course - from observing teachers to traffic lights.

Observation Task 1
A template to focus your teacher observations on their planning.

Features of a good lesson
Twenty features of a good lesson as listed by students and teachers.

A Metaphor for Language Teaching
Traffic Lights as a powerful metaphor for teaching - an especially useful tool for planning.

Calling all teachers who have those dream lessons that always work and who don't mind sharing them with us.
I can only include plans that you are happy for me to put up here.
So, please send me any plan by email with an attachment.

Lesson planning and lesson plans
The introduction doesn't say much, but there are loads of links all on the subject of lesson plans. Definitely worth a browse when you are short on ideas.

Lesson Plans
A comprehensive site with suggestions and guidelines for writing lesson plans from Danyal's TESOL DL site.

The NYTimes Daily Lesson Plan
Apart from being a great source of interesting and topical lessons, I like to use this source to see how different teachers from a variety of disciplines subdivide their plans.

Instant Lessons
This is one of the few membership sites that I would actually advocate joining. I've used numerous lessons and they've all worked. Particularly good at integrating skills work and ideal for that sub lesson you've only got 5 minutes to prepare for. Have a look at their sample lessons and try them out.

English lessons and tests
An interesting site given to me by a couple of teachers who swear by it. Personally, I found it took too much trawling to find lessons I wanted, but check it out and let me know if you disagree.

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These seven worksheets are most effective if you do them in this order. Task for lesson planning 5 questions to get you reflecting about how you plan lessons. Lesson plan checklist A checklist of all you need to include on a DELTA lesson plan. Acts as a good reminder for the rest of us too.