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engagement principles and practice in classroom learning, language and technology.

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engagement principles and practice in classroom learning, language and technology.

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Engagement principles and practice in classroom learning, language and technology

A still-common issue with technology use in language learning is an overly-strong focus on the digital tools and a relatively weak emphasis on actual learning. This technocentric approach may arise, in part, from a lack of clear theoretical grounding for classroom technology use. While it's unclear whether atheoretical uses of technology actually provide barriers to learning, it is clear from the research that principled uses can lead to student achievement. But which principles should language educators use to guide their planning? This plenary proposes that principles of task engagement, as part of an educator's overall understanding of second language learning, can serve both educators and learners well in technology enhanced environments. Task engagement - which includes principles of authenticity, connection, interaction, feedback and challenge/skills balance - supports current popular trends such as flipping instruction and the use of serious education games that underscore the need for students to find their studies engaging.

This plenary provides an overview of task engagement and examples of why and how language educators might engage their learners with technology.

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This plenary talk looks at engagement principles and practice in classroom learning, language and technology.

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Here you can find a wide range of practical resources to use in your primary classroom.

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Managing the lesson is a key factor in ensuring classes run smoothly and students are engaged in learning. This professional practice involves managing every aspect of the lesson during the class time.

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Whether it is better to use the students' first language (L1) in class or have an English-only policy is something that has been much debated and that has seen many changes of fashion over the years. It seems, therefore, that the only sensible reaction an individual teacher can take to this controversial subject is to neither accept nor reject the use of L1, but simply to search for an ideal level of its use in each individual class- maybe changing its use as the class progresses in level or changes in other ways. Here are some tips to help you spot if you have found your own perfect level of L1 use in your classes and how to adjust the level if you haven't reached that point yet.
Possible signs that there is too much L1 in your classroom

1. People say things in L1 that they could say in English

2. The use of L1 means that students get less practice of English

3. There is lots of use of L1 without any clear purpose

4. Students use L1 because they are convinced they cannot communicate most of what they want to say in English

5. The amount of L1 is going up as the term progresses rather than going down as students' level improves

6. Students saying the same thing in L1 in class all the time does not result in them being taught to say those things in English

7. Students use L1 even to say things that have been studied recently or the target language for this lesson

8. You don't respond to L1 use in any way

9. Most of the student talking time is in L1

10. Most of the teacher talking time is in L1

11. Students who leave your class and join an English-only class cannot cope in the new class

12. Students in one class need to be ready to study in an English only class, e.g. to study in a university abroad, but there is the same amount of L1 as in your other classes

13. The teacher uses L1 because he or she doesn't know how to say something in English or lacks confidence

14. When translating, the class end up discussing the grammar etc of L1 when they could be more usefully discussing English

15. Students don't listen to explanations in English because they know that it is always followed by an explanation in L1 or they can always ask for one

16. Students can't cope with explanations in English because they are only used to listening to them in L1

17. Students don't know common classroom language in English like "How do you spell...?" and the names of classroom objects because they always ask those things in L1

18. Students find doing textbook listenings a shock because most of the class up to the point when the recording starts has been in L1

19. Well over 20% of all the speaking in class is in L1

20. You rarely have English-only periods in class

21. Having English only periods in class doesn't work because students are too used to being able to resort to L1

22. Some students complain that the other students speak too much L1

23. The constant chatter of other people speaking in L1 means people can't concentrate on what they are doing in English

24. More control of when they can speak L1 would make it easier to keep discipline

25. Students who were trying very hard to speak English as often as they could at the beginning of the course give up and speak mainly L1 like the rest of the class

26. The students think it is strange or amusing to ask the teacher a question about the language in English

27. The teacher and the students never end up using the English "incidental language" (e.g. "It's your turn") described in the teacher's book, in the box by the side of a speaking task or in the instructions for a photocopiable activity

28. You often have to change the lesson plans in the teacher's book etc because it is designed for an English-only class

29. You or the students often break the school rule on L1 use in class

30. If you don't tell students whether they can use L1 or not, they always assume they can

Possible signs that you could usefully have more L1 in your classroom

1. Never being able to speak in L1 makes the students stressed and unhappy

2. Not being able to speak in L1 leads to long periods of silence, and those periods do not get shorter as the term progresses, rather than use of English

3. The time saved from using L1 rather than English to explain something could lead to a substantial increase in the amount of time you could spend on more useful language, e.g. in a short course with very specific needs

4. The language the students would need to be able to take part in a grammar elicitation etc successfully is well above their present level

5. Simplifying what you are saying to the level that students could understand in English would lead to you saying something that is not a good explanation, e.g. an oversimplified grammar explanation that does not hold true for all the situations in the book

6. You never use L1 to save classroom time

7. Students are still not understanding explanations of vocabulary, grammar rules, game instructions etc even after lots of explanation in English

8. You never use L1 to make explanations clearer

9. Students complain that they often don't understand things in class

10. Using L1 to explain some language would make the explanation more memorable

11. You are only avoiding using your students' language in class because you are not confident in your own mastery of it

12. You could usefully compare and contrast a false friend or similar looking grammatical structure in English and L1

13. You have never experimented with the use of L1

14. Students often give up when trying to explain something to you or ask a question about English

15. There are useful tips that you could give your students about the EFL exam they are taking etc but are prevented from giving them because they can't understand the tips in English

16. You often don't try what seems like good teaching ideas because they involve translation or because you would need to explain something in L1

Other signs that you might not have the balance of L1 use in class right

1. The use of L1 is the same in all your classes

2. How much L1 you use in class has not changed over the years

3. The amount of L1 you use in a particular class has not changed as their level has changed or due to other changes such as the students becoming more mature

4. You have never experimented with changing the amount of L1

5. You don't tell students when they can and can't use L1

6. The amount of L1 varies randomly from class to class, not due to any decision or planning on your part

Ways of making sure you use the right amount of L1 in class

1. Teach your students useful classroom language they can use in English to ask for translations etc, e.g. "How do you say... in English?" If necessary have a whole lesson or a regular class slot on that kind of language.

2. Mark clearly on your lesson plan each point that only English or English and L1 can be used

3. Set yourself a target for the percentage of teacher talking time and student talking time that should be in English in each class and by the end of the course

4. Count what percentage of the stages in the class are English-only on your lesson plan and then at the end of the lesson see what percentage there really was, and see if that matches what you think is acceptable

5. Tell students at each point whether L1 can be used or not

6. Introduce a system of points, red and yellow cards etc during English-only periods to stop students using L1

7. Write all instructions and explanation language down on your lesson plan in English so that you can check it is easy enough to understand and so that you can use English only when giving instructions and explanations

8. Check at the end of the lesson which instructions and explanation language in English you actually used and which language needs further explanation in English or L1

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Using students' first languages in the classroom - UsingEnglish.com

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Using students' first languages in the classroom

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Pdf book about creativity in the classroom 

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Pdf book about creativity in the classroom 

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You are here

The activities will help teachers to explore the role of creativity in the classroom both in the sense of helping students to express their unique creative identity and also by helping them to think about and use language in a creative way. The activities are suitable for a broad range of students from young to old and from low to higher levels and can be used alongside your existing syllabus and course materials to enhance your students' experience of learning English. This book is free to download below as a pdf file.
Edited by Alan Maley and Nik Peachey

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Creativity in the English language classroom

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The activities will help teachers to explore the role of creativity in the classroom both in the sense of helping students to express their unique creative identity and also by helping them to think about and use language in a creative way.

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This book is written by the primary school teachers of English. It brings together the experience and expertise of teachers from around the world to provide a range of stimulating and exciting classroom activities for the primary classroom. There are 50 tried and trusted activities which have been refined and improved over the years by teachers working in diverse contexts and environments. Children will enjoy practising their English through these stimulating and motivating activities.

Over 1000 teachers were contacted and asked to send their favourite activities for teaching English to young learners. The most original and creative activities received were selected for this book. This book grew out of an Aston University - British Council research project called ' Investigating Global Practices in Teaching English to Young Learners '.

This publication is free to download or you can order a paperback copy from Bournemouth English Book Centre.

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Crazy animals and other activities for teaching young learners

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This book is written by the primary school teachers of English. It brings together the experience and expertise of teachers from around the world to provide a range of stimulating and exciting classroom activities for the primary classroom. There are 50 tried and trusted activities which have been refined and improved over the years by teachers working in diverse contexts and environments.

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Why are so many of our teachers and schools so successful? John Hattie at TEDxNorrkoping

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Hello, hello, hello Who is B23A? Listen to a song called Hello, hello, hello and sing along.

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Here are a few suggestions for activities using realia and to consider why we may want to bring things into the class.Why use realia in class?

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pre-made flashcards by British council kids

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pre-made flashcards by British council kids

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Do you like practising English vocabulary? In this section there are lots of flashcards for you to print. Play flashcards games to help you remember new words. There are also some flashcards for you to colour and write!

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The idea has remained pretty much the same since then. Every two weeks teachers and folks in ELT are invited to take and share photos on a given theme. This theme is publicised on facebook and twitter by the now curators: @cgoodey, @elt_pics, @fionamau, @JulieRaikou, @mkofab, @sandymillin, and @vickyloras using the hashtag #. This means that if you have a Facebook account or a Twitter account and follow the hashtag eltpics, you will be kept up to date. People then post the picture directly to facebook or tweet the URL of a photograph they have taken on that given subject (or any of the subjects set previously) like this:

The image on the left shows that Ian James has uploaded a photo to flickr and shared that image with us while Jeremy Harmer has directly shared a photo from his phone to twitter. Anyone is more that welcome join in at any time and send a tweet with the URL of a photograph and the eltpics hashtag. The curators follow the Facebook group and the twitter hashtag stream and then upload these photos to our eltpics photo-sharing flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eltpics

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The idea has remained pretty much the same since then. Every two weeks teachers and folks in ELT are invited to take and share photos on a given theme. This theme is publicised on facebook and twitter by the now curators: @cgoodey, @elt_pics, @fionamau, @JulieRaikou, @mkofab, @sandymillin, and @vickyloras using the hashtag #.

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this is great to use in developing a course as it is ready with course material and sheets

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Find a range of lesson plans to use with adult learners at beginner level. All of our lessons are designed around engaging themes that are engaging and relevant to adult learners of English, giving students an opportunity to develop their English language and skills in motivating and enjoyable ways. Written by experts from around the world, our lesson plans are easy to use and aim to give your students the skills and confidence they need to enjoy learning English.

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Find a range of lesson plans to use with adult learners at beginner level. All of our lessons are designed around engaging themes that are engaging and relevant to adult learners of English, giving students an opportunity to develop their English language and skills in motivating and enjoyable ways.

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The Remote Teaching Tips series provides practical ideas and guidance for teachers supporting their learners using a variety of platforms and approaches, across different contexts.

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The Remote Teaching Tips series provides practical ideas and guidance for teachers supporting their learners using a variety of platforms and approaches, across different contexts.

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Many classes and school systems all over the world are taking steps to offer lessons online. However, stepping into the digital world overnight can be challenging for many teachers. This guide is useful for teachers and teacher educators who have little experience of online teaching and need some advice on where to start.

Download the guide below and watch the video, which features three educators from different countries giving their tips for getting started with online teaching.

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Many classes and school systems all over the world are taking steps to offer lessons online. However, stepping into the digital world overnight can be challenging for many teachers. This guide is useful for teachers and teacher educators who have little experience of online teaching and need some advice on where to start.

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You are here

Short and quick ideas for you to use in your online lessons. With almost no preparation needed, these ideas can be adapted for different age groups and will help to make your lessons engaging and fun.

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Short and quick ideas for you to use in your online lessons. With almost no preparation needed, these ideas can be adapted for different age groups and will help to make your lessons engaging and fun.

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Here you can find a wide range of full lesson plans to use in your secondary classroom. All of our lessons are designed around themes engaging and relevant to secondary learners and can be used to complement your school curriculum, giving students an opportunity to develop their English language and skills in motivating and enjoyable ways.

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by Tara Arntsen 994,053 views

Writing a lesson plan will ensure that you are prepared for your class and will make it run more smoothly. It is important to break the material up into several sections and choose activities suitable for each. Knowing approximately how much time an activity will take is important, but after the first lesson you may need to adjust things accordingly. It is best to be flexible seeing as different classes will respond to material differently. If at any point students struggle, you will have to dedicate more time to instruction or drilling before moving on to practice activities. For the purposes of this example let's assume that an English class is forty-five minutes long.

Does your own lesson plan look like this? Image credit: Chris Campbell, Flickr

How To Write a Perfect Lesson Plan

1. Warm up
A warm up activity can be used in a number of ways. It can get your students thinking about material that will be used later on in the class, review material from a previous class, or simply get your students thinking in English, moving around, or awake. This activity should only take up a small portion of your lesson, perhaps five minutes.

2. Introduction
A good introduction will create a need for students to learn the material you are going to present and get them interested in the day's topic. This is the part of the lesson where the teacher does the most talking so try to get students involved and use choral repetition to keep students talking about half the time. Depending on how complex the topic is or how much new vocabulary there is, the introduction could take some time but in most cases, about ten minutes should be sufficient.

3. Practice
The practice activity would normally be about ten minutes and have students working individually or in pairs. Practicing model dialogues, completing worksheets, and doing short activities would be appropriate. This may take about ten minutes including going over the answers or having some demonstrations.

4. Production
In the production activity students should have to produce material on their own. Rather than reading sentences, perhaps they have to answer questions or make their own sentences. Longer activities such as board games, which can be played in groups, or activities for the whole class, where students work in teams, would be best. The remaining class time can be devoted to this activity.

5. It is a good idea to plan another five minute activity that can be done at the end of class as a review or used as the warm up in the following lesson. If the production activity does not take up the remaining portion of the class period, you have a backup plan.

The idea behind a lesson plan is that another teacher could pick it up and successfully teach your class without further instructions.

Important
When writing lesson plans, be sure to include:

* What part of the textbook you are covering in the lesson
* The target structure
* New vocabulary
* Directions for all the activities you intend to use
* The approximate time each section of your lesson will take

The idea behind a lesson plan is that another teacher could pick it up and successfully teach your class without further instructions. If there is an activity where you plan to ask the students questions so that they use the past tense in their responses, write down the questions you plan to ask. It is more difficult to think of appropriate questions on the spot and you are more likely to ask them a question using vocabulary they are unfamiliar with as well. If there is a group activity in the lesson, write down about how many students should be in each group because two to four students is a lot different than five to ten. Writing out your lesson plan can also help you figure out what material you must prepare for a lesson because if your production activity will only take about ten minutes, then you are obviously going to need an additional activity to end the class with.

Not all lessons will be conducted the same. In some instances, the introduction of new material may take an entire lesson or the production activity may be an entire lesson. It is always good to have familiar activities to fall back on in case something doesn't work quite the way you had planned. If students are playing the board game without actually speaking, in other words just moving their pieces around the board, they are not getting the necessary practice so you may have to either join the group having difficulties or change activities altogether.

At any rate, lesson plans are enormously helpful and if the following year you find yourself teaching the same material, preparation will be a breeze.

Do you have any advice on how to write lesson plans? Please share your best practices in the comments below!

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How to Write a Lesson Plan: 5 Secrets of Writing Fantastic Lesson Plans

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Writing a lesson plan will ensure that you are prepared for your class and will make it run more smoothly. It is important to break the material up into several sections and choose activitie

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In this section you can find useful professional development resources – including articles, webinars, podcast episodes, research and teaching tips and tools – all to help you develop your skills and knowledge of Understanding my professional identity.What does ‘Understanding my professional identity’ involve?This professional practice covers the knowledge, skills, behaviours and attributes that a teacher can develop to enable them to thrive in the profession. It is divided into two key areas: understanding my professional identity and developing my professional identity. The rationale for this is that a teacher continues learning and growing throughout their career.Understanding my professional identityUnderstanding my professional identity involves:developing an awareness of your professional identity with reference to your:cultural background and experienceslinguistic background and linguistic resourceseducational background and experiencessocio-economic background and experienceslearning and communication preferencesdeveloping an awareness of your professional identity in relation to:other teachersthe teaching professionprofessional networks and communities of practicedeveloping an awareness of your values, attitudes and beliefs in relation to your professional practice (for example towards diversity and inclusion in my classroom) and how they affect your levels of motivationunderstanding your behaviour, including an awareness of any bias you may have, and how it affects my professional practicebeing mindful of your own physical and emotional well-being and knowing how to strengthen itdeveloping your resilience as a teacher (for example adapting to challenging circumstances).Developing my professional identityDeveloping my professsional identity involves:understanding your professional goals, needs, interests and learning preferences in order to identify areas for developmentdefining your short-, medium- and long-term career goals in order to plan your professional developmentidentifying the developmental pathways available to reach your learning and career goalsengaging in appropriate professional development opportunities and critically selecting resources to inform your classroom practice, including:reflecting continually on your practiceobserving other teachers and being observedcarrying out classroom research and other kinds of practitioner inquiryreviewing self-access resources (e.g. reading research articles and lesson plans to develop, for example, my language awareness and pedagogical knowledge)collaborating with colleagues and other professionals (e.g. in a community of practice, in a social media network)participating in training, following qualification programmes attending and presenting at conferenceswriting blogs, publishing in journals joining teacher associationsstaying up to date with developments in language teaching and learningdeveloping your technological skills and using your digital literacy and available technology to facilitate your professional developmentreflecting on your identity as a teacher and evaluating the benefit of your continuing professional development and its impact on your classroom practice and your learners’ achievements.

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By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analysing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching.

Reflective teaching is therefore a means of professional development which begins in our classroom.

Beginning the process of reflection

Why it is important
Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. You might think or tell someone that "My lesson went well" or "My students didn't seem to understand" or "My students were so badly behaved today."

However, without more time spent focussing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. We may only notice reactions of the louder students. Reflective teaching therefore implies a more systematic process of collecting, recording and analysing our thoughts and observations, as well as those of our students, and then going on to making changes.

If a lesson went well we can describe it and think about why it was successful.

If the students didn't understand a language point we introduced we need to think about what we did and why it may have been unclear.

If students are misbehaving - what were they doing, when and why?

Beginning the process of reflection
You may begin a process of reflection in response to a particular problem that has arisen with one or your classes, or simply as a way of finding out more about your teaching. You may decide to focus on a particular class of students, or to look at a feature of your teaching - for example how you deal with incidents of misbehaviour or how you can encourage your students to speak more English in class.

The first step is to gather information about what happens in the class. Here are some different ways of doing this.

Teacher diary
This is the easiest way to begin a process of reflection since it is purely personal. After each lesson you write in a notebook about what happened. You may also describe your own reactions and feelings and those you observed on the part of the students. You are likely to begin to pose questions about what you have observed. Diary writing does require a certain discipline in taking the time to do it on a regular basis.

Here are some suggestions for areas to focus on to help you start your diary.
Download diary suggestions 51k
Peer observation
Invite a colleague to come into your class to collect information about your lesson. This may be with a simple observation task or through note taking. This will relate back to the area you have identified to reflect upon. For example, you might ask your colleague to focus on which students contribute most in the lesson, what different patterns of interaction occur or how you deal with errors.

Recording lessons
Video or audio recordings of lessons can provide very useful information for reflection. You may do things in class you are not aware of or there may be things happening in the class that as the teacher you do not normally see.

Audio recordings can be useful for considering aspects of teacher talk.

How much do you talk?

What about?

Are instructions and explanations clear?

How much time do you allocate to student talk?

How do you respond to student talk?

Video recordings can be useful in showing you aspects of your own behaviour.

Where do you stand?

Who do you speak to?

How do you come across to the students?

Student feedback
You can also ask your students what they think about what goes on in the classroom. Their opinions and perceptions can add a different and valuable perspective. This can be done with simple questionnaires or learning diaries for example.

What to do next
Once you have some information recorded about what goes on in your classroom, what do you do?

Think
You may have noticed patterns occurring in your teaching through your observation. You may also have noticed things that you were previously unaware of. You may have been surprised by some of your students' feedback. You may already have ideas for changes to implement.

Talk
Just by talking about what you have discovered - to a supportive colleague or even a friend - you may be able to come up with some ideas for how to do things differently.

If you have colleagues who also wish to develop their teaching using reflection as a tool, you can meet to discuss issues. Discussion can be based around scenarios from your own classes.

Using a list of statements about teaching beliefs (for example, pairwork is a valuable activity in the language class or lexis is more important than grammar) you can discuss which ones you agree or disagree with, and which ones are reflected in your own teaching giving evidence from your self-observation.

Read
You may decide that you need to find out more about a certain area. There are plenty of websites for teachers of English now where you can find useful teaching ideas, or more academic articles. There are also magazines for teachers where you can find articles on a wide range of topics. Or if you have access to a library or bookshop, there are plenty of books for English language teachers.

Ask
Pose questions to websites or magazines to get ideas from other teachers. Or if you have a local teachers' association or other opportunities for in-service training, ask for a session on an area that interests you.

Conclusion
Reflective teaching is a cyclical process, because once you start to implement changes, then the reflective and evaluative cycle begins again.

As a result of your reflection you may decide to do something in a different way, or you may just decide that what you are doing is the best way. And that is what professional development is all about.

Julie Tice, Teacher, Trainer, Writer, British Council Lisbon
This article was first published in 2004

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Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice

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By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analysing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching. Reflective teaching is therefore a means of professional development which begins in our classroom.

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In this article I shall look at the basic principles underlying peer observation and its value to institutions and to individual teachers.

What is peer observation?

Quality control or professional development?

How should peer observation be organised?

What are the advantages of peer observation for teachers?

What are the advantages of peer observation for institutions?
What is peer observation?
Peer observation is the observation of teachers by teachers, usually, though not always, on a reciprocal basis.

Pairings may be mentor/novice or experienced teacher/experienced teacher. In the first case the focus will be more clearly on helping the novice to develop their teaching skills both by observing and being observed by an experienced colleague. In the second case, the objective is to provide opportunities for experienced teachers to reflect on their teaching in a calm and private environment.

Quality control or professional development?

Quality control
Peer observation may be used by an institution as part of its quality assurance procedures. In this model, teachers are asked to assess and report formally on the performance of their colleagues according to criteria set out by the institution. Observation reports form part of the ongoing evaluation of the teacher's performance and may influence decisions on promotion or tenure.

There are clear advantages to this type of peer observation. An experienced and competent teacher may be perceived by the institution as the best person to appraise his or her peers. Such a teacher is familiar with the subject, the materials, the methods and may be able to offer both practical help to a fellow teacher, at the same time demonstrating good practice for the fellow teacher to observe and incorporate into his or her own teaching.

However, there are major problems with this model. A good teacher is not necessarily a good appraiser. Unless there are very clear guidelines for the observations, supported by appropriate training for all involved, observers may record subjective and unsubstantiated judgements on their peers. These judgements may unfairly influence the institution against the teacher. This can lead to a deterioration in peer relationships.

Despite these drawbacks, some American universities use peer observation as part of their quality assurance procedures.

Professional development
The model favoured by academic institutions in the UK focuses on the professional development of the observing and observed teachers, while at the same time ensuring that the institution remains uninvolved and uninformed about the outcome of the observation and the issues discussed.

The institution provides a framework for the observation, takes care of the administrative arrangements and ensures that the observations take place as agreed.

The framework and objectives will vary according to whether the observations involve a novice working with an experienced teacher, or whether two experienced teachers are paired.
How should peer observation be organised?
What are the advantages of peer observation for teachers?

Peer observation gives teachers an opportunity to learn from each other in a non-threatening environment. Where there is no judgemental outcome and an atmosphere of trust between the participants, it is to be hoped that teachers will share ideas and suggestions openly and constructively to their mutual professional benefit.

What are the advantages of peer observation for institutions?

Institutions need to ensure that their students are being taught effectively and - equally important - consistently. Peer observation is a powerful tool for disseminating good practice throughout an experienced staff. It is also an important way of helping less experienced teachers both to improve their teaching skills and to absorb the shared values of the institution.

Graham White, Principal of Eastbourne School of English

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In this article I shall look at the basic principles underlying peer observation and its value to institutions and to individual teachers. What is peer observation? Quality control or professional development? How should peer observation be organised? What are the advantages of peer observation for teachers?

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I get students to brainstorm all the kind of things I as a teacher do and things which we do in class. Some examples might be:

speaking in pairs

playing games

explaining grammar

setting homework

Once I have a list of the main areas, I give out a sheet of paper to each student and get them to draw three columns on the page. I then get them to write the words stop, start,and continue, one word at the top of each column.

I then ask them to think about the things we do in class and write a comment about them in one of the columns. It helps to give an example to get them started: 'We have too much homework please give us less' could go in the 'stop' column. 'I like playing revision games.' could go in the 'continue' column as that would be something we already do which they like. 'Let's watch some videos.' could go in the 'start' column as that's something we don't really do which they might like to do.

It may well help to leave your students alone to discuss this together as this often makes them less inhibited. Also make sure that you tell them NOT to put their names on the paper. You are much more likely to get honest responses from your students if they are anonymous.

Let the students leave the papers in a pile and then you can collect them up at the end of the lesson.

Once you've read them, it is important of course to act on what you've read. It might be that some of the things the students want aren't possible in which case this is a good chance to explain why, it is also often true that things they don't want to do, like homework, are actually a necessary part of learning and this is a good time to reinforce this to them. Of course there are also things that even you as the teacher have to get them to do, even though you may not like it, and again this is a good chance to explain this. Most importantly though it may be good to acknowledge which of their comments you have found useful and what you will try to do as a result.

I have often done this exercise particularly with classes I was having a problem with and it has always been really useful in helping me to improve class rapport and ultimately the way I teach.

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I get students to brainstorm all the kind of things I as a teacher do and things which we do in class. Some examples might be: speaking in pairs playing games explaining grammar setting homework Once I have a list of the main areas, I give out a sheet of paper to each student and get them to draw three columns on the page.

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About the webinar

Recorded in 2013, this webinar with Willy Cardoso looked at several aspects of classroom-based teacher development:

Approaches to teacher development that start from inside the classroom

How to involve learners in our development

Self- and peer-observation tools

How to increase the validity (and currency) of our classroom-based knowledge

Critical teacher development (or 'beware of TEFL slogans')

About the speaker

Willy Cardoso has taught English for 12 years in Brazil, UK and Spain, written hundreds of articles on language education in his blog Authentic Teaching, and recently co-authored Real Communication: Culture Reading (Macmillan China). An aficionado of complexity thinking, philosophy, and critical methodologies in education, Willy has tried to bridge the gap between theory and practice to promote self-directed teacher development. At the moment, Willy is finishing his MA in Education and starting out as a committee member of IATEFL Teacher Development SIG.

Watch a recording of the webinar below

If this video is not available for viewing in your location, please click here

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Willy Cardoso: Classroom based teacher development

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About the webinarRecorded in 2013, this webinar with Willy Cardoso looked at several aspects of classroom-based teacher development:

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Research publications and resource books 

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Research publications and resource books 

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Find and download a wide variety of research publications and resource books for teachers, trainers and other ELT professionals. In this section, you will find an extensive collection of publications that provide practical insights, perspectives and learning on current issues in English Language Teaching. These publications will help inform your work and ensure you remain up to date, whether you are a teacher, teacher educator, policymaker or other professional in the field of ELT.

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That young teacher has a starting point for development. And, of course, you can’t force somebody to develop. It’s a process from within. But once you start it, it’s difficult to leave it behind you, because it becomes something that is a habit, but a very good habit.

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Learn English online using our high-quality resources to quickly improve your English. Take our free level test to help you find your English language level, then find lessons and resources that are just right for you.

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We offer a number of different courses free of charge. Our Language for Resilience series consists of a number of two-week modules. Find out more below.

Our short courses on FutureLearn are free for anyone to sign up to. The courses are three or four weeks long and there are a range of topics, from assessing learners to planning a great lesson. Study at your own pace and communicate with other teachers from all over the world. British Council educators will answer your questions on all of the courses.

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We offer a number of different courses free of charge. Our Language for Resilience series consists of a number of two-week modules. Find out more below. Our short courses on FutureLearn are free for anyone to sign up to.

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Covid-19 support for teachers and teacher educators: See a list of our practical resources and professional development opportunities to support you during the Covid-19 crisis. TeachingEnglish is brought to you by the British Council, the world's English teaching experts. If you want help planning your lessons, you've come to the right place!

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Keep a learning diary of what went well or not so well in a lesson

Ask your learners for feedback on a lesson or activity

Make notes in your coursebook after each lesson

Talk through your lessons with another teacher

Ask a colleague to sit in and observe your lesson

Record yourself teaching (and then watch it!)

Use an online journal to keep your reflective practices in one place - notes, videos, documents, links

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By providing middle school students a chance to walk in someone else's shoes, teachers can help them develop empathy-and a stronger connection to content.

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A free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education.

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Teachers.Net - teacher chat, lesson plans, and teaching jobs

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Teachers.Net - TEACHERS - Education resources, Teacher chat, lesson plans, teaching jobs. Teachers.Net for the most active teacher chatboards & teacher chatrooms, featuring thousands of teaching jobs, over 150 teacher mailrings and over 150 teacher chatboards, and live teacher chat 24 hours a day.