IH

Journal
of education and development

issue 39
March
2016

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 IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

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 IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Contents
Editorial
Editorial ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

ELT Materials Special

Becoming an ELT Writer, Ask the Publishers Q&A - Neil Wood, OUP....................................................................... 7
Self-publishing: The Road to Independence - Julie Pratten.......................................................................................... 9
Five Uncomfortable Realities of ELT Writing - Laura Phelps......................................................................................11
Communication Frameworks: Designing Performance-related Materials for ESP - Ros Wright.........................13
Writing pronunciation materials - Wayne Rimmer........................................................................................................16
Becoming an ELT Writer, Ask the Publishers Q&A - Kirsten Holt, Macmillan Education......................................18

Younger Learners

YLs Column: 5 Ways to Manage Your Littlest Learners Kylie Malinowska ........................................................... 21
Phonics in the YL Classroom Katy Simpson ................................................................................................................. 23
Recipe for Successful Classroom Management in the YL Classroom - Yvette Phipps............................................ 26
Bringing Parental Objectives into the Young Learner Classroom - Shay Coyne....................................................... 28
Challenges of teaching oral skills to YL in a non-English speaking environment - Maria Conca.......................... 30

Technology and ELT

Technology Column: Face With Tears of Joy Shaun Wilden ................................................................................. 33

Why Diigo Could be Your New Best Friend Sandy Millin............................................................................................. 35

Teaching Exam Classes

Examinator Column: Helping Learners eith Exam Writing David Petrie ............................................................. 37

Teacher Training and Development

Developing Teachers Column: A Critical Reflection on the Evolution of the CELTA Jamie King.................... 40

Management Matters

Management Column: Introducing the Management Column Maureen McGarvey........................................... 44

How to Motivate Yourself and Your Teaching Staff Susanne Fuchsberger.............................................................. 46

Classroom Ideas

Reality not Realia Rachael Harris ..................................................................................................................................... 48

Alls Well That Ends Well: Perfecting the Report Phase of a Speaking Activity Hall Houston........................... 49

Modern Languages

La Littrature de Jeuness en Classe de FLE Marian Perez de Barradas.................................................................... 52

Finding TEFL Work

Let the Summer Scramble for Teaching Work Begin! Yvonne Dagan ..................................................................... 54

Scholarship Winner Report

IH Trust Global Reach Scholarship: IATEFL 2015 Anastasia Reva .......................................................................... 57

IH Journal
International House IH Journal contact:
Unity Wharf
13 Mill Street IHJeditor@ihworld.com
London SE1 2BH 3
+44 (0)20 7494 2143
 Editorial IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Editorial
Welcome to issue 39 of the IH Journal and our first
edition of 2016. Its been the usual busy start to the
year for everyone involved in teaching and were no
different. We have a larger than normal issue for
you this time and there have been some changes to
the Special Interest Columns, so read on to find out
what were up to.
This special edition of the IH Journal has a strong
focus on writing and publishing ELT materials
and includes a take-away supplement (remember
them?) with all you need to know. Weve included
a cross-section of the industry and so paint a
reasonably complete picture of different aspects of
ELT writing. Many teachers, and I was certainly one
when I started in ELT, see publishing materials as
only the big publishers and the same names again
and again; however, the field is much wider than this
suggests and printed general English coursebooks
are only a part of the whole industry. With this
mind, Laura Phelps (full-time freelance writing),
Ros Wright (specialist materials writing) and Julie
Pratten (e-books and self-publishing) offer insight
and advice into different areas of the market. We also
have Neil Wood from Oxford University Press and
Kirsten Holt form Macmillan Education answering
teachers questions with detailed guidance on how
to become a published writer and more. Last but not
least, IATEFL PronSIG Coordinator Wayne Rimmer
offers advice on creating pronunciation materials.
As well as bringing you insider advice on the
world materials publishing in this edition, we have
also seen some changes to the Special Interest
Columns. Our aim with these columns is to offer
expert opinion and ideas from specialists in each
field and so I am delighted to welcome Jamie
King (Teacher Training and Development), David
Petrie (The Examinator) and Maureen MacGarvey
(Academic Management) to the IH Journal fold.
Sandy Millin now focuses on the best of the internet,
and of course Kylie Malinowska and Shaun Wilden
remain with YLs and Technology respectively. On a
personal note, I am very happy to be collaborating
with such an experienced team and hope that you
find these columns are stimulating as ever.
In the last editorial, I mentioned we were looking
for more contributions for our Younger Learners
section and we were not disappointed! Kylie offers
advice on how to work with VYLs, with more on
classroom management from Yvette Phipps. Katy
Simpson introduces the world of Phonics and how it
can be adapted for children learning English. Maria
Conca looks at developing YLs speaking skills
and Shay Coyne examines parental objectives in
teaching YL classes. With teaching YL being such
a large part of the global ELT market, I hope we can
continue to include such a rounded YL section with
each issue.
Finally, with twenty-two contributors overall, I
cannot thank everyone individually here. Without
such a good response to the call for papers, the
hard work of everyone writing for us this time and
the dedicated behind the scenes work from Alison
Sturrock, we would be unable to publish work of
the quality we once again include. I thank everyone
who has written for this edition and encourage
readers to do the same through contacting authors
of articles you particularly appreciate. I hope you
enjoy reading this issue and please do get in touch if
there is something you would like to see in a future
edition or if you would like to contribute to either the
IH Journal Blog or to the Journal itself.
Chris Oog
IH Journal Editor

Chris Og is a teacher, writer and teacher trainer currently working primarily on

Delta and CELTA courses. His teaching and training work has taken him all over
the globe, from Costa Rica through Dubai to Japan and Thailand, amongst other
places, and he very much enjoys (almost!) every minute of it. He's been involved with
International House for the last seven years, be that as a teacher, trainer, course
writer, conference presenter or tutor on online courses, and has been a permanent
member of staff in four IH schools.

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Learn a Language
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
Teacher Training
Young Learners
ELT Jobs

To go places you
need the right
equipment.

International House gives you the

confidence to go far in your personal
development.

Whether you want to learn a language or

develop your teaching skills, we ensure you
get the support you need to achieve your
goals and ambitions.

Teaching
the world
to talk.
5
 IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

A series of short, practical guides that help teachers who work in the
primary and secondary school setting to make sense of new teaching
tools, techniques and educational policy, with ideas for implementing
them in their classroom. Also available in e-book format.

NEW NEW

REVISED NEW

Shortlisted:
The Ben
Warren Trust
Prize

Sample material and extra resources available online

www.oup.com/elt/teacher/itc

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 ELT Materials Special
Becoming an ELT Writer - Ask the Publishers Q&A
with Neil Wood, Oxford University Press
1. When a publisher looks to recruit a writer,
what kind of profile are they looking for?
Theres no one profile that will meet the
requirements of every project, but there are a few
key attributes that all ELT writers need to possess.
The ability to follow a brief and work to a deadline
are essential, as is a willingness to collaborate with
and be guided by the editorial team.
Its important that you have relevant experience of
teaching the target users. So if youre interested in
writing business English materials, or a coursebook
for the Italian secondary school market, you really
need to be familiar with the kind of material and
approach that will work for both learners and
teachers: a sense of what will engage and motivate
them in terms of input material (e.g. images, texts,
topics) and output material (activities/tasks), and
an understanding of what difficulties they are likely
to encounter (and how to address these).
Obviously you need a sound grasp of English
grammar and ELT methodology (including
anything specific to the sector youre writing for) I
know this sounds like a no-brainer, but unfortunately
its not always a given.
Creativity and originality are also desirable.
Depending on the project, we sometimes want
people who can follow a brief to the letter, but often
were also looking for the ability to take the brief
and run with it, to give it that extra something that
will engage learners and make the work stand out
from the crowd. Flexibility is also important you
wont get it right first time, all of the time, so you
need to be willing to accept feedback and to act on
it. Its normal to go through two or three draft stages
before the final draft is approved.
Lastly, when you write classroom or practice/self-
study material, remember you are not just writing for
yourself and your own teaching situation. Teachers
and students operate in a variety of environments;
you need to be able to put yourself in their shoes and
ensure your material is appropriate for all of them.
It shouldnt be dependent on your own classroom
approach in order to work.
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
2. For someone looking to become an ELT writer,
what is the best way to get started?
Commissioning a major piece of work carries
inherent risks and most projects are on a tight
schedule, so publishers have a tendency to play
safe and stick with the writers they know, who are
tried and tested. That said, at OUP we are always
interested in identifying and encouraging new
writing talent.
Dont wait for publishers to beat a path to your
door they probably wont, unless you already
have a track record. Show an interest. Cultivate
any contacts you have in the ELT publishing world.
Attend conferences and events; approach people
on publishers stands and say you are interested.
Find out the names of commissioning editors and
email them.
Be prepared to start small and take on relatively
modest, fee-paying jobs for example, writing
photocopiable activities for a teachers book
or worksheets to accompany a video. If you
demonstrate that you can meet the brief and deliver
good material on schedule, youll have established a
reputation and are more likely to be offered further
work.
3. Do you have to write a full coursebook before
submitting a proposal?
No, definitely not. These days its comparatively
rare for an unsolicited proposal for a complete
coursebook to be accepted. This is because most
ELT publishers plan their core publishing three
to five years ahead (or more) and commission to
this plan. However, if you have a good idea that you
think deserves consideration, especially in more
niche areas like ESP or teacher development, its
definitely worth submitting it to several publishers.
Most editors have heard stories of the one that got
away a proposal turned down by one publisher
that was taken up by another and became very
successful.
4. Is there a particular form a proposal should
take and how many words should it be?
Quality is more important than quantity, especially
early on. Initially, its a good idea to send a concise
description of your ideas before submitting a
detailed proposal, to find out if there is interest in
7
 ELT Materials Special
the kind of project you are considering before you
spend valuable time preparing a lot of material. If
that leads to a more detailed proposal, this should
include: a covering letter and your CV, a brief outline
of the project (what it is, who its for, what levels it
covers, what components it needs, etc.), a detailed
rationale (reasons for the submission, underlying
principles, methodology or approach, key features,
potential markets), and some sample material
(ideally a complete syllabus and two or three units/
chapters, depending on length). Sample material is
important you need to show that you can write.
5. Everyone knows about coursebooks, but
what other kinds of writing work do publishers
commission?
An increasingly broad variety. Obvious examples
are teachers books and workbooks, together with
things like photocopiable activities to supplement
classroom material, video worksheets, course-based
tests, exam practice, additional skills development
activities, teacher development materials, and
classroom management tools (e.g. lesson planners,
CEFR mapping documents). Additionally,
publishers are developing an ever-expanding range
of materials for online delivery and use.
6. What particular skills does a new writer need?
Do you need to know about online platforms?
It certainly helps to have an awareness of and
affinity with online platforms, and digital content
generally. Writing and editing for digital delivery
presents a different set of challenges from print
materials, and the user experience is fundamentally
different. Creating content often involves the use of
templates which need to be written into, with their
own set of very precise parameters, and the content
itself often needs to work across different devices or
platforms. Aptitude, or willingness to learn, are key.
That said, the most important attribute for a writer
is still the ability to produce good quality content
that achieves its pedagogical aims, irrespective of
the medium of delivery.
7. How are writers usually paid, i.e. by the word,
by the hour, by the book, etc.?
Typically, writers receive a royalty on sales of
coursebooks and workbooks, and a fee for most
other kinds of material. A royalty is a percentage
of the net price the publisher receives for a book in
any given market this is not necessarily the same
as the catalogue or cover price. Royalty rates vary,
but you are unlikely to receive more than 10%, and
bear in mind that this will be lower if the package on
which you receive a royalty includes components
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IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
not written by you (e.g. online practice or video). If
youre given the option of a royalty or a fee, consider
carefully there are pros and cons either way. For
some items, such as teachers books which may be
given away to support adoptions of coursebooks,
its often better to take a fee you get the money up
front rather than having to wait for it, and how much
you get is not dependent on sales performance. On
the other hand, a coursebook or workbook which
remains in print for a long time may provide a useful
addition to your income over a number of years and
amount to significantly more than a one-off fee but
be aware that there are no guarantees.
8. A question I would still like to ask after writing
materials for approximately five years is: how
do writers find out about job openings? There
are freelance writing sites, which tend to offer
uninteresting or underpaid work, or submitting
a coursebook proposal to a major publisher, but
how do I find content writing work in between
those two extremes?
This is a really good question. Essentially, I think
the answer is good networking its about who
you know, or who knows you. You do need to be
proactive: make yourself visible, use your contacts,
email people regularly and remind them that you
are available. If you have a track record, dont be
afraid to showcase what youve done. Evidence that
you have written good material that sells will help
your bid to be commissioned for something else.
You are more likely to be a problem-solver if you take
this approach. At any given time, most established
writers will be booked up for several months and
have limited availability. If a publisher has an
urgent need for a writer at relatively short notice,
as is increasingly the case, it may be difficult to find
someone with time to spare. If you are in the habit of
flagging up your availability youre therefore more
likely to get a call. If you can be flexible and deliver to
tight deadlines, so much the better.
And talk to other writers. Check out the ELT Writers
Facebook forum and the IATEFL materials writers
SIG (http://mawsig.iatefl.org/).
9. Do you have to be based in the UK to work for a
publisher?
No, it doesnt matter where youre based. In fact, if
youre writing market-specific materials, its clearly
an advantage to be based in that country.
 ELT Materials Special IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

10. Do publishers provide support and guidance
for new writers working on their first projects?
I cant speak for all publishers, but at OUP we
certainly offer guidance and support for all new
writers. This is normally provided by the editorial
team working with them, and would include: clear
and detailed briefing; allocation of appropriate
tasks; help with planning, scheduling and drafting;
regular updates; and constructive feedback and
coaching during the content development process.
We also make an effort to match the right person
with the right project, to allow new writers to play
to their strengths and develop their skills and
confidence early on.
11. Can a writer work for many publishers or
does it have to be just one?
As a writer you are essentially a freelancer, and
are therefore free to work for whoever you choose.
However, your contract with one publisher may well
include a non-competition clause, prohibiting you
from writing a similar work for another publisher
(e.g. a coursebook for the same target learners at the
same level). Logic dictates that you wouldnt do this
anyway, as you would be competing with yourself,
but it is nonetheless something to be aware of.

Neil Wood is a Publisher in the ELT Division at Oxford University Press. He has
more than 20 years experience of publishing general English, business English,
ESP and EAP titles, mainly for the adult global market. Prior to this he taught EFL
for ten years in the UK and various parts of Europe. He is DELTA-qualified and has a
Masters in English Language & Literature from Kings College, London.

Self-publishing: The Road to Independence

by Julie Pratten

Mainstream ELT publishing has been stuck in a rut for several years now. Major
publishers are still churning out the same old books; lots of glossy covers and sales
talk, but its the same kind of material. It is difficult for new talent to get published
safe names sell books, conferences, and webinars. The market, the students and
the teachers are all crying out for change.
Independent self-published authors are edging in short and sweet, often under 30 pages. Authors can
and offering a much different menu. Nik Peachey, stream the material onto Smashwords or Amazon
Phil Wade, Jorge Sette just to name just a few are and voila! However, it doesnt stop there. Or, rather
a new breed of innovative independents with a fresh for many authors who are unknowns it actually
approach. Self-publishers can influence the market does stop right there. If you are an unknown, it
(and, indeed, are) and the fact Phil Wade and I means your material just sits there and nobody
were joint winners of the BESIG David Riley Award apart from your Mum and a few people in your
for Innovation last November proves just that. PLN sees it. After all the sweat and drudgery of
However, without the giant marketing machines researching, writing, rewriting, and several rounds
of the big publishers, this influence can be a slow of self-editing your work, the fact that you dont get
process. any downloads is soul destroying. All that work and
you cant even give it away. A word of warning: If you
Known unknowns? arent passionate about it, dont bother. Take up golf
In the last few years there has been much debate or gardening instead. There is no easy route to self-
about self-publishing and many ELT authors have publishing, but there are a few things you can do to
defected from publishers to go their own way. It is increase your chances of success. This brings me to
actually relatively easy to write an ebook: they are a few basic self-publishing rules.

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 ELT Materials Special IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Rule number 1: Get noticed Rule number 4: Collaborate, collaborate,

Names sell books. A lot of teachers buy books from
names they know. This means before you publish
your own book, you need to be out there; you need
to tweet, post on Facebook regularly, give talks at
conferences, chat on discussion forums, write a blog
and do Webinars for teachers associations. And if
you can manage to get noticed after all of that, you
might be in with a chance!
collaborate
Try to hook up with other independents and
discuss how you can collaborate with them on
various elements of the publishing process from
proofreading, editing and designing the layout,
through to marketing each others books. Do as
much skill-sharing as possible. It will save you
money and help you avoid making serious mistakes.

Rule number 2: Get a decent editor and seek
advice
A second pair of eyes will make all the difference to
your work. In fact, an editor will turn your idea into
a book. He or she will check the language and the
content, as well as whether the material actually
works. Your editor will make the material consistent,
accessible and give it credibility. Also, consider
contacting the Society of Authors and think about
joining. They can provide tips and guidelines, and
also advise at every stage of the publishing process.
Rule number 3: Make a business plan
Get some expert help to discuss your business model
and marketing strategy. Very often you can get free
expert advice from Chambers of Commerce, as well
as free training by local councils and governmental
bodies that assist entrepreneurs.
Rule number 5: Remember the good stuff
When the going gets tough (and it will!) remember
how good it is to have the freedom to develop your
ideas and create your own publishing project. Talk
to like-minded people there are plenty of them out
there! I suggest joining several Facebook groups
for teachers, including those for authors (some of
these are closed groups, so please do contact me for
recommendations). The only way you will be able to
get from the idea stage and follow through all the
hurdles along the way to publication is to get some
support from your PLN. It will help you maintain the
passion and replenish your motivation.
Good luck!

Julie Pratten has extensive teaching experience in over 25 countries. Nowadays she lives in
Turkey, where she teaches business and financial English and runs the independent publishing
platform, Academic Study Kit. She is a visiting lecturer at the University of Brighton where she
teaches on the Extended Masters Pre-sessional EAP course. She is also the founder of Heart
ELT and has set up a school for Syrian children in Domiz camp near Dohuk in Iraq.
Contact: info@academicstudykit.com
Website: www.academicstudykit.com
Heart School: https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/heartschool
You can see a recent interview with Julie, which expands on some of her ideas about self-
publishing and explains in more detail her work with Heart ELT, in the EFL Magazine here.

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 ELT Materials Special IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Five Uncomfortable Realities of ELT Writing

by Laura Phelps

Are your worksheets the envy of your friends? (Get some friends who arent
teachers!) Could you write the next Cutting Edge? I certainly havent and probably
couldnt, but Ive written some other bits and pieces, and its a peculiar sort of job.
If you think you might be peculiar enough to join the fold, the simplest test is to see
if you can leave an uncorrected typo in a text message. No? COME IN. And if youre
still not put off by these five things Ive learnt in the last five years, I hope to make
your acquaintance very soon.

1. Nobody has the slightest idea how to break
into writing.
Ive been asked many times how I got into writing.
And every time I say huh dunno I (understandably)
get looked at like a simpleton, or with the suspicion
that I am keeping secrets and contacts under my
conical hat. But truly, I dont know. ELT writing is a
murky pond that you sort of topple backwards into.
Theres no central job listings website, no obvious
point of entry or route of progression. You can
join the ELT Teacher2Writer database and hope
that someone contacts you, but its frustratingly
passive. Or you can try the classic in of offering to
review resources for Cambridge et al, but its long
and dreary and a bit pre-internet.
I found my first job on a freelance writing website
in 2011. I wrote a reading skills book for Taiwanese
uni students, and the pay was terrible but the
experience invaluable, because once youve written
something, youre magically a Writer. Letting that
be known on social media is perhaps the new in
my two meatiest jobs have come through friends,
real and virtual. So if I have any advice at all, it is
this: (1) think bigger than the big four (CUP, OUP,
Macmillan, Pearson) because there are loads of
international publishers looking for people; and (2)
get on Twitter, start a blog, and humblebrag about
that cover with your name on it until you become
what you say you are.
2. Youd better like instant noodles. For
breakfast. At 3pm.
After a non-exchange about how you got into
writing, most people will go on to tell you how theyd
never have the discipline to work from home. At this
point, you have two choices: smile beatifically and
say that one adapts as one must, or be honest about
the fact that you have not once sat down before
midday at an actual desk in actual trousers. Its not
really a matter of discipline; its a matter of do this
or be skint, like any other job, so it always gets done.
It just gets done between Pet Shop Boys videos and
at the expense of eating anything that isnt beige,
ever. Google ramen hacks. Youre welcome.
If you like routine, writing is probably not for you.
Your editor will want to Skype at 10pm because
shes on a different continent. Youll set 6am alarms
for online training sessions that you cant hear and
didnt need. Youll become that 20 minutes honestly
person on your laptop at a Sunday picnic, which can
vex, until you remember that your Monday contains
neither a commute nor eight hours in an open-plan
with Amanda Thing who laughs like a barn owl (if
you like other people, writing is probably also not for
you).
3. You might want to hold off booking that trip to
Turks and Caicos.
Nobody ever went into ELT to get rich or die tryin,
but writing is particularly unstable because its
almost never salaried and you can forget about
sick pay, holiday pay and pension contributions.
Ive been paid by the word and the hour, but most
commonly and inconveniently on completion of
a large project, which means no money coming in
for months at a time. To survive you need to be a
hardcore make-do-and-mender, or have a recently
deceased great aunt, or move to southeast Asia, or
the least bothersome option, in most cases take
on bits of teaching / training / admin to top up your
income.
Rates of pay for writing also vary enormously, with
little rhyme or reason. There will be times when you
shut one eye to your pedagogical principles because
you need to get a few grand in the bank. There will be
other times when curiosity triumphs over dollars,
even pride. Overlaps of interest and pay are rare but
magical when they happen, and you might not make
it to the Caribbean but the location independence of
online work is a luxury money cant buy.

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 ELT Materials Special IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

simple transition. Most

of us cant. It took me
six months of being a
godawful ADoS to realise
how damaging this myth
is I liked the sound of
being a manager, but
in reality I had to go for
wet-eyed walks round
the block several times
a week. Likewise, while
the idea of seeing your
stuff in print is hugely
appealing, not everyone
is sufficiently pedantic to
write for a living.

Its not enough just to be

4. You need to know what that button does.
While there are still jobs out there writing print
resources, these days youre much more likely to be
developing online content. Every company uses a
different platform, and if youre patchworking a few
jobs you have to keep a lot of bitty information about
asterisks in your head. Not only that, you need the
nous to troubleshoot simple problems on your own
because your editor cant answer six queries a day
about ghosting icons and text that wont italicise.
Harsh but true story: a colleague of mine was
sacked after three weeks for failing to get to grips
with Moodle. So if computers give you the wig, seek
out jobs where someone else will be doing most of
the technofaff.
Actually, I think its worth admitting that most of my
writing jobs have involved 40% writing and 60%
ghostbusting errant icons, resizing stock photos,
assigning tags, triple-proofreading, comparing
corpora, verifying CEFR levels and trying not to
slam my laptop shut in Google Hangouts. If you
want to finger your quill while staring out to sea,
write fiction.
5. Amazing teachers arent necessarily amazing
writers.
ELT is weird. When youve taught for a few years and
fancy a challenge, you apparently have to choose
between training, which is notoriously hard to get
into, or managing, which is basically being paid to
let people despise you, or writing. None of these
jobs requires the same skills as teaching, yet were
encouraged to believe anyone can make a swift and
in love with words, as all
English teachers surely
are. Faced with three
drafts of 50 reading texts of 100 words each (no
more than five percent at A2 level please) on topics
you know nothing about with image descriptions
and can I have them by Friday thank you smiley
face whats your reaction? If its to rub your hands
together at the chance to create a bit of order out of
chaos, youre going to be fine. But if it all seems a bit
particular and fenced-in, youll be saying hello to a
lot more wet-eyed walks round the block.
This is my counsel, such as it is. For infinitely
sager advice, you might enjoy reading Materials
Development in Language Teaching (2011, Brian
Tomlinson (ed.), Cambridge University Press)
or following the activities of MaWSIG (Materials
Writing Special Interest Group) online. And if you
do COME IN and find out anything concrete at all, I
shall thank you for writing another, better version of
this article in due course. Courage!
Laura Phelps is a
freelance teacher,
trainer, writer and
postgraduate art history
student. She is based
in Asia and currently
nomadic. Laura
has worked in eight
countries and written
three coursebooks,
including English for the
Cultural and Creative
Industries. Twitter: @
pterolaur

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 ELT Materials Special IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Communication Frameworks: Designing Performance-

related Materials for ESP
by Ros Wright

It is important to remember that the overall objective of Business English [and ESP]
courses is to improve performance. (1994)
Ellis and Johnsons observation is as relevent today as it was 20 years ago. Areas
they suggest will lead to enhanced learner performance are the development of
confidence and fluency, use of communication strategies, delivery of speech, and
greater cultural awareness. Using examples from medical English, this article
presents ideas for designing performance-related ESP materials for your learners
whatever their profession.
Communication frameworks are often used in The functions and communication strategies
training to enhance spoken performance, especially employed in SBAR (questioning, making polite
in the caring professions and customer service, but requests, signposting, clarifying, summarising,
also in team building and conflict resolution. Such documenting) provide a sound basis around
frameworks are high-frequency near-authentic which to develop a series of spoken and written
tasks that prove an engaging and effective method communication tasks. The framework acts as a
with immediate relevance to the workplace. From vehicle to present relevant grammar structures in
a language perspective, frameworks can help an authentic context with the emphasis on outcome
professionals develop confidence and fluency and as opposed to accuracy. In Schroeders scenario
provide guidance, especially at lower levels. They this might include simple present, simple past and
are also surprisingly easy to adapt to the teaching of the passive. The SBAR provides the opportunity
English language. to develop not only the full range of lexical input
required of healthcare professionals, from medical
The SBAR is a framework used to ensure safe and terminology to colloquialisms and euphemisms,
effective communication between colleagues in a but also the means to move back and forth between
healthcare setting, either during handover - often medical and laypersons language.
together with the patient - or over the phone. In the
initial stage of this example from Schroeder (2011), By maximising the use of authentic video clips,
a nurse might first inform her colleague of his/her ESP writers strive to bring the workplace into the
patients current Situation (Tina, Ms. J is here to classroom. Putting the SBAR into practice, therefore,
have rehab after her right knee replacement.) before a couple of well-chosen clips will allow learners to
giving essential Background information specific shadow other healthcare professionals as they
to the patients history, e.g. the patients diagnosis, work through the SBAR framework. Learners can
history of previous procedures, even her family analyse practitioners modelling key techniques and
situation (Ms. J had a right knee replacement on 3 study both the visual (gesture, facial expression)
June by Dr. Smith. She has a history of hypertension, and auditory (intonation, pronunciation) features
diabetes, and arthritis. She lives with her husband of the language. Such clips also offer the necessary
whos retired and able to care for her at home when non-verbal, environmental and physical clues to
discharged.). Assessment of the patient then help learners understand usage and register as well
follows (Blood glucose levels have been stable, as interpret and respond appropriately to cues from
vital signs are within normal limits. Her pain has their patients and colleagues.
been reported as a 7 on a 0-to-10 scale.), which
leads finally to either a Recommendation (Ms. When dealing with the cultural aspect of
J is scheduled for discharge this Friday and will communication, ESP writers should go beyond
need to speak to the discharge planner today.) or a the anecdotal and actively encourage learners to
Request (Im still concerned about Ms. Js mobility. consider culture in its broadest sense (national,
Can you arrange for the physio to visit her before her local, professional). Authentic video clips offer
discharge?). a means to demonstrate these aspects and the
impact on interactions with patients and colleagues.

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 ELT Materials Special
They can also provide a more in-depth insight into
the target culture if necessary. To develop cultural
competency, materials need to provide a forum to
discuss differences and thus avoid potential clashes
in the workplace.
The value of role-play should never be
underestimated; not least because it replicates
methodology employed in medical communications
training, allowing medical students to try out
different approaches without having to worry about
upsetting a real patient (McKillop, 2010). From a
linguistic perspective, role-play requires learners
to use opening gambits, incorporate turn-taking
strategies and seek clarification, etc. This essential
rehearsal stage develops fluency and delivery,
and helps reduce the stress learners might
associate with spoken communication, which for
the SBAR might include speaking over the phone
or participating in meetings. What is important,
however, is to design scenarios that actually develop
learner performance.
A traditional role-play scenario based on Schroeders
example (idem) might look like this:
Student A: You are a nurse. Your patient has a
temperature of 38C. Contact the on-call doctor
and ask for advice. Use the SBAR framework.
Student B: You are the on-call doctor. You
receive a call from a nurse on your team about a
patient. Advise him/her to continue monitoring
the patients vital signs for a further 60 minutes.
This traditional format: question-answer-
suggestion-response, tends to be transactional
rather than interactional and invariably results in
a successful outcome. In short, it does little to truly
develop learner performance. A more effective
scenario can be achieved by creating more rounded
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IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
personalities for the role-play characters. Aside
from the patient details, the following information
might also be included:
Nurse Smith: It is 20 minutes before the end of
your shift and you realise Ms J. has developed a
fever with a temperature of 38.2C. You decide
to contact the on-call doctor, Dr Davies. You
sometimes find Dr Davies difficult to work with
s/he speaks quickly over the phone and you feel
a little intimidated by him/her.
Dr Davies: This is your final shift before going
on holiday and you are trying to finish all
outstanding paperwork before you leave. This
has been a busy shift and you have not had
chance to sleep. You tend to be a little sharp when
you speak over the phone, but you try to control
it. You receive a call from Nurse Smith about
his/her patient. Advise him/her to continue
monitoring the patients vital signs for a further
60 minutes.
Indeed, you might first want to include a traditional
role-play scenario in your materials to allow learners
to focus on accuracy and to practice the basic stages
of the framework. This can then be followed by a
more developed scenario to hone the effectiveness
of their communication skills using the SBAR.
Experts in medical communications, Maguire
and Pitceathly note that If doctors are to acquire
skills [], they must have an opportunity to practise
and to receive feedback about performance.
(2002) Asking a third party observer to provide
constructive peer feedback on language issues
and the effective use of SBAR will help learners
monitor their progress. Adding an observer to the
role-play mix is a technique commonly used in
medical communications training that can easily be
incorporated into ESP materials. A simple feedback
 ELT Materials Special
form will help guide observers through a task.
Here is a sample Observer evaluation sheet for a
handover scenario in the presence of the patient.
Observe and evaluate the doctors ability to:
Rating: 1 limited, 2 room for 1 2
improvement, 3 effective
a Describe the patients current
situation
b Provide essential background
information about the patient
c Give an assessment of the patient
d Offer a recommendation / Make a
request
e Include the patient in the
discussion
f Employ language for clarification
g Use appropriate intonation and
tone of voice
A follow-up reflection stage will help the doctor
think about his/her own performance:
Answer the questions.
a. What went well?
b. What could have gone better?
While the patient evaluates the communication
skills of the doctor from his/her perspective:
Complete the statements.
a. The doctor made me / didnt make me entirely
feel at ease because _____________________
b. I would recommend this doctor to family and
friends because __________________________
Finally, asking learners to replay the scenario, taking
on board the feedback from their peers (and the
trainer), will help consolidate their newly acquired
skills.
The SBAR is one of many communication
frameworks in healthcare, some of which are now
present in the business field. Indeed, one can easily
imagine using SBAR to facilitate communication
in a number of business situations. One such
example is SPIKES (Baile et al, 2000). The SPIKES
model was originally developed to break bad news
to cancer patients. First, doctors Set the scene,
then determine the patients Perception of their
condition. Next they obtain the patients Invitation
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
before delivering the preferred amount Knowledge,
while providing Empathy. Finally, they Summarise
the information for the patient before laying out
a Strategy for the future. In the business world
SPIKES is used in Human Resources to announce
3 redundancies or refuse employee requests.
Professional councils and accreditation bodies (e.g.
Institute for Customer Service) can prove useful
sources of similar communication frameworks
as can discipline-specific reference books. So
whether you are designing materials for call centre
employees, high-powered negotiators or social
carers, it is quite likely a communication framework
(or two) exists to form the basic structure of your
next set of ESP materials, which in turn will go a long
way to enhancing the performance of your learners.
References:
Baile, W. F. et al. (2000) SPIKES A Six-Step Protocol
for Delivering Bad News: Application to the Patient
with Cancer. The Oncologist (5). p.302-311.
Ellis, M. and C. Johnson (1994) Teaching
Business English, Oxford University Press
Maguire, P. and C. Pitceathly. (2002). Key
Communication Skills and How to Acquire
Them. British Medical Journal 325, 697-700.
McKillop, J. in Lever, M. (17.06.2010) Medical
drama: Playing sick to teach doctors. BBC News.
http://www.bbc.com/news/10267228
Schroeder, M.J., MSN, Looking to improve
your bedside report? Try SBAR
http://journals.lww.com/nursingmadeincrediblyeasy/
Fulltext/2011/09000/Looking_to_improve_
your_bedside_report__Try_SBAR.14.aspx
Ros specialises in
medical English. Her
titles include Good
Practice (Cambridge,
2008) and more
recently, English for
Medical Professionals,
a course preparing
doctors to work in the
NHS. Ros is currently
General Secretary of
EALTHY an association for English teachers
working with healthcare professionals. Her own
website, www.englishformedicine.net aims to be
a one-stop-shop for teachers of medical English.
15
 ELT Materials Special
Writing Pronunciation Materials
by Wayne Rimmer
Much is made of the lack of attention pronunciation receives in the classroom compared
to grammar and vocabulary but this is not down to a lack of material as coursebooks all
include pronunciation exercises, usually cramped into a corner somewhere, and there
are actually a fair amount of published resources for teachers to supplement with.
Also, there has been a surge in online tools and apps
bringing pronunciation to digital natives, and the
occasional digital dinosaur. Still, many teachers
do find pronunciation resources lacking and the
typical response is to ignore them, leaving the
books to gather dust and the learners to find their
own way through the phonology of English. What
makes existing materials unattractive?
First, international publications cannot focus
on individual first-language groups, the typical
problems they have and, what is often disregarded
in our fixation with error, areas where the overlap
between the first and second language phonology
is enough to make further treatment redundant.
As an example of the latter, there is little point in
labouring over the rhythm of English to speakers
of other stress-timed languages like German and
Russian. Publishers cant be blamed for a scatter-
gun approach because they are aiming at a global
market. However, the one size fits all solution
means that teachers have to be very selective in
picking material which meets their learners needs.
Just going through the book is hardly an effective
strategy in any teaching context but it is especially
flawed in pronunciation teaching because it is
incredibly wasteful.
Second, the methodology of pronunciation
resources is almost exclusively limited to listen
and repeat work on individual sounds. This
remains true whatever the fancy technology
involved. Endless drilling is frankly boring and,
more pertinently, it doesnt work, or at least there
is no research evidence to prove it in either a first
or second language acquisition (Google the work
of Piers Messum as confirmation). The research of
John Field and Richard Cauldwell, especially the
latters Phonology for Listening, has shown that
traditional receptive-based pronunciation work
has considerable pay-offs for the skill of listening,
but this is not the same as coaching learners
how to articulate. Listening to a sound gives no
indication of how the sound is made and any initial
success in mimicry would quickly wear off outside
the classroom. The listen and repeat methodology
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has presumably fomented the preoccupation
with sounds (prosodic features like intonation are
at least as important to communication) simply
because they are easier to drill.
To reiterate, faced with alternatives that are often
irrelevant in content and uninspiring in approach,
most teachers will give up on the pronunciation.
Braver souls will consider designing their own
material. The advantages are direct counterpoints
to the criticisms levelled above: tasks that address
real needs through an engaging methodology.
The main disadvantage is the time factor as busy
teachers have finite preparation time. But there is
also a skills gap, as teachers may not feel confident
enough about pronunciation teaching generally to
be able to generate useful materials. As with any
materials design, a lot of trial and error is involved
you only get good at doing something by doing it a
lot but the benefits for your learners and your own
development are significant enough to invest the
time. Key considerations in materials design are
presented below.
1. Find the focus
Choose a pronunciation point which your learners
struggle with. This is easier if you share the same
L1 as your learners. In a multilingual classroom, a
situation mainly limited to Anglophone countries,
the typical UK summer school scenario, you have to
go with something of near-universal relevance. The
dental fricatives the sounds beginning the and
theatre - are classic examples because of their rarity
in languages of the world. However, an additional
consideration is that the pronunciation point
should be worth learning, i.e. it makes a difference
in communication. This is more difficult to judge.
Supporters of English as a Lingua Franc (ELF),
for example, would argue that dental fricatives
are not worth teaching because they rarely cause
communication breakdown and are substituted
by other sounds in several varieties of English,
for example /t/ in articles in Irish English. An
ELF approach is not laissez-faire but it addresses
priorities which have been empirically proven
to affect the quality of communication, such as
 ELT Materials Special IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

the length distinction in vowels (ship vs. sheep).

Dental fricatives do not fall into this category.
However, a further complication is that, whether
regarded as essential or not, learners will have
expectations about what to be taught. Personally,
I doubt many learners would be persuaded by the
rational argument that they can do without dental
fricatives in the same way that it would be hard to
tell them Forget about articles. A practical way of
resolving such controversies is to negotiate with
learners themselves (this will often need to be in
L1) a suitable focus. Usually, your own intuition and
experience will coincide with their requests.

2. Dont reinvent the wheel

Existing pronunciation materials have their
limitations but, at the risk of mixing metaphors,
dont throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Anything published has gone through a painstaking
design and editing effort so it will have some qualities
that can be emulated. Often, just a tweak is needed
to reset the activity for your learners. For example, a
favourite of mine is Mark Hancocks Pronunciation
Journey in his Pronunciation Games (Cambridge).
The activity involves learners choosing between
minimal pairs to follow the road to the right city. In
the original the cities are an international selection.
You can remodel the activity simply by replacing
as learners read aloud the situation cards and
those cities with other categories, for example, cities
discuss their decisions. Pronunciation learning
in your country, names of learners, vocabulary you
has a much higher chance of success if it happens
have covered in class recently. To be fair, if your work
in a memorable context where the affective filter is
draws heavily on others, acknowledge this on the
lowered.
material (and for anything distributed or published,
permission will be needed). Even if you go your own
4. Experiment
way with materials, look at as much published work
The great thing about writing for your own learners
as you can for inspiration.
is that you have complete freedom of choice over
content and approach. There are many restrictions
3. Engage
on published materials and consequently what gets
Learners should be motivated to do the task. This is
through can seem emasculated. It wont exactly
a real issue with listen and repeat, an exercise with
be the case with you that anything goes there are
zero intrinsic appeal. The pronunciation should
parents and other custodians of any educational
be central to task completion but learners should
process but you are much freer and the price of
want to do the activity for its own sake. A task type
failure, an activity not working, is low (compare the
I used (shameless self-promotion coming up) in
cost to publishers of a book that doesnt sell). Blogs
most levels of the pronunciation worksheets for
which might inspire that creative spark include
the Cambridge Empower adult coursebook series
Mark Hancock (see above) and Annie McDonalds
was the adventure maze. You will be familiar with
http://hancockmcdonald.com/ and Katy Simpson
the maze idea from the books, and then computer
and Laura Patskos ELF-based https://elfpron.
games, where you go through a series of situations
wordpress.com/
and have to take drastic decisions, your destiny
depending on the route you take and either ending
5. Share
in success or failure. I used different adventure
You naturally share your materials with your
scenarios, for example castaway on a desert island
learners but think beyond that. Most teachers work
in A2 (see illustration) and a time machine in B1, to
as a team so give copies to colleagues or maybe run
provide practice in sounds and supra-segmentals
17
 ELT Materials Special
a workshop on your ideas. If several teachers pool
materials, a school can quickly build up a bank. If
you are lucky enough to work in a network like IH,
sharing can go even further. Many IH teachers have
published their materials and you may want to
follow this path. Publishers are always interested
in quality materials and while this is not exactly
the road to fame and fortune, it is a very exciting
career opportunity that is a perfect complement
to teaching. At the end of this article I give some
references to sources which can help you write
professionally.
Thats enough of the theory, now for the practice:
get out there and start writing!
Wayne Rimmer teaches at BKC-international
House Moscow.
Becoming an ELT Writer - Ask the Publishers Q&A
with Kirsten Holt, Macmillan Education
1. When a publisher looks to recruit a writer,
what kind of profile are they looking for?
Theres no one profile that will meet the
requirements of every project, but there are a few
It depends on the publisher and what type of writer
somewhat but generally, Id say it would be someone
who is an experienced EFL teacher ideally with a
deep understanding of methodology and trends,
i.e. Diploma-qualified or equivalent, and who has
experience in assessing level and objectives and
can demonstrate knowledge of and skills in using
materials in different mediums.
The person should have begun to build up an
outward-facing ELT profile (see below for details)
and has experience in creating classroom resources.
2. For someone looking to become an ELT writer,
what is the best way to get started?
See our blog post here: http://ihjournal.com/blog
3. Do you have to write a full coursebook before
submitting a proposal?
No, a sample unit along with a draft scope and
sequence is all you need. Before submitting, or
indeed compiling your proposal, it is worth making
contacts within publishing (see above for ideas) so
you have a specific name to send it to and do your
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Useful sources for pronunciation materials
writers:
Two IATEFL SIGS organise relevant events and
resources:
Pronunciation SIG http://pronsig.iatefl.org/
Materials Writers SIG http://mawsig.iatefl.
org/
ELT Teacher2Writer: http://www.
eltteacher2writer.co.uk/ connects writers with
publishers and includes practical courses on
materials design.
MATSDA (Materials Development Association):
http://www.matsda.org/ has an annual event
and journal.
background research Is there space in the ELT
market for something like this and do you think
people will buy it? Does the publisher already have
similar products? How well does it stand up to the
competition, if there is any?
Without meaning to put you off, according to the
late, great David Riley1 most unsolicited proposals
are rejected now even more than in the past.
Publishers used to wait to see what books teachers
proposed and would then try to choose the most
promising of these. This has changed. Now, large
publishing companies work to long-term publishing
plans. The problem for a budding author is that the
publisher is not going to share this confidential
information with anyone outside the company. As a
result, the two commonest reasons for rejecting an
unsolicited proposal are: (1) Were already doing
something like that, and (2) We arent planning to
do something like that.
[But] Sometimes youre lucky and your proposal
lands on someones desk when its just what theyre
looking for. Given that ELT, like any community, has
its zeitgeist, this isnt as unlikely as you might think.
1 http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/jobs/your-ca-
reer/publishing-for-teachers/making-proposals-to-elt-publish-
ers/145002.article
 ELT Materials Special
If a publisher is impressed by your writing they may
ask you to write something for another project,
perhaps a workbook, a resource pack or a teachers
book to start with.
Plans can be changed if an idea is sufficiently
powerful. Ignore the image from fiction publishing
of the huge slush pile of unsolicited and unwanted
manuscripts mouldering unread in an in-tray.
In ELT, we receive surprisingly few unsolicited
proposals, and were usually glad to get them.
In other words, never say never so read on!
4. Is there a particular form a proposal should
take and how many words should it be?
There is no set number of words for a proposal but
it is worth being concise at most, two pages is
usually enough for your rationale, with a maximum
of three resist the temptation to write more (unless
you want to write a very specialized book). The most
important thing is to remember to include the
following:
a cover letter
a rationale document (target customer (including
if its intended for one particular country or group
of countries), language level(s), age range, type
of institution where it may be used, what type
of English it is (general, business, ESP, focused
on an exam, etc.), the need (Is there room in the
market for this and why?), the methodology (How
does the learning take place and how the syllabus
should be organised?)
an outline, including a draft scope and sequence
(i.e. detailing how your publication will be
structured)
a sample unit (usually about ten or twelve pages
of writing, showing clear progression of learning,
demonstrating how you see the methodology
working in practice. If the material includes
scripted audio or video, then dont forget to
include the transcripts. NB If you are proposing a
students book, concentrate on the students book
content (including the answers) theres no need
to provide the additional supplementary material
like the workbook material or teachers notes
unless there are some innovative feature in these
components which you need to demonstrate.)
your CV and credentials (publishers want to
know that you have experience in the area youre
proposing for, including what levels and type
of English youve taught recently along with
the profile of the school youve most recently
worked in. Itll raise further interest if you have
experience of training other teachers and/or if
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
you have previously written material which has
been published whether it be books, articles or
reviews.)
5. Everyone knows about coursebooks, but
what other kinds of writing work do publishers
commission?
As mentioned above, there is plenty of other writing
work that publishers commission in addition to
coursebooks namely, supplementary materials
like workbooks (online), audio or video content (and
related worksheets), teachers books, test books or
online tests, digital content for apps, LMS, IWBs and
occasionally DVD-ROMs (the latter less common
these days)and website materials.
It can be extremely beneficial to get involved in
this type of work because theres a lower level of
commitment (so you can see if youre really suited to
the work and whether you actually enjoy it), it is often
considered to be part of a writers apprenticeship
and it tends to be fee-based so the money is up front
(as opposed to waiting for the royalties to come in).
In addition, supplementary writers are important
to publishers because the component being written
may need specific expertise (e.g. tests, digital) and
because they are short-term projects works in well
with other commitments.
That being said, I think it is always worth asking
yourself the following questions before committing
to the work:
Do you realistically have the time? Supplementary
materials often have quite tight deadlines to fit
in with the publishing plan. Theres also no point
in taking on the work if its going to make you so
exhausted you cant do your real job!
How confident are you in using the technology?
You may have to write into the platform or
publisher-specific Microsoft Word templates
check you know how to use it before beginning or
that support is available if you run into difficulties.
Having read the brief, do you agree with the
pedagogy? Theres no point agreeing to work if
you dont agree with the general principles of the
project.
6. What particular skills does a new writer need?
Do you need to know about online platforms?
A new writer definitely needs to have experience in
using basic Word and Excel programs and good time
management. Each publisher tends to use a slightly
different platform so whilst it is useful to develop
an understanding of these, and maybe develop
familiarity of the different systems, it is likely that
19
 ELT Materials Special IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

a new writer would be given training of the relevant
system before starting the commissioned work.
As writing work increasingly requires authors to
collaborate and/or to work in a team across multiple
locations, Id recommend developing a working
knowledge of the following tools: Dropbox, Google
docs, Skype (including sharing screens), Google
hangouts, Slack (a brainstorm tool that works on an
app, and allows the user to set up different channels
in order to work in different projects simultaneously)
and Trello.
7. How are writers usually paid, i.e. by the word,
by the hour, by the book, etc.?
Again, it depends on the project and the publisher.
Generally, Id say supplementary material (and/
or publisher-led material) is fee-based and is often
a lump sum paid on the satisfactory completion
of the work. If it is a meaty component and can be
delivered in batches, then the work will be paid per
batch completed this is will be specified in the
contract/letter of agreement.
9. Do you have to be based in the UK to work for a
publisher?
No, not necessarily as long as you can be reached via
email, Skype or Google hangouts. Nor do you need
to be a native-English speaker if you have a native-
level ability in English-language usage, spelling and
grammar.
10. Do publishers provide support and guidance
for new writers working on their first projects?
Yes, within reason. The brief tends to provide clear
guidance of whats expected. Generally, once youve
written a sample which has met the publishing
standards, you are considered good to go, providing
the material you write meets the brief. Your material
may go through a couple of drafts, depending on the
component, so it is important not to take criticism
personally if you are being asked to change
something, it is for the benefit of the course. If you
dont understand, ask about the reasons behind the
suggested change (albeit politely) so you can learn
more through that process.

8. A question I would still like to ask after writing
materials for approximately five years is: how
do writers find out about job openings? There
are freelance writing sites, which tend to offer
uninteresting or underpaid work, or submitting
a coursebook proposal to a major publisher, but
how do I find content writing work in between
those two extremes?
As mentioned previously, it is worth joining
organisations like ELT Teachers 2 Writers, ELT
writers connect and IATEFL MaWSIG which tend
to advertise writing work between these extremes,
or certainly, someone can point you in the right
direction. The best tip though I can give you is to be
patient, build up your profile and keep up with the
market trends that way you will be ready when the
opportunity presents itself.
11. Can a writer work for many publishers or
does it have to be just one?
This is an interesting question, because it depends
very much on what your contract says and what
work is available with each publisher.
It is normally advisable to avoid competing with
yourself so I wouldnt recommend writing similar
products within the same segment for different
publishers! Also it is worth considering, if you are
going through a successful writers apprenticeship
whether it is worth going elsewhere I would suggest
checking with the publisher before proceeding.
There may be additional work coming up with the
publisher that you are unaware of before asking.

Kirsten Holt is Publisher of Teacher Professional Development at Macmillan

Education, having worked in the publishing sector for just over ten years. Before the
move into publishing, she worked in education for a similar length of time, first as
a teacher/materials writer, then as a teacher trainer, before becoming a Director of
Studies and trainer of teacher trainers. Kirsten is also the Deputy Events Coordinator
for IATEFL Materials Writing Special Interest Group. She is passionate about
supporting teachers, authors and editors alike in their professional development as
well as investigating ways to respond to the evolving world of ELT.

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 Younger Learners IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Younger Learners
YL column: 5 Ways to Manage Your Littlest of Learners
by Kylie Malinowska

If you have any experience teaching our littlest of English learners, the under 6
set, youll know only too well that there is arguably little else more important (or
more difficult) for us than classroom management. One can never be too organised
or vigilant when teaching these amazing little minds. No matter how exciting the
lesson is that weve planned, it only takes the briefest of moments for a dead leaf to
become a competitor for our attention. And if were not careful, win.

If you too have been in a happy-lesson-plan-on-track- place one minute, then suddenly at the bottom of a
pile of wild pre-schoolers the next, then I suggest either signing yourself up for a course like the IH VYL, or
reading on. Or both. Because this issues 5 in a flash is

5 ways to Manage your Littlest of Learners

1. Be the sparkliest thing in the room

Left your flashcards on the other side of the room? Forget to set your MP3 to the right track? Think they
will patiently wait a moment? Nope. Leave nothing to chance with this crowd. No need to panic though.
Embrace the moment and just remember to keep them interested and engaged.

E.g. Ask your learners to cover their eyes and count slowly to 10. Count with them. Try not to make too much
noise as you scuttle across the room to get that storybook/ prop/ flashcard set. As you reach 1, make sure you
accompany Open your eyes with a big smile and a nod to the magical surprise in your hands. If you look happy
and excited to see that storybook (that you intentionally left in your bag, duh!), they will be too.

2. Use your voice

Use your voice in any way except raising it. Have you ever noticed that when you lose your cool and yell or
raise your voice, that more often than not, rather than stop and listen to you, they just get louder? Forget
that screechy voice too. Lower your voice. Whisper. Try to speak normally. Speak like zombie or robot if you
so desire. Just anything but yell or screech, please!

e.g. Stand on tippy toes and move your hands like its raining and make a splishy splashy rain sound (this will
get some of them before you even start), now slowly count down from 10. As you count down, slowly lower the
volume of your voice and crouch down further and further with each count. By the time you get to 1 you should
be crouched on the floor and whispering. Try using your index finger to motion and invite the children to crouch
in closer. Now imagine you are James Bond on a top secret mission and whisper the instructions for the next
stage.

Little Tommy climbing out a window? Dont shriek. Use a firm, serious voice. Need Little Tommy to know
you are now happy? Use a calm gentle voice. Want the children to move to the tables? Speak slowly. Want
them to sit in a circle quickly? Speak quickly. Once youve got the above mastered, you can begin work
towards the ultimate goal: sounding animated, yet natural, engaging, yet calm and friendly but firm.

3. Have clear and consistent routines

Routines are not just there to fill pages in Teachers Books. They have magical powers. VYL need to feel
safe and secure, and clear and consistent use of routines contributes to this by giving learners cues about
what is coming next and what you might expect from them and different times throughout the lesson.
A routine can be as simple as having a certain place or way you sit in the classroom when its time for a

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 Younger Learners IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

story, or a song you sing when its time to wash their hands. Aside from all that wonderful repeated and
recycled language in context, familiarity is conducive to confidence. Secure and confident learners are
happy learners. And less likely to become disengaged.

4. Dont underestimate the power of eye contact

Yep. This tip is that simple. Make eye contact. Along with learning and addressing learners by name,
making eye contact is incredibly important, and in my experience observing others, something often
overlooked and/or underestimated. All learners, but especially our little ones, not only want but need to
be acknowledged. Im not talking about glancing around the room with a smile and a nod or a throw away
good job. Im talking about taking a moment to meet eyes and giving a warm and genuine smile to each
and every child in the room, as often as possible.

Deep down all VYL want to please the teacher. They are only playing with that leaf they found underneath
their shoe because: its currently more interesting than you, they are not exactly sure what you want them
to do, or maybe they just really like leaves. Sometimes a nod and genuine smile when they behave in the way
you want them to e.g. sit in a circle nicely, is all the positive reinforcement needed to win them back / keep
them on track. Likewise, when little learners are used to having a lot of eye contact (especially combined
with smiles and nods), a stern look and shaking
of the head can go a long way. Think of yourself
as teaching 1:1 within a group. Just remember
to include ALL learners.

5. Sing, sing a song.

Songs are not only versatile, they are super
sparkly and can reach a young child on so
many different levels. Is it pack up time? They
make for brilliant timers. Not only is it easy to
communicate to learners how long they have
to be packed up if they are familiar with the
song, they can sing along too!

Kylie Malinowska is a teacher, trainer, presenter, writer, sleep- deprived mum of

twins and coffee addict. She is the Young Learner Advisor and IH CYLT Coordinator
for International House World Organisation and currently based in Prague where she
also teaches and trains part-time for International House Prague and Akcent College.
yladvisor@ihworld.com
klokanomil@wordpress.com

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 Younger Learners IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Phonics in the YL Classroom

by Katy Simpson

What is phonics? in consonant-vowel-consonant words (CVCs), e.g.

Synthetic phonics is a way of learning to read and
write by making sound-letter connections - either
breaking down a word sound-by-sound (when
reading), or putting sounds together to build a word
(when writing).
Why is it so important?
As a child at school in the UK, I remember learning
the spelling of whole words off-by-heart. This
Whole Language approach was the norm in the UK
at that time. Nowadays, most children in the UK
learn to read using a synthetic phonics approach.
This shift was influenced by the introduction of
the National Literacy Strategy in 1998 and key
research around that time, and later the publication
of the government programme Letters and Sounds
in 2007. One popular programme, Jolly Phonics, is
now used in over 100 countries.
What are the basic principles?
If you learnt to read and write using a Whole
Language method, you might revise for a spelling
test by trying to remember that the word sheep, for
example, is represented by the letters s-h- double
e-p. But synthetic phonics teaches children how
to segment, i.e. split the word apart to identify the
individual sounds sh-ee-p and then recall which
letter or combination of letters represents each
sound. To write the letters, children have to be able
to hold the pencil well enough to control it, know
where to start the letter (at the top, bottom, etc.),
and know when to go below or above the line (i.e.
letters like g, y, and p have tails, but h, l, and k, have
sticks).
c-a-t or s-u-n. They need to learn both how to decode
(read) and encode (write) the words. We touched
on the skills involved in encoding above. But what
about decoding? Imagine a child is trying to read
the word sun. They first have to recognise that
the squiggly lines in front of them are in fact three
separate letters. Then they have to remember what
sounds those letters represent. When they have all
three sounds, they need to put them together. This
is called blending and is a crucial skill if a learner is to
become an independent reader. At first, though, the
teacher will almost certainly need to help children
blend sounds together. Of course, the next step is
comprehension. Once a reader has decoded the
word, they have to match the word to its meaning.
When learners have mastered CVCs and blending,
then comes the tricky part: that five separate
letters might not in fact equate to five separate
sounds (sheep: five letters, three sounds). This is
a challenge when English is your first language.
What about children who are learning it as a second
language?

The challenge with English is that there are several

letters or combination of letters to represent
one sound. For example, in the word phonics
the /f/ sound can be represented by the digraph
(combination of two letters to create one sound) ph.
This sound is more commonly represented by the
letter f, but the letters gh create the /f/ in laugh. Not
only this, but one letter or a combination of letters
can also represent more than one sound. So the
letters ie produce three totally different sounds in
the words friend, lie, or shield.

In a synthetic phonics approach, children are first

taught the most common sounds that single letters
represent (this is easier to predict with consonants).
Then they are taught to put single sounds together, P sound demo
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 Younger Learners
Is synthetic phonics really suitable for an ELT
context?
A lot of phonics materials are made with native
speakers of English in mind. For example, in
the Jolly Phonics programme that my school
follows, the action for /k/ is clicking your fingers
like castanets, and the materials have pictures of
dancers with castanets. I teach in Thailand and my
kindergarten (KG) students are unlikely to have
ever seen castanets in their life. With issues like
that, you can adapt it. For example, we still click our
fingers but pretend to be crabs instead. However,
other aspects of the programme are less easily
adapted, e.g. materials where children have to spot
pictures of objects starting with the same sound. For
example, if the focus is /s/, learners are expected
to identify pictures of a snake, sun, stick, sandwich
from among pictures of other objects not beginning
with /s/, etc. But the majority of my KG students are
unlikely to know the word sandwich in English yet,
so they cannot possibly pick it out as beginning with
/s/. They are dealing with issues not faced by native
speakers, i.e. they have to learn the names of things
as well as how to read and write them.
Another issue is that courses like Jolly Phonics are
designed for primary school settings where you
see your learners every day, and might dedicate
the majority of time to literacy. In an ELT context,
its likely to be a lot less. I see my KG students twice
a week for 50 minutes each time, and the main
aim of the classes is to develop their speaking.
Nevertheless, in order to pass English exams
throughout their school life, they need to learn to
read and write. But as communicative language
teachers, we are drawn to more meaning-based
methods, and even for children whose L1 is English,
one of the main criticisms of a synthetic phonics
approach is that it prioritises form over meaning.
If English is a childs L2, then a focus on meaning
is crucial. This is not to dismiss synthetic phonics
in an ELT context, but (as you probably would do
anyway) tread carefully when using materials from
the Internet because they are likely to be made with
native speaker learners in mind. Also, bear in mind
that your learners may still be learning how to read
and write in their own language. The Thai writing
system is one of the most complex in the world and
my KG students have that to contend with as well.
Ive heard of Jolly Phonics. How is that related to
synthetic phonics?
Jolly Phonics is one particular synthetic phonics
programme (with books, IWB materials, flashcards,
etc.) that developed out of research which started
in the 1970s and has since been the focus of three
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IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
large research projects. It is the programme I am
most familiar with because my school paid for us
to take the (excellent) Jolly Phonics online training
course (check out http://jollylearning.co.uk/
training-courses/). The programme separates
42 sounds into seven different groups, the first
and easiest group consists of s, a, t, i, p, n and the
seventh and final group consists of qu, ou, oi, ue, er,
ar. Children learn actions for each new sound (e.g.
the action for p is holding your finger to your mouth
and blowing, like blowing out a candle). It also has
its own terms such as tricky words to describe
common words that cant be predicted, and need
to be learnt by sight, e.g. the, she, because, etc. But
there are other programmes besides Jolly Phonics,
e.g. Read Write Inc. or Sounds-Write.
My school cant afford these kinds of materials.
Do you have any lesson ideas?
Start by making your own actions for sounds
or watch the many YouTube videos of children
performing the Jolly Phonics actions. My school
is experimenting with using actions based on
Thai words to represent sounds that exist in both
languages, especially where the Jolly Phonics
actions are less suitable. For example, the Thai word
ja-aye equates to something like peekaboo, and the
children love this action which were using for the
sound /e/, as in the word play (as opposed to using
the Jolly Phonics action of putting your hand to
your ear, as if you cant hear someone).
Here are some suggestions for phonics-related
activities:
Flashcards:
Hide letter cards around the room and go on a
letter hunt. Everyone says the sound and makes
the action when the cards are found.
Stick pictures of CVC words around the room,
and silently do the actions for the three sounds.
Children run to touch the word of the picture that
those three actions spell.
Snap or pelmanism: use first sounds matching
to pictures, or whole words matching to whole
words (e.g. cat and mat, pen and hen).
Reading:
Make pointers with a hole in the middle so
children only see one letter at a time. Search online
for phonics reading pointers for inspiration.
Twister (only in smaller classes): make a big board
by taping four A3 grids of letters together. Make
sure there are two of each letter on the board. Say
a word, like cat and two students race to touch c,
a, and t, using their hands and feet. Then the next
 Younger Learners IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

two students take their turn. the first letters of key words from the story, by
Make spinners by cutting out a segmented writing one letter at a time onto small coloured
hexagon template with a simple word written squares of paper and then sticking them onto
in each segment, and put a pencil through the paper of a different colour to build whole words.
middle (search online for hexagon spinner
template). Give each pair a spinner. Children
take it in turns to spin and read the word that
the spinner lands on. Then they run to touch the
matching flashcard on the wall or slap the picture
in their book.

Princess pointers
Writing:
Say a sound and learners make the letter out of
playdough, or write into the playdough.
Bingo: children write the letters into a grid and
listen for the sounds to cross off as you pull the
letters out of a bag.
Children make their own mini-books using only
Mosaic word books
Many of these ideas were gleaned from peer
observations of British Council Chiang Mai
colleagues Clair Chittenden and Sarah Shaw, two
superb mentors and phonics fans. Thank you both
for passing on the passion!

Katy Simpson is a teacher and materials writer with an MA in English Language.

She is currently based in Thailand, and previously taught in the UAE, where she
developed a strong interest in pronunciation. She blogs at https://elfpron.wordpress.
com/
Email: katysimpsonelt@gmail.com

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 Younger Learners IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Recipe for Successful Classroom Management in the

YL Classroom
by Yvette Phipps

Weve all been there. In that class, with those kids- the ones who youve been with
for a few weeks now. Theyve gotten comfortable with you, and you with them.
Theyre a wild bunch. Yes, you know you should have been stricter in the beginning,
but how strict can you really be when they have no idea what youre saying when
you are trying to discipline? Thats not nice and we need to share with others
just doesnt go very far when not a word is understood. So whats a teacher to do?
A T.A. helps, but working collaboratively and effectively together is a whole other
issue in itself. In the remainder of this article, Ill share some ingredients for getting
your class under control, specifically for ages 5-10.
By under control I dont mean turning your very Step 2: Stir in saying thank you
personable young learners into docile students who Moving on to a more positive technique, this one
listen to and obey your every word, because simply is as simple as it can get but Ive found it achieves
put, kids are kids. What I do mean is employing a incredible results. Kids learning English learn the
few strategies so that the time you have together, phrase thank you very early on and, if the course
you and your students are learning and having fun, book doesnt cover it for some reason, then just
without you feeling like you need to make everyone teach it yourself. When youve asked a direction
sit down because they are being too silly. to be followed, e.g. closing their books, and only a
handful are actually doing it, then thank them. A
Step 1: Start with body language, and a pinch genuine Thank you, Sarah and a smile shows the
more child youve noticed them, but more importantly it
The first and foremost tip that will go a long way shows those around her that she has your positive
may seem obvious, but it is often forgotten. After attention, and I guarantee that the rest want some
a time, expressions may turn to frustration first too!
before attempted discipline. What is really needed
instead are those quick disapproving looks. Ive Step 3: Churn your problematic students into
found annoyed looks dont do anything in the long star students
run. The child will repeat the undesired action in a Usually by the second session with your students
few minutes, or even a few seconds. Stern looks and you know who youll need to keep on top of when it
a shake of the head carry far more significance. The comes to behavior. Instead of looking at things from
key here is to exaggerate. Your words may not count that perspective, why not try to make them your
for much, so your face and body movements must star student? This is especially great if the student
do the talking for you. When you do use your voice, has the ring leader type effect. Need to pass out
it also must be exaggerated. Gasps work well here, papers? Ask for help from that student. Young
followed by surprised and dismayed looks. Again, learners still love to help the teacher and feel special
its not necessary to for being chosen. Acknowledge them when they are
use words expect for doing something right and announce it to the class
perhaps their name, (use the previous technique for beginners). Hold up
which should be said the students worksheet when they have completed
just as stern as your even just some of it to use as a class example for
look, so no need to being on track. Its important to always distribute
shout! praise, so dont overdo it, otherwise this technique
will work against you. Children only like to be singled
This can be applied out to an extent. Done with the right amount of
to a whole group, balance though, the students you thought were
but it works best going to be the toughest will be the best!
when only one or two
children in the class
are acting out.

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 Younger Learners
Step 4: Add a happy face, sad face
This one gives each child individual feedback. Its
often used in primary schools, which is where I
picked it up. It goes like this: draw a simple T-chart
on the board. On one side is a smiley face and on
the other is a sad face. Before the class starts, or as
part of role call, put all the kids names on the happy
side. If you have time, a small number of students,
or after the kids know about the system, you can
have them write their names themselves, making
them even more accountable for their actions and
behaviors. Either way, having this simple visual will
make them more aware.
Starting positive is key and is less work in the
long run (instead of waiting until a student does
something well and putting their names, followed
by others, in the middle of the lesson). Also, it
gives kids a chance before being put on the sad
side. Simply erase their name(s) when an outburst
or other violation of classroom rules occurs. This
should be sufficient in deterring continuation, but
if not then rewrite their name on the sad side when
needed.
Make the child or children earn their position back.
Dont hold out for too long though; if you only see the
kids once or twice a week for a limited time, instant
gratification is often the way to go.
Using the t-chart always lets the students know
where they stand. Many children are intrinsically
motivated so they want to do well.
Step 5: Mix in a change of scenery
The above mainly focuses on the individual student,
but heres one for the whole class. Many teachers do
not have the luxury of holding childrens classes
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
outside or in a different environment, but there are
some easier ways to make scenic changes in the
classroom, not in the literal sense with decorations,
but in the moment while teaching.
Have the children sit on the floor.
This provides an instantly different learning
environment. Kids are usually stuck in their seats
all day. Sitting on the floor creates more intimacy
and the much needed difference to aid in paying
attention!
Have them stand up.
Then give them directions for a specific movement
to hold while standing. If you leave kids just standing,
you know they cant resist moving, touching other
students, etc. However, if you have them put their
hands on their hands while drilling a couple new
words for example, and then their hands up for the
next couple words, and so on, then youll have more
ears and eyes to work with.
These types of movements should generally be
thought out beforehand so that you have a variety
of different active and quieter activities. Consider
it as part of your planning. However, as you know,
its necessary to be flexible during the lesson, and
to react off of the kids. If you need a change, change
the setting.
Step 6: Enjoy!
These 5 steps can be used all in one class. The key is
finding the balance between them. This comes with
experience, but everyone needs a reminder from
time to time. When everyones listening and doing
what they are supposed to, its the best feeling in the
world because it makes your job that much easier
and enjoyable.
Yvette is still a novice to
the field with three years
experience. She is both
inspired and intimidated
by other article bios
stating the author has
20+ years of teaching,
but she hopes to always
continue developing
professionally as her
career in ELT unfolds.
27
 Younger Learners
Bringing Parental Objectives into the Young Learner
Classroom
by Shay Coyne
The most important people besides our YLs themselves are their parents, and this
relationship is not always easy. Given the status English now has in a globalised
world, many parents believe mastering English essential to have more opportunities
in the future. However, some expectations may be unrealistic in terms of results,
progress and the rate of learning (Brewster, Ellis & Girard, 2012).
Good YL teaching practice incorporates sensorial
classroom activities which allow children
to experience the language in a natural and
meaningful way allowing teachers to maximise
linguistic development as well as providing YL
with a positive experience in regards to English,
something that is helpful as they continue on with
their future schooling. These activities include
crafts, action stories, storytelling, songs and chants,
and projects.
For some parents, such activities arent serious
enough; they may not have experienced this type of
learning themselves (Brewster et al., 2012). At the
end of the day, these parents are our customers and
a good working relationship is the key to success for
our YL programs. The aim of this article to provide
an example of how parental objectives can be
incorporated into the YL classroom.
Goal Setting and YLs
At the heart of any course are goals. It is essential to
understand why a course is being run and how the
learners will benefit from it (Nation & Macalister,
2009). In an adult class we can conduct a needs
analysis or ask them directly. However, in the YL
classroom many students may not be aware of why
they are in class, or what they want to achieve by the
end of the course (Moon, 2005).
We are reminded once again that teaching YLs
means taking on a holistic approach to teaching
children by, for example, incorporating other
developmental aims such as social, physical,
cognitive, and emotional needs. Parents are
another aspect of this holistic approach, and one
that can be a useful source of information. They are
important stakeholders with a vested interest in
the programs their children study. While YLs may
not be aware of what they want from a course, their
parents are aware of what they want their children
to gain from enrolling them in an English course.
Even if, as mentioned above, these expectations
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IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
are unrealistic, parents at the most basic level know
they are enrolling their children to learn a language.
Ultimately it is the parents who decide if their child
will continue with a course or not. By identifying
parental needs and aligning them to the course
curriculum, we can improve the overall quality of
the classes we provide.
Action Research Project
With this objective, I designed an informal
questionnaire identifying parental motivations
for their children learning English and sent it out
via Survey Monkey to 8 YL parents in their L1. My
teaching context is a bilingual Catalan-Spanish
speaking environment. I work with these parents
to teach their children in English. I specifically
used this group as I felt that our relationship would
guarantee that the responses were honest and they
had a genuine interest in helping me conduct this
action research study.
The questionnaire contained 10 questions, with
a variety of responses. I translated these into the
parents language and had my translation revised
by my husband, who also shares these parents L1
to control for any potential misunderstandings
that an English questionnaire may generate. 2 Key
findings of the survey are:
100% of the parents want their children to study
English in order to communicate
88% of the parents want a course that allows
students to understand spoken English while
having fun
From this analysis we can suggest ways to match
these objectives to our YL programs.
Communicative Focus
Communication activities are essential to this group
of parents. Therefore, the first recommendation we
can make is to create an English-only environment
and reinforce the idea that English is a means of
 Younger Learners
communication and not a subject to
be passively studied. Interaction is
vital for communicative competence
(Shumin, 2002). Brewster et al. (2012)
suggest teaching YLs functional
language such as greetings, social
niceties (have a good weekend),
routines, classroom language, and
communication strategies (What
does this word mean?). Speaking
should be scaffolded to provide
support, incorporating many
opportunities to speak throughout
the lesson, instead of building up to
one big, final speaking activity at the
end.
Brewster et al. (2012) provide a list of
communicative activities ranging from controlled
to freer practice: look listen and repeat, listen and
participate, reading aloud, games, dramatization,
rhymes, songs, chants, storytelling, flashcard work,
information gaps, questionnaires, dialogues and
role play. One final suggestion is it may be useful
to give the parents a brief handout, in L1, with the
results of the survey and some examples of what
has been incorporated in class (methodology and
activities), which show them you are responding to
their needs and aligning teaching practice to said
needs.
While there may be specific reasons to use L1 in
the class (such as a dangerous situation, or talking
to a visibly upset child), if the teacher speaks only
English this will address the parents expectations
of their children understanding English. Exposing
YLs to language through listening, supporting
understanding through gestures, demonstrating
and active engagement helps develop listening
skills (Read, 2007). Teachers can further help
students by insisting they talk to each other
in English, using CDs, DVDs, YouTube/ online
resources and other recordings to expose students
to a variety of audio material. Institutions can
change teachers after each course so students are
able to listen to a variety of accents to help improve
overall comprehension skills.
Brewster et al., (2012) list the following activities as
examples of improving listening in the class: listen
and do, listen and discriminate, listen and repeat,
listen and draw/ colour, listen and predict/ guess,
listen and label, listen and match/ classify, listen
and sequence, and listen and transfer information.
Such activities provide learners with more
opportunities for successful listening, resulting in
confident listeners (Field, 2002).
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
The Element of Fun
Finally, fun needs to be an integral part of the
YL classroom. Parents are less likely to continue
sending their child to a course if they are not enjoying
it, and YLs are able to learn more effectively if the
class is memorable and enjoyable. Nikolov (1999)
states that students like English if they like the
teacher and the class activities. This idea is further
supported by Moon (2005) who sees children
as capable of having fun and being absorbed in
activities that interest them, which is positive as
this increases exposure to language input as well
as providing language practice. This final point is
noteworthy as it highlights the necessity to make
sure that the activities we choose have a linguistic
focus and are not just fun for funs sake.
Conclusion
By seeking out parental objectives, we are able to
foster parental involvement. At times parental
objectives may not meet with the teachers, for
example parents wanting their child to cram study
English to pass an important exam. In this example
the communicative element of English is lost and
teachers may not know how to best approach these
situations; on the one hand the parent is a paying
client and should receive the service they are paying
for, but on the other hand most teaching practice
today adopts a communicative approach. While it
may not be possible or feasible to incorporate every
parental objective into our YL programs, we can
identify key areas of interest.
Teachers need support and training in order
to select materials and activities that are YL
appropriate to create a positive language learning
environment. McConkey (1985) reports that most
research highlights the benefits children receive
when their parents take an active role in education
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 Younger Learners IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

and, moreover, evidence supports parents interest

in becoming involved. References:

A starting point is to ask them why they want their
children to learn English and what expectations
they have in an English course for their children.
While needs analysis is common practice in adults
classes, it is still yet to find its place in all YL course
design. However, this article supports the idea
that by identifying parental expectations in the YL
classroom, it can help improve the overall quality
of YL programs we provide for our students and
their parents, which can only be a good thing for all
involved.
Brewster, J., Ellis, G., & Girard, D. (2012). The primary
English teachers guide. Essex: Penguin English.
Field, J. (2002). The changing face of listening.
In J. Richards & W.A. Renandya (Eds.),
Methodology in language teaching (pp.242-247).
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
McConkey, R. (1985). Working with
parents: A practical guide for teachers and
therapists. London: Croom Helm.
Moon, J. (2005). Children learning English.
Oxford, UK: Macmillan Education.

Nation, I.S.P., & Macalister, J. (2010). Language

curriculum design. New York: Routledge.

Nikolov, M. (1999). Why do you learn English?

Shay has worked in ELT
as a teacher, trainer, and
director of studies for 16
years. Her areas of interest
are young learners, teacher
training, and curriculum
design. She is a member of
the IATEFL YLT and TEA
SIGs. She holds a BA in
Psychology and the Trinity
TESOL, and is currently
studying for an MA in Applied Linguistics.
Because the teacher is short. Language
Teaching Resource Vol 3(1), 33-56.
Read, C. (2007). 500 activities for the primary
classroom. Oxford, UK: Macmillan Education.
Shumin, K. (2002). Factors to consider:
Developing adult efl students speaking
abilities. In J. Richards & W.A. Renandya (Eds.),
Methodology in language teaching (pp.204-211).
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Challenges of Teaching Oral Skills to YL in a Non

English Speaking Environment
by Maria Conca

The challenges of teaching English around the world are huge for many native and
non-native EL teachers. By definition, a context where English is not widely spoken
can hardly provide the practice opportunities or authenticity that is virtually
unlimited in English speaking teaching contexts.

The most difficult aspect of our job as teachers
is trying to replicate real-life communication
in the classroom between peers sharing the
same L1 through an English-only environment,
or realistically create sufficiently motivating,
purposeful opportunities for learners to use English
out of the classroom. While this is hard when
teaching adults to learn how to read or write, it is
even harder when teaching YLs to speak or listen
effectively.
Im going to be brave and address two of the biggest
challenges of current ELT debate: teaching oral
skills (both receptive and productive) and teaching
lower secondary learners in a non English speaking
environment. Why is it so difficult to teach oral skills
to teenagers? What factors affect the way we teach
speaking/listening in the language classroom?

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 Younger Learners
Motivation
What motivates YLs to learn is socializing. Even
the most withdrawn learners try to establish some
personal ways to express their feelings, their world
and their ideas to others. Talking, chatting and
sharing is what teens really enjoy. How can we help
them do that in a foreign language?
If we arent providing our learners with what they
need to communicate with each other or the world,
we will not be able to motivate them to speak.
Not only motivating learners, but also avoiding
their demotivation (Littlejohn, 2008:215) is our
responsibility.
I genuinely believe that learners involvement in
some level of classroom decision-making, task
design and purposes is one way to achieve that
and promote a sense of competence and success
(ibid. 223). If learners are given the opportunity to
negotiate topics, tasks and activities types, it will
be easier to keep them engaged and motivated.
Using cued questions, role-plays and simulations
of communicative events that happen in their
real life out of class will build their confidence and
encourage realistic language use through peer
interactions. Information gap and problem solving
activities will make language tasks cognitively
challenging and more motivating.
Lack of authentic listening materials
For years Ive been providing my learners with
endless, useless listening comprehension tasks,
taken from one of my favourite course books,
in which teenagers chatted about a great (fake)
experience somewhere in the world. I was often
frustrated to see that they were not engaged at
all. Why should they be motivated to listen to a
conversation they are not part of? Why should they
listen to information they wont practically need out
of the classroom and that they didnt ask for in the
first place?
We only learn when we need it. If theres a trigger
to meaningfully store language items for future
use and communicate to others what we need,
well learn effectively. This is how first language
acquisition takes place. Why should second/
foreign language acquisition work differently? If
learners dont need to speak a foreign language
in their real life, teachers should create a realistic
context of use in the classroom that resembles the
outside world as much as possible. How can we do
that? Use the technology and bring the real life into
the classroom! I think its crucial to design graded,
realistic tasks that learners can do with real people
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
and in real-life situations, in which they are required
to listen actively, respond and participate. For
example, you can ask your learners to call a shop in
the UK on Skype and find out if they sell their fancy
t-shirts online, how much they are, delivery, special
offers etc.
This type of interactive listening tasks will provide
authenticity to the classroom as learners will be
exposed to real, authentic language use. Learners
can do such things in their L1. Helping them
prepare for the encounter in English can be a great
confidence booster:
Set the context very clearly e.g. You won a gift
voucher to spend on clothes
Arouse their interest in the topic e.g. Check out a
few shop websites and choose what to buy
Set purposeful tasks e.g. Call the shop to find out
prices/sizes/delivery etc. and complete a grid
Ask learners to prepare the questions they need
to ask
Provide a model as appropriate depending on
learners age and level e.g. you can make the call
first
This way learners will perform pre-planned speech
(asking a list of questions) and will do a purposeful,
manageable task (completing a grid). The focus will
be on completing the task successfully rather than
understanding every word or irrelevant information.
From overhearers or passive listeners learners will
take on the role of active, selective listeners like in
real life in their L1 (Field, 2008). The unpredictability
and interactivity of a speech event like that will
provide the opportunity to manage unpredicted
situations such as misunderstandings, noise
or speed. Learners predictions, guesses and
communicative strategies from both L1 and L2
repertoire will be easily transferred to and applied
to new situations. Learners will learn from their
first hand experience with the language what
strategies to adopt and how to recycle vocabulary
and expressions in the appropriate social context.
Oral Practice Opportunities
Surely, it has happened to you to quickly practise
some key vocabulary through a reading or a short
listening and move swiftly to the Its your turn
or Speak up section of your worksheet with the
genuine expectation that learners would be able to
speak and use the language on the spot. How many
times have you realized that they were avoiding
the task instead? Learners only anchor seem to
be reading aloud any given examples or resorting
to L1. Why is that? How can they reactivate prior
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 Younger Learners
knowledge in a new situation and experiment with
new language so quickly?
Teaching around the world where English is a
foreign or an additional language often means that
you (especially as a native speaker) or the internet
are the only source of exposure to L2. The only
opportunities for learners to practise real language
in authentic, spontaneous interactions might
be a chat with teachers in the school caf or to a
lost tourist at the bus stop. On the other hand, the
supposedly unlimited self-access materials online
do not always boost learners confidence: Ive often
heard my learners say that they had been watching
their favourite celebrities interviews on YouTube
for hours without managing to understand them.
While lucky YLs travelling to the UK for intensive
summer courses seem to acquire the language
more naturally and a lot quicker because theyre
surrounded by the language for many hours each
day (Lightbown & Spada,2006:111), its quite
hard for learners around the world to receive the
same amount of natural language input at home.
Language learning in a classroom environment
does not always reflect real life as language input
is modified, at times oversimplified by teachers,
who try to make it comprehensible and learnable
for their learners (Krashen, 1981). Video talks
like TED talks are a perfect example of ungraded,
real language material that can be exploited in
class both as naturalistic language input and as a
model for meaningful language production. Theyre
great oral, content-based texts that promote
discussion and provide useful material for class
questionnaires, surveys and peer interviews.
As self-access material they can be selected by
teachers and become a self-study opportunity that
References:
Field, J. (2008). Listening in the
language classroom, CUP
Krashen, S.D. (1981). Second Language Acquisition
and Second language learning, Pergamon
Lightbown, P. & Spada, N. (2006). How
languages are learned, (Third Edition) OUP
Littlejohn, A. (2008). The Tip of the Iceberg: Factors
Affecting Learner Motivation. In RELC Journal 39; 214
Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative
Language teaching, CUP
Richards, J. C. (1990). The Language
teaching matrix, CUP
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IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
feeds back into the classroom in various ways: news
broadcasts, presentations, impossible interviews
with inventors, instant interviews on a negotiated
topic etc.
I strongly believe that maximising learners talking
time in the classroom through peer interactions is the
key. As learners acquire language in conversation
(Hatch,1978 cited in Richards,1990:77), the
language classroom should provide opportunities
to learn conversation through interactive tasks that
focus on
using the language to complete a task (ibid.78)
negotiation of meaning
purposeful information exchange
For instance, you can ask your learners to make a
3 minute video interview to a partner with their
mobile phone about their dream school trip. The
class will then decide the best ones to be posted on
the school blog. Its a fun activity that motivates
learners to prepare their speech, perform and
finally review their own as well as their partners
performances for a realistic purpose.
While attending to the social purpose of language
learning, communication both in the classroom
and in the real world can be promoted if theres an
information gap and an immediate feedback to
motivate learners to interact. The idea is to create
a variety of communicative contexts that allow
natural acquisition as opposed to conscious learning
or language mastery (Littlewood,1981).Teaching
oral skills should therefore aim at performance-
oriented language reception and production
through realistic and manageable tasks.
Maria Conca has been
teaching English for over
nine years in the UK and in
Italy, where shes based and
has been running her self-
owned language school
since 2011. She took her
CELTA at IH Rome in 2007
and has recently completed
her Delta at IH Newcastle
(Module two) and Distance
Delta IH London (Module one & Three). She has
worked as a teacher, teacher trainer in primary
education and CLIL, DoS and academic manager.
Her main interests are YL, Teaching oral skills,
CLIL, SLA and materials development.
 Technology and ELT IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Technology and ELT

Technology column: Face with Tears of Joy
by Shaun Wilden

I am sure it cant have escaped your notice that the much-heralded Oxford
Dictionaries word of the year wasnt actually a word at all; rather, it was an image
representing the word that comes from the Japanese for picture character. That
would be e(picture)+ moji (character).

Face with Tears of Joy was the winning image as it is thought to be most the used image of the
845 images that currently make up the full list of characters. Speaking of the full list, how many
can you identify? They cover a whole range from food to flags, animals to human body language.
If you never have used them, take a look at your smart phone, tablet or computer. There is
probably a keyboard of images there or waiting to be added. Though they have been around since the late
nineteen nineties, it was last year that really saw their explosion in their use.

While detractors might sigh and see emoji as another way that language is being eroded, the vast array of
images can be put to a creative use in the ELT classroom. So lets look at a few ways you can utilize them
with your students.

Working with Vocabulary

Starting with vocabulary. Just as I asked you how many you could identify, so too you can ask your students.
Rather than simply listing them all, you can use emoji to augment vocabulary lessons. For example most
flags of the world are included so you can tap into those for introducing and revising countries of the world.
If, like many teachers, you use social messaging apps such as whats app with your students, you can
quiz them by sending a flag and getting the students to tell you what country it is. Alternatively, for a class
warmer, students can use the images for vocabulary races for example, the first person / team to write
out ten words shown in emojis. Staying with vocabulary, they can be used to teach and revise compound
nouns, expressions and idioms. Can you work out what the following are?

Answers later..!

Telling Tales
Moving on from single lexical items into fuller sentences, emoji can be used as a way to inspire creative
writing. Online you can find plenty of sites that are dedicated to emojinate (the word used for creating a
story creating from emoji). Here is an example from http://tinyurl.com/z6t8wpv
which was used to create this:

I was playing Space Invaders, when my door was knocked down by the Joker, who then killed my pet frog
with a dart. (Thomas K. Running)

In class (or via your social media group) choose a sequence of five emoji and get the students to create
sentences and small stories. The students can even challenge each other.

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 Technology and ELT IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Another way to use emoji is to help guide writing via a rebus. Rebus writing is where a word is represented
by an image. They have existed since the first cave paintings. I first came across the idea of using emoji like
this on the Davy Hulme school blog. Here the teacher asked the students to replace words in fairytales with
emojis. As you can see from the examples on http://davyhulme.primaryblogger.co.uk/literacy/using-the-
emoji-keyboard-to-make-a-fairy-tale-rebus/,this proves to be an excellent creative thinking and writing
exercise, which can be easily be transferred to the ELT classroom. A useful site to help you create texts is
http://meowni.ca/emoji-translate/.

Speaking
Moving from writing to speaking, get the students to create a message of emojis to illustrate a period of
activity, i.e. what they did the previous evening or at a weekend. Once they have finished they either send
or show their classmates their message. This can be a pairwork or group activity. The students then have to
work out what their colleague did by interpreting the emoji and asking the writer questions.

Finally, emoji can be the catalyst for speaking exercises. The list of emoji characters is always being added
to, with a list of contenders regularly being put forward by the Unicode Consortium (the body that oversees
emoji). In fact the list for 2017 is already being put together and includes one I think would become my
most used the skeptical face.

Using the idea of the candidate list, One speaking task is for a class to suggest which emojis they want to
add to the list and why. Alternatively you can give the students the current list and ask them which they
think should be chosen and why. You can refer the students to the list of images on this webpage - http://
www.brit.co/2017-emoji-contenders/

Through use, emojis have gained various meanings; however, as with any piece of language, meaning is only
attained if all users in a group understand it. Take for example the text phrase LOL, which most understand
as laugh out loud but some take to mean lots of love. Or for example when I first saw Face with Tears of
Joy, I thought it was someone crying rather than laughing.
This concept can be used for another speaking task, the class deciding their own meanings for a set of emoji.

While this emoji is listed in http://emojipedia.org/ as I love you or I love this, on the we are
teachers blog they have redefined it as donuts in the teachers lounge. (http://www.
weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2014/10/21/the-emojis-of-teaching)

By the way, the answers to compound nouns are cowboy, sunglasses and sick as a dog.

Shaun Wilden has been involved in English language teaching for over twenty
years. He is currently the International House World Organisation Teacher
Training Coordinator. He also maintains several online teaching sites including
ihonlinetraining.net and is interested in the application of technology to teaching.
He is a moderator of the twitter #eltchat group which meets every Wednesday
to discuss issues and ideas in ELT and membership secretary of the IATEFL
Learning Technologies SIG. Feel free to follow him @shaunwilden or read his blog
(shaunwilden.com). When not sitting at a computer, Shaun enjoys growing food in
his garden and then cooking it.

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 Technology and ELT IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Why Diigo Could Be Your New Best Friend

by Sandy Millin
Do you ever use bookmarks in your web browser, but can only access them from one
computer? Or get annoyed because you cant remember how to find a great activity
you saw on a site which would be perfect for this afternoons lesson? If the answer
to either of those questions is yes, diigo could be the answer.

Diigo is an abbreviation for Digest of Internet 4. Click on Save so that this window appears:
Information, Groups and Other stuff. (which I found
out while writing this!) and has completely changed
the way I use the internet. It is a way of saving web
pages and notes online so that they are accessible
from any device. Heres how:

1. Sign up for a free diigo account at www.diigo.

com.

2. Download diigolet, which should work with any

browser. This is what I have on Safari on my iPad.
If you have Chrome, you can use their extension
instead (as seen in the examples below). If you
prefer Firefox, there is a diigo toolbar. You can
find them all by following this link:
http://bit.ly/ihjdiigolet

3. Find the page you want to bookmark. Click on

the diigo icon to show the options:

5. Add as many tags as you can think of. The more

you add, the easier it will be to find the page
again later. You can also add a description of the
page, or include a quote which you want to refer
to later. The Annotate option in the menu in
step 2 also lets you add highlighting in different
colours to the page, which is particularly useful
for research.

6. Click the blue Save button at the bottom of the

window. A red ribbon appears on the diigo logo
to show that it has saved successfully.

7. Your bookmark should now appear in your diigo

list, looking something like this:

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 Technology and ELT
Once youve got a few bookmarks, its very easy to
search them. If theyre public, you can also search
other peoples bookmarks. Here are mine for you to
have a go: http://diigo.com/user/sandymillin
To search, choose a tag from the list on the left,
view all tags, or type into the search box. As you
can see, after five years of using diigo I have a lot of
bookmarks! Although it might seem overwhelming
at first, you can use the plus button next to tags to
make them cumulative and narrow down the list
of sites youre looking at. For example, by clicking
reading, then activities, then ielts, Ive gone from
over 6000 bookmarks, to just six relevant ones:
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You can also share bookmarks with other people
using direct links, so https://www.diigo.com/user/
sandymillin/delta takes you to all of my bookmarks
with the delta tag. Ive used this function with
students by tagging a set of videos I wanted them to
watch, then sharing the link. Its much faster than
giving them five different links!
Of course, diigo isnt the only site you can use for
online bookmarking. Other options are Evernote
and Delicious. I like diigo because of how easy it is
to use, and particularly to share links with other
people, and all of the functionality I need it for is
currently free. If you change your mind about which
site you want to use or want to have a back-up, its
easy enough to download all of your bookmarks
from diigo and upload them to one of the other sites.
I hope you can see how useful online bookmarking
is as it makes your bookmarks accessible from
any computer, tablet or phone, and can be used to
enhance your own professional development or
with your students in class. Good luck!
Sandy Millin has just
started work as the
Director of Studies at
IH Bydgoszcz in Poland.
She was previously the
DoS at IH Sevastopol,
a much smaller school.
She is hoping that
she asked the right
questions of herself
before she agreed to do take on this much
bigger task! She will be blogging about her
experience at http://sandymillin.wordpress.
com. You can tell her what questions she
missed by tweeting her @sandymillin.
 Teaching Exam Classes IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Teaching Exam Classes

Examinator column: Helping Learners with Exam
Writing
by David Petrie

Exam classes can be some of the most rewarding AND most frustrating teaching
that you can do. Often at the same time. While learners in exam classes often have a
good idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie, perhaps from all the testing
they get exposed to, there is often a strong difference between what learners want
and what they need.

What they need is often quite a lot of linguistic development, fine-tuning of skills, and exam familiarisation.
What they want is often a lot of test practice; in the belief that doing practice test after practice test will
eventually lead them to a magical formula for success. It is a challenge to try and craft lessons that meet the
needs of the learners, manage to keep a focus on the exam and are motivating and engaging to boot. It is my
hope that this column goes some way to helping you do that and to bridging the gap between learner wants
and needs. Welcome to the Examinators world!

In this first column, well be looking at an area that learners always say they want to improve, know they need
to improve, and go to any lengths to avoid actually doing: Writing.

When it comes to writing, learners can be overly task-oriented. They see their writing as something they are
doing for you, the teacher, in order to prove their mastery over the language, which they see (or have been
taught to see) as mostly consisting of bits of vocabulary held together by strands of grammar. Or possibly the
other way round. In this view, it is enough to produce just over 140 vaguely topic-related words (depending
on level), all of which have been carefully counted so as to ensure that none are missing. We are, after all, only
assessing their English, so the content itself doesnt actually matter.

And a lot of the time, this approach works. Until the students hit an exam class where things like answering
the question become important

Here, then, are a few ideas to help learners move past

their preconceptions and towards a more successful
piece of exam writing. These suggestions are aimed more
at teachers of IELTS, TOEFL, and the Cambridge English
main suite exams, though teachers of other exams will
also hopefully find them useful.

Brainstorming and Ranking

Most exam tasks are based around a core general topic
with about three key sub-topics. For example, on page
31 the Cambridge English: First handbook gives an essay
topic of pollution and environmental damage, with the
sub-topics of transport, rivers and seas and your own
idea.

For this activity you need a range of board pens. Before

the learners see the essay task, write up the topic in our
example this is Pollution and Environmental Damage
and ask learners to write up as many sub-topics or ideas

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 Teaching Exam Classes IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

on the board as possible. For added spice, this could also be a board race. When done, ask learners to work in
pairs or small groups to create categories for these ideas, bearing in mind that some ideas could go in more
than one category, and to make a record in their notebooks. This can be done as a table or as a spidergram /
mind map type diagram. The purpose here is for learners to think about how the ideas fit together.

At this stage, you can then reveal the writing task. It should be immediately obvious that some of their ideas
are more relevant than others, so ask the learners (still in their pairs or small groups) to rank the categories
and / or the ideas they wrote down in order of importance and relevance to the task. This could lead to a
useful discussion on what to include and why and perhaps more importantly, what to leave out! As a further
flexistage, you could run the ranking exercise as a pyramid discussion, where learners initially make choices
on their own, then agree a set of choices with a partner, then in a group of four, a group of eight etc.

This thinking about which ideas are important, relevant and useful, should help inform any further planning
that takes place, perhaps in relation to the task type and structure. For example, which ideas could go in
which paragraphs and why.

Reader / Writer Role plays

It is perhaps unfair to expect a 16 or 17 year old to write meaningfully on problems with integrating new staff
into a company, or even to have an idea of what editors consider important to include in theatre reviews, as
it will probably be outside the realm of their experience; yet this is what some tasks ask learners to do. Most
learners will only have produced longer texts for teachers assessing their content knowledge (e.g. in a history
class) and so familiarising them with the concept of a reader that exists beyond the teacher becomes vitally
important. Very often I find students understand the idea in the abstract, but dont understand the concrete
implications of the situation.

Fortunately, almost all exam tasks contain a mythical target reader, often the principal of a college, the
editor of a magazine or the English speaking friend who is shortly to visit their country. The contexts created
by the writing task then set up the dynamic of the reader / writer role play.

Here is a sample Cambridge English: Preliminary writing task:

Your friend, Chris, has invited you to a special party which he is organising for your college teacher.
Write an email to Chris. In your email, you should:
accept the invitation
suggest how you could help Chris prepare for the party
ask Chris for some ideas for a present for your teacher.

And here are two roles that you can derive from this task:
CHRIS
You are organising a surprise party for your teacher.
Think about all the things that need doing. Think
about all the things that you need help with. Now
talk to your friend and invite them to the party. Try
and get them to help you as much as possible!
FRIEND
Your friend Chris is organising a party for your
teacher. You want to help. You dont want to do a
lot! You need some help to think of a good gift for
the teacher.

By asking the students to act out the scenario, it lifts the task off the page and makes it more meaningful and
more realistic. The roles themselves are quite straightforward, though to make the activity more engaging it
helps to add a degree of contrariness! It helps learners react to the readers in the tasks, rather than solely the
tasks themselves.

Using Peer Feedback

The main purpose of this activity is to familiarise learners with the criteria that are used in assessing their
work, which are freely available in most exam handbooks or online.
Learners are often reluctant to offer feedback on each others writing; partly because they dont want to seem
to criticise each other unfairly, partly because they arent sure what to say and partly because they dont
actually know how to assess their own, or anybody elses work. Very often when you ask learners to look at
their own or each others work, they tend to focus on linguistic errors only as these are the more apparent,

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surface-level, issues and because they feel more confident in asserting error in these areas. Getting learners
to move past the linguistic and to assess and be more aware of deeper structural or task-related issues is more
difficult.

Fortunately, descriptions of what the examiners expect to find in a good piece of writing are readily available
from relevant websites:
IELTS: http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/find-out-about-results/ielts-assessment-criteria
TOEFL: https://www.ets.org/toefl/teachers_advisors/scores/guides/
Cambridge Exams: http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/
These descriptions are available as pdf downloads (with Cambridge English, you will need to go in and select
your relevant exam and possibly download the handbook), but in many cases are difficult for learners to
understand. What, for example, would your learners understand by may demonstrate inconsistent facility
in sentence formation and word choice (TOEFL)?

With higher levels, e.g. C1 or C2, it might be possible to simply download the assessment criteria or grid,
give it to the learners to look at, and to discuss the criteria and what it all means before they then go on to
look at some sample writing. If you photocopy all the written work before you mark it, the learners will have
a copy they can scrawl all over to their hearts content. You may also want to anonymise the written work by
covering up learner names, and then making sure you dont give learners back their own work! If you have
more than one class at the level, then you can use written work from different classes. You could also arrange
swaps with your colleagues.

With lower levels, you may need to produce a simplified version of the assessment criteria. For example,
the Cambridge English: First writing criteria for language deals with lexical range, grammatical range and
accuracy, from the very good to the very poor. This might be difficult for learners to access and so might
be better broken down as a range of simpler questions like: Does the writer use lots of different words or do
they repeat the same words a lot? Do they use words correctly? Do
they use different grammatical structures or do they use the same
structures and tenses a lot? How many mistakes do they make? Can
you understand the text with the mistakes?

The aim of the process is for learners to develop awareness of what

constitutes good writing in the exam context and it is not so much
about learners providing useful feedback to each other, that is
perhaps a by-product of the process and is an indicator of how well
they understand the criteria (the more useful the advice, the better
the understanding).

Beyond words
All of these ideas try to help learners see writing as more than getting the grammar right and they try to
focus learners on looking at the purpose and goals of a piece of writing, rather than the words they put on the
page. I hope these ideas prove useful for any exam teachers out there. Im happy to get feedback and if there
is anything you would like me to address in a future column, please dont hesitate to let me know.

David Petrie teaches in Coimbra, Portugal and is also teacher trainer with IH OTTI.
He is DELTA qualified and has a MA Applied Linguistics & TESOL. Professionally,
his interests lie in the area of teaching exam classes and ways of using technology in
teaching. He blogs about this and everything else ELT related at www.teflgeek.net
and can also be found on twitter as @teflgeek.

Image credits:
Stop and Think by @ij64 via eltpics under CC BY-NC 2.0: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eltpics/8073484083/
Make up (a story) by Hana Tich via eltpcis under CC BY_NC2.0: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eltpics/10608089615/

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 Teacher Training and Development IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Teacher Training and Development

Developing Teachers Column: A Critical Reflection on
the Evolution of the CELTA
by Jamie King

To reflect the face that this is my first entry as the new columnist of the teacher
training/teacher development section of the IH Journal, Id like look at where many
of us first start our ELT careers, by doing (and presumably obtaining!) a pre-service,
initial qualification such as CELTA. This article will review where the qualification
has come from and how well it continues to serve its candidate base today.

Who cares?
Does your CELTA serve you?! My motivation for choosing this topic is that I feel there is a lot to be learnt
by reflecting on and critically evaluating our industry practice, just as we expect teachers to do in their
own professional practice, especially on training courses. Specifically, I think we need to ask ourselves:
How well do these programmes continue meet the needs of the increasingly diverse candidature of ELT
practitioners?

Where does it all come from?

The present day Cambridge English CELTA is a bit of a chameleon that has morphed through a number of
incarnations over the years:

Time Qualification Accreditation

1962-1977 IH Certificate International House
1977 - 1988 RSA Certificate RSA (Royal Society of Arts)
1988 - 1996 CTEFLA RSA/UCLES
(Certificate in Teaching English as a (University of Cambridge Local
Foreign Language to Adults) Examinations Syndicate)
1996 - 2001 CELTA RSA/UCLES
(Certificate in English Language
Teaching to Adults)
2001 - 2002 CELTA Cambridge UCLES
2002 - 2013 CELTA Cambridge ESOL
2013 - present CELTA Cambridge English Language
(Certificate in Teaching English to Assessment
Speakers of Other Languages)

Despite a 50-year long identity crisis, the qualification has very much stood the test of time; indeed, its
more popular now than ever. The story starts with John Haycraft (founder of IH) who conceived of a practical
means of training teachers he could then employ. His wife Brita (Haycraft 2003) recollects how it was the
first non-theoretical, practice based programme consisting of:
input
teaching practice
observation
feedback
lesson planning

Somewhat revolutionary in its day, nothing quite like this intensive, hands-on apprenticeship existed.
Haycraft and IH were certainly teacher training pioneers in this respect and set the model for subsequent

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imitators who would base their programmes on the same principles. Haycraft recalls how:
Being a new school with new teachers made new ideas possible Swapping ideas and observing classes
became the norm
It was only a two-week course, but quite a gruelling two weeksThe beauty of short courses was that you
could see the result within months, rather than years. (Haycraft 2010, p. 2-3)

Gruelling as it might be, the short turnaround made the course very popular, opening up a viable option
for those who werent fully-fledged linguists. It soon took off school by school initially all over Europe and
North Africa. Just look at this smart newspaper advertisement!

It spite of such sassy marketing, it took Haycraft a long time

to convince an accrediting body to take the qualification on.
It was the 1960s, and it was still believed that to be any kind
of teacher (of anything!), one needed to be an expert.
Degrees in linguistics and literature were the norm for
language teachers at this time (keep in mind that almost
ALL jobs for language teachers at this time were in schools
and universities). Therefore, academic institutes had no
interest in any qualification that didnt meet the rigours of
an academic discipline. The IH Certificate was offering
something quite different; it was meant to be, not academic,
but a foundation in practical, classroom-based teaching.
This situation resolved itself when the RSA took it on.

The qualification continued to evolve, responding to feedback from both learners and participants and
developments in applied linguistics. It was a ground-breaking course which set a benchmark for training
teachers in Situational, and later, Communicative Language Teaching. This seeming flexibility means that,
despite what In spite of what some candidates claim, there is no CELTA method or IH way. Its easy to see
how trainees might arrive at such (erroneous) deductions, but in theory, the qualification has always been
open to a principled eclecticism as coined by Larsen-Freeman (2000) and Mellow (2000). In practice, this
principled eclecticism is of course limited by the eclecticism and principles of the individual trainer!

Whats your problem?

My problem is this: CELTA was conceived of for the private language school sector (TEFL), and significantly
vast numbers of candidates taking the course today no longer reflect that sector. The CELTA is in danger
of not meeting the needs of its candidates in the teaching situations they are in and therefore becoming
increasingly irrelevant - a mere bauble on the Christmas tree of meaningless industry qualifications. Let
me explain myself.

There was a time when a CTEFLA/CELTA meant a certain thing. It was a clear indication that the candidate
had:
a grounding in the teaching techniques that had found their way into Communicative Language
Teaching, and
that they had either native (or very near native) English proficiency.

Some of us will remember the dark days, when something called a non-native speaker was very rare on
CELTA, because, you know, the course was not for them. This attitude may have been the rule of a few
misguided trainers, but it was still present in the expectations/perceptions of many candidates both
native English speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaking teachers NNESTs), learners,
and employers.

Historically, the largest part of the target market was preparing these native-speakers to go off somewhere
(typically Europe for a few years) to teach how to converse better in English, and maybe prepare for an
exam. This was the typical TEFL, fee-paying, private language school context. This was in distinction to
say primary or secondary schools, universities, or immigrants living in English speaking countries (whose
differing needs were met by the ESOL sector, which was often state-funded/subsidised).

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With its increasingly international candidature, the CELTA has grown far beyond the target market for
which it was initially and largely conceived. My CELTA courses are far from this and more typically reflect
the likes of:
high school English teachers in Ethiopia
trainers in teacher development projects in Indian primary schools
subject specialists in English-medium universities in the Gulf states
teachers who will never set foot in an English speaking country

Today the reality is that the 12,000+ per year candidature on CELTA is increasingly in favour of the
NNESTs. The numbers far more closely reflect the real-life number of NNESTs, which greatly exceeds the
number of native teachers on this planet (whatever native means). There are many (of the 300+) CELTA
centres in the world where 50-100% of candidates are regularly (or exclusively) non-native speakers.

So the question becomes, How well does a course like CELTA meet the needs of these candidates in these
contexts? Is there too much that is inherently biased, outdated or prescriptive in a course like CELTA when
applied to a broader variety of contexts? I believe there is.

As an itinerant trainer and assessor I have the privilege of training, observing training and assessing all
over the world. In terms of our delivery, I think we can improve the following:
1. Practice what we preach by adapting/customising the programme to suit the needs of candidates and
their context more (within the limits/constraints available)
2. Be aware of our own cultural/methodological/professional biases that we bring to our training and how
this impacts our expectations in assessment
3. Take on a more principled approach to instruction (in line with principled eclecticism) rather than so
heavy a techniques focus

No doubt there are many trainers who do just this! In fact, I would say these are instinctive for any good
teacher educator. But for those still getting there, or those caught in the whirlpool of their own prescriptivism,
Id like to offer the following.

Dont tell me your problems!

At the risk of raising problems without presenting solutions, I suggest we ask ourselves the following
questions to inform and modify our practice:

1. How well do I adapt the course to the needs of my candidates?

Here are a few examples:
If candidates will only ever teach in their own monolingual environment, show them how to use L1/
translation effectively, e.g. instructions.
If candidates are mostly non-natives who have studied English extensively, minimize input on language
awareness.
If learners are use to and work effectively with traditional approaches such as Grammar-Translation, let
candidates know that beyond the course, these can ALSO be valid approaches to teach with sometimes
(though probably not for the purposes of the course itself).
If a candidates English is proficient enough to cope with the demands of the course in the first place,
avoid penalising them for errors with incidental language.
In contexts with minimal-to-no resources, teach them to work with minimal-to-no resources.
Especially if candidates wont get much (or any!) meaningful support in their ongoing professional
development, be extra vigilant about helping them become more conscious reflective practitioners.
Provide realistic planning strategies (unless of course they can spend hours planning like they do on
CELTA!).

2. What cultural/methodological/professional biases do I bring to my training?

I think theres a lot of cultural bias on programmes such as CELTA. Let me play devils advocate (a favourite
training technique!) with the example of learner-centredness, which tends to get thrown about left,
right and centre as a term/expectation on CELTA courses. This is a concept that has come to prevalent
in education across all sectors in the English speaking world, focussed, as it has supposedly become, on

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discovery, experiential, and cooperative learning, and the ideals of humanistic education. Does a language
learning classroom really have to be learner-centred? Linguistically-minded learners often do well
regardless of how learner-centred a classroom is. How learner-centred is learner-centred enough? What
about the majority of learners on planet earth (and they are the majority) who have little-to-no experience
(or even any concept) of what learner-centredness is? The playing field is not level for these candidates
when you compare them with say a young American/British gap-year student fresh from their supposedly
well-balanced, high school curriculum full of critical thinking and problem-solving. Is learner-centredness
even going to work in a cultural environment where learners dont know how to respond to a simple: Work
with your partner. let alone a What do you think?

3. How am I training my candidates to jump through hoops at the expense of better understanding
the underlying principles of effective learning?
Another issue I have observed is too heavy a focus on the techniques of teaching rather than the principles
underlying them, often leaving them for some magical later (what I call the Thats best left for Delta
mentality). A lot of teacher trainers (including myself!) simply have a lot of ingrained training habits, often
based on principles of economy and efficiency. Were fond of telling experienced teachers that they may
have to unlearn a lot of old teaching habits; I believe this is true of us as teacher trainers ourselves as well.
Something I observe a lot is insistence that trainees use instruction checking questions (ICQs). These are
neither obligatory, nor canon! Use them when, and IF the situation calls for it. Rather than starting from
the assumption the learners wont have understood; focus candidates on planning for or responding to
emerging needs. Too often trainers are hanging out for the ICQs to be demonstrated to tick off the hoop-
jumping checklist (what I consider a techniques-focussed approach). By comparison, a more principled
approach would encourage trainees to better understand the purpose behind ICQs, and to identify
situations when/if they would be useful, in response to learners needs. This encourages a more thinking
teacher rather than one who simply jumps through hoops to satisfy expectations or assessment.

Conclusion
According to Cambridge Englishs website, CELTA is: The essential TEFL qualification thats trusted by
employers, language schools and governments around the world. (CELTA 2016). While this may indeed
be the case for the time being, as more governments around the world expect a qualification like CELTA
to satisfy benchmarking requirements in their schools, it will serve teacher educators world-wide and
Cambridge English well, to make sure the qualification stays relevant to the candidates it reaches.

References:
Jamie is a consultant
CELTA (2016). Available: http://www. teacher educator. He has
cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/teaching- an MA in Mis-Applied
qualifications/celta/. Last accessed 9th Jan 2016. Linguistics/TESOL
and large numbers of IH
Haycraft, B. (2003). Fifty Years of IH in Broad schools and other such
Brush Strokes. IH Journal. 14 (1), p1-2. institutes around the
world have been blessed
Haycraft, B. (2010). IH in Shaftesbury Avenue with the misfortune of his work. He works
- the formative years 1961-66. Available: primarily in the delivery/assessment of
http://ihjournal.com/docs/ihhistory/ teacher training/development programmes
list4.pdf. Last accessed 9th Jan 2016. such as Cambridge CELTA and Delta and in
course design/curriculum development in
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques a variety of teacher education projects. He
and Principles in Language Teaching (2nd works globally and is often to be found in
ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. more than one place at once!

Mellow, J. D. (2000). Western influences on indigenous

language teaching. In J. Reyhner, J. Martin, L. Lockard,
& W. Sakiestewa Gilbert (Eds.), Learn in beauty:
Indigenous education for a new century (pp. 102-
113). Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University.

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 Management Matters IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Management Matters
Management Column: Introducing the New
Management Colunm
by Maureen McGarvey

Its never a good idea to get too pally with people at the IHWO Academic Managers
and Trainers Conference, is it? Had I managed to remain more aloof, Im sure Chris
Oog would never have contacted me asking me if I would write a management
column for the IHWO Journal. Had he been less charming and persuasive, it would
have been easier to say no

But I didnt, so here I am. And Im here with a bit of trepidation, really, because the question that keeps going
through my head is this: what is the point of a management column? What can I write that will be helpful to
you, in your role as an academic manager?

Let me introduce myself, first of all. My current role is Programme Manager eLearning at International
House in London. This means as well as directly line managing teachers/trainers here, I am responsible
for all our existing online programmes, most particularly the online academic management programmes
we offer; the Certificate in Academic Management, Diploma in Academic Management, and the single
module Young Learner Centre Management. Thats a lot of management, and I read a lot of books and
articles before and while I was writing these programmes. Of course, Im still reading now, more than 15
years later. I discovered fairly quickly that there is little written specifically about Language Teaching
Organisation [LTO] management, apart from Ron White and Andy Hockleys excellent book Making the
Transition from teacher to Manager. However, there is an awful lot written about management, much of it
American, and much of it with very dodgy titles [Who Moved My Cheese?/ The Art of Thinking Without
Thinking] and many with numbers in the titles, [The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People/The 6 Habits
That Will Transform Your Life Before 8.00 am] implying that once you have mastered the 5/6/7 maxims
in the book, thats it, you are sorted. You are Mega-Manager. Choose your Superpower!

I cant think of a single DoS in an IH school who doesnt want to be the best DoS they can be. The trouble is,
we seem to have a very imperfect understanding of what that actually means. The issue is further clouded
by the different perceptions of those around you. I often think of a DoS being a kind of buffer state, between
two nations [not necessarily warring nations, but on occasion, not all that friendly.] You spend half your
time interpreting your teachers to your Director, and half your time interpreting your Director to your
teachers, and you sometimes feel you dont speak either language well enough. Throw the admin staff you
work with into the mix, and it can get even more confusing.

Josh Round, Academic manager at St Giles, and IATEFL Leadership and Management SIG Committee
member, has an excellent session called Be the DoS You Want To Be. You can see his Prezi here:
https://prezi.com/dwwuhdmqrxl6/be-the-dos-you-want-to-be/
The starting point is to consider what sort of DoS you want to be. Do you want to be popular? Respected?
Fun fun fun? What is called, in IH parlance, a sweetie? Or all of these? Your teachers might want you to
be one person, your director another, and your admin team another. Its exhausting trying to be so many
people to so many people; also, its eventually ineffective.

For me, there are two key qualities we need to develop as an academic manager, and these are consistency
and even-handedness. If we are consistent, we have worked out what our principles are and we articulate
them in the way we behave. If we are even-handed, all our staff know that we treat everyone the same

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[hopefully, treating them well.] Most of us manage against models; I want to be a DoS like X versus I never
want to be a DoS like X, and this can be helpful, particularly at the beginning of our career as an academic
manager. But, ultimately, we will never be X, so we might as well be the best version of ourselves. Those
of you who have heard me speak at the Academic Managers and Trainers conferences may remember
that one thing I think academic managers need is one you never see in job descriptions; a good memory.
Its important to remember what helped you as a teacher and what annoyed you as a teacher, and to keep
checking in with your staff, to ensure that you are tackling the issues which annoy them.

My initial question was what is the point of a management column?, and this would be easy to answer if
every situation had the same solution; in other words, if one size really did fit all. However, my experienced
teacher is not your experienced teacher, my Director is not your Director. I have certain issues which Im
struggling with as an academic manager, and perhaps this column is the place for me to throw them out
there, and see what you think. At the moment, issues Im thinking about are:

Motivating experienced members of staff

Dealing with competing priorities which comes first and which gets dumped?
Managing upwards [sometimes called managing your boss] do I want to develop this skill?
For heavens sake, why cant you just... - how can I avoid using this phrase, and what makes me use it?

Id be interested to know if these are issues you, too, are working on and would be interested in reading
about, and whether there are other issues you would like this column to explore. Not to give the answer,
because Im already fairly sure I wont be able to do that, but rather to consider topics which affect us as
academic managers in LTOs. You can either email me directly, or let the IH Journal editorial team know. My
email address is in my bio information.

Maureen is Programme Manager eLearning at IH London. She has been involved in

online training and management training for the past 15 years, running a range of
distance, face to face, and online training programmes for academic managers. She
wrote the management module for the MSc in TESOL offered by Aston University,
and was subject tutor and dissertation supervisor for that module for several years.
She has also tutored the management module for the MA in TESOL offered by
Westminster University. She is a frequent conference speaker on topics related to
academic management and online training.
Maureen has worked in ELT for longer than she cares to remember, and has taught in the UK, Spain and
Hungary as well as on short training contracts in other locations. She has been a committee member
on the Leadership and Management Special Interest Group for IATEFL, and is Co-ordinator for the
IATEFL Scholarship Working Party, responsible for managing the IATEFL scholarship scheme. She
line manages academic staff in IH London and also manage a team of online tutors working remotely in a
variety of locations. She lives in North London with her daughter and their dog. She has a guilty addiction
to reality TV programmes. Her email is Maureen.mcgarvey@ihlondon.com

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 Management Matters
How to Motivate Yourself and Your Teaching Staff
by Susanne Fuchsberger
What motivated me to write this article
The idea for this article came about during the IH
inspection when the inspector, Lisa Phillips from IH
Malta, asked me what I did to motivate myself after
having worked as a DoS for more than a decade at
the same school. At first Lisas question took me
by surprise as I had never really reflected upon this.
I had always taken it for granted that a job which
involves having contact with so many people from
all walks of life and which is as varied and challenging
as a DoS position could never possibly become
monotonous and that hence, as a DoS, one wouldnt
need any further stimulation or motivation to enjoy
ones job. However, Lisas question intrigued me
and I found myself thinking more and more about
what it is that keeps me interested in my job and will
hopefully prevent me from turning into one of the
stuck in their ways dinosaurs that were discussed
at the IH AMT conference in January 2016.
I began my quest into finding out what it is that
makes me tick by having a random look at various
websites and blogs related to teaching, academic
management and motivation and was surprised to
find a multitude of information on how to motivate
students and comparatively very little material
regarding how to motivate teaching staff and
academic managers. As this years AMT conference
featured a number of talks on coaching, mentoring
and nudging, I assume that motivation, not only
of students, but also of teaching and academic
management staff, has recently become a topical
issue in the field of language learning and teaching.
Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation
Drawing on my own personal professional
experience as a DoS, I would suggest that in
general intrinsic factors such as job satisfaction,
involvement in professional training, recognition
by students as well as management, stimulating
work and so forth, are at least as important, and to
some very dedicated teachers perhaps even more
important, than extrinsic motivation factors, such
as pay and promotion. Positive feedback from their
students, a good working relationship with their
colleagues and management and opportunities
to develop are most probably amongst the factors
that motivate teachers the most and turn them into
happy teachers that produce happy students as
Monica Green pointed out at the AMT conference.
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IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
IH London School Palermo, with one part
time and 6 full time teachers, is a small school
where it is relatively easy to create a working
environment which facilitates teacher growth
through professional dialogue with colleagues and
management. The teachers know each other well
and there is a lot of sharing in the staffroom. Then
with a view to creating even stronger bonds and
to encouraging them to develop their teaching
by sharing their expertise with their colleagues
and management in a more structured way, we
piloted a mini research project in the academic year
2014/15, which was so successful that it has been
made a permanent feature of our ongoing teacher
development program.
How to set up the project
The projects are very easy to set up. The starting
point is a teaching observation. During the post
observation feedback I or the Young Learners
Coordinator, together with the teacher, identify an
area for improvement and suggest a research topic
that addresses the issue in question, or the teacher
him/herself comes up with ideas as to what s/he
thinks would improve her/his performance. The
idea is to provide the teachers with occasions to
reflect critically on their practice and to provide
them with opportunities to try out new practices.
When an action plan has been established it will
be approved of by the owner of the school, Fabiola
Cordaro, who discusses the outcome of the project
at a later stage during the individual appraisal
meetings that take place twice a year. The teachers
then have about 3 to 4 weeks to work on their
projects and finally present them to their colleagues
during one of our weekly seminars.
The projects that the teachers have worked on
have all been very different, depending on their
personality, age, interests, their teaching experience
and teaching style. Some have investigated various
methodologies and theories, others have focused
on the development of more practical skills. Using
technology, teaching through drama, incorporating
self-study with Edmodo, teaching reading skills to
very young learners and using mobile phone apps
in the classroom are just a few examples of recent
research topics. What they have in common is
that all of them have been very interesting and
stimulating, not only for the teachers but also for
me. Not having enough time for research because
one is too busy with administrative tasks seems
 Management Matters
to be a common DoS complaint. The mini project
seminars that our teachers give save me time and,
more importantly, provide me with the opportunity
to reflect and to be inspired.
How do the teachers benefit?
For the teachers, I would argue, there are a
number of benefits, the most obvious one being
that they research a topic that will develop
them professionally. Furthermore, the project
encourages them to take responsibility for
their personal development as they are actively
involved in designing an individual tailor made
action plan that addresses their personal issues.
As Daniela Martines, one of our teachers, put
Susan has been the DoS at IH London School Palermo since 2001. Before moving to
Palermo, she worked for the University of Arts in London where she was a lecturer
and co-ordinator in EFL, German and cultural studies. Susan has a Delta, a BA
in History of Arts, an MA in Design History and more than 25 years of teaching
experience.
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
it: The projects encourage teachers to become
independent problem solvers by identifying areas
for improvement they need to work on and seek out
solutions for them.
It is also a team building exercise as all members of
the teaching staff are attending the seminar and get
an insight into what their colleagues are doing. This
is very important as teaching can be quite a lonely
profession. Much of a teachers work takes place in
a classroom that isolates her/him from the support
of their colleagues. Apart from the few occasions
when a member of the academic management or
a peer observes the class, the students are tested
or complete a feedback form, teachers receive very
little feedback regarding their performance, which
can lead to insecurities and lack of motivation.
Receiving positive feedback from colleagues could
help to overcome these.
Lastly, the research projects provide a challenge,
which, according to Frederick Herzbergs job
enrichment theory, is one of the most important
factors in increasing productivity and job
satisfaction. Herzberg, a clinical psychologist and
author of a number of publications on motivational
theory, already argued in 1968 in his pioneering
article entitled One more time: How do you
motivate employees? that people work better in
an environment that provides scope for personal
achievement, growth and recognition. I think
Herzberg would have approved of our mini projects
which give the teachers the confidence to be
creative with new classes and to try out new ideas
as Laura Lee, one of our teachers, put it.
Bibliography:
Herzberg, F. (2008) One More Time: How Do You
Motivate Employees? Harvard Business Press
47
 Classroom Ideas
Classroom Ideas
Reality Not Realia
by Rachael Harris
One of the issues in EFL is how close to real life the
classroom situation can be and realia, i.e. bringing
in real objects clothes, fruit, etc. can be effective. I
once observed a lesson where the teacher brought
in a box of soil to teach this vocabulary item to her
class, the students loved running their fingers
through it, although I couldnt help feel for the
teacher who then had to lug it back across town.
While bringing in objects like this can liven up a
lesson and provide a hook to grab the students
attention, this article will suggest that reality, not
realia is more useful in the classroom, and go on to
suggest practical ways of using real life situations.
We often read articles and posts about how the
classroom is not an authentic place and I cant
help thinking that my students, who are secondary
school pupils, spend about seven hours a day in
a classroom, you cant get much more real than
that, can you? Even for adults at evening classes or
taking lessons within their company, surely their
English class is a real part of their day or week. Why
do we suggest these moments lack authenticity?
If you go jogging once a week, it is still an authentic
moment, so why do we believe that English lessons
need something extra to make them real?
The answer is probably related to the materials
used. Adults especially are used to different aspects
of their life having a concrete use or meaning: when
you go jogging you are really wearing trainers and
running, when you go to a restaurant you are really
going to eat the food, not just pretend to order it from
a false menu that luckily only includes food items
that were taught the previous week. This is a shame,
because there are plenty of real opportunities to
use English in and out of the classroom; and here
are just a few.
Tripadvisor
Wherever you are in the world theres probably a
restaurant or tourist attraction nearby that already
has a Tripadvisor review. So when you study food,
travel, tourism, or anything really, then pop along
to Tripadvisor. A good place to start is by searching
Tripadvisor for the place where you are teaching;
youd be surprised, even the smallest places (like
our village) have reviews and nearby areas of
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interests. Students can ask to be notified about new
reviews, and they can get badges based on the
number and variety of their reviews and whether
they are read or not by other people.
Blogs
Whatever your interests or the topic being studied,
there is a host of blogs on the subject so get students
to research and read relevant blog posts. Asking
students to comment on articles that interest
them is a way of encouraging them to interact with
the real world in English, less passive than simply
reading texts and also the possibility of replies
keeps up their interest and means they can come
back and develop a subject that interests them. This
is a more natural development of interests. Only in
the language classroom do we become interested in
a topic, say sport, study it for a couple of weeks and
then dump it for something completely different.
By clicking to be informed of follow up comments
students can keep the conversation going on
subjects that have captured their interest.
Amazon reviews
Rare are the students who have not discovered
amazon, but even if yours have never ordered
anything online that doesnt stop them from
reading and comparing reviews on whatever object
is being discussed in class. Compare items, their
prices, qualities, stars given by reviewers and ask
students to present what they think is the best
and justify their choices using the website. Amazon
can also be used to search for ideal gifts; give the
class a list of people, teachers, politicians,etc. Kim
Kardashian for example seems to be low on gifts
recently! And ask the class to research the ideal
present for these people and justify. Later this could
form a pyramid discussion and the class can choose
the final present.
Geocaching
This is a wonderful tool, especially if you are lucky
enough to be able to take your class outside.
Basically the idea is that an object has been hidden
in your vicinity, and using an app (www.geocaching.
com) you can locate it, add your name to the log
enclosed and then leave or take items that are left
with the geocache itself. Even if you cant go out
 Classroom Ideas
it can be fun to look where nearby objects are and
perhaps students can visit them after class. Also
if you are planning a class trip, be sure to check
out geocaches along the way. This can form an
interesting take on holiday homework, as can most
of the activities suggested here.
I realize that many reality suggestions are reliant on
internet and mobile devices. However that doesnt
mean that your classroom must be completely cut
off from the real world without wifi. Theres nothing
to stop your students writing restaurant reviews
or articles for local English magazines, there is
probably one near you, try searching local English
press + your location to find something. Penfriends
can also be a way to practise English and make
acquaintances with similar interests, there are lots
of sites available for adults as well as youngsters.
Finally, it seems to me that any subject that is
based on students own interests will be firmly
anchored in reality, even if those interests include
a galaxy far, far away (why not go and see a film in
English and write reviews to send to a website/
English newspaper ?). One of the best ways I have
found for sparking an interest that rises above
simple language learning is through project-based
Alls Well That Ends Well: Perfecting the Report Phase
of a Speaking Activity
by Hall Houston
Many ESL/EFL teachers enjoy assigning speaking activities and watching
students practice English in groups and pairs. However, going abruptly from one
fluency activity to another can end up with students uncertain of what the point is.
One crucial phase of a speaking activity is the report
phase, where each group gives a summary of what
they did during the activity.(A report phase is part
of Jane Willis and Dave Willis task-based learning
cycle.) In this article, I would like to suggest some
general principles for a smooth, productive report
phase, along with a number of ways to liven up this
important part of a speaking activity.
A report phase has several functions. First, it can
help the teacher see how much each group has
accomplished. If one group has not done the work, it
will be abundantly clear in the report phase. Second,
it helps the students clarify their work, as well as
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
learning. Letting the students research and present
a topic of their own choosing is a sure-fire way of
bringing reality into the language classroom. Last
year my students chose questions they couldnt
answer as their topic. Each group spent a couple of
weeks researching questions such as Why do we
have hair? and What would happen to the planet
without humans? Once they had the information
they researched ways of presenting it, and became
familiar with a variety of methods, including
Imovies, cartoon animation, Tellegami and Yakit
Kids.
Rachael has taught
English as a foreign
language for over twenty
years. She now teaches
young learners and
teens in a secondary
school where she is
Head of English and
responsible for the SEN statement. She is
Teens SIG coordinator and joint Geneva region
coordinator for ETAS (English teachers
association Switzerland).
the work of other groups. Third, it helps students
recycle the words and phrases from their speaking
activity, but in a new context, giving an oral report
to the entire class. Finally, it rounds everything off,
providing a satisfying conclusion to the activity.
Some general tips for the report phase:
Before the activity starts
Make the class aware that when they are finished,
each group will be expected to present a summary
of their ideas to the class. This encourages
students to pay attention when they are doing
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 Classroom Ideas
the activity.
Consider assigning one student to take notes
that can be used during the report phase.
Use concept checking to be sure they know what
youre asking them to do.
After the activity ends
Insist that all groups pay attention to the other
groups reports. Make eye contact with students
who are not tuned in. Alternatively, you can
assign students to listen to the other groups
reports and note two similarities and two
differences between their groups report and the
other groups report.
Listen carefully to each group as they present
their ideas. Its far too easy to drift off and think
about your plans for next weekend, but make
every effort to pay attention.
Give abundant praise, but make your praise
specific. Instead of simply saying Good job!
or Great! Tell them exactly what made their
report so strong.
Tell students what they could have done better.
Let them know what needs improvement, and
give them clear advice on how to improve.
Invite students to add their own opinions.
In the next part of this article, Im going to suggest
some creative ways to spice up the report phase of
two types of speaking activities: discussions and
mingles. However, these techniques can work with
other types of activities as well.
Discussion Questions
Coursebook pages often contain discussion
questions for generating conversation related
to topics in the coursebook. In the post-activity
stage, its tempting to just read out the questions
again and randomly choose students to respond.
However, these alternatives might generate more
interest.
Two Truths and a Lie
Assign each group to create three sentences based
on their discussion. For example:
Carlos said that he plans to stay single forever.
Maria said that she is going to get married in the
next five years.
Andre said that he likes to attend weddings.
Two of them will be true statements, and one will be
a lie. When each group gives their report, the other
groups must listen attentively and guess which
statement is a lie.
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IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
After The Break Quiz
Ask each group to report several interesting things
that people in their group said. Take a few notes as
they speak. When its time for a break, put the notes
into a series of 7 statements about students in the
class, changing a few to false statements. Then,
when the break is over, dictate the statements
to the class, telling them to write the statements
down, and write a T or F next to each one. Check
answers by reading out the sentences and asking
the students named in the sentences to tell the
class the answer, providing additional information
if necessary. (Alternative: if you would like to make
this more challenging, type up the quiz after class,
and distribute to the students during the next time
you meet them.)
Guess His Answer
Divide the class into two groups. Bring a student
from each group to sit in front of the class. Give
each one a small portable whiteboard, or tablet of
paper and a marker. Read out one of the discussion
questions. Then ask each student to write down
what the other student probably wrote as a
response. Read the question again. Ask the first
student to answer, and tell the second student to
reveal his guess. Next, read another question, ask
the second student to answer, and have the first
student reveal her guess. Continue with two more
questions, and then play again with two other
students. Variation1 : Put the students into pairs to
continue the activity. Variation 2: Turn the activity
into a competitive game. Each correct guess earns a
point for that students team.
Mingle
In a mingle activity, students move around the
classroom interacting with many other students.
Usually, students are using the same language and
repetition of the same words and phrases can help
them use the words and phrases more naturally.
Unfortunately, the post activity stage might seem
like a bit of a letdown, since everyone is no longer
moving around the room. The following are a
few suggestions for making things a little more
interesting.
Bar Graph
After the mingle has ended, ask students to put
their information into a bar graph. (Remember
to tell each group before they begin the mingle
that they will need to keep track of the answers
they receive.) Hand out large sheets of paper for
them to write their graph on. They can write down
the different answers they got for one of their
 Classroom Ideas IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

questions in the form of a bar graph, with higher
bars representing more frequent answers. When
each group has finished their graph, they can put
their graphs on the board for the entire class to look
at. Ask them to compare the different bar graphs.
Once everyone is sitting down again, ask them to
work in pairs and describe some of the differences
they noted. Variation: Instead of a bar graph, you
can ask students to create a pie chart.
Graffiti
Another post-task activity that works well here is
the graffiti wall. Invite each group to come to the
board and write down one interesting or surprising
thing they learned from the other students during
the mingle. Make sure that they use reported
speech. Ask everyone to read the others comments
and add their own questions and reactions.
Surprise Tasks
Before class, write down a few simple tasks that
could be done after a mingle activity. You should
have one for every student in your class. Here are
several examples:
You can change these or write your own. Its fine to
use a task more than once.
Put each task on a small piece of paper and put them
into envelopes. Put each envelope on a students
desk during the mingle. When the students are
sitting down again, ask students to open the
envelopes and take a few minutes to answer the
question. Put students into pairs to share their
answers. Finally, call on students to read out their
questions and answers. Variation: You can make
this even more of a surprise by taping the envelopes
under the students desks, before the students
arrive.
In summary, I would like to emphasize that the
report stage provides an unbeatable opportunity
to reflect on your own students strengths and
weaknesses. While a speaking activity is in progress,
its hard to determine how students are doing,
especially in large classes where many students are
speaking at the same time. The report stage allows
you to hear the learners language and make a quick
assessment of their progress.

Which answer did you hear the most often during I encourage you to use this article as a springboard
the mingle? to generate your own ideas for improving the report
Which classmate did you enjoy talking with the phase of a speaking activity. How can you use a
most? Why? report phase to help students learn English? What
Which question would you like to ask your other ways can you think of to make the report
teacher? phase more enjoyable for your students?
Rephrase one of the questions and an answer you
received, using different words.
Which question was the most interesting? Why?
Think of one thing you liked and one thing you
didnt like about doing a mingle.
How do you think we could make this mingle
activity even more fun? Think of two ideas.

Hall Houston is a language teacher in the Department of Applied English at Kainan

University in Taoyuan, Taiwan. He has a Masters degree in Foreign Language
Education from The University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of several books
about language teaching, including Provoking Thought and The ELT Daily Journal.
His latest book is Brainstorming, co-authored with Gerhard Erasmus, and published
by the round. His practical articles have been published in English Teaching
Professional, EFL Magazine, and One Stop English. His professional interests include
second language listening, materials development, creativity and critical thinking.
He is a Cambridge English teacher trainer and presenter.

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 Modern Languages IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Modern Languages
La Littrature de Jeunesse en Classe de FLE
by Marian Perez de Barradas
Beaucoup denseignants et de maisons dditions ont compris lintrt dintroduire
la littrature de jeunesse en cours de FLE et de multiplier les rencontres des enfants
avec les lectures. Le rcit littraire, travers les albums, est une aire de jeu pour la
classe, cest apprendre comprendre, se familiariser avec la langue et voyager dans
lunivers du livre.
Parce que le livre fait partie du monde de lenfant, de de retenir des textes qui ont du jeu et le sens du
ce rituel du coucher, si cher beaucoup de parents, jeu. En effet la lecture devient plus passionnante si
il est dautant plus facile de proposer une activit lhistoire comporte une intrigue, des contradictions,
de lecture en classe. Il suffit de crer dans un petit linattendu, linsolite, des ambigits et fait allusion
espace un coin lecture qui sera dcor par les dautres textes. Dans le livre de Philippe Corentin,
enfants et de se rassembler autour dun livre. Une LAfrique de Zigomar, la lecture puzzle permet de
fois tout le monde bien install, la lecture magistrale retrouver des indices o le texte est en contradiction
par lenseignant qui se transforme en loup, fillette avec les images.
ou vaillant garon, peut commencer. Et cest alors
que tout devient magique !! Cest le retour au calme, Un autre livre prsentant des jeux de mots assez
un instant de plaisir ! faciles trouver par les lves est celui de Pef,
La belle lisse poire du prince de mots tordus, la
Et parce quil nest pas ncessaire que lenfant phontique des mots nous permet de rcrire le
comprenne tous les mots - car contrairement aux texte avec les mots qui auraient d tre utiliss,
ides reues, le vocabulaire ne constitue pas une cest un travail sur loral et lcrit.
barrire la comprhension - lenseignant peut
alors avancer dans lhistoire par dvoilement Par ailleurs, la dcouverte du symbolique dans
progressif en posant des questions sur les images, certains albums peut modifier la comprhension de
les personnages, les lieux, sur ce qui va se passer. lintrigue. Le livre de Claude Ponti, Sur lle des Zertes
Lalbum qui joue beaucoup de la relation entre , en est un excellent exemple. Les personnages
lillustration et les mots incite parler, crire, sont sduisants pour les plus petits et le texte est
crer. Linterprtation est possible plusieurs intressant travailler avec les plus grands car en
niveaux donc un album peut se travailler plusieurs se penchant sur chacun des mots du texte et en
niveaux dapprentissage de la langue. sinterrogeant sur le nom des personnages, le texte
cache des allusions Alice au Pays des Merveilles
De plus lalbum est une source dactivits qui que les enfants connaissent bien car il fait partie de
sinscrivent parfaitement dans la perspective du la littrature classique. Lenfant construit ainsi, petit
CECRL, car les textes sont analyss en termes de petit au fil de ses lectures, une mmoire culturelle
tches, suivant ainsi lapproche actionnelle. Les lui permettant de mettre en relation des textes et
enfants paraphrasent, analysent, interprtent, des auteurs.
comprennent, ragissent et transposent. Bien
sr avant tout il y a le plaisir de la lecture, cet Mais certains albums peuvent aussi tre exploits
espace de calme que lon saccorde avec un groupe pour la richesse du vocabulaire quils prsentent.
mais lalbum est galement un support pour de Cest le cas de lalbum de Germano Zullo, Le gnie
nombreuses activits pouvant tre intgres dans de la bote de Raviolis travers lequel vous pourrez
lapprentissage du franais. aborder le lexique sur le thme de la ville avec
ses immeubles, ses appartements meubls, ses
De nombreux albums peuvent tre travaills dans transports, mais aussi le thme de la nature, de
nos classes de FLE. La lecture devant tre tout lalimentation. Vous pourriez mme introduire
dabord un instant de plaisir, dchange avec vos la grammaire avec les comparatifs, les articles
lves, laissez-vous guider par vos envies et par partitifs et bien dautres points. Et bien entendu le
des livres coup de cur. Toutefois il est prfrable dialogue avec le gnie est intressant car il permet

52
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 Modern Languages IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

de mettre en place des activits sur lexpression
des souhaits. De nombreuses fiches dexploitation
sont disponibles sur Internet ainsi quune vido qui
reprend les illustrations de lalbun. De quoi travailler
pendant quelques semaines voire des mois si vous
proposez vos lves une lecture en rseaux sur le
thme du gnie, ce qui amnera galement mettre
en relation ce texte avec un grand classique, Aladin
et la lampe merveilleuse.
Lalbum peut aussi tre utilis pour un moment
bien prcis, par exemple lorsque vous avez vu les
couleurs avec les plus-petits. Vous serez tonns
de voir leurs ractions si vous leur prsentez et
travaillez avec eux les albums de Lo Lionni, Petit
Bleu et Petit Jaune et de David McKee, Elmer
llphant pour lesquels vous trouverez galement
de nombreuses fiches dactivits.
Et parce que la lecture est aussi un acte dcriture,
Le type, de Philippe Barbeau peut-tre le point de
dpart lcriture dun cahier de bord, journal intime
ou encore cahier de vacances. Les illustrations de
ce livre sont riches en rfrences artistiques et le
texte est intressant pour son organisation et pour
sa symbolique ainsi que pour le thme quil soulve.
Un autre album qui se prte bien un travail sur
lcrit est celui de Julie Mercier, Les aventures de
Simbad le marin. Cette version est riche en images,
le texte est simple, pouvant tre travaill par des
lves de FLE, et menant, tout naturellement,
crire le neuvime voyage la faon de lauteur et
mme lillustrer la faon de lauteure.
Le livre tant porteur dune intention
communicative, faire rire, faire rflchir, angoisser,
exprimer des sentiments et bien dautres, sa lecture
peut donner lieu la production de divers crits
o lon rencontre des personnages quelquefois
familiers, des genres littraires particuliers comme
le genre policier, le rcit daventure, les contes,
le pastiche, la posie, le thtre, la BD. travers
ses lectures llve voyage dans lunivers du livre
en retrouvant des rfrences qui font partie de sa
mmoire culturelle.
La lecture littraire est donc la porte des enfants
et diverses activits peuvent tre conduites partir
dalbums. Donner envie de lire est un enjeu pour
les enseignants car la lecture facilite lacquisition
du vocabulaire, la comprhension, la matrise
de la langue. Lacunza-IH San Sebastian, nous
avons cr il y a 3 ans un rallye de lecture pour nos
lves adolescents partir de 12 ans. En crant
une comptition nous essayons de les motiver
pour quils lisent assez rgulirement, ce qui nest
pas toujours facile cet ge ! Mais il est important
dinciter les lves la lecture autonome afin quils
puissent voyager dans lunivers du livre tout en
perfectionnant leur franais et en enrichissant leur
patrimoine culturel par la lecture.

Marian Perez de Barradas est professeure de FLE depuis de nombreuses annes et

travaille Lacunza-IH San Sbastin depuis bientt 10 ans o elle sest spcialise
dans lenseignement des enfants et des adolescents. Elle a suivi des formations de
littrature de jeunesse et denseignement aux juniors. Elle possde lhabilitation
examinatrice-correctrice du DELF. Elle est formatrice de professeurs et travaille en
collaboration avec la direction du dpartement de franais de cette cole de langue.

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 Finding TEFL Work IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Finding TEFL Work

Let the Summer Scramble for Teaching Work Begin!
By Yvonne Dagan

This is the time of year when Universities, Further Education (FE) colleges and
language teaching organisations such as International House World, British
Council, Bell and many others start recruiting for work over the summer period.
This work tends to take the form of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) which
often includes IELTS preparation, General and Exam English intensive courses or
summer camps for teenagers and young learners. Lets take a look at the options
available in the industry.

Whats the deal with UK University work?
Websites such as www.jobs.ac.uk post job
adverts for pre-sessional tutors to do 5/6 week,
7/8 week or 10/11 week contracts focussing on
Academic English or IELTS preparation for student
admissions. It is in a Universitys interest to accept
as many foreign students as possible for revenue
and prestige; however, sometimes the applicants
linguistic level is not quite at the required level
for undergraduate studies in the UK. Rather than
decline the applicant, Universities tend to give
conditional offers of acceptance based on the
proviso that the entry level IELTS score, often a
6.5 or 7, is achieved by the beginning of term in
September. This has created a solid market for
summer teaching work.
Break down the basics for me
Whilst Pre-sessional English Language Tutor or
Associate Lecturer roles mean a lot of high quality
prep work and mountains of marking, they are
considered to be well-paid within the industry.
Salaries tend to be paid one or two months in lieu so
you will need a decent float to tide you over until pay
day. It may be worth it though when you consider
that a ten-week contract is worth approximately
7,000 gross of tax and NET of holiday pay for a
Delta qualified teacher on Band 7, spine points
28 to 36 of the government pay scale. Holiday pay
is then usually added on at a rate of 12% worth
around another 840 for Deltas, as can be seen on
this advertisement for pre-sessional tutors by The
University of Sheffield.
As a British national, if you havent worked in the UK
previously in that tax year then you will be within
the non-taxable allowance of 10,600 in England
and Wales (Scotland varies) and able to claim tax
back, effectively meaning you will receive the gross
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salary. If you are a foreigner coming into the UK to
work, income tax should be charged in the same
way according to Gov.uk.
You must also make social security or national
insurance payments, which are transferable
between EU member countries. Other foreign
nationals should check out any existing agreements
between your country and the UK.
Any other benefits?
Accommodation in student halls is sometimes
offered either for free or at a reduced rate. If not,
dont be frightened to negotiate as most Universities
will find a way to reach a compromise with the
Accommodation department when pushed.
British teachers can also contribute to the Teacher
Pensions Scheme which is still decent despite the
significant changes made at the beginning of 2015.
Im only CELTA qualified so should I even bother
applying?
Although mainly targeted at Deltas, Universities will
take solid CELTAs if that is what is available to them,
so do apply. A single application takes eight hours
to complete on average which is a considerable time
investment on your part. Prioritise by checking out
the Universitys ranking first as the higher ranked
will easily fill quotas with Deltas whereas the lower
listed yet still very reputable will be more likely to
take CELTAs in the summer scramble for teaching
staff. You will be paid less than a Delta; however,
you will be paid fairly based on the government set
salary scale, will gain very credible experience for
your CV and hopefully, receive repeat offers of work
once the relationship is built. With all academic
jobs, a high standard is expected so you do need to
be confident you can deliver.
 Finding TEFL Work
UK Futher Education (FE) Colleges
Colleges are often considered to be a better option
for CELTAs as the success rate here is potentially
much higher. The work is typically, although not
always, less academic as you may find yourself with
groups of well-to-do foreign teenagers in summer
camps. These are generally well organised and are
at least in an academic setting with a reputable
college. Pay rates for FE Colleges are similar to those
of Universities although colleges tend to advertise
the NET hourly rate of pay (tax already deducted)
whereas Universities show a gross pro-rata salary
which you need to work out based on contract hours
over the number of contract weeks and again, the
12% holiday pay rate applies. Look for college jobs
at https://fe.jobs.ac.uk/.
The main difference compared to the Universities,
is that accommodation is unlikely to be offered. If
you already have a base in Britain, it is more cost
effective to work at a local college otherwise it may
be best to arrange a home stay deal with a local
family via the college.
Language Teaching Organisations
An easier option in terms of prep and even better
option for CELTAs, are summer schools run by
a British Council (BC) or International House
(IH), both of which have just started recruitment
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016
drives with numerous posts available in Vietnam.
Opportunities abroad like this are good as they
provide a two-month taster of what the country
is like, flights are contributed toward with BC and
accommodation is often offered at a reduced rate.
In the UK, EF, LAL, Bell and Kaplan schools are all
currently recruiting for teaching, management and
pastoral care roles.
Terms and Conditions
It is good to be aware that market forces, country-
specific economy, law and tax rates often result in
franchised centres offering different pay rates and
contract conditions so do your research and always
check out currency conversions to ensure you have
a clear idea of what you are being offered. Also,
check out what constitutes a working week and
whether holiday pay is accrued or not.
Long term benefits
BC and IH contracts can be very hard to come by in
prime locations. However, if the school likes your
summer school work, they may well keep you on
which gives you access to the BC and IH networks
global jobs network with an internal applicants
passport. Again, check out Bell and Kaplan for
similar benefits as these positions often help open
up future job and training opportunities.
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 IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Locally organised summer camps Apply for jobs responsibly

European summer camps for YLs and VYLs are
an excellent development opportunity for those
teachers who wish to specialise in and gain more
experience of teaching these age groups. It can
also seem like an attractive option for CELTAs
nervous about teaching grammar to higher level
students or working in a place where they will be
formally observed regularly. Thats fine, but do
not underestimate how much physical energy and
stamina you will require or the exhaustive list of age
and level appropriate resources, materials, songs,
games, crafts and language worksheets you will
need.
These types of camps can be lots of fun to work in
although do be aware that they are frequently run
by small language centres owned and managed by
non-educators. This means that staff, hours, pay,
groups and types of classes tend to be confirmed
very late in the day and the summer schools can
be chaotically disorganised. You may find yourself
nannying rather than teaching and you may be
asked to do things in ways that you dont necessarily
agree with.
Safeguard your professionalism
Most importantly though, you need to ensure you
are protected and insured for your own sake when
working with children so do make sure you ask about
liability should an accident, or worse, an accusation
of something takes place. Never be on your own in a
delicate situation with a child such as having to help
them in the bathroom. Be very aware of religion,
local customs and remember that sadly, you are
always professionally at risk nowadays if you have
any physical contact with minors.
Thoroughly research local teaching centres before
you sign up to ensure they are reputable, pay their
staff and treat their teachers well. Clarify the
accommodation situation, travel time and costs as
in whether these are reimbursed to you and also ask
about what your colleagues are like and their age
groups to make sure you will fit into the tight-knit
community of teachers that will inevitably form.
For all summer work of any nature
As with full-time work, do make sure you understand
your summer contract; what is the actual rate of
pay, how and when will you be paid? Ensure that
your contact hours (teaching hours) vs contract
hours are clearly defined and acceptable to you. If
you are required to participate in or host evening
and weekend social programmes or do extensive
administrative work, clarify what the hourly rates
for this work is as these duties are normally paid at
a much reduced rate.
Query as to whether off-the-shelf materials,
resources and lessons are readily available or
whether you will have to adapt them or create new
materials from scratch. There is a big difference
between delivering a course and designing a course
and you need to be able to calculate how prep hours
depreciate your contract pay and to decide whether
the job is viable or not.
You know your summer season has been worth it
if it has been spent with good people and has been
a rewarding experience, financially and in terms of
development.

Yvonne Dagan is a DELTA trained, Cambridge CELTA Teacher Trainer who switched
career from management and contact centre work to EFL teaching ten years ago.
Having skinned her knees several times, Yvonne feels it only fair to share what shes
learnt with others in the industry to help prevent episodes of wobbling and random
disappearances down rabbit holes.

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 Scholarship Winner Report IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Scholarship Winner Report

IH Trust Global Reach Scholarship: IATEFL 2015
Experiences
by Anastasia Reva

Anastasia attended IATEFL 2015 in Manchester after winning the IH Trust Global
Reach Scholarship. As the 2016 conference approaches, she shares her thoughts
on her experience and reflects on the benefits of attending conferences. We are
delighted to publish her work here and hope that this inspires other teachers to apply
for scholarships and/or attend conferences. To see other IH Trust Scholarships,
click here.

Introducing Anastasia
My name is Anastasia Reva and Im proud to be one
of the International House of London Global Reach
scholarship winners from Russia. Im very grateful
to this organization for giving me an opportunity to
attend the IATEFL Conference in Manchester last
year. Ive been working in the Volzhskiy Institute of
Humanities in Russia for 15 years and defended my
dissertation on childrens education in 2006. As
my field of interest is teaching young learners, Ive
been also working in the State Primary School.

Before the Conference

I would like to describe my experience, my thoughts
and feelings about the IATEFL Conference, though
Ill start before the conference had even started. Of
course, it was my dream to attend the Conference; I
followed the talks, presentations of Harrogate 2014,
watched the famous authors on YouTube channel
and thought that one day I might also try to apply
for a scholarship. I doubted very much that I might
win it because I live and work in the southern part
of Russia, in the Volgograd region, 1000 kilometers
from Moscow. You might not have heard of the
Volgograd region, but it covers an area of 113,000
square kilometers (approximately half the size of
the UK) with a population of 2.6 million people and
is growing.
To be considered for the scholarship, I had to
describe the challenges I meet in my work, such as
a lack of scientifically developed materials to teach
reading in English in Primary school. This lack of
readily available material is because, in Russia, we
start teaching reading in English to young learners
at the age of 8 when they possess strong written
and oral skills in their native language, meaning the
whole word or look and say methods dont always
work.
We are also using Technology in teaching English
but this field is developing so rapidly that a new
breadth of up to date information is highly required
here. For example, the field of online language
learning and teaching is just starting to develop. It
is vital for my country because of its huge territory.
Camelot project presented by Istanbul University
at the Conference showed how to create and adapt
machinima for a classroom and how to use 3D
virtual worlds in education. I experimented with
Second Life during my Institute course. At first
as an educator I had some concerns, I didnt want
my students take it as a game but virtual words
provide educators with a wide range of learning
opportunities and I would recommend teachers try
them in their work.
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 Scholarship Winner Report IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

Conference Time! Professional Development

Yes, I meet many challenges in my work and have
to be creative to address them. At the Conference,
I realized that many teachers in the world face the
same problems and many of them work in difficult
circumstances. I listened attentively how they
coped with difficulties and thought which of their
creative solutions I could apply in my teaching
learning situation. Of course it was reassuring.
I didnt miss a single session slot during the
Conference but afterwards, when I read the other
participants impressions I felt like I missed a lot.
However, its great that its possible find a lot of
IATEFL 2015 materials online at slideshire.com
and videos on the IATELF website. When I studied
at the Volgograd State University in the late nineties
of the last century, we couldnt find any authentic
resources and if someone was happy enough to get
Moscow News newspaper in English we read it
from cover to cover for a month! Now the Internet
gives us so many opportunities to be a part of the
global ELT community, a situation which we all
benefit from.
Plenary sessions by Ann Cotton and Harry Kuchah,
who were brave enough to start changing the world
and the lives of people in sub-Saharan Africa, the
difficulties they overcame on the way impressed
(inspired) me very much. Drawing on their
experience my colleagues and I have some ideas to
help us make an impact on the school society of our
country.
There are many rural areas in the Volgograd region
where teachers work feeling isolated and because
of the long distances they cant participate in
the ELT Conferences and events. Organizing
a Teacher Association is the bravest plan we
have, but it requires a lot of development before
implementation.
For my continuing professional development
I started following the blogs of leading world
educators and linguists such as David Crystal,
Carol Read, Larry Ferlazzo and others I have also
recommended these blogs to the teachers at my
workshops. Authors of these blogs share important
information on websites which are of interest to
English teachers, they address significant areas
of language education, combining theory and
practice.
I made new professional contacts at the Conference
with teachers from many countries of the world.
We made plans to are start the development of
International Collaborative Projects for this school
year. With my primary class we participate in
Flat Stanley Project. Every student made a paper
Stanley, a character from Jeff Browns childrens
book written in 1964. The boy is flat and his
special advantage is that he can now visit his friends
by being mailed in an envelope. We exchanged our
paper dolls with primary schools in France, different
parts of the USA, the UK. Now foreign Stanleys are
visiting Russian students houses, sights and will go
back with full reports of their travels.
The Conference outlined the areas for further
research for me. It also showed what is going on in
the field of ELT methodology all over the world, here
I mean the development of such areas as blended
learning, usage of mobile devices for language
teaching and learning, exploration of framework for
continuing professional development.
I would like to thank the International House of
London once again. Thank you for a great work you
are doing!

My name is Anastasia Reva. Ive been working in the Volzhskiy Institute of

Humanities in Russia for 15 years and defended my dissertation on childrens
education in 2006. As my field of interest is teaching young learners, Ive been also
working in the State Primary School. Im particularly interested in organizing and
participating in International Collaborative Projects.

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 Teacher Training
IH Journal Issue 39 March 2016

IH Certificate in IH Certificate in
Teaching Very Teaching Young
Young Learners Learners & Teenagers

Train with the experts to teach

Young Learners and Teenagers
Based on our decades of experience in teaching Very Young Leaners, Young Learners
and Teenagers, International House training courses give you the confidence to take
your teaching to the next level.

Our courses are highly practical and are designed to allow you to implement what you
learn in the classroom immediately.

At International House our aim is simple: to provide excellent teacher training to help
teachers achieve their professional goals.

www.ihworld.com/online-training

The IH Certificate in Teaching Young Learners

and Teenagers is moderated by Cambridge
English Language Assessment
Moderated by

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