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Teaching Corner

Teacher Stories

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At EF Teach Online, we provide the technology to connect teachers and students worldwide. Here you'll find tools, tips and teacher stories to power your online classes.

Laura Wilkes ‹ EF Teach Online

I remember my first teaching gig and how anxious I felt walking along the corridor to meet my first class. Upon entering the room, I was greeted by a group of no less than seventy-two Business English undergraduates, who (on reflection) were probably just as anxious as me! However, what was an intimidating start quickly turned into one of my favourite classes due to the camaraderie, energy, and sense of community that developed among the group.
Fast forward ten years, I now prefer teaching groups of adults over tutoring one-to-one. While managing a group of learners of any number can be daunting and challenging, whether face-to-face or online, the following strategies have helped me keep my nerve, build a supportive atmosphere, and foster meaningful communication between learners.
<h3>Challenge 1: Overcoming nerves</h3>
While a group of adult learners can be daunting, it helps to remember that everyone comes to class with their bag of worries. Keeping this in mind helps me focus on my learners and thus draw my attention away from any anxiety I may feel, especially when meeting a group for the first time.
A short ice-breaker activity also helps everyone to relax, warm up, and get into the learning mindset. I like to set up the ice-breaker before the lesson starts so that learners can engage in the activity as soon as they arrive. For this reason, simple tasks that are accessible for all levels and encourage learners to start interacting with each other are often the most effective.
Here are a few activities that are easy to adapt to online or offline classes:
<ol>
<li>Show a picture along with an example sentence and question. 
I saw a live football match on the weekend. 
What did you do at the weekend? Ask at least two of your classmates.</li>
<li>Show an illustration with a task. 
For example, this could be an illustration where learners find objects in the picture. Alternatively, you can show learners an optical illusion or double image.</li>
<li>Ask learners to discuss their top 5. 
This task can be adapted to various lesson contexts, from films to essential qualities you seek in a friend. For lower-level learners, it is a good idea to use visuals in an example list you provide. 
</li>
</ol>
<h3>Challenge 2: Learners have different needs</h3>
From learner levels to learning preferences, there is always a variety of needs in a class, no matter how large the group may be. Including variety, choice, and differentiation strategies in lessons helps to address this challenge.
While it’s impossible to cater to everyone’s preferences all the time, using a variety of tasks, techniques, and interaction patterns helps to sustain learner motivation and support the pace of the lesson. In addition, reviewing lesson materials in advance with this in mind helps identify opportunities for a different approach or task.
Added to this, offering learners choice encourages them to act autonomously over what they learn and how. Giving learners options is especially important when teaching adults as they bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and skills into the class. Creating opportunities for learners to tailor the lesson to their needs, preferences, and interests through offering options can positively impact levels of engagement and learning.
For example, learners can be offered a choice of:
<ul>
<li>· Task</li>
<li>· Role</li>
<li>· Interaction pattern</li>
<li>· Language skills</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenge 3: Gathering learners’ attention</h3>
It can be challenging to gather learners’ attention to start or transition to the next lesson stage regardless of whether you are teaching online or face-to-face. Be it noise, different students’ pace, or disengagement, distractors are ever-present in any classroom.
Using learners’ names and developing attention-grabbing signals helps build essential classroom routines in both settings to combat that. When giving instructions for a task, it is good to set a time limit and remind learners of their remaining time as they work. Prompt questions or suggestions can also help to extend a task for fast finishers or support the learners’ pace and time management.
<h3>Challenge 4: Responding to learners’ questions</h3>
While learners may ask questions in any class setting, there is additional pressure when a room of learners waits for you to answer. There will be times when you will not know how to answer learners’ questions, and this is ok – you are not a walking Wikipedia. Even when you know the answer, you may need extra thinking time to consider how best to communicate it in a way that supports learner progress and the lesson overall.
Depending on the question, you may want to open the discussion to the class, ask the learners to research and tell you what they find out, or acknowledge the question and think about it while the learners work on a task.
<h3>Challenge 5: Encouraging learners to work together</h3>
There can be different reasons why learners may not be keen to work together, from personality differences, expectations of teaching and learning, interaction norms within the learners’ culture, etc.
In this situation, it’s helpful to reflect on why learners may be reluctant to work together by talking to a fellow teacher to get their perspective and (if appropriate) asking learners about which interaction pattern they feel most comfortable with and why. From this research, you will better determine which strategies to use going forward to support and address learners’ needs.
 
Learn more about EF Teach Online <a href="https://www.ef.com/wwen/teachonline/">here</a>.

I remember my first teaching gig and how anxious I felt walking along the corridor to meet my first class. Upon entering the room, I was greeted by a group of no less than seventy-two Business English undergraduates, who (on reflection) were probably just as anxious as me! However, what was an intimidating start quickly …

Succeeding With Larger Classes - EF Teach Online

Succeeding With Larger Classes ‹ EF Teach Online

Succeeding With Larger Classes

Succeeding with larger classes

Emails. Love or loathe them; for many, they are part of our daily life. However, for some of us, a never-ending email inbox can be a significant source of stress that eats away our energy and time. But, it doesn’t have to be like this. We can forge a better relationship with email by adopting simple tips and tricks that prevent even the busiest of inboxes from becoming monsters that gobble away our work days. 
1. To email, or not to email
Email is a brilliant communication tool when used well. Every once in a while, it’s good to take a step back and reflect on how we use it and identify ways in which we can email better.  
Are there times when an email is not having an impact because a real-time conversation is needed? Or are there opportunities where an email can help consolidate information? This year, I can think of two occasions when I replaced a long email chain with a meeting, as well as replaced meetings with a consolidated weekly email update. These decisions have positively impacted project progress and operational workflows in both cases. 
2. Set aside time for your inbox
To avoid falling into an email vortex that eats away half of the day, try scheduling specific times during the day to check and respond to emails. For example, blocking off 20-minutes on my calendar in the morning and afternoon has helped me keep on top of my inbox and be more strategic about the type of tasks I do at specific points in the day. Not only does this ringfence how much time I spend looking at my inbox, but it also helps me better manage the time I have for projects and goals I want to set for the day.  
Beforehand, I never used to set aside time for administrative tasks, which meant that I spent either too much or too little time responding and managing new requests communicated via my inbox.
3. Read and reply
Avoid wasting time reading the same email multiple times before sending a response. When I open my inbox, I do so with the intention of reading once and responding immediately. I only make an exception is when I receive an email requiring careful thought or consultation before responding.  
But what if you don’t have all the information you need to reply? I still reply to acknowledge receipt of the email and use it as an opportunity to set expectations regarding timelines on when I can get the information requested to the recipient. Afterward, I add the action to my priorities list so I can manage my workload.
4. Avoid playing email ping-pong
Email is not snail mail, but neither is it a real-time conversation. I try to get out of ping-ponging back and forth with the same person over email by sending them an instant message to see if they are free for a call– it saves heaps of time! Alternatively, I use the delayed delivery function to steady the pace and help set expectations on how and when I use email.   
Depending on your work email etiquette, a delay of a few hours or the next working day can work well. I especially like this function for sending emails to teammates that work in different time zones or part-time hours to be considerate of their location and working hours. This helps them to get into a ryhthm when it comes to fending off the inbox monster and avoids giving the impression that I expect an instant reply.
5. Stop chasing an empty inbox
When was the last time you cleared your inbox to zero? I managed to empty my inbox twice this year – neither occasion will be remembered as a productive or satisfying use of my time. If you work in an environment that depends on email communication, an empty email inbox is most likely not an indicator of your productivity or efficiency. I used to think it was and spent too much time managing emails rather than focusing on the work that brings the most value. 
6. Set up the rules
Full credit goes to my teammate, who suggested I include this tip. Email rules are a feature I want to explore and use to help channel specific emails to designated folders. For example, project-specific updates or emails where I’m cc’d and not the primary recipient can be directed to folders that I can check periodically. This helps filter my primary inbox and in turn, helps me identify emails that I need to act on. 
 7. Use out-of-office
People often don’t mind waiting as long as they know there will be a delay and who to contact if their enquiry is urgent. This is where the out-of-office function and email signatures are our best friends.  
Set up that automatic out-of-office notification when you take a half day off, or an extended holiday, or a business trip. Include dates for how long you will be away and details of who to contact if there is an urgent enquiry while you are out of office. Not only does this help to set expectations, but it also protects your time when you are out of the office, whether you are on holiday or running to catch a flight.  
Equally, your email signature can be a valuable space to communicate your working days and hours – this is something I have noticed part-time staff do, and it has served as a helpful reminder when I receive an email from them.  
These tips and tricks have helped me tame the email inbox monster, so I hope they help you too. If you enjoyed reading this blog, why not share it along with the tips that help you use email better? 
 
<div class="cn-post-content">
Learn more about EF Teach Online <a href="https://www.ef.com/wwen/teachonline/">here</a>.
</div>
<div class="cn-underlined-title -no-margin-bottom"></div>
Learn more about EF Teach Online <a href="https://www.ef.com/wwen/teachonline/">here</a>.

Emails. Love or loathe them; for many, they are part of our daily life. However, for some of us, a never-ending email inbox can be a significant source of stress that eats away our energy and time. But, it doesn’t have to be like this. We can forge a better relationship with email by adopting …

How to Manage the Email Monster - EF Teach Online

How to Manage the Email Monster ‹ EF Teach Online

How to Manage the Email Monster

How to manage the email inbox monster

Take a moment to think about something you learned recently. What was the situation that triggered the learning? What was the input? What impact has it had on you ? 
When I reflect on these questions, I think about a recent coffee with a fellow educator where we chatted about technologies that can make lessons more accessible and inclusive. Not only did I leave the conversation full of ideas on how to support my students better, but I was also inspired to adapt tools to support my day-to-day work. An example is the dictation and read aloud tools in Microsoft Word that I’m using to write this blog while simultaneously taking a break from typing and looking at my computer screen.  
In this instance, learning happened informally by chatting to a peer and taking time afterwards to reflect on how I could apply what I had learned to my context. This example highlights how we can use different spaces to support our learning and development as teachers. In this blog, I will outline three ways teachers can engage in similar conversations to support their ongoing development.   
 
1. Conferences and Workshops
A simple search for teacher workshops and conferences results in a variety of options. Due to the growth of online events, it’s encouraging to see that many leading companies and institutions offer live online events frequently and (in many cases) for free. Added flexibility is offered by organisers who record and share resources following an event so trainees can access it on-demand if they are unable to attend the live workshop. This helps in making ongoing training accessible and affordable for teachers who may have limited time and resources to attend in-person events. 
Here are a few examples of online workshops that cater for ESL teachers: 
<ul>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="2">Trinity College London’s <a href="https://resources.trinitycollege.com/ttw?__hstc=153457959.5ee795efa5a9e6fe898e5fd13f4463c8.1673625445231.1673625445231.1674832051282.2&__hssc=153457959.8.1674832051282&__hsfp=1798653357&_ga=2.13130103.1119716084.1674832050-826060181.1673625445&_gl=1*yxq1qf*_ga*ODI2MDYwMTgxLjE2NzM2MjU0NDU.*_ga_E3K7QGL4FT*MTY3NDgzMjA0OS4yLjEuMTY3NDgzMjE4Ny4wLjAuMA..">Transformative Teachers Webinar Series. </a>This is a monthly series of webinars that focus on a variety of topics from ‘Reading with Authentic Materials’ to ‘What can neuroscience offer to educators?’ If you miss the live event, then you can catch the recordings <a href="https://resources.trinitycollege.com/ttw?__hstc=153457959.5ee795efa5a9e6fe898e5fd13f4463c8.1673625445231.1673625445231.1674832051282.2&__hssc=153457959.8.1674832051282&__hsfp=1798653357&_ga=2.13130103.1119716084.1674832050-826060181.1673625445&_gl=1*yxq1qf*_ga*ODI2MDYwMTgxLjE2NzM2MjU0NDU.*_ga_E3K7QGL4FT*MTY3NDgzMjA0OS4yLjEuMTY3NDgzMjE4Ny4wLjAuMA..">here</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="2">Cambridge University Press and Assessment <a href="https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/resources-for-teachers/webinars/">Webinars for Teachers. </a>Cambridge currently offers webinars twice a month covering topics like Mindfulness, Exam Preparation, and Storytelling to mention a few. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="2">Online English Teacher Conference hosted by EF Teach Online. This annual conference offers a variety of workshops designed to support instructors who teach ESL to adults online. Sign up for the Teacher Talk Newsletter <a href="https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/Pmpphuc/AdultEFNewsletter">here</a> to stay up to date with EF Teach Online news, including the conference. </li>
</ul>
 
2. Forums and Groups
Continuing with the theme of online spaces, teachers can join forums or groups to share ideas and troubleshoot challenges. Whether you sign-up for a public group on a platform like LinkedIn or set up a private group for your local community, online groups enable members to step beyond the walls of their classrooms and connect with teachers from other subjects, locations, and contexts. If you feel stuck with a particular teaching challenge, forums and groups are great spaces to gather input from various perspectives. 
For example, you may ask about techniques to support beginner learners in the classroom to gather ideas. Alternatively, you can share a challenge you’ve been facing to elicit ideas and advice from other teachers who have encountered similar situations. As well as eliciting ideas and advice, forums and groups provide a wonderful opportunity to share your experience to support other teachers too. 
If you’re interested in exploring this option, then check out the following groups for inspiration: 
<ul>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="2"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3460329/">ELT professionals on LinkedIn</a> </li>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="2"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13643022/">EFL Teachers Development Network by Oxford TEFL</a> </li>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="2"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/eltfootprint/">ELT Footprint</a> Facebook Group </li>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="2"><a href="https://www.iatefl.org/">IATEFL’s Special Interest Groups</a>  </li>
</ul>
 
3. Informal Coffee Chats
At the start of this blog, I described how chatting with a fellow educator was a springboard for me to experiment with using different tools to support my students and myself as a teacher. This demonstrates the power of partnering up with fellow teachers for a coffee chat, whether once a week or once a month, online or face-to-face. Reflective conversations between educators work well when both parties commit to focusing on their development and supporting each other in the process.  
In my experience, coffee chats have worked well when we have: 
<ul>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="3">Committed to a short sprint. 
For example, two 15-minute coffee chats a week for a month. </li>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="3">Focused on an agreed goal. 
For example, identifying opportunities to develop as teachers by setting bite-sized goals. </li>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="3">Employed active listening and coaching strategies. 
For example, asking follow-up questions to support deeper reflective thinking. </li>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="3">Used strategies and tools to track our progress. 
For example, micro journaling and displaying our goals in a space where we can see them as a daily reminder. </li>
</ul>
If you would like to set up a coffee chat with a fellow teacher, then you may find it helpful to focus on asking each other the following questions: 
<ul>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="4">What would you like to focus on this week and why? </li>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="4">What resources or support will you need? </li>
<li data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559684":-2,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="4">How can you measure and share your progress? </li>
</ul>
Whether you organise a meet-up for teachers in your local community or attend an international workshop online, these are a few examples of spaces where we can engage in conversations to support our learning. In a profession that’s often called a closed-door practice, spaces like these are incredibly impactful in supporting our growth and development as teaching professionals. 
 
Learn more about EF Teach Online <a href="https://www.ef.com/wwen/teachonline/">here</a>.

Take a moment to think about something you learned recently. What was the situation that triggered the learning? What was the input? What impact has it had on you ?  When I reflect on these questions, I think about a recent coffee with a fellow educator where we chatted about technologies that can make lessons …

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Laura Wilkes

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