Katherine Bilsborough: Lesson plans – less is more You can travel without a list of course but you will avoid a few problems if you spend a bit of time planning – not a whole week though. That would be silly. A few minutes should be enough. Pre-empting problems will bring peace of mind and when it comes to teaching, this is a major defence against burnout and work stress. New teachers who have had training will have been evaluated and assessed on their lesson plans. You can find lesson plan templates on the Internet too – that you can fill out yourself for your own classes. More experienced teachers tend to spend less time on lesson planning. But what the wise teachers have in common - whether they are new or more experienced - is that they understand the importance of lesson planning but are 100% practical in their approach. No more burnout – a simple guide to successful and time-efficient lesson planning
Katherine Bilsborough: Lesson plans – less is more You can travel without a list of course but you will avoid a few problems if you spend a bit of time planning – not a whole week though. That would be silly. A few minutes should be enough. New teachers who have had training will have been evaluated and assessed on their lesson plans. You can find lesson plan templates on the Internet too – that you can fill out yourself for your own classes. More experienced teachers tend to spend less time on lesson planning. But what the wise teachers have in common - whether they are new or more experienced - is that they understand the importance of lesson planning but are 100% practical in their approach. No more burnout – a simple guide to successful and time-efficient lesson planning Gather everything you need (course book, teacher’s book, class register, timetable, etc.) and make a cup of tea. Finally, here’s an example of one of my lesson plans – and YES!
What I Wish I’d Known as a New Teacher It’s been two decades since my first year in the classroom. I reflect on that time and wish I’d known a few things about myself, about teaching, and about my students. Some of what I wish I’d known could have been shared with me—some I just had to live and learn. So I offer this reflection both for new teachers as well as for those who support them. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. As a new teacher, you need a lot of feedback and support. The first year (like a first love) has so many highs and lows, and I still get both dreamy-eyed and panicky when I remember the 1995–96 school year. Which Early Childhood Experiences Shape Adult Life? | MindShift | KQED News By Maanvi Singh, NPR Most of us don’t remember our first two or three years of life — but our earliest experiences may stick with us for years and continue to influence us well into adulthood. Just how they influence us and how much is a question that researchers are still trying to answer. Two studies look at how parents’ behavior in those first years affects life decades later, and how differences in children’s temperament play a role. The first study, published Thursday in Child Development, found that the type of emotional support that a child receives during their her first three and a half years has an effect on education, social life and romantic relationships even 20 or 30 years later. Babies and toddlers raised in supportive and caring home environments tended to do better on standardized tests later on, and they were more likely to attain higher degrees as adults. Raby used data collected from 243 people who participated in the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk.
Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analysing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching. Reflective teaching is therefore a means of professional development which begins in our classroom. Why it is importantBeginning the process of reflection Teacher diary Peer observation Recording lessons Student feedback What to do next Think Talk Read Ask Conclusion Why it is important Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. However, without more time spent focussing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. Beginning the process of reflection You may begin a process of reflection in response to a particular problem that has arisen with one or your classes, or simply as a way of finding out more about your teaching. What are you doing?
Why Empathy Holds the Key to Transforming 21st Century Learning | MindShift | KQED News By Thom Markham Like other aspects of modern life, education can make the head hurt. So many outcomes, so much important work to do, so many solutions and strategies, so many variations on teaching, so many different kinds of students with so many different needs, so many unknowns in preparing for 21st Century life and the endless list of jobs that haven’t been invented. What if we discovered one unifying factor that brought all of this confusion under one roof and gave us a coherent sense of how to stimulate the intellect, teach children to engage in collaborative problem solving and creative challenge, and foster social-emotional balance and stability—one factor that, if we got right, would change the equation for learning in the same way that confirming the existence of a fundamental particle informs a grand theory of the universe? That factor exists: It’s called empathy. To make that argument requires a deep dive into the profound nature of empathy. The takeaway?
What to consider when teaching English in large classes How many students do you teach? Do you feel that your classes are too big? Author and education consultant Jason Anderson looks at the issues and offers some potential solutions. For many of us, our classes are larger than we would like them to be. Definitions of a large class What we label a ‘large class’ depends mostly on context and expectations. In this article, we will take the midpoint between these two figures. Where teachers work in large classes today Perhaps the two continents where teachers most commonly work in large classes are Africa (especially sub-Saharan Africa) and Asia (especially the Indian sub-continent and China). This is not a uniform picture. Large classes are not unique to low-income countries. The challenges of working in large classes We can divide the challenges into two general areas: 1. 2. TLC challenges include the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. Working toward solutions to classroom problems Problem: My students aren’t motivated to speak in English.
Whole Child Development Is Undervalued The question is how to make such an approach both systemic and sustainable. Whole Person Socio-emotional, physical, creative, and cognitive capacities are deeply intertwined and equally important in ensuring a child's wellbeing, learning, and growth. (That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone studying or supporting children's learning.) Nobel laureate James Heckman, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, has shown that the non-cognitive skills emerging in early childhood are among the strongest predictors of adult outcomes. The development of these qualities, which rely on an individual's self-worth and self-control, critically outperform any other positive measures of children's long-term outcomes, whether academically or intellectually. The most impactful way of supporting such skills is associated with helping children feel in control of their learning process. Whole Communities Whole Societies
Music and Movement Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers How to teach children English using illustrated storybooks What makes illustrated storybooks such a good resource for teaching young learners of English? The British Council’s Gail Ellis, co-author of a storytelling handbook for primary English language teachers, explains. Listen to an interview with Gail in our podcast and register for her webinar taking place on Thursday, 2 October. Illustrated storybooks provide an ideal resource for helping children learn English. Why use storybooks in the classroom? Teachers can use storybooks to complement an English language course or as the main teaching resource. Storybooks can meet a variety of learner needs The expansion in the teaching of English around the world to ever younger ages, and the variation in policy from one country to another, means that teachers are finding themselves teaching classes of children with diverse learning needs and varying levels of English. Selecting the right storybook What to consider when reading a story aloud Reading a storybook aloud requires preparation.
Practical tips By Opal Dunn, educational consultant and author Introduction Young children learn English differently from most adults. Most have an innate ability to pick up English while taking part in activities, by making sense of what they are doing and picking up the adult’s language that accompanies the activity. Planned English sessions You can plan regular sessions which will usually take place: at home on regular days for about ten to twenty minutes adjusted to fit your child’s increasing English ability and ability to concentrate as a planned programme that reviews and builds on known activities and introduces new ones. Short English sessions These are more informal and can take place: any place – in the car, at bathtime, in a supermarket queue any time in response to a mood or special experience. As your child’s English ability increases, short English sessions tend to occur more frequently. Basic programme English corner or English table Ideas for activities Crafts Family activities Rhymes and songs