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  • A teacher stood next to a young students desk, the student sat at the desk is high fiving his teacher
    • Teaching trends and techniques
    • Language teaching

    What is the app Smart Lesson Generator?

    By Thomas Gardner
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    How much of your valuable time is spent on planning and administrative tasks instead of teaching? While 93% of educators start their careers to positively impact students' lives, over 75% end up overwhelmed by these non-teaching duties. But we have a tool to help lighten the load.

    Introducing app Smart Lesson Generator?C a fast, integrated and efficient solution to streamline lesson planning, allowing you to focus on teaching. Lets explore the Smart Lesson Generator:

    Meet the new app Smart Lesson Generator

    The app Smart Lesson Generator allows you to create engaging and appropriate lesson plans in seconds. It is connected with app courses designed by experts and aligned with the Global Scale of English (GSE) to ensure effectiveness.

  • A group of students  hugging a teacher
    • Teaching trends and techniques

    How to use praise to motivate your students

    By Joanna Wiseman
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    Praise in the classroom is a valuable resource that every teacher has in their toolbox.?It can encourage struggling students and reward learners who have been studying diligently and working hard on their language skills.

    But not all types of praise have the same effect. Lets take a look at different types of praise and how you can use it to boost your learners motivation and?self-esteem.?

    Different types of praise in the classroom

    There are three types of praise that teachers commonly engage in - but theyre not all equal and are not all desirable:?

    • Personal praise: Here you praise a student for a specific ability or quality. For example, you might say something like,?You have a great memory for vocabulary.??
    • Effort-based praise: This?is when you comment on a students efforts. For example, you could say,?I can see you tried really hard with this vocabulary homework C well done.??
    • Behavior-based praise:?This type of praise?is where you comment on how a student is acting, an example would be,?You were really paying attention during the vocabulary lesson C good job.

    So how C and when C should we use these types of praise in the classroom??

    Try not to praise ability

    The first type of praise C personal praise C should be avoided in the classroom.??has shown that this type of praise doesnt have a beneficial effect on motivation.?

    In fact, praise for intelligence actually has a detrimental effect on student achievement. When students were praised for their intelligence, they tended to care more about their performance goals C the score they achieved on a test, for example. Learning goals, like mastering a new skill, became less important to them.?

    Moreover, personal praise has been shown to undermine student resilience in the face of failure. Students showed less persistence when it came to challenging tasks and less enjoyment of the challenge. They also performed more poorly than children praised for effort.?

    Furthermore, when you praise students for their ability, they also tend to see intelligence or aptitude as a fixed trait. However, students who are praised for effort are more likely to see ability as something they can improve on. This feeds into the development of a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset.?Its important to?instill?a growth mindset in learners to enable them to reach their full potential.?

    How to praise effort and behavior

    When it comes to praising effort and behavior, whats the most effective way to do it? Here are some techniques to employ:?

    1. Be specific ?

    General praise such as Good job isnt nearly as effective as a comment that shows youve been paying attention to what the student is doing. A precise compliment will make a much bigger impact on a student, for example:?I was really impressed at how hard you concentrated during the listening exercise. Well done.??

    2. Give praise in the moment?

    Immediate praise doesnt need to be disruptive, but it shows students that you are paying attention and noticing good behavior and effort.?

    3. Avoid comparisons with other students?

    Instead of saying, You got the best mark in the class C well done! say something like,?You got a really high score in the reading test. Your hard work has really paid off this term.

    4. Keep track of praise?

    Before your class, choose three or four students youre going to praise that day. That way, you can be sure that each and every student will benefit from the motivational power of effective classroom praise!

    5. Personalize your praise, depending on the student?

    Young students enjoy being praised publicly, but shy students, older children and teenagers prefer positive feedback to be given quietly.?

    Dont overpraise and watch your positive bias?

    Its important to be sincere. Older children, especially adolescents, have an extremely low tolerance of insincerity. So, Dzԡ be tempted to praise students too often, or too effusively C it can actually have a negative impact on your relationship with your whole class. Insincere praise can lead students to question your judgement.?

    Its also really important to be aware of your positive bias.?that teachers consistently give students of color more positive feedback on their work. Its done with good intentions, but it can actually be harmful. If you regularly overpraise students for minor achievements, it can imply that you have low expectations for these students. And, this can make your students feel like they might not be capable of fulfilling the high expectations that you should have of them.?

    So, instead of overpraising, focus on giving specific, immediate praise to motivate your students, boost their?self-esteem and unlock their potential.

  • A man sat at a laptop smiling
    • Technology and the future
    • AI

    Embracing the future: Teaching in the age of AI

    By Thomas Gardner
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    With the continuous evolution of AI tools, it has become more critical to incorporate AI into our teaching practices. AI has the transformative power to improve our teaching methods, tailor learning experiences, and increase student engagement.

    To give you a taste of our webinar 'Teaching in the age of AI: 7 tips for preparing for an educational evolution'. We'll cover seven tips designed to prepare you for an educational evolution with AI.

    1. Choosing your AI path

    The first step in integrating AI into your teaching practice is deciding your approach. Are you an AI methodologist who practices based on theory or an AI experimentalist who develops theory based on practice? Both paths are valid, but it's crucial to choose one to avoid inertia. Understanding AI's basics and experimenting with different tools will help you find your footing.

    2. Becoming friends with AI

    AI should be seen as a thought partner and assistant, not a replacement. Use AI to enhance your creativity and efficiency. For example, if you're stuck on creating a warm-up activity, ask AI for ideas. Treat AI as a helpful assistant to handle tasks you find time-consuming or less enjoyable, allowing you to focus on what you love about teaching.

    3. Developing empathy for AI

    Understanding AI's capabilities and limitations is essential. AI learns from the data we provide, so it's crucial to feed it accurate and relevant information. Developing empathy for AI means understanding how it processes information and how to give clear instructions to get the best results.

    4. Using AI for comprehensive coverage

    AI can help cover all aspects of language learning, including:

    • Meaning-focused input: Generate reading passages and listening activities.
    • Meaning-focused output: Create speaking and writing tasks.
    • Language-focused learning: Develop vocabulary lists, grammar exercises, and pronunciation activities.
    • Fluency development: Design repetitive practice tasks to build automaticity in language use.

    5. Transforming teaching practices

    Move beyond simple substitution and augmentation of tasks with AI. Aim for modification and redefinition of your teaching methods. For instance, use AI to create interactive and personalized learning experiences that were previously unimaginable.

    6. Adopting AI pedagogy

    AI offers new teaching possibilities that break away from traditional constraints. Embrace these opportunities to redefine your pedagogy. Think about what is now possible with AI that wasn't before and how you can leverage these capabilities to enhance learning.

    7. Creating formative assessments

    Use AI to develop formative assessments that provide continuous feedback. These assessments should help students understand their progress and guide you in improving your teaching strategies. AI can generate rubrics, provide instant feedback, and help track student performance over time.

    Practical tips and challenges

    To help you integrate AI into your teaching practice, here are some practical tips and challenges:

    1. Experiment with AI tools: Find tools for creating text, audio, images, and video. Create activities using these tools to see how they can enhance your lessons.

    2. Develop custom AI applications: Create custom GPTs for specific tasks, such as generating rubrics or formative assessments.

    3. Engage students with AI: Design activities where students use AI to generate content, evaluate AI-generated work, and reflect on their learning process.

    4. Focus on formative feedback: Use AI to provide continuous, formative feedback to students, helping them understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

    Embrace AI and its challenges

    Integrating AI into your teaching practice is not just about using new tools; it's about transforming your approach to education. By embracing AI, you can create more engaging, personalized, and effective learning experiences for your students. As you embark on this journey, remember that the goal is to enhance your teaching, not replace it. Embrace the challenges, experiment with new ideas, and let AI help you become the best educator you can be.

    Watch our webinar

    Ready to dive deeper into the world of AI in education? Watch our webinar, 'Teaching in the Age of AI: 7 Tips for Preparing for an Educational Evolution'. Discover how AI can augment teaching, personalize learning, and boost engagement. Delve into the AI-first pedagogy, ethical considerations and practical strategies to make your classroom more effective, engaging, and innovative.

  • Two friends sat together on a sofa drinking hot drinks and smiling
    • Just for fun
    • Language hints and tips

    7 essential phrases for easier conversations in English

    By Charlotte Guest
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    Engaging in conversations, especially in a language that isn't your first, can sometimes be daunting. Whether English isnt your first language or youre just looking to improve your conversational skills, having a few handy phrases up your sleeve can make a world of difference. Here are seven essential phrases that can help you navigate conversations in English with greater ease and confidence.

  • Teacher stood at the front of the class writing on a interactive whiteboard
    • The Global Scale of English

    GSE Teacher Toolkit: Planning a communicative grammar lesson

    By Sara Davila
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Planning grammar lessons with the GSE Teacher Toolkit

    Grammar is one of the core areas of language teaching. Often, new teachers are nervous about teaching it, but sooner or later, all English teachers will have to get to grips with it. Whether you love or hate teaching grammar to your students, the makes planning a successful grammar lesson easier than ever.?

    When it comes to planning a grammar-focused lesson, there are two main strategies to choose from: a communicative approach or a focus-on-form approach. The communicative approach is more commonly used.?

    So, lets have a look at how the GSE Teacher Toolkit can help you plan a communicative grammar lesson that is effective and engaging for your students.?

    Teaching communicative grammar

    When youre planning a grammar lesson, you want to be sure there is a reason for students to use the grammar point that youre going to teach. That way, your students will be more motivated to learn the form and practise using it correctly.?

    Using and applying grammar generally requires producing something. Thats why grammar, as an enabling skill, is often aligned to speaking and writing, the productive skills. When you want your students to use or produce a particular grammar form, you can begin by looking for the associated skills in speaking and writing.?

    Choosing a skill to teach

    Imagine that you have a class that is learning at an A2 level (35 - 40 on the GSE range). Youll want to help them work towards A2+/B1. So, its a good idea to plan lessons around skills that are in your target GSE range to push their progress.?

    In order to plan an A2+ range speaking class, you can filter the GSE Teacher Toolkit to look in your target learning range for specific skills to teach:?

  • Two friends reading a book together smiling
    • Just for fun

    Funny literal translations from around the world

    By Charlotte Guest
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    One of the fun things about learning a new language is discovering how different cultures describe everyday objects and concepts. Sometimes, these descriptions are so literal and imaginative that they bring a smile to our faces (and maybe a few confused looks). Here are some examples of words in other languages that, when translated literally, are probably not what you expected.

  • A teacher holding a tablet to a young student in a classroom sat at a table
    • Teaching trends and techniques

    Talking technology: Teaching 21st century communication strategies

    By
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    When my son created a web consulting business as a summer job, I offered to have business cards made for him. Oh Dad, he said, Business cards are so 20th century!

    It was an embarrassing reminder that communication norms are constantly changing, as are the technologies we use. Younger generations share contact information on their phones social media apps, not with business cards. A similar shift has been the move away from business cards featuring fax numbers. Whats a fax? my son might ask.

    Fax machines have had a surprisingly long lifeCthe first fax machine was invented in 1843Cbut they have been largely retired because its easier to send images of documents via email attachments.

    More recent technologies, such as the 1992 invention of text messages, seem here to stay, but continue to evolve with innovations like emojis, a 1998 innovation whose name combines the Japanese words e (picture) and moji (character).?

    The 55/38/7 rule and the three Cs

    Changing technologies challenge language teachers who struggle to prepare students with the formats and the strategies they need to be effective in academic, business, and social settings. These challenges start with questions about why we have particular norms around communication. These norms form a culture of communication.

    The artist/musician Brian Eno defines culture as what we Dzԡ have to do. We may have to walk, but we Dzԡ have to dance. Dancing, therefore, is culture. Communication is full of cultural practices that we Dzԡ strictly need to do, but which make communication more successful. These include practices based on the 55/38/7 Rule and The Three Cs.

    The 55/38/7 rule is often misinterpreted as being about what someone hears when we speak. It actually refers to the insights of University of California professor, , who looked at how our attitudes, feelings, and beliefs influence our trust in what someone says.

    Mehrabian suggests words only account for seven percent of a messages impact; tone of voice makes up 38 percent, and body languageCincluding facial expressionsCaccount for the other 55 percent. The consequence of this for our students is that its sometimes not so important what they are saying as how they are saying it.

    Another way of looking at this nonverbal communication is in terms of The Three Cs: context, clusters, and congruence.?

    Context is about the environment in which communication takes place, any existing relationship between the speakers, and the roles they have. Imagine how each of these factors change if, for example, you met a surgeon at a party compared to meeting the same surgeon in an operating theater where you are about to have your head sawn open.

    Clusters are the sets of body language expressions that together make up a message; smiling while walking toward someone is far different than smiling while carefully backing away.

    Congruence refers to how body language matchesCor doesnt matchCa speakers words. People saying, Of course! Its possible! while unconsciously shaking their heads from side to side are perhaps being less than truthful.

    How does a culture of communication practices translate to new technologies? Mobile phone texts, just like 19th-century telegraph messages before them, need to be precise in conveying their meaning.

    In virtual meetings (on Teams and Google Hangouts, for example), students need to understand that tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language may be more important than the words they share.

    Politeness as one constant

    An additional key concern in virtual meetings is politeness. Once, in preparation for a new textbook, I was involved in soliciting topics of interest to university teachers. I was surprised that several teachers identified the need to teach politeness. The teachers pointed out that the brevity of social media meant that students were often unwittingly rude in their requests (typical email: Wheres my grade!). Moreover, such abruptness was crossing over to their in-person interactions.

    Politeness includes civility, getting along with others, as well as deference, showing respect to those who may have earned it through age, education, and achievement. But politeness is also related to strategies around persuasion and how to listen actively, engage with other speakers by clarifying and elaborating points and ask a range of question types. Online or in person, if students cannot interrupt politely or know when it is better to listen, whatever they have to say will be lost in the court of bad opinion.

    This is particularly important in preparation for academic and business contexts where students need to interact in groups, such as seminar settings and business meetings. Within these, its necessary for students to be able to take on a variety of roles, including leadership, taking notes, and playing devils advocate to challenge what a group thinks.

    Engaging students with project work

    Role-play can help raise awareness of these strategies among students, but its not enough to just take on a variety of roles found in common academic and business exchanges; students need to be able to reflect after each role-play session and infer what strategies are successful.

    Technology-based projects can also help students engage in a range of communication strategies. For example, a app series, StartUp, embraces technology in each unit by sprinkling various text messages and web-based research tasks. There are also multimedia projects where students use their phones to collect images or video and share the results in presentations that develop their critical thinking.

    For example:

    Make your own video

    Step 1 Choose a favorite restaurant or meal.

    Step 2 Make a 30-second video. Talk about the meal. Describe what you eat and drink. Explain why you like it.

    Step 3 Share your video. Answer questions and get feedback.

    This simple project subconsciously reinforces the units vocabulary and grammar. It also allows students to personalize the project based on things that they need to talk about in daily lifeCtheir local foods in this case. This means that each students presentation is unique. Unlike with essay assignments, students tend to work hard to craft several versions until they are satisfied because they know their work will be seen by other students and that they will be asked questions that only they can answer.

    All this forces students to consider speaking strategies, as well as strategies for appropriate facial expressions and body language. Similarly, they have to use active listening strategies when listening to others presentations while asking questions. As technology continues to evolve, teachers need to integrate new applications into their teaching so students learn how to communicate with the tools they have at their disposal.

  • A man sat in a living room with books and plants in the background, he is reading a book
    • Just for fun
    • Linguistics and culture

    Words that can't be translated into English

    By Charlotte Guest
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    While English is a rich language, there are some words from other languages that Dzԡ have a direct translation. These words often describe special feelings, situations, or ideas that are deeply connected to their cultures. For example, just as some languages have specific words for different types of weather, other languages have unique words for particular moments or emotions that are hard to explain in English. Here are some interesting examples of untranslatable words that show us the different ways people see the world.

    • Language learning
    • Just for fun

    Expressing love around the world: Interesting facts and how to say "I love you" in different languages

    By Sam Colley
    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Love is a universal language that transcends borders, cultures and languages. For those learning another language, understanding how to express love in various tongues can be both fascinating and useful. Whether you're planning to travel, connect with friends from different backgrounds, or simply expand your linguistic repertoire, knowing how to say "I love you" in different languages as well as the cultural context, can be a beautiful way to show appreciation and affection. Let's take a look at some of the many ways to express this timeless sentiment and some interesting facts.

    1. Cultural nuances:

    In many cultures, the way you express love can carry different weights and meanings. For example, in Japanese, "ۤƤ" (aishiteru) is a very strong expression of love, often reserved for serious relationships, whereas "ä" (daisuki) is more commonly used among friends and family.
    However, French, often called the language of love, uses "je t'aime" to express love as a romantic phrase that can be used for both partners and close family members.

    2. Gender differences:

    Some languages have gender-specific ways of saying "I love you." For instance, in Arabic, "????" (a?ibbuka) is used when a woman says "I love you" to a man, and "????" (a?ibbuki) is used when a man says it to a woman. Similarly, in Hindi, men say "??? ????? ????? ???? ???" (main tumse pyaar karta hoon) and women say "??? ????? ????? ???? ???" (main tumse pyaar karti hoon).

    3. Formal vs. informal:

    Some languages have formal and informal ways of expressing love. In Spanish, "te amo" is more formal and used for romantic love, while "te quiero" is more casual and can be used for friends and family.
    ?