ÃÛÌÒapp

Learning English online is very different from studying in a physical classroom, and there is not always a teacher looking over your shoulder. And more often than not, you have to motivate yourself and keep yourself on track.

In this blog, we¡¯ll share seven tips to help you learn English online ¨C including how to set goals, create a study schedule, and stay focused. Let¡¯s explore:

1. Set SMART goals

Lots of students wonder how to learn English online. And we know getting started is often the most challenging part. So before you begin studying English online, we recommend setting some SMART goals. These are goals that are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Let's say you:

• Have an ultimate goal to get a high score in an English language exam (like ), so you can study abroad.

You¡¯ll need to plan how to reach this. An excellent way to start is to begin planning your short and medium-term goals. For example:

• Short-term goal: Learn ten words each day
• Medium-term goal: Improve practice test scores by 5% over the next month
  

2. Make a study schedule

Creating a well-thought-out schedule will help you to study English online and stay organized. It¡¯ll also mean you dedicate enough time to each language skill ¨C speaking, reading, writing and listening:

• Pick times that work best for you ¨C You may prefer studying at certain times of the day when you have more energy, or after doing something energizing like working out.
• Stick to it ¨C Once you¡¯ve set a regular fixed time, stay with it to ensure it becomes a routine habit.
  
• Make time ¨C Give yourself as much time as possible to finish each task (especially in case life gets in the way) and some time to relax.

3. Create a comfortable learning space

Where you study . For example, sunlight can lead to better learning outcomes. Temperature and noise can also affect the way you learn. If you can, make sure that your learning space is:

• well-lit
• temperate
• quiet (and private if possible!)
• relaxing
• organized

You might also want to decorate your study space, perhaps with an indoor plant ¨C they can !

Also, before you start, do you have everything at hand? Do you have water? Is your coursebook close by? And is your computer fully charged? Having all your supplies on hand will help you stay focused ¨C and learn English online faster.

4. Eliminate distractions

To learn English online, you need to eliminate distractions. Logging off your social media accounts and anything else distracting you until you¡¯re done studying is good practice. If you find yourself logging back in, you might want to use a focus app (like , which can block up to thirty websites).
If you can, turn off your phone altogether and put it away and out of sight. If you¡¯re tempted to pick it up again, ask yourself why. Sometimes, there¡¯s no good reason, and it¡¯s best to keep studying.

5. Try the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a great way to break your studying into manageable chunks, which will also help you stay focused.

The technique:

• Set a timer for 20 minutes
• Each time the timer goes off, write a tick on a piece of paper
• Take a five-minute break
• Continue to set the timer for 20-minute intervals
• When you've got four ticks, take a 20-minute break

This time management system works well because it gives you frequent breaks to look forward to and helps you concentrate. You can use this time to stretch, have a snack, take a walk ¨C or do anything that gives your mind a rest.

6. Use self-study resources

There are lots of English learning materials available online ¨C including worksheets, mock tests, games and grammar exercises. There are also various games and quizzes available online.

7. Find a study partner

We all know studying online can get lonely! That¡¯s why we recommend you find a study partner. With a partner to work with, you can practice speaking and listening. You¡¯ll have someone to check over your work. But most importantly ¨C you¡¯ll have someone to hold you accountable and help you stay motivated. Perhaps you know a friend or family member who is also studying English, and you can work with them. You can sometimes find local study groups or clubs depending on your location.

If you're unable to find a local study group or an in-person partner, there are many places to find a study partner online ¨C for example, or dedicated social media groups. You might also want to try out silent Zoom meetings; students and professionals keep each other focused by simply working together on mute.

¡°We are all creative, but by the time we are three or four years old, someone has knocked the creativity out of us. Some people shut up the kids who start to tell stories. Kids dance in their cribs, but someone will insist they sit still. By the time the creative people are ten or twelve, they want to be like everyone else.¡± ¡ª Maya Angelou.

We want our kids to excel in everything they do. This is partly down to the media, which has fostered the idea of celebrity kids and football leagues that encourage kids to become professional athletes at the age of eight or younger.

However, we have missed the most crucial thing in their education ¨C and that is to build their character through everyday creative activities which encourage the formation of human connections.

Moving from kindergarten to elementary school

Consider how nervous a first grader must feel after leaving the safe kindergarten playground and entering a strange new 'grown-up' world. The playgrounds are bigger, the kids are older, they have to line up to buy their first meal at the school cafeteria. The classroom has changed too: the desks look different, the books are bigger, and there are new challenges too.

Some are thrilled to feel part of the older kids¡¯ environment. Others, of course, are frightened and insecure. They have to understand and accept all the new rules and regulations, which now apply to them too.

High expectations from parents must be met

We also have moms, dads and caregivers worried for their little ones. They have high hopes for them. They want their children to become successful learners, multi-medal athletes, excellent readers, mathematicians or perhaps scientists¡­

Professor David Healy, director of the North Wales Department of Psychological Medicine, said:?¡°We want kids to conform to ideals based often on parental insecurities and ambitions.¡±

Elementary school has therefore become something resembling a battlefield, where children must thrive in spite of (and not because of) their interests. Only top grades and excellence in everything will make parents proud.

But what if a child is not successful? What if their reading skills are below average? What if their daydreaming about a trip to the moon doesn¡¯t allow them to concentrate?

Then we have two lists of kids, the thriving kids with excellent grades and the other ones.

So how can we take the pressure off and help all kids to thrive? Here are some simple creative activities to help.

Reaching out to your students with a simple hello

When did we forget that education is about promoting playfulness, imagination, and creativity to build up confidence?

My very first and most important recommendation would be this:

Before you start a class, give yourself a moment to say?"Hello"?to each individual in your class. Take that moment to make eye contact with every student and see how they are doing that day.

Make this an important part of your routine. Then have them do the same with their classmates. You could even introduce phrases such as:

• "How was your day yesterday?"
• "How are you feeling today?"
• "What did you have for breakfast this morning?"
• "I notice you look nice today!"

You can also try another creative activity. Ask your students to say good morning to the new day and think of something they are grateful for or someone they are grateful to. For example:

• "Thank you mom, for my breakfast."
• "I am grateful because all my classmates are here."
• "Thank you moon, for your light every night."

These are just a few simple creative activities. But the most important thing to consider, if you want to introduce creativity in the classroom, is that every student needs to feel in a secure and welcoming environment, free of criticism or judgment of their ideas. If you achieve this in your classroom, you will be well on your way to exploring your students¡¯ creativity and building new connections with them.

The first class with a new group of young learners can be a nerve-wracking experience for teachers old and new. Many of us spend the night before thinking about how to make a positive start to the year, with a mixture of nerves, excitement, and a desire to get started. However, sometimes things don¡¯t always go as expected, and it is important to set a few ground rules in those early lessons to ensure a positive classroom experience for all, throughout the academic year.

Let¡¯s look at a few common problems that can come up, and how best to deal with them at the start of the school year.

1. Students are not ready to start the class

How the first few minutes of the class are spent can greatly influence how the lesson goes. Students can be slow to get out their equipment and this can cause a lot of time wasting. To discourage this, start lessons with a timed challenge.

1. Tell students what you want them to do when they come into class, e.g. sit down, take out their books and pencil cases, sit quietly ready for the lesson to start.
2. Time how long it takes for everyone to do this and make a note. Each day do the same.
3. Challenge students to do this faster every day. You could provide a goal and offer a prize at the end of the trimester if they reach it, e.g. be ready in less than a minute every day.

2. Students speak their first language (L1) in class

One of primary teachers' most common classroom management issues is getting them to speak English. However, young learners may need to speak their mother tongue occasionally, and a complete ban on L1 is often not the best solution. But how can we encourage students to use English wherever possible?

Tell students they have to ask permission to speak in L1, if they really need to.

• 3 word rule ¡ª tell students that they can use a maximum of three words in L1 if they don¡¯t know them in English.
• Write ENGLISH on the board in large letters. Each time someone speaks in L1, erase a letter. Tell students each letter represents time (e.g. 1 minute) to play a game or do another fun activity at the end of the lesson. If the whole word remains they can choose a game.

3. Students don¡¯t get on with each other

It is only natural that students will want to sit with their friends, but it is important that students learn to work with different people. Most students will react reasonably if asked to work with someone new, but occasionally conflicts can arise. To help avoid uncomfortable situations, do team building activities, such as those below, at the beginning of the school year, and do them again whenever you feel that they would be beneficial:

• Give students an icebreaker activity such as 'find a friend bingo' to help students find out more about each other.
• Help students learn more about each other by finding out what they have in common.
• Balloon race. Have two or more teams with an equal number of students stand in lines. Give each team a balloon to pass to the next student without using their hands. The first team to pass the balloon to the end of the line wins.
• Team letter/word building. Call out a letter of the alphabet and have pairs of students form it with their bodies, lying on the floor. When students can do this easily, call out short words, e.g. cat, and have the pairs join up (e.g. three pairs = group of six) and form the letters to make the word.

4. Students don¡¯t know what to do

When the instructions are given in English, there will inevitably be a few students who don¡¯t understand what they have to do. It is essential to give clear, concise instructions and to model the activity before you ask students to start. To check students know what to do and clarify any problems:

• Have one or more students demonstrate using an example.
• Have one student explain the task in L1.
• Monitor the task closely in the first few minutes and check individual students are on the right track.

5. A student refuses to participate/do the task

This is a frequent problem that can have many different causes. In the first few lessons, this may simply be shyness, but it is important to identify the cause early to devise an effective strategy. A few other causes might include:

• Lack of language required to respond or do the task. Provide differentiation tasks or scaffolding to help students with a lower level complete the task or have them respond in a non-oral way.
• Low self-confidence in their ability to speak English. Again, differentiation and scaffolding can help here. Have students work in small groups or pairs first, before being asked to speak in front of the whole class.
• Lack of interest or engagement in the topic. If students aren¡¯t interested, they won¡¯t have anything to say. Adapt the topic or task, or just move on.
• External issues e.g. a bad day, a fight with a friend, physical problems (tiredness/hunger/thirst). Talk to the student privately to find out if they are experiencing any problems. Allow them to 'pass' on a task if necessary, and give them something less challenging to do.

It is important not to force students to do something they don¡¯t want to do, as this will cause a negative atmosphere and can affect the whole class. Ultimately, if a student skips one or two tasks, it won¡¯t affect their achievement in the long run.

6. Students ask for repeated restroom/water breaks

It only takes one student to ask to go to the restroom before the whole class suddenly needs to go! This can cause disruption and stops the flow of the lesson. To avoid this, make sure you have rules in place concerning restroom breaks:

• Make sure students know to go to the restroom before the lesson.
• Have students bring in their own water bottles. You can provide a space for them to keep their bottles (label them with student names) in the classroom and have students fill them daily at the drinking fountain or faucet.
• Find out if anyone has any special requirements that may require going to the restroom.
• Provide 'brain breaks' at strategic points in the lesson when you see students becoming restless.

7. Students don¡¯t have the required materials

• Provide parents with a list of materials students will need on the first day.
• If special materials are required in a lesson, give students a note to take home or post a message on the school platform several days before.
• Don¡¯t blame the student - whether they have a good reason or not for turning up to class empty-handed, making a child feel guilty will not help.
• Write a note for parents explaining why bringing materials to class is important.

8. Students are not listening/talking

Getting their attention can be challenging if you have a boisterous class. Set up a signal you will use when you want them to pay attention to you. When they hear or see the signal, students should stop what they are doing and look at you. Some common signals are:

• Raising your hand?- When students see you raise your hand, they should raise their hands and stop talking. Wait until everyone is sitting in silence with their hands raised. This works well with older children and teenagers.
• Call and response attention-getters - These are short phrases that prompt students to respond in a certain way, for example: Teacher: "1 2 3, eyes on me!"?Students: "1 2 3, eyes on you!". Introduce a new attention-getter every few weeks to keep it fun. You can even have your students think up their own phrases to use.
• Countdowns -?Tell students what you want them to do and count backwards from ten to zero, e.g. "When I get to zero, I need you all to be quiet and look at me. 10, 9, 8 ¡­"
• Keep your voice low and speak calmly -?This will encourage students to stop talking and bring down excitement levels.
• A short song or clapping rhythm -?With younger children, it is effective to use music or songs for transitions between lesson stages so they know what to do at each stage. For primary-aged children, clap out a rhythm and have them repeat it. Start with a simple rhythm, then gradually make it longer, faster, or more complex.

What are the origins of exam-day stress?

There¡¯s no doubt about it ¨C exams are scary. But why exactly is this? What is it about an exam scenario that stresses us out and how can we make it feel okay?

To answer these questions, we¡¯re going to have to take a trip back in time and look at how our ancestors evolved their abstract thinking skills. At the same time, we¡¯ll look at how mindfulness can actively help shift the way we think about exams.

About 70,000 years ago, or thereabouts, a critical development happened in how the human brain processed experiences.

Over a relatively short time (in evolutionary terms), scientists believe we stopped simply experiencing primal urges (safety/hunger/tiredness etc.) and responding to them.

Instead, we started to be able to imagine, analyze and believe in things that didn¡¯t exist. This meant not only could our brains respond to the threat of a real predator in front of us, but also to the perceived or imagined threat of a predator. This shift had really interesting consequences for our future relationship to threat.

Developing imaginations also meant we started to believe in the same things as our peer groups. As a result, if a member of the tribe stopped behaving in a way that supported the tribe¡¯s survival, other members might start to doubt their usefulness as a member of the community.

At this time, social isolation meant no share of the food and no protection against predators. Inclusion was directly linked to survival. Essentially the physiological consequences of not meeting societal expectations were the same as coming face-to-face with a lion: fight or flight.

Why is fight or flight mode a problem for exam performance?

Fast forward to the present day and the context of English language exams. Exams are a type of societal expectation: a standard of language proficiency which a student is required to meet to prove their usefulness in a community who speaks that language.

Thinking about it this way, it¡¯s no wonder we can experience stress and panic at the thought of an exam or in the exam room itself. In evolutionary terms, an exam = a lion or the possibility of social exclusion!

Fight or flight mode is designed to help us overcome or escape danger as quickly as possible.

When fight or flight is activated, our brain shuts down the bodily functions it doesn¡¯t need to survive. This includes digestion, language creation, creative and strategic thinking, writing, and deeper breathing.

Unfortunately, some of these are key to performing well in a language exam!

that, especially in an exam course context, ¡°extremely high stress levels[¡­] can affect your cognition, negatively impacting your memory and ability to complete a task. Over time, chronically high stress levels can also impair your ability to form new memories, so high stress levels all semester long could impact your final exam performance later.¡±

This means that high stress levels in the exam make it hard to perform at one¡¯s best, and stress in anticipation of the exam can mean that the content is not learned properly in the first place.

What can teachers do to help?

Ultimately, we want to make the exam scenario seem safe. When our mind and body do not perceive danger, they will allow the ¡®rest and digest¡¯ functions to become active and allow our performance to flow.

There will of course be some nerves. But the key is to help the student stay in that sweet spot of clear thinking before the stress takes over and turns into panic.

Here are three ways we can help:

1. Practice mindful breathing

Practice some simple mindful breathing with your students. Mindfulness refers to the awareness that we find by focusing consciously on the present moment, objectively, with compassion and without judgment.

It takes us back into the physical reality of the present moment and out of anxious thought cycles, which can make our stress spiral out of control. Practicing regularly ahead of the exam will help build up neural connections in the brain around the areas that help us relax and .

The following straightforward routine can be used both regularly at the start of class and by the student in the exam itself if they feel panic rising:

• STOP: Close your eyes. Take a moment to notice the physical sensation of the chair beneath you and the floor underneath your feet. Notice the sounds around you in the room and allow them simply to flow in and out without needing to follow them.
• BREATHE: Focus your attention gently on your breath going in and out of your nose at the tip of the nostrils. Count ten breaths in and out, seeing if you can notice something new about each one. If you feel panicky, allow the breath out to continue a little longer than the breath in.
• WATCH: Become aware of your thoughts and allow them to simply come and go, like clouds across the sky. Notice if you are holding on to something from the past or striving towards something in the future. Allow these to simply release and take your attention back to the breath in the present moment. Count another ten breaths. Then open your eyes and come back into the room.

2. Familiarize your students with the exam scenario

Make the exam scenario as familiar as possible in advance. Anything you can do to make the exam conditions appear less threatening ahead of exam day will be of great benefit.

This may be as simple as making conditions surrounding regular progress assessments as close to the main exam as possible, so it is less strange on the day. If you have control over the exam day itself, make this as low pressure as possible.

3. Help students develop a growth mindset

Foster a growth mindset with your students by using the word ¡®yet¡¯ with them. Encourage them to replace ¡®I can¡¯t do it¡¯ with ¡®I can¡¯t do it yet¡¯. This simple word takes them out of comparison mode with where they think they should be in terms of language ability and helps them stay focused on where they are, reducing self-pressure.

All of the above strategies are designed to take away the threat of a lion in the exam room when the day comes.

Wishing your students all the very best for their exam preparation and good luck!

As you work to improve your English skills, it¡¯s always helpful to have some tricks and tips to help you stay motivated. With that in mind, we¡¯ve collated these eight simple tips from fellow English language learners, to help you on your quest¡­

1. Set yourself small goals

Learning English is a long process, and it may take years to progress from one level to the next. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to set yourself achievable goals. At ÃÛÌÒapp, we work with thousands of English teachers worldwide to define what it means to ¡®be at a level¡¯ in English.?

2. Create a study schedule

Ensure this schedule works around your daily responsibilities and make sure to keep it simple! Try breaking up your English language learning over the course of an entire day, which may make it feel more manageable.

3. Practice a little bit every day

Even if it¡¯s listening to an English podcast during your commute or practicing your favorite words while having breakfast, every little bit of practice helps!

4. Discover what type of learner you are

Auditory, visual, or tactile. Use this as a basis for how you spend time studying. For instance, a visual learner may benefit from flashcards (see point 7), while an auditory learner may benefit from watching a television program in English.

5. Turn on music in English

Rhythms and rhymes have been found to stimulate the brain and improve learning. Our research found that music can be an invaluable tool when learning English, as it helps with pronunciation, word boundaries and vocabulary.

6. Watch movies with English dialogue

Movies are a great source of native conversation and vocabulary. Plus, the visual nature of film allows you to experience nonverbal context too ¡ª such as facial expressions and hand gestures ¡ª accompanying and contextualizing the film¡¯s dialogue. Above all, watching a movie is a fun and motivational way to develop English language skills.

7. Learn new vocabulary with flashcards

While this may be the oldest studying trick in the book, students around the world use flashcards because they work!

8. Track your progress

To gain a sense of accomplishment, it¡¯s important to know where you¡¯ve started. We¡¯ve just introduced a new way to measure progress in English. Have a look at it to quickly discover what your areas of strength and weakness are.

Finally, it¡¯s important to remember that not every learning trick will work for you. So, if you find that chatting with fluent English speakers helps you progress faster but you¡¯re not always able to converse with them face-to-face, spend more of your time communicating online with your English-speaking friends and contacts.

More and , giving candidates the opportunity to apply for jobs from anywhere in the country and across the world. In turn, this wider net has enabled HR professionals to bring in giant pools of qualified candidates ¨C and of course, more great hires.

But with more job applications coming in, HR professionals know they need to work faster and more efficiently. And the right HR tools can help teams save time and standardize hiring across the board ¨C especially when assessing candidates¡¯ English skills or personality traits from afar.

Need help choosing the best HR software? We¡¯ve got you covered. Here are 6 tools for busy HR professionals ¨C including a number of HR tests for measuring sought-after soft skills:

1. Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp

How it helps you: Test candidates¡¯ English language abilities with AI

Need a fair way to test candidates¡¯ English skills? Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp is an HR test that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to score language assessments instantly. Made by ÃÛÌÒapp, the world¡¯s leading education company, the tool tests candidates¡¯ speaking, listening, reading and writing skills to help HR professionals evaluate how easily someone can handle different workplace tasks ¨C like speaking with customers over the phone or writing clear emails to co-workers.

Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp also provides an Intelligibility Index score, which objectively measures how well someone pronounces words or expresses their thoughts ¨C both things that are important for effective workplace communication, but easily overlooked.

The test is available 24/7, with no appointment required, in more than 100 countries around the world.

Learn more about how Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp works

2. Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal

How it helps you: Measure important critical thinking skills

The Watson-Glaser test is a popular critical thinking assessment. In fact, it¡¯s been around for more than a century, helping organizations and institutions measure the decision-making and rational thinking skills of employees, job applicants, and students alike.

The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal tool makes it easy to administer the test on a larger scale. The assessment is timed (it takes 30 minutes) and includes a large bank of questions to help make sure no one ends up writing the same test. The scores are also given as a percentile, based around the following three criteria: whether someone can recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments and draw conclusions.

Overall, it¡¯s a great tool to use with current employees wanting to move up in the organization. But best of all? It can help HR professionals screen out candidates whose critical thinking skills aren¡¯t up to par ¨C and save time interviewing people who might be qualified on paper, but not necessarily in practice.

3. Golden Personality Profiler

How it helps you: Assess a candidate¡¯s personality type and how it will affect their behavior at work.

is one of the most in-depth personality assessments on the market. It allows HR professionals to understand what makes an individual unique. In turn, this leads to greater self-acceptance among employees and the ability to value differences in others¡ªkey factors impacting team performance.

So, how does it work? Powered by Jung¡¯s Theory of Type as well as the Five-Factor Model of personality, Golden identifies the most detailed aspects of an individual¡¯s personality. The program presents findings in a clear and concise report to make it easy to understand.

Of course, this is all good information to have in mind. But how can personality tests be helpful for HR? Not only does this test help predict how well candidates will perform at work, but it also helps to quickly identify a team¡¯s strengths and resources and its potential weaknesses and blind spots. Furthermore, this tool can help HR professionals hire people who will match, or help shape, the company culture.

4. Acsendo

How it helps you: Run assessments and improve employee performance

For many workplaces, it can be difficult to keep morale up. Many people have reported feeling overwhelmed, isolated and unproductive working from home. , on the other hand, can help HR professionals push employee engagement and measure how everyone¡¯s performing.

Within the tool, HR teams can run company assessments to measure employee satisfaction and how they view their work environment, among other things.

It also enables HR to see if workers¡¯ objectives align with company-wide goals, for example, and helps teams create development plans for employees. Even more, Acscendo advertises that their platform only takes a few days for teams to implement.

5. Odoo

How it helps you: Manage employees and recruit from one place

is a pretty popular HR platform; they say they have more than 5 million users worldwide. The tool lets users keep track of things like employee leaves, hours worked, expenses and evaluations all in one place ¨C as well as recruit and manage new job applications, for example.

We also like that they¡¯re open source and that more than 20,000 developers contribute to it globally.

6. Raven¡¯s

How it helps you: Assess the skills needed for leadership positions and reduce bias

Raven¡¯s is another HR test to assess an employee¡¯s soft skills. But it takes into special account the unique skills needed for leadership or management positions. These skills include abstract reasoning, complex problem-solving, and observation skills, among others.

HR professionals get a report with the results. It shows how the candidate compares to others in the same role. The test isn¡¯t influenced by language differences, and overall, it gives HR professionals a better understanding of who¡¯s actually best for the job.

In an ever-changing jobs market, the skills we all need to use have developed beyond numeracy and literacy ¨C and part of our jobs as teachers is to give students the skills they¡¯ll need in their future careers.

Primary students preparing to go to secondary school (and then university) will need academic skills too. While there are lots of courses offering to teach these skills to older learners, we can give our younger learners a head start in the classroom.

A breakdown of academic skills

There are a number of important academic skills that can be carried into many different areas of students¡¯ lives. These include:

• time management
• prioritization
• cooperative learning and delegation
• research
• analysis.

Each skill will help students manage their workloads and work effectively and efficiently, whether working in an office, studying for a degree, or being self-employed.

Activities to develop an awareness of academic skills

Here are a few ideas for use with students of all ages, to develop students¡¯ awareness and understanding of these skills.

Time management

For much of the school day, children are told where to be and what to do. However, knowing how to tell the time is not the same as managing time.

Some students underestimate how long an activity will take and then feel cheated or ¡®behind¡¯ when their work takes longer (especially fast finishers). Others overestimate the time needed, feel overwhelmed, and want to give up before getting started.

Helping each student understand what each activity involves will help them to plan and manage their time. It will also encourage them to recognize everyone has differing abilities and works at a different pace.

Give each student sticky notes representing 10 minute blocks of time (6 pieces if your classes are in 1 hour segments).

Explain an activity:

• You will read a story, and they will need to listen for key information and make notes.
• After that, they will work in groups to make a Venn diagram.

Next, have the students think about how much time each part of the lesson will take using sticky notes. If they think making the diagram will take 20 minutes, they should put two sticky notes on top of each other.

Have students share what they think the time allocation should be, taking into account how long your lesson is. Did any ¡®run out of time¡¯ or have time ¡®left over¡¯?

After the activity, ask students how accurate their predictions were and if there was any time wasting.

Let students practice using this type of task analysis throughout the week for different activities, so they begin to see which activities they work quickly through and which they find more time-consuming. This will help students plan and manage their time better.

Also, involve the parents by sharing what has been done in class. Get students to manage the time allocation:

• from waking up to getting to school (getting washed and dressed, having breakfast, the journey to school),
• from arriving home to going to bed (homework, evening meal, any cores, time for watching TV or playing games, getting ready for bed).

How does their time management change at weekends/in the holidays?

Prioritization

Prioritization is another big part of time management. Task analysis helps students recognize what they must do and how they must do it in order to get a good grade. It also helps them understand the things they will most enjoy about an activity.

To teach prioritization, it should become a regular part of the class. At the start of each week list (approximately five) class objectives to be achieved:

• Ask each student to number these objectives - 1 being their top priority, 5 being their lowest. Make a note of which students prioritize the same tasks in the same order to help with grouping.
• Next, ask them if any of the objectives will need planning or preparation (for example; growing cress for a science experiment) ¨C and if so, should that be started earlier in the week?
• At the end of each day, review how the students are doing in reaching the objectives and if they need to reprioritize.
• As the week progresses, add additional items that are not priorities. For example, clean out your school locker/sharpen all the pencils, as well as other new real priorities: revise for the quiz on Friday. This will give students an understanding of how priorities can change.

Collaborative learning and delegation

Delegation and collaborative working are both essential academic and life skills. Thankfully they are already quite familiar topics for students. Students often delegate roles and characters in their everyday play ¨C ¡®You be Spiderman, I¡¯ll chase you¡¯, etc.

It¡¯s helpful to encourage this behavior in the classroom too. It can help students (of all ages) to recognize what they can achieve through cooperation and delegation because of their different skills.

Explain that a group project (e.g. a group play) will require students to share information and to work together. Make it clear there are rules to follow:

• Everyone must take part in the performance.
• The play must be at least one minute long.
• The group needs to write a script and create some props.
• As a team, all are accountable/responsible to each other (as well as to you).
• The activity will only be classed as a pass/success if everyone takes part.

There is a finite goal ¨C the play will be performed at the end of next week to the Year 2 classes.

Suggest that the group meets and plans together (reading corner, at lunchtime, etc.). As they prepare, ask for updates on who is doing which tasks and why. Also encourage the group to determine whether something could be done differently/better by sharing the jobs.

Listen in to see how objections are handled (recognize some of this discussion may be in the students¡¯ first language).

At the end of the project ask each student to list what they enjoyed the most and what they found most challenging. Ask them what skills they would like to develop for the next project.

Research and analysis

This can sound daunting for Primary students, but laying the foundations for academic research is easier than you might think.

Big questions are a gateway to developing research and analysis skills. Two examples are, 'Why are plants and animals important in our world?' Or 'What can you do to help people in need?'.

Providing students with a way to remember the important steps in any kind of research makes this type of activity less daunting.

'Hands On¡¯ is a five point guide that can be demonstrated by drawing a hand with five fingers:

• Hypothesis
• Research
• Gather data
• Create a report
• Present evidence
• Research and analysis (written on the palm).

Following the five point guide students must:

• give their thoughts and ideas on possible answers (create a hypothesis)
• use books, the world around them and the internet to find information (research)
• learn how to recognize what is fact and what is opinion (gather data)
• review the data and summarize the main points (create a report)
• use examples from their research to support their argument (present evidence).

Any research needs to be methodical; using the five points above helps students build a clear structure that can become more detailed and complex as they advance through school.

Versant tests are popular automatically scored English assessments. They allow test takers to prove their English proficiency and demonstrate that they¡¯re capable of using English at work.

If you¡¯re applying for a job or trying to get into a school language program, you may be preparing to take a Versant test right now! But how do you make sure you succeed at it?

Here¡¯s everything you need to know about preparing for your Versant test.

What types of Versant tests are there?

There are four different types of English tests in the Versant suite. Each is designed with the purpose of testing English language proficiency. However, they¡¯re slightly different in structure and the skills they test. As a result, they are used by companies or educational institutions with different goals.

Here are the five types of Versant tests:

• Versant English Test: a short, 17-minute test that focuses on speaking skills. Companies that primarily use spoken English use this test to assess candidates¡¯ ability to communicate in English. For example, it¡¯s popular with call centers.
• Versant Writing Test: a 35-minute writing test. It¡¯s the ideal test for companies that use English primarily in writing. It evaluates writing skills through practical exercises like taking notes and writing emails.
• Versant English Placement Test: a thorough, 50-minute test that evaluates all four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). Academic institutions use this formative assessment to sort students into language programs.
• Versant 4 Skills Essential: a shorter, 30-minute test that evaluates all four language skills. Companies often use it to find candidates with well-rounded English skills because it helps them fill entry-level positions quickly.
• Versant Professional English Test: a comprehensive 60-minute test that evaluates all four skills. Companies use this test to baseline skills, measure progress and prove employees¡¯ proficiency, oftentimes at the end of a business English training course.

Which Versant test should you take?

Which Versant test you take will depend on what your goals are. Have a look at these examples:

• Arnaldo wants to study abroad for a year in Australia. He will most likely take the Versant English Placement Test to get into the university program of his choice.
• Arjun is applying for a job at a call center. His future employers will request that he take the Versant English Test to demonstrate how he communicates in English.
• Sofia¡¯s aiming to become an email customer support specialist at an international retail firm. She¡¯ll be asked to take the Versant Writing Test to prove her writing skills.
• Farrah is applying for an internship at a fast-scaling startup. So, she¡¯ll need to take the Versant 4 Skills Essential Test.
• Last but not least, Samira is currently a mid-level manager at an insurance company and is enrolled in a course to upskill her communication skills. She¡¯ll be asked to prove her English proficiency by taking the Versant Professional English Test.
  

Tips for preparing for your Versant test

No matter which Versant test you¡¯re taking, there are things you can do to prepare. Here are 6 ways to make sure you get the best results:

1. Work on your intelligibility

Intelligibility refers to your ability to speak in a way that¡¯s easy to understand for others. Even if you don¡¯t speak flawlessly or have a native-like accent, your speech can still have a high intelligibility level. That is if you are able to express what you mean.

The Versant English Test has an intelligibility score. The system calculates it based on various speech factors like speed, clarity, pronunciation, and fluency. So, it¡¯s important that you work on your intelligibility before tackling a Versant test.

Here are two exercises you can do to improve your intelligibility:

• Record your speech. Recording yourself talking for a minute or so lets you play it back, analyze your speech and identify parts of it that are hard to understand. Maybe you¡¯re mispronouncing some words, talking too fast, or pausing too often. Try to practice talking about the same topic until your speech becomes easier to understand.
• Practice shadowing. Shadowing is a technique that brings together listening and speaking. Find a video of a proficient public speaker giving a speech on YouTube. Try to say the same words as the speaker at about the same time. Do this for about 30 seconds at a time. This will help you mimic the speaker¡¯s speech, improving your intonation, pronunciation, and fluency.
  

If you can, enlist the help of an English teacher to help you work on your weaknesses, or find a friend who is a fluent English speaker and set up regular video chats.

2. Practice typing on your computer

Unless you¡¯re taking the Versant English Test, which is a speaking-only test, you¡¯ll be asked to prove your English writing skills. Since Versant tests are most often taken off-site, it¡¯s likely that you¡¯ll be taking it on your own computer at home. That¡¯s why it¡¯s a good idea to practice typing on your computer before your Versant test.

While Versant will not factor your typing into your English proficiency scores, the Versant Writing Test and Versant English Placement Test do include a separate typing speed and accuracy score. They¡¯re provided as supplemental information for 3 reasons:

1. Since typing is a familiar task to most candidates, it is a comfortable introduction to the test.
2. It allows candidates to familiarize themselves with the keyboard.
3. If typing speed is below 12 words per minute, and/or accuracy is below 90%, then it is likely that this candidate¡¯s written English proficiency was not properly measured due to poor typing skills. The test administrator should take this into account when interpreting test scores.

Bear in mind that all the exercises you need to complete are timed. So, if you want to make sure that you have enough time to type your answers correctly, it¡¯s good to get a little practice. This way, you¡¯ll be able to focus wholeheartedly on the content and structure of your sentences, not your typing.

To give you an example, the Versant English Placement Test has a dictation task, where you have to type sentences exactly as you hear them. It also has a passage reconstruction task, where you read a text, put it aside, and type what you remember from it.

Then, there¡¯s a summary and opinion task where you have to read a passage, summarize the author¡¯s opinion, and give your own. These are all practical exercises that evaluate how well you¡¯d perform in real-life situations at work. For example, taking notes at a meeting, writing emails, or putting together a presentation.

3. Listen to everyday spoken English

Another definitive characteristic of Versant is that it tests how well you can understand and use English in an everyday context. It does not test the technical or literary use of the language. So, to get into Versant, it¡¯s a good idea to immerse yourself in some everyday spoken English.

For example, you can watch videos of someone on YouTube talking directly to their audience in a casual way. Or, you can listen to a podcast that features a laid-back conversation between two people. And, if you can, don¡¯t just listen but also practice talking about everyday topics. Ask a friend or a family member to chat with you in English about simple things like how your day was or what you had for dinner.

Tips for taking your Versant test

Preparation is key. But it¡¯s also important to make sure that you take the test the correct way. Since Versant is a flexible test that can be completed online or offline and administered remotely, there are a few tricks to making sure you get the best out of it:

1. Choose your testing environment well

Take the test in a quiet room, with no background noise or people talking around you. Make sure that the space doesn¡¯t have an echo. And, turn off your notifications so you won¡¯t be disturbed by incoming phone calls or messages.

2. Make good-quality recordings

The best way to do speaking tests is by using a headset with a built-in microphone. Keep the microphone 3-5 cm from your mouth. Try not to touch or move it while answering questions.

3. Speak in a natural way

Try to speak at a normal conversational speed and volume. Just the way you would speak if you were talking to another person. Don¡¯t raise your voice or speak too softly. Try not to speak too slowly or rush your answers. And, do not repeat your answers again and again.

Want to learn more about Versant? check out our post?Everything you need to know about the Versant tests.

Every day, an astonishing number of emails are sent and received worldwide. While a considerable amount of these are informal messages between friends, the majority are for business purposes. Whether you¡¯re emailing someone you work with, applying for a new job or making new connections, here are some general rules to follow when writing English emails¡­

1. Know your tone

Always consider who you are writing to and adapt your language accordingly. Emails are less formal than letters, so it¡¯s fine to start your email with ¡°Hi¡± or ¡°Good morning¡± ¨C but it may be better to write ¡°Dear¡­¡± if you are emailing someone for the first time or if they are senior to you. Similarly, ending emails with ¡°Best/kind regards¡± rather than ¡°Yours sincerely/faithfully¡± works well, with the latter being more appropriate for a formal email. Whatever the relationship, though, don¡¯t feel tempted to use laid-back, colloquial expressions like ¡°Hey, you guys¡±, ¡°Yo!¡±, or ¡°Hi folks¡±.

2. It¡¯s all about the titles

It¡¯s increasingly common to use first names in international business communications, so don¡¯t be afraid to do so. Another title to consider is your email subject header: a short, clear text is important as busy people often decide whether to even open an email depending on the subject header. Examples of a good subject header include ¡°Meeting date changed¡±, ¡°Quick question about your presentation¡±, or ¡°Suggestions for the proposal¡±.

3. Use a professional email address

If you work for a company you¡¯ll be using your company email address. But if you¡¯re using a personal email account because you¡¯re self-employed or looking for a new job, you should be careful when choosing that address.

You should always have an email address that includes your name so that the recipient knows exactly who is sending the email. Email addresses that you created while you were in school or college (IloveJohn@¡­ or ¡°Beerlover@¡­) are not appropriate for the workplace!

4. Limit the small talk

Small talk can help to build relationships but it doesn¡¯t need to be overly personal. A simple ¡°I hope you are well¡± or ¡°How are things?¡± will usually suffice. Also, be cautious with humor as it can easily get lost in translation without the correct tone or facial expressions that accompany face-to-face meetings. It¡¯s safer to leave out humor from emails unless you know the recipient well.

5. Keep it simple

Emails are intended to be written, read and understood quickly, so only include the important details ¨C and avoid saturating your message with unnecessary information.

6. Proofread every message

Always check your emails before pressing Send. Read and re-read your email a few times, preferably aloud, to ensure there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes. And never just rely on the auto spell-check; spell-checking software doesn't always understand the context of your writing and can throw you off with incorrect suggestions.?

Happy emailing.