ÃÛÌÒapp

Communicating in English goes far beyond simply learning English vocabulary. In fact, there are many non-verbal strategies you can leverage to appear more confident as you improve your English. Below you¡¯ll find three of the most important aspects of non-verbal communication to work on:

Make eye contact when you speak in English

When you¡¯re talking to someone, it¡¯s best to look them in the eye as much as possible. This shows that you are engaged in the conversation and listening intently when not speaking. Especially in loud environments, you may find your eyes drawn to someone¡¯s lips as they talk. While it may help you better understand what they¡¯re saying in a noisy place, like a restaurant, aim to maintain eye contact as much as you can (but do remember to take a quick break away once in a while so as to not stare too intently).

Be mindful of body language

What you¡¯re doing with your hands and the facial expressions you make can say a lot¡ªsometimes more than words! Not only should you be aware of the body language of who you¡¯re talking with, but you also need to know what your body language is saying about you. Different cultures see hand gestures differently so it's good to be mindful of what gestures you make with your hands. If you want to appear open and friendly you may want to keep your arms open and avoid closed body language like crossing your arms.

If someone is leaning away from you slightly, this may indicate they aren¡¯t interested in the topic you¡¯re speaking about. They may lean in closer if more interested in what you're talking about. If they smile a lot, this may mean they agree with you.

Prepare yourself for English conversations you may have

If you are planning to practice talking in English, it¡¯s OK to prepare yourself for the conversation. Create a script for yourself to speak from that allows you to practice difficult terms and phrases. Not only will this give you real-time experience bettering your skills, but it will allow you to speak English with confidence.

Either in work situations or casual conversations, there¡¯s more than just English words being exchanged so remember to dedicate your full attention. It¡¯s an excellent opportunity to practice and improve your English skills and you¡¯re likely to learn more than just studying on your own.

Many people are surprised at the idea of a computer program marking an exam paper. However, computer-based testing already exists in many different formats and many different areas. Many tests or exams that form part of our daily life are taken on computers. If you¡¯ve ever learned to drive, sat a citizenship test, done a training course at work, or completed a placement test for a language course, the odds are that you¡¯ve already taken an automated test.

Yet despite it being so common, there is still a lack of understanding when it comes to computer-based language assessment and how a computer can evaluate productive skills like speaking and writing.

Computer-based testing: a closer look

A common issue is that people have different ideas of what these tests entail. Computers can fulfill several essential roles in the testing process, but these often go unacknowledged. For example, a variety of test questions are needed to administer an exam, along with relevant data, and computers are used to store both the questions and the data. When it comes to creating randomized exams, computer software is used to select the exam questions, based on this data.

Computers can make complex calculations far more quickly and accurately than humans. This means that processes that previously took a long time are completed in days, rather than weeks.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is now capable of grading exam papers, for example. This means a shorter wait for exam results. In , candidates receive their results in an average of two days rather than waiting weeks for an examiner to mark their paper by hand.

The benefits for students and teachers

People take exams to prove their skills and abilities. Depending on their goals, the right result can open the door to many new opportunities, whether that is simply moving on to the next stage of a course, or something as life-changing as allowing you to take up your place on a university course in another country.

A qualification can act as a passport to a better career or an enhanced education, and for that reason, it¡¯s important that both students and teachers can have faith in their results.

Computer programs have no inherent bias, which means that candidates can be confident that they will all be treated the same, regardless of their background, appearance or accent. , just one of ÃÛÌÒapp¡¯s computer-based exams, offers students the chance to score additional points on the exam with innovative integrated test items.

This integration means that the results are a far more accurate depiction of the candidate¡¯s abilities and provide a truer reflection of their linguistic prowess.

More than questions on a screen

It¡¯s not as easy as simply transferring the questions onto a computer screen. All that does is remove the need for pen and paper; this is a missed opportunity to harness the precision and speed of a computer, as well as its learning potential.

Tests that have been fully digitized, such as PTE Academic, benefit from that automation; eliminating examiner bias, making the test fairer and calculating the results more quickly. Automated testing builds on the technological tradition of opening doors for the future ¨C not closing them.

How technology enhances language testing

The development of automated testing technologies doesn¡¯t merely make the examination process quicker and more accurate ¨C it also gives us the chance to innovate. Speaking assessments are an excellent example of this.

Previously, this part of a language exam involved an interview, led by an examiner, who asked questions and elicited answers. But now that we have the technological capability, using a computer offers students the chance to be tested on a much wider range of speaking skills, without worrying about the inherent bias of the examiner.

Indeed, the use of a computer-based system facilitates integrated skills testing. Traditionally, language exams had separate papers focusing on the four skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. But the more modern concept of language testing aims to assess these linguistic skills used together, just as they are in real-life situations.

Afterwards, the various scores are categorized to allow learners an insight into their strengths and weaknesses, which helps both students and teachers identify areas which need improvement. This useful feedback is only possible because of the accuracy and detail of automated exam grading.

The space race on paper

Back in the 1960s, during the space race, computers were still a relatively new concept. Kathleen Johnson, one of the first African-American women to work for NASA as a scientist, was a mathematician with a reputation for doing incredibly complex manual calculations. Although computers had made the orbital calculations, the astronauts on the first space flight refused to fly until Kathleen had checked those calculations three times.

This anecdote reminds us that - although computer technology is an inherent part of everyday life - now and then, we still need to check that their systems are working as they should. Human error still comes into play ¨C after all, humans program these systems.

PTE Academic ¨C a fully digitized exam

Every stage of PTE Academic, from registration to practice tests to results (both receiving and sharing them with institutions) happens online. It may come as a surprise to learn that the test itself is not taken online. Instead, students attend one of over 295 test centers to take the exam, which comes with the highest levels of data security.

This means that each student can sit the exam in an environment designed for that purpose. It also allows the receiving institutions, such as universities and colleges, to be assured of the validity of the PTE Academic result.

The future is here

We created computers, but they have surpassed us in many areas ¨C exam grading being a case in point. Computers can score more accurately and consistently than humans, and they don¡¯t get tired late in the day, or become distracted by a candidate¡¯s accent.

The use of AI technology to grade student responses represents a giant leap forward in language testing, leading to fairer and more accurate student results. It also means more consistency in grading which benefits the institutions, such as universities, which rely on these scores to accurately reflect ability.

And here at ÃÛÌÒapp, we are invested in staying at the cutting edge of assessment. Our test developers are incorporating AI solutions now, using its learning capacity to create algorithms and build programs that can assess speaking and writing skills accurately and quickly. We¡¯re expanding the horizons of English language assessment for students, teachers and all the other professionals involved in each stage of the language learning journey.

¡°How do I learn thee? Let me count the ways¡±

Did you get it?

To ¡®get¡¯ the title of this post, you must first recognize that it is based on the famous opening line from Elizabeth Barrett Browning¡¯s Sonnet 43, published in 1850. Then you need to understand that ¡°thee¡± is an old form of the word ¡°you¡±. Next, you need to appreciate the pun on the word ¡°love¡±, which has been changed to ¡°learn¡±. Lastly, you need to figure out the full meaning of the phrase, which likens the idea of learning English to the idea of love, or a labor of love (also an idiom), and the many different ways you can do it.

That¡¯s a lot of steps, but a fluent English speaker would likely pick it up. That¡¯s because they've learned the language from childhood in an English-speaking country, probably studied some poetry at school and have absorbed this quote through news media, popular culture or at a wedding.

Understanding jargon, idioms and colloquialism is one of the hardest parts of learning any new language. It¡¯s only achieved by repeated exposure to ¨C and immersion in ¨C speech. In the Global Scale of English Learning Objectives for Adult Learners, listening to, and recognizing a wide range of idioms and colloquialisms doesn¡¯t appear until 83, at the very upper edge of C1. For speaking, joining a conversation in progress with fluent speakers on complex topics comes in at 81. Reading idiomatic or non-standard language appears at 76, again within C1. It all adds up to a very sophisticated level of understanding.

Yet jargon and idioms are huge parts of English. They are also constantly changing, and jargon morphs with new innovations, professional disciplines, and generations.?

When an idiom is over-used, it becomes a clich¨¦. Sometimes idioms stick out like a sore thumb because they¡¯re unrelated to context ¨C but not always.

Even fluent English speakers don¡¯t necessarily realize an idiom is an idiom. Take the phrase ¡°I¡¯ll call you tomorrow¡±.?Most fluent English speakers would see that as a simple declarative sentence. The expression comes from the idea of ¡°calling on¡± someone in person, or calling their name to get their attention, but a?second-language English speaker may not immediately grasp the fact that it now involves a phone, and can be achieved over long distances.

English is both complex and rich in figurative language; we know this. That¡¯s one of its beauties and also a challenge of learning it. But at what point do these kinds of figurative language become incorrect?

As ,?second-language English speakers now outnumber fluent English speakers globally, which means the balance is tipping. Fluent English speakers are doing business with, learning from and interacting with second-language English speakers more than ever. Billions of pounds in trade and countries¡¯ fates can hinge on those written and spoken conversations; the stakes are high.

Second-language English speakers find idioms and jargon difficult and therefore see far less need for them. Although sayings can be lovely, charming and fun, these linguistic devices mask meaning by their very nature. This makes language less efficient when not every participant in a conversation can decode them. The proportion of people who can¡¯t is growing, which might affect what is considered to be ¡°correct¡± in the coming decades and have implications for what is taught.

Want to learn some idioms? Check out - Eerie English idioms and phrases

Critical thinking is a 21st century skill that has been around for thousands of years. There are records of Socrates using critical thinking skills in his teaching in 4th century BC Greece. In recent years though, critical thinking has again become more prominent in education.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking requires students to do more than remember and repeat information. Instead, it encourages them to analyze, examine, evaluate and use their problem-solving abilities through questioning, theorizing and rationalizing to have a deeper understanding of the world around them, both inside the classroom and beyond.

Why is critical thinking so important?

In the past, success in education was largely based on the ability to remember facts and figures. However, the skills which our students need today go further than memorization. With our rapidly evolving technology, the internet, and the bewildering amount of information online, it is essential that our students can use higher-order thinking skills to analyze and assess the information they are presented with.

How can you incorporate critical thinking into your classes?

Devising long-term goals

We all know the importance of looking ahead and planning for the future. We can encourage this skill in our students and directly relate it to their learning.

At the start of the course, take a moment to chat with each student individually and ask them to identify an objective for the first part of the year. You may like to brainstorm possible objectives as a class first, but it¡¯s important for students to determine their own personal objectives, rather than imposing objectives on them.

During the first half of the year you can talk to each student about their progress and ask them to assess to what extent they¡¯re achieving their goals.

The key point comes at the end of the semester when students evaluate their progress and set a new objective for the following one.

Analyzing

The ability to analyze options, risks and opinions will help your students in the future in many situations, including when they decide which course to take at university or which job to take.

You can practice this skill by providing students with relatable situations and asking them to analyze and compare the options.

For example:

Imagine you are taking a trip with some friends this summer. You have a number of different options and want to discuss them before finalizing your plans. Talk to a partner about the different trips and decide which would be best:

• Traveling around Europe by train for a month ($1,000)
• A weekend hiking and camping in the countryside ($200)
• A weekend break in a big city, with shopping, sightseeing and museum trips ($500)
• A week-long trip to the beach in an all-inclusive resort ($650)

Anticipating consequences

Students also need to have an awareness of the consequences of their actions; this is a skill which is transferable to making business decisions, as well as being important in their everyday lives.

To practice this skill, put students into small groups and give them the first part of a conditional sentence. One student completes the sentence and then the next student adds a consequence to that statement.

For example:

Student A: If I don¡¯t study for my English exam, I won¡¯t pass.

Student B: If I don¡¯t pass my English exam, my parents won¡¯t let me go out this weekend.

Student C: If I can¡¯t go out this weekend, I¡¯ll miss the big football match.

Student D: My coach won¡¯t let me play next year if I miss the big match.

Rearranging the class menu

By giving students more responsibility and having them feel invested in the development of the lesson, they will be much more motivated to participate in the class.

Occasionally, let students discuss the content of the day¡¯s class. Give them a list of tasks for the day, including how long each will take and allow them to discuss the order in which they¡¯ll complete them. For larger classes, first have them do it in pairs or small groups and then vote as a whole class.

Write on the board:

• Class discussion (5 minutes)

The following tasks can be done in the order you decide as a class. You have five minutes to discuss and arrange the tasks as you choose. Write them on the board in order when you¡¯re ready.

• Check homework (5 minutes)
• Vocabulary review (10 minutes)
• Vocabulary game (5 minutes)
• Reading activity (15 minutes)
• Grammar review game (5 minutes)
• Speaking activity (10 minutes)

Take this one step further by asking your students to rate each activity out of 10 at the end of the class. That way, you¡¯ll easily see which tasks they enjoy, helping you plan more engaging lessons in the future.

Motivating students can be difficult, especially where exams are concerned. The prospect of preparing learners for them seems like a mammoth task. But assessment can also be a way of encouraging motivation. The clue is in the word ¡®test¡¯. Whether externally or internally driven, students wish to test their knowledge and their learning; they want to see how they are developing and progressing.

In this article, David Booth explores what makes students want to push themselves and how you can encourage them with assessment.

What motivates students?

Students are incentivized in different ways, through internal (intrinsic) and external (extrinsic) motivation. Internal motivation is when someone takes an exam for their own satisfaction or interest; without immediate external reward. External motivation is driven by other factors such as the need to graduate or get to a particular level for career advancement. External motivation may also come from others, such as parents and teachers, encouraging students to attain a particular level in a subject or a qualification.

The important thing to recognize is that students should identify their intention for learning English. This will then enable them to determine short- and long-term goals that will drive both internal and external motivation. For example, a student might say; ¡®I like learning English because I love reading books about Harry Potter and also English will be useful in my future life so I can meet and learn from people from different countries¡¯. Recognizing and acknowledging reasons for learning with help reinforce the motivations for learning.

How can we promote an environment that is engaging and motivating?

Students¡¯ self-belief is important but teachers also have a significant role to play. Teachers can help give students the confidence to build on their own skills. One way to do this is by promoting a growth mindset. This is the theory that ability and performance can be developed through fostering a positive environment, and is the opposite of a fixed mindset which is the idea that a person¡¯s talents are already fixed from birth.

Developing a growth mindset is important because it encourages us to see new challenges as a positive thing. It involves praising effort rather than just focusing on outcomes.

With all the above in mind, here are five things teachers can do in class to help keep up student motivation levels:

5 ways you can motivate your students

1. One of the best things that teachers and educators can do to support their students is to help them identify their motivation. Ask them why they are learning English. Is it for themselves? Their parents? Or a job opportunity? This will help teachers and learners decide on the best course of action for learning and also help students find satisfaction within the task, whether in an exam or taking a conversation class.
   
   
2. It¡¯s important to teach courses that are focused on developing communicative ability and knowledge, not just passing a exam. As education evolves, assessment must too, so it¡¯s crucial to foster the practical linguistic skills of your students, not just aim for a good final grade.
   
   
3. Teachers can help students develop their dominant learning styles. Do they learn by writing new words or reading things aloud? In doing so, you and your students can tailor their exam preparation towards how they work best and ensure they feel motivated to learn by themselves.
   
   
4. You can give students the best understanding about the type of tasks they will face. Looking at past papers or using a wealth of exam resources will give them confidence and familiarity when facing any final assessment.
   
   
5. Teachers must talk the talk! We must say the right things to keep our students motivated. This involves talking about what they have done in a positive way. Praising students just for their intelligence is not productive, because that refers to a quality rather than their behavior. Instead, we want to encourage student development through hard work and application.

Here are some growth mindset statements to inspire your students:

• You worked really hard on that.
• I¡¯m so proud of your progress.
• You kept going even when it was hard.
• You have a tenacious attitude; I¡¯m so proud that you never quit.
• You really did ¡­ well because ¡­

Motivating students with the ÃÛÌÒapp English International Certificate (PEIC)

PEIC is designed to help motivate students, offering them the opportunity to identify their strengths, and track improvement and success over time. It is widely used by learners who are looking for a general English test that allows them to build a portfolio of their communicative language ability for travel, to improve their employment prospects or for further education. It¡¯s also valid for life.

Graded progression

PEIC offers a pathway for graded progression from level to level and explicit opportunities to evaluate and accredit learning outcomes at each of the CEFR levels. There are six English proficiency levels, from very low (A1) to very high (C2). There are no hidden surprises, false starts, or sudden jumps in difficulty from one test to the other.

This makes it easy for teachers and students to track progress. Showing students they have progressed in their studies is very motivating and encourages further study.

Assessment of communicative ability

The exams assess learners¡¯ ability to communicate and use English effectively rather than their test-taking skills. The emphasis is on communicative skills; the level of ability that the student has in using the language for practical purposes. This is very motivating both in the short and long term.

A positive testing experience for the student

PEIC delivers a relaxed and enjoyable English testing experience that is a natural continuation of what happens in the classroom. It¡¯s perfect for those educators who are interested in using assessment as a way of building students¡¯ confidence and motivation, as well as raising school standards.

Easily integrated into a general English curriculum

Fitting PEIC around a general English program could not be easier. This is because the types of tasks that students will find in the English exams are similar to those found in most modern communicative course books. Therefore, there is no need to do a specific PEIC course before taking the test.

A wealth of learning resources

There are lots of resources out there offering something for everyone, including test guides for each level, test tutorials, practice tests, test tips and many more, so students will feel supported throughout the preparation process.

Mindfulness and your routine

In the run-up to the holidays, it is common to feel like your routine has completely broken down, especially when you¡¯re not giving classes or working at school. The holidays also often bring with them lots of people, family, and excitement. That sometimes means we also experience fluctuating emotions, stress and the feeling that everything should be perfect.

On top of this, shops and social media are filled with advertising ¨C and there¡¯s definitely more ¡®stuff¡¯ to buy. In addition, we can see messages telling us we need to feel ¡®merry¡¯ and ¡®bright¡¯ wherever we look. Even the popular greeting, ¡®Merry Christmas¡¯, can sometimes feel less of a greeting and more of an instruction.

Sometimes it feels like the people around us expect us to always feel happy and joyful over the holiday season. This is fine if we do feel merry, but we will always have ups and downs. If you don¡¯t feel happy, for whatever reason, it can feel even harder than it might at times where there is less expectation all around us.

Overcoming the challenge

Finding a way to introduce mindfulness into the holiday season can be a wonderful way for us to understand our emotions at this time of year. It will help you think about your expectations and let you find a moment to pause to accept whatever the reality actually is.

Here are some quick and easy ways to find some ¡®you¡¯ time and keep checking in with how you¡¯re feeling. These are also tips you can try with children in the classroom and for yourself at home to keep yourself on track.

3-minute body scan

Find a quiet moment. This may be in the few minutes after you wake up or go to bed, during break time, or even at the start of a lesson.

• Notice the contact of your feet with the floor. Notice the sounds around you in the room.
• Take three deep breaths and notice how they feel.
• Scan down the body in your mind from the top of your head all the way down to your toes. Observe what you notice about your body with an air of curiosity ¨C look for any tension, discomfort or comfort. Also, notice if there are any expectations you have of that day or moment. See if you can simply notice them and set them aside. This curiosity helps us stay detached from what we notice so we can just observe.
• Take three more deep breaths, and carry on.

2-minute notebook

Writing something down can be a wonderfully mindful exercise. Have a stack of post-its or a little notebook on your desk or bedside table. You could encourage your students to do the same.

1. Pick a point in your day. It could be at the start of each day, the start of each lesson, or just before bed. Each day, at that time, take a moment to write down three:

• good things that have happened in your day
• things that felt challenging
• things you feel grateful and thankful for.

2. Review your notes every now and again during the holiday period. This will give you a sense of your shifts of mood and energy that might have occurred.

Noticing something you feel grateful for has been shown to .

1-minute cupboard pause

When things feel over-stimulating, find a quiet space just for a minute. Even if it¡¯s in a cupboard!

STOP: notice the contact of your feet with the floor.
BREATHE: take ten deep breaths, breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of six.
WATCH: watch each breath coming and going from the nose or chest or belly. Observe what your thoughts and feelings are doing. Allow them to sit without needing to respond.

Then head back into the area you were in.

I hope these tips help you to navigate the festive season without expectation and with curiosity for what each moment holds along the way.

Remember that the holiday days you celebrate are really just normal days. It¡¯s simply that expectations have changed, and what¡¯s more, everyone¡¯s expectations will be different.

Simply taking time to notice this can make a massive difference to the pressure we put on ourselves. Releasing this pressure can even lead to more enjoyment overall ¨C so why don¡¯t you try it and see?

Teaching teenagers can be a rewarding yet challenging experience.

When planning classes, we need to consider the environment in which the students are growing up. Most of our teenage students do not know a life without the internet, instant messaging or Google.

Commonly referred to as ?(or Gen Z), they are the most tech-savvy generation to date; this should be reflected in how we teach them.

However, not all of us have access to computer labs, interactive whiteboards or class tablets. But there is something that many of our teens bring to class in their pockets and bags every day.

You¡¯ve guessed it - a phone.

By bringing students¡¯ phones into your classes, you can bridge the technology gap between the learners and the curriculum, keep them engaged for longer and make them feel more empowered at the same time.

Here are four low-tech activities that use phones in class.

1. Review target language with your very own quizzes

Activity requirements: one phone per student (or group of students) and a pre-made quiz.

is an app designed to help you create quizzes online, which can be a fun, engaging way to challenge your learners in the classroom.

Quizzes are an ideal activity to use at the start of a class to recycle previous vocabulary or to pre-teach new language.

For example, you could choose 10 British English phrases or idioms. Write a series of four possible definitions for each word, phrase, or idiom (with only one correct answer).

In class, ask your students to take out their phones, find the app, and link to the quiz.

Tell the students that they must vote for the definition they think is correct. They can keep track of their scores directly on the app while competing with their friends.

Not only will it immediately engage your learners and help them interact with what¡¯s being learned, but they¡¯ll also have a lot of fun.

2. Become expert translators using Google Translate

Activity requirements: a phone with the Google Translate app installed and a pen and paper per pair.

Did you know Google Translate has a feature where you can ? This is a perfect tool for text that you might find on a poster, in a book or uses an alphabet which you are unfamiliar with.

Bring in samples of different languages to class ¨C the more complex, the better. If you don¡¯t have anything suitable at home, find something online and print it out.

Get one student to take a photo of the text using the app and with their finger, select the section of the text they¡¯d like to translate from the original language to English. (Note: if you download the Google Translate language file to your phone, it will translate everything automatically).

Then, have them dictate what it says to their partner, who has to write it down.

Finally, they work together to improve the English translation. After all, everyone knows Google¡¯s English isn¡¯t perfect (not yet, anyway).

3. Take photos outside the classroom to use in class

Activity requirements: a mobile phone with a camera per student.

Do your students love taking photos? Tap into their love of photography and make activities more exciting by incorporating the photos on their phones into your classes.

Adapt speaking activities from common exams such as the B2 Cambridge First. Instead of using the pictures in the book, put the students in pairs and get them each to choose a more relevant photo from their phones. You may find they have more to say and will communicate naturally while still practicing the necessary language and skills required in the exam.

Another idea is to get students to take photos of things they encounter in English in the street. This could be on a sign outside a restaurant or in their favorite clothing shop. Use these photos to start the next class with a discussion about where they saw it, what it means and if the English is correct.

You could also nominate one student each week to bring a photo they took that weekend. Share it with the class and get everyone to write Instagram captions. You wouldn¡¯t believe how many already do this in English, so why not help them?

Keeping your teens on task with mobile tech

If you are worried about the misuse of mobile devices in your class ¨C don¡¯t be! Here are our top three strategies to help avoid students getting distracted:

• Create a class contract. At the start of the course speak to them about when it is acceptable (e.g. during one of the activities above or to check the meaning of a new word on ) or not (e.g. during an exam or when you are explaining something) to use their phones. Then have someone write down everything you¡¯ve talked about, get the whole class to sign it and stick it to the wall where everyone can see.
• Give them a tech break. Halfway through the class, allow students 60 seconds to check their notifications to relieve their anxiety.
• Reward good use. If you see they¡¯ve been using their phones appropriately, reward them by playing their favorite game. The more you punish or tell them not to do something, the more they¡¯ll want to do it.

Gender equality in the publishing industry

The impact of any learning material goes far beyond its subject matter and pedagogical objectives. Everything included, from the choice of language, to the imagery, to the text and front covers, has the potential to reinforce stereotypes unintentionally. This can shape a learner¡¯s sense of self and others around them and affect how they feel and behave in a social setting.

A wealth of evidence suggests that early gender bias influences future inequality. It can affect career aspirations, influence the choice of school subjects and ultimately contribute to gender disparity as children grow into adults.?This is a challenge for all sectors and industries across society. Guidelines have been developed for ÃÛÌÒapp to ensure that our materials are gender equal and showcase positive female role models.

The guidelines are broken down into three different areas surrounding gender equality:

1. The representation of people and characters in content

The guidelines help to ensure that women are represented equally to men in our learning and teaching materials. This includes ensuring that women's representation does not reinforce negative stereotypes. For example, content that shows women as single parents can also present them as single parents and workers. The idea is to .

Another common example is with regards to science materials.

Often, when students are asked to describe a famous scientist, they describe a character similar to Albert Einstein with white hair and a white coat. Female scientists are often overlooked in this respect, and historically, they have not been given as much attention as their male counterparts.

This type of unconscious bias is something the guidelines aim to help change. Our goal is to represent both women and men from various backgrounds across all subjects. For example, some content shows women in traditionally male roles, such as pilots, engineers and soldiers. The objective is to highlight that .

Another issue is the objectification of women. Often, women are presented as not having agency or purpose, and too much focus is placed on their appearance, rather than their intentions, behavior and aspirations. The new guidelines set out to change this.

2. The use of language

Our language is gendered and therefore steeped in stereotyping. We aim to promote the use of terminology that is non-gendered. For example, using ¡®police officer¡¯, ¡®firefighter¡¯ and ¡®maintenance worker¡¯ instead of ¡®policeman¡¯, ¡®fireman¡¯ and ¡®handyman¡¯. Although this is a small change, it contributes to removing the unconscious bias surrounding jobs and professions.

Adjectives can also play a role in perpetuating gender inequality. We often associate particular adjectives with genders. For example, words like ¡®hysterical¡¯, ¡®shrill¡¯, or ¡®frumpy¡¯ are typically used for women. Whereas men can be described as ¡®assertive¡¯, women are more likely to be seen as ¡®bossy¡¯.

Furthermore, parallel language is something that needs to be looked at. Words like ¡®girls and boys¡¯ can be replaced with ¡®students¡¯. In this way, the guidelines are here to ensure that there is no gendering within materials. This will influence gender equality among our users.

3. Referencing third-party content

Another key issue involved in the material is the referencing of third-party content. For example, stories based on classic fairy tales are often used to represent certain points, and these typically show the strong male hero saving the weak female damsel in distress.

Although these are stories that our society has grown up with, they could be more helpful in offering a gender-balanced view of society. ÃÛÌÒapp¡¯s guidelines are in place to ensure that students see women and men as equals throughout the materials.

What can teachers do to help in the classroom?

To help fight against gender inequality, teachers can think about incorporating more female stories and role models into their lessons. For example, rather than simply focusing on Issac Newton or Albert Einstein in science class.

At a management level, schools can be more aware of what materials they are choosing to bring in, assessing whether the content is balanced, before accepting it. These simple actions can help our learners grow up with a more balanced view of gender.

Reading can transport students to new places, immerse them in incredible adventures and teach them more about the amazing world around them.

What¡¯s more, in today¡¯s globalized world our students are exposed to written English more and more every day. It¡¯s essential they have the skills needed to be successful in this environment. Many students are also going on to study in English at university and require a number of academic reading skills.

It¡¯s important you work on these areas in class to prepare learners for their future. Here are seven reading strategies to get you started including tips for both primary and secondary teachers.

1. Predicting what¡¯s to come

Even before students start reading, we can use extra information on the page to get them thinking about the ideas and vocabulary they will find in the text. This encourages them to consider what they may already know about the topic. And, by adding an element of competition, we can also use it as a strategy to motivate them to read.

Divide the class into teams and write the title of the text on the board. Have them work in their teams and write ten words they predict will be in the text, based on the title.

After a few minutes, have teams swap lists and, as they read the text, check the words the other team correctly predicted.

If you are teaching primary, you can do the same activity using any images which accompany the text. Have students describe the image in pairs first and then work in teams to predict the article's content, as above.

2. Summarizing

This strategy can focus on both the general idea of the text (the gist), and the most important details within it.

To work on using summarizing for gist, give students a text and three short summaries of it, no longer than a sentence each. After students scan the text once, have them choose which of the three summaries best matches the general idea of the text.

Then, to practice these skills, have them work in pairs to produce a summary of the text they just read. This summary should be approximately one-fifth the length of the original text.

This not only encourages students to identify the text's main points but also requires them to use paraphrasing skills to put the ideas into their own words.

Note that primary learners may need your support to create a summary. It¡¯s a good idea to create a gapped text which they can complete with the keywords of the text. This will also help build their vocabulary.

3. Identifying topic sentences

Whether your students are reading for gist or detail, a topic sentence can give them the necessary information. Topic sentences are found at the start of a paragraph and are frequently used in articles and academic research to give the reader the main idea of what is to come. If you are unsure what a topic sentence looks like, the first sentence of this paragraph is an example!

One idea to introduce students to the idea of topic sentences is to find a text with four or five paragraphs and remove the topic sentence from each.

Give the students the gapped text and the topic sentences and have them match each sentence to the correct paragraph. This will highlight how topic sentences provide a summary of the main idea of each paragraph.

This can be an effective task for both primary and secondary students, though it¡¯s likely that primary students will be working with shorter texts. If you have a text with only three paragraphs, you can write a couple of distractor sentences to make the activity more challenging.

4. Comparing and contrasting

As with any aspect of language learning, if students can create a personal connection to the content, they will be more engaged and more likely to remember the information.

We can use compare and contrast questions with any text. For example, for texts which tell a personal story, we can ask:

• How are you similar or different to this person?
• What would you do in that situation?

For texts which talk about a particular issue, we can ask:

• Do you think this is a problem in your country?
• What would you do in this situation?

Students of any age should be allowed to reflect on their learning and have the chance to empathize with the people and situations they read about. Even for younger learners, questions can be graded to their level to allow them to compare their experiences to the content of the text.

5. Understanding numbers

Non-fiction texts often include a lot of facts and figures and it¡¯s important that students are able to understand what these numbers mean so they can really understand the text.

Our younger learners might need help appreciating long distances or large quantities, so providing them with something more tangible can help them greatly.

When working with distances and sizes, try to use familiar locations, such as the length of the school playground or the area of the classroom, and compare these locations to the measurement in the text.

Similarly with quantities, find something which students can relate to easily. For example, if a text talks about the number of people, compare that amount to the number of students in the class.

6. Working with vocabulary

Teaching students how to use a dictionary is important, but it¡¯s also essential that students can use other skills to understand new words when they can¡¯t reach for a dictionary.

As teachers, it¡¯s important for us to identify the keywords in a text which we want students to remember and use after the lesson. You may choose to pre-teach this vocabulary so that students can approach the reading with a good understanding of the key lexis.

However, there may be times when you want students to predict the meaning ¨C of key and subsidiary vocabulary ¨C from the context. It¡¯s helpful to teach students to read around unfamiliar words as this helps them to identify the type of word it is (noun, verb, adjective, and so on), which helps them understand a particular word¡¯s meaning within a sentence.

7. Separating fact and opinion

While many texts our students read are factual, there will be times when they also need to distinguish between fact and opinion.

Sometimes, we can infer the writer¡¯s attitude towards a topic by looking at the type of language they use and identifying whether words are neutral, or if they give us clues as to the writer¡¯s opinion. This can be a difficult distinction for our students to make but we can do activities with the students to raise their awareness.

Take a subject students are likely to have different opinions about, such as a famous footballer. Ask the students to tell you about that person, then categorize the words they give you as to whether they provide a fact or an opinion. Words such as tall, Brazilian and blue eyes would be facts about the player. Whereas amazing, stupid or the best player ever would show their opinion.