This free online course is for English language teachers around the world. It will help you develop the skills and practices you need for your continuing professional development (CPD).

This course is part of our Teaching for Success: Practices for English Language Teaching program. In the program we will look at the 12 professional practices for CPD on the British Council’s teacher development framework.

In this course you will look at four professional practices:

Integrating ICT
Promoting 21st-century skills
Using multilingual approaches
Understanding educational policies and practice.

Learn with English language teachers worldwide

Each week will focus on one of these practices. Short video interviews with experienced teachers will be combined with classroom films from around the world to illustrate the main points.

Video tutors, Suzanne and Claire, will guide you through each week’s content, offering tips, advice and downloadable resources at every stage.

You will be asked to share your own experiences and opinions as you become part of a global community of English language teachers discussing what leads to success.

The course draws on the British Council’s many years of expertise in teacher training and development around the world. It will be useful for teachers of English at primary, secondary or higher levels.

Syllabus

Week 1
Promoting 21st century skills
- Understanding 21st century skills
  The challenges ahead for education and how we can meet them
- Critical thinking
  Consider how this helps learners and watch a classroom video where learners use critical thinking skills
- Collaboration and communication
  How learning in groups impacts on learners and watch collaborative learning in the classroom
- Creativity
  Discuss how project work helps creativity and share images of project work
- Review
  Watch this week’s round up and reflect on your learning
Week 2
Integrating ICT
- Technology and change
  Watch teachers talking about whether technology has influenced the way they teach and share your favourite teaching links
- Evaluating technology
  Considerations for using technology, observe a class using mobile phones for learning and consider high-tech and low-tech alternatives for teaching
- Technology, autonomy and collaboration
  Analyse how technology can help learners to develop their English skills outside the classroom
- Review
  Reflect on this week's learning and watch the end-of-week video
Week 3
Understanding educational policies and practice
- Educational policy and teachers
  Discuss how policy affects your work as a teacher and take part in our poll
- Child protection
  Discuss how this affects you and consider a bullying case study
- Internet safety
  Watch teachers talking about whose responsibility this is, and evaluate different ways to introduce internet safety in class
- Applying policy
  Watch a lesson adapted from a school policy coursebook and consider how you apply policy in your context
- Review
  Reflect on this week's learning and watch the end-of-week video
Week 4
Using multilingual approaches
- The languages we speak
  Consider the concept of plurilingualism and try an activity about learner languages
- Other languages and learning English
  Consider the impact of learners’ first languages and analyse errors
- Multilingual teaching approaches
  Help learners notice differences between their L1 and English, encourage them to use English, and watch teachers using multilingual teaching approaches
- World Englishes and the future of English
  Will English be the global language in the future? How is English changing and what implications does this have for teachers?
- Review
  Reflect on this week's learning and watch the end of week video

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Compare teaching approaches and experience with others from around the world.
Assess the relevance of 21st century skills for English language learners.
Discuss the impact that technology has had on what and how we teach.
Evaluate a range of learning technologies and their usefulness.
Explore the impact that national policies have on classroom practice.
Reflect on the importance of child protection and consider whose role its implementation should be.
Assess the importance and influence of learners' L1 in their language learning.

Who is the course for?

The course is aimed at teachers of English as a foreign language at all levels. Intermediate level English (around B1 on the CEFR) is required.

What do people say about this course?

"I've been teaching for over 30 years and have recently changed from teaching French to teaching English. I have found that these courses have refreshed me as a teacher and made me determined to do as good a job as possible in my new role. I'd like to apply as much of what I've learned on these courses as is possible so the students get more out of my lessons. I'm getting a new classroom tomorrow so a fresh start in January will enable me to get some of these ideas into practice."

Jane Hughes

"I don't know what to say. Literally. It has been truly wonderful. This course has succeeded in making me a better teacher. I know I can do more. My learners need more and I will go out of my way to make sure I impart what I have learnt. I intend to apply what I have learnt in my classroom this new year. Padlet-here I come! I can't wait to recommend my colleagues for the course to help broaden their scope. Thanks again."

Evelyn Effiong

Who developed the course?

British Council

The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.

We work on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2019-20 we connected with 80 million people directly and with 791 million people overall, including online and through our broadcasts and publications.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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