Different ways of grouping learners
As a teacher, you have different choices of how to group learners, or interaction patterns. Whole class The class works together. They may be led by the teacher, or the …
Course: Lessons and Teaching
Your PLN
Watch a teacher describing his personal learning network. Personal learning network (PLN) – a network of people you go to for professional support. This could include coworkers (who might be …
Expanding your PLN
As you saw in the video in the last step, not all teachers have the opportunity to have face-to-face interaction with many other teaching professionals. In this case, it can …
Observation for learning
Most teachers have been observed at some stage in their professional career. Observation usually involves someone watching all or part of a lesson, and then giving some kind of feedback …
The reflective practice approach to teaching
What is reflective practice? Reflective practice is an approach to teaching that involves critical evaluation of your actions, to better understand your strengths and areas for development as a teacher. …
Giving clear instructions in English
Now let’s focus on the importance of giving clear, concise instructions in English, so that learners can understand. Watch the video of the teacher setting up a bingo game, and …
Flashcard activities
Flashcards are commonly used in teaching. Watch three teachers doing different activities with flashcards and consider the questions below. What is the purpose of each activity? How do the flashcards …
What influences learning the most?
Watch Claire introducing what’s happening in this week of the course. Let’s start this week’s discussion: What’s the biggest single positive influence on student’s learning? Post your ideas below!
What to consider when planning courses
So far we’ve looked at plans for individual lessons, but of course the lesson fits into a whole programme of study, or ‘course.’ It’s important for you to have an …
Lesson stages
The lesson plan templates in step 1.7 were broken down into stages. Watch the video of one stage in a primary teacher’s reading lesson, which comes just before the learners …
Teaching with a purpose
In the video in the last step, you saw part of a lesson in which a teacher was preparing her learners for a story. We can call this the pre-reading …
Week 1 review
Claire looks back at some of the main talking points from this week. Here are the links that she mentions: Watch the Blab recording More about reflective journals and portfolios …
Successful speaking activities
In the video in the last step, you watched teachers talking about different ways that they motivate their learners to speak. You’ll have noticed the learners in the classroom clips …
How to Build Rapport With Students
Students need to be engaged and interested in the topic of any lesson. A good teacher knows their students’ interests and is able to tap into their intrinsic motivation. You …
Seven tips for your FutureLearn Course
Watch some of the British Council educators from our MOOC teams talking about how you can get the most out of your course. In the video, Sally said you should …