30 set 2018

by | in Reflections about Education

In this post I propose a discussion on how much emphasis we sometimes put on the teacher, trainers, book writers, speakers without discussing the impact on learners. For some reason we often rejoice in our achievements, which is great and definitely necessary to motivate us to reach higher. However, I still wonder when we will be able to collaborate towards quality education and real changes in the 21st century. Education for all learners in the various contexts we work in, development to the teachers that seek support and...

05 abr 2018

by | in Teacher Development

BRAZ-TESOL, Brazil’s largest association of English language teaching professionals, needed a video that explained what it stands for, so I made one. My qualifications for making the video? None. Learning as I went, I ended up with something that has made me very proud.  Of course making a video when you’re not a professional is not a simple task, so it took me (what it felt like) forever to get it finished. I would get home from work and spend as many hours on it as I had...

06 ago 2017

by | in Teacher Development

It is August, and most language teachers are likely to be here: back to the beginning of a brand new semester. For those of us who are teaching new groups (and why not old ones too), it is the perfect moment to reflect from two different perspectives: Leaving our comfort zone Every semester is a golden opportunity to become better at what we do. For this reason, I usually think of the areas I would like to work on and investigate more about in order to improve as a teacher....

24 abr 2017

by | in Classroom Management, Skills, Teacher Development

In this day and age getting a job, let alone a position which suits you best, has become a scarce commodity. More and more professionals are seeking jobs that meet their needs. However, not many are actually prepared to meet the market needs. This is a harsh reality and it has obviously hit our ELT world. I have sort of picked up the musical side of my family, my Dad was (still is in my heart a great accordion player) and music to me is what comes through your...

24 fev 2017

by | in Teacher Development

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In other pictures, I mean, in other words, a picture might provide us with a thousand words which might eventually give free reign to your imagination. I am not saying that is all bad, however, for some this may be too little and, say, too comforting. I have come up with a theory that since a picture may lend itself to a thousand words, then it is fair to say that a thousand words may lend themselves...

10 jul 2014

by | in Career

I have recently read an internet article that suggested some essential attitudes in order to become indispensable at work. The author lists some rather interesting recommendations that could make anyone more important in their workplace. In this post, I would like to use this text as inspiration to express what I consider important features for EFL professionals stand out. Hold the mindset that change provides opportunity. – some teachers seem to have a tendency to cling to old habits and insist on doing what “has always worked”. Rarely...

07 maio 2014

by | in Teacher Development

Here I am, in the middle of a semester, catering for lessons, teachers, groups, students and an ICELT programme when a fellow teacher came to me and asked me about lesson observations. Lessons observations might be feared by some teachers, but they are such a fantastic tool for development, both for the observer and the teacher. As long as the atmosphere is kept concerning a developmental path, there is nothing to be afraid of. The very nature of a lesson observation is to share best practices. Whenever we teach we...

09 abr 2014

by | in Reflections about Education, Teacher Development

We often discuss the challenges of giving feedback and how important it is to let people know how they are doing. As language teachers, we talk about feedback to students, addressing their performance inside and outside the class, covering features of language and behaviour. We believe that students can use this information to become more competent and proficient. As trainers, we discuss the effects and the importance of feedback to teachers and how it can influence one’s professional development. However, when it comes to being on the other...