Articles published in the ‘Issue 43: November 2017’ Category
Welcome to the 43rd edition of the IH Journal and thank you for reading. We once again have articles covering most corners of ELT, so there’s something for everyone. We start with younger learners, with Xana de Nagy reflecting on what homework is for and giving us some principles to think about when setting it. New to the IH ...
As we are at the start of the academic year, and it is a time to think about establishing routines, I thought we could take a look at homework. To set or not to set homework, how much, what to do with it once it has been done, etc. How the Context Impacts on Homework Here in Portugal, ...
Children love stories. Stories are magic, they can create other worlds, emotions, ideas and make the everyday seem incredible. They can teach us empathy and take us on terrific journeys. They can make us laugh, cry, jump with fright and then comfort us with a happy ending. From a very young age we learn how to ...
What do Young Learners (YLs) really want from a language lesson? Have you ever wondered? I have asked colleagues, both experts and newly qualified, who confirmed ‘YLs just want to play’. Yes, play games. Possibly, play games and learn something new? Surely, YLs want to learn something new while having fun and playing games. This is what really motivates them and motivation is a key factor in order to learn ...
It might sound like an oxymoron, but often teachers cannot (or will not) be taught – that is what I have concluded in my seven years in the TEFL world. Training and development should play a vital role in every teacher’s professional life; in fact, institutions that offer such opportunities are better regarded than the ones that do not. So, why ...
So, you’ve completed your initial teacher training qualification. Well done! There may have been a moment (or two or three) when you thought you wouldn’t make it, but make it you did. Take a deep breath, enjoy the feelings of relief and satisfaction… OK. That’s enough. The real work is only just beginning. Five, Six, maybe ...
Back in 2009, I started work as a TEFL teacher at BKC-IH Moscow. Despite it being a relatively long time ago, I vividly remember my induction sessions and meeting the Director of Studies (DoS), various Assistant Directors of Studies (ADoS) and Teacher Trainers and wondering what steps they had taken in the careers to become ...
Students at different levels of education are often required to write analytically. At middle or high school, they may need to write (for example) an analysis of the causes of an accident. At university, they may need to write analytical essays to examine the relationship between two concepts or ideas. However, many students find writing analytically a daunting task. They tend to be more familiar with descriptive writing, having learned how to write ...
When IELTS candidates stare at their Reading paper, alone and under time pressure, traditional scaffolding techniques aren’t available. We can’t: pre-teach blocking vocabulary. activate schemata by facilitating conversation around the general topic. concept-check to ensure that learners have understood the title and the genre before tackling the details and inferring author’s intention. Our fear is that the candidate will ...
In film-making, ‘mise-en-scẻne’ is used to mean ‘placing on stage’ or ‘telling the story’. This is not only the various design elements of a scene, but literally everything that constitutes one frame. Really everything from composition to form; colour to proximity of characters. It is not only the dialogue between characters, but a range of aspects – 15 fundamental principles – working together to form one frame. In a film the background, connections and the gentle ‘flowing-into-each-other’ of components ...