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Intersectionality is a term that I came across quite recently and totally by chance as part of my present studies on Social Anthropology and my commitment to ensure educational equity and social justice in my English language classroom. It is a term coined by Kimberle Crenshaw (1989) which refers to the interaction between race and sex (especially to black women) and which was extended by Patricia Hills Collins (2019) to include gender and social status.

There is no doubt that the educational framework of inclusion which has been widely implemented in schools in the past few years is a familiar concept to most. However, it is also a widely debated issue since national standards are different and its definition varies from country to country. Therefore, not in all contexts does inclusive education mean the equal participation of all students in the education system (UNESCO 2005). In Greece, for example,  inclusive education is perceived as concerning mainly children with learning disabilities, children with ADHD syndrome or children with autism spectrum disorder, who attend regular classes but are also pulled out from class by the special education teacher for additional help. Inclusive education, when defined and implemented appropriately, is not limited to children with SEN but should also include other target groups such as linguistic, religious and ethnic minorities, refugee children, children affected by poverty, etc.

This enlarged focus on all children is important as is also  the realization that  students do not come to school with a unique solid identity but have a lot of different identities and group memberships with which they identify and through which they understand the world around them. Let us consider the different identities each person carries regarding their profession, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, social status, educational background and so much more. All these identities determine how everyday life is experienced and they are inextricably linked to the exertion of power and the privileges that people are afforded or not. 

Figure 1: Our different identities

Let us also consider students that belong to non-dominant groups and communities, how they are marginalized and how they have to deal with multiple systems of oppression. A child with SEN can be found to have another identity marker (racial minority, low-income family) that may marginalize him/her even further than their  disability. These “simultaneous intersections” (García and Ortiz 2013) between language, gender, ethnicity, class, race, (dis)ability have to be identified and taken into consideration when teachers  plan their  lessons and design  materials.

 

Figure 2: The intersection onion (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11125-020-09461-6/figures/1)

Consequently, what is really being suggested here is that the theory of intersectionality should run through  lessons and materials especially in English language classes.  which are, generally speaking, very open-minded, acceptive of difference and innovative by nature. This theory needs equity-oriented teachers who are ready to make a step forward and go beyond creating supportive and inclusive environments, while being ready to re-examine and adjust practices to honour and include the multiple identities of their students.

Thus, experiential learning and activities that promote reflection are very important for  students to realize their different identities and their effect on the different aspects of their life including their school life. The following activity, for example, can be used with secondary education students with a dual aim: self-reflection and realization from the part of the students and a deeper understanding the teachers can  have of  their own students.

Experiential activity: The star of privileges 

 

Figure 3: The star of privileges

Steps to follow

Draw a star with the axes as shown in figure 3

Draw a dot on each axe. This dot represents our experience regarding the specific identity: the closer we are to the centre the more discrimination we have experienced, the closer we are to the edge the less discrimination we have experienced (Figure 4).

 

Figure 4: The dots on the different axes

Connect the dots (Figure 5)

 

Figure 5: Connecting the dots

Colour the space between: this is the space of our privileges (figure 6) 

 

Figure 6: The space of our privileges 

It is important to point out that this is a totally personal exercise based on our own experiences, there is no right or wrong answer and it is not necessary to show our answers to the rest of the class.

Possible follow-up questions:

How did this activity make you feel?

Which axes hadn’t you thought of before?

What do you think when you see other students’ stars with larger or smaller spaces of privileges?

The knowledge gathered from the above activity is precious material when designing lessons and implementing practices. It will give us the guidelines to include the points of view, experiences, voices and perspectives that are often underrepresented in curricula and this is a first step for educational equity. 

To conclude, it is important to encourage teachers to reflect on the theory of intersectionality and its application in the English language classroom. making more accountable decisions for the students, offering them the inclusive, equitable education they deserve can help us make a difference.

REFERENCES

• Bešić, E. (2020) Intersectionality: A pathway towards inclusive education?. Prospects 49, 111–122. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-020-09461-6 (Accessed: 10 March 2021)
• Skeleton, S. (n.d.). Understanding intersectionality is critical to advancing educational equity for all. Swift education center. Available at : https://swiftschools.org/talk/understanding-intersectionality-critical-advancing-educational-equity-all  (Accessed: 10 March 2021)
• TED (2016). Kimberle Crenshaw: The urgency of intersectionality. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality  (Accessed: 20 March 2021)
• Service Civil international (2019). Free to be you and me. Available at: https://sci.ngo/resource/free-to-be-you-and-me/

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About Despina Evgeni

Despina Evgeni holds a M.Ed in teaching English as an international language from EAP (Hellenic Open University) and she is currently studying Social Anthropology in Panteion University, Athens, Greece. She has 28 years’ experience teaching English at elementary and secondary public schools as well as private language institutions. Her main interest is making her classrooms a place where all students can thrive.

 

At one of Pilgrims’ online café gatherings, where teachers from all over meet to share views on education we were invited to choose  a quotation which resonated with us and share our views with the teachers present. This is the quotation I chose: 

Teachers affecting eternity is a lot to say and a teacher or two may feel uncomfortable with this idea. Yet, teachers have always been thought of as key players in learners’ education. Ginnot (1972) wrote about teachers having the power to make a child’s life joyous or miserable, responsible for crises being escalated or deescalated, children humanised or dehumanised according to how they responded. It can be disheartening to view learners in such a powerless light and teachers in such a powerful one. Hattie (2003) found out that the major source of impact in students’ learning is what teachers know, do and care about. Given that, it may be worth reviewing our role.

Aware that their role is pivotal, teachers have endeavoured to humanise, empower and enable through their teaching. Underhill (1999) pointed out some of the aspects involved in teaching to humanise, such as the teachers’ presence, their movements, the quality of their attention, and the degree of openness they showed. Effective teaching and leadership skills (Kouses & Posner, 2012; Kyriacou, 2014) state the importance of building teams with learners, parents and colleagues, setting shared goals, setting up congruent learning environments, and fostering interaction. Over the last few years teachers have learnt what it takes to teach more effectively.

Inclusive education

Yet, no teaching can be called effective unless all learners are on board, unless there is equity. No teaching can be called effective unless it is inclusive. Inclusion entails viewing the education of all learners as having equal importance (Stadler-Heer, 2019) regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion, socio-economic background and any other aspect which may cause segregation. Inclusion as a principle runs through policies, leadership, curriculums, teaching, organisation, resources and assessment (Ainscow, 2020; UNESCO, 2017). As the piece of sculpture displayed in a street in Arcachon, a seaside resort in southwest France, artfully shows, inclusion honours and harnesses diversity to create possibility.

An inclusive pedagogical approach

How do we create possibility, how can all learners participate without any marginalisation? Aware that diversity per se does not guarantee inclusion, since within diversity there may live the oppressed and the oppressor (Banegas et al., 2021), I approach this question eager to find out contextualised ways of working with diversity rather than a one-size-fits-all set of strategies. In English language teaching (ELT) there seem to be very few examples of inclusive pedagogy understood as an everybody approach, away from planning for most learners and thinking of “something else” for some others (Black-Hawkins, 2017). 

Attempting to affect eternity does sound like too much, but might encourage us think together about how to strengthen our inclusive practices for the benefit of all learners (Black-Hawkins et al., 2021), enhancing their identities and diverse ways of approaching learning to ensure quality education for all in search of social justice (UN, 2016).

References

• Ainscow, M. (2020). Promoting inclusion and equity in education: lessons from international experiences. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 6(1), 7-16.
• Banegas, D., Beacon, G., & Pérez Berbain, M. (Eds.) (2021). International Perspectives on Diversity in ELT. Palgrave.
• Black-Hawkins, K. (2017). Understanding inclusive pedagogy: Learning with and from teachers, In V. Plows, & B. Whitburn (Eds.), Inclusive Education: Making Sense of Everyday Practice (pp. 13-30). Sense Publishers.
• Black-Hawkins, K., Maguire, L., & Kershner, R. (2021) Developing inclusive classroom communities: what matters to children?, Education 3-13. DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2021.1873398
• Ginott, H. G. (1972). Teacher and child: A book for parents and teachers. Macmillan.
• Hattie, J.A.C. (2003, October). Teachers make a difference: What is the research evidence? Paper presented at the Building Teacher Quality Research Conference, Melbourne. http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference_2003/4/
• Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2012). The Leadership Challenge. Jossey-Bass.
• Kyriacou, C. (2014). Effective Teaching in Schools. OUP.
• Stadler-Heer, S. (2019). Inclusion. ELT Journal, 73(2), 219-222.
• UN (2016). Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/fZ5kEZ
• Underhill, A. (1999). Facilitation in language learning. In J. Arnold (Ed). Affect in Language Learning, (pp. 125 -141). CUP.
• UNESCO (2017). A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education. UNESCO.

 

About Mercedes

Mercedes Pérez Berbain is teacher educator and researcher; former lecturer at I.S.P. J. V. González and I.E.S. J. R. Fernández Schools of Education in Buenos Aires. She holds an MA in Education with Distinction from Oxford Brookes University, UK and a degree in Education and ICT from The Ministry of Education in Argentina. She has been training teachers both in Argentina and in the UK for more than 20 years. She is an OUP, ESSARP (Arg) and Pilgrims (UK) trainer. She has written teaching materials for Pearson and OUP, and is interested in inclusion, leadership and young learners.

 

Contribute to the blog

If you are a member of IATEFL and would like to contribute to the blog, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected]. We’re looking for stories from our members, news about projects you’ve been involved in, and anything else you think those connected to English language teaching would be interested in reading. We look forward to hearing from you! If you’re not a member, why not join us? Click here to see our Blog Guidelines and Ideas.

Vicky : First of all, I would like to thank you for agreeing to give this interview and I would also like to welcome you!

Thank you for the opportunity!

Vicky : Can you talk to us about your working life routine? Can you tell us what you are doing currently?

I work as academic advisor in the Institute of Education at Universidad ORT, the largest private university in Uruguay. There, I am in charge of developing resources and activities to support the professional development of faculty university wide. I also work in the National Teacher Education College where I am tenured professor of TESOL Methods and teach two courses a week. I also have an active publication and research schedule.

Vicky : We would like to know about the challenges faced in the past year with the ‘new normality’ from your IATEFL position. Can you talk to us about the steps taken to support this gigantic association through these difficult times?

It is no secret that all non-profit or volunteer organizations are struggling because of the situation we are experiencing. Fortunately, IATEFL’s Board of Trustees are a team with a lot of experience and knowledge of the Association. So, with the unyielding support of Head Office staff, we were able to make the right decisions to secure the viability of the association and to minimize risks. We were also able to run out first ever virtual international conference which we received wonderful feedback about. Of course we are not “out of the woods” yet, and challenges remain in managing to support our members and helping the association to recover.

Besides focusing on the conference, both the Board of Trustees and Head Office have been working hard to secure we fulfil our mission of connecting and supporting the professional development of English language teachers. We have been meeting regularly to focus on opportunities to develop initiatives. Of course, that Special Interest Groups (SIGs) have been instrumental in helping us fulfil our mission. They do not only represent the wealth of knowledge and experience of the profession, but also carry out their volunteering efforts in an admirable way.

Vicky : ‘Virtual events came of age in 2020, but the future is hybrid’. Considering this statement, how has CPD changed and how  much more will it change also?

Looking at this situation in perspective, I do not feel that we have been engaged in true CPD. What we have been doing so far is mostly adapting to an emergency situation and trying to sustain educational provisions. Truly impactful CPD needs to fulfil a series of requirements. What I feel we have all been doing is come together as a professional community to share resources that help us solve problems of practice. Also, given that no one is certain of how long this emergency situation will last, it is hard to say we are making a move towards any definite model of delivery for educational provisions. The future may very well be hybrid, but it could also be fully virtual. One thing that remains certain is that many of the myths about the benefits of Technology-mediated instruction have been dispelled and that there is no turning back from teachers using technology widely in the classroom.

Vicky : Will COVID change EFL teaching forever? And how so?

I see a new era in EFL where technology is more ubiquitous. Learner autonomy certainly will make this presence necessary. What worries me is that, if and when we go back to the face-to-face synchronous type of lessons, our profession may revert to more traditional practices given issues of inequality experienced during the pandemic. In many parts of the world technology is not ubiquitous and access to education has been difficult. In those situations, traditional modes of delivery of information, emphasizing transmission-oriented approaches have become frequent and there is a possibility that some aspects of those traditions may be transferred to the classroom in the future. Hence, I feel that now, more than ever, we need to build networks to support colleagues working in these difficult circumstances and our Association is the ideal catalyst for that support network.

Vicky : It seems that supporting the continuation of EFL teaching and learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic has been definitely easier for the Western and more developed countries. Considering this, how easy do you believe it is to create a post-COVID EdTech strategy with leaving no one behind?

I guess this is a challenge that we have been unable to resolve. In fact, unequal access has been a long-standing fallacy in the profession. Access alone is not enough; quality is also fundamental. Providing unequal access or access to low quality education are equally as bad. And while it is true that more developed countries have been given more affordances, a lot has to be said for the efforts of teachers in not so well-developed countries. I think we will have an idea of the reality we have been inhabiting once more research data becomes available. I feel that, at least in the area of the world where I live, the creativity of teachers to reach and teach their learners besides contextual hurdles is really admirable. What we need is to socialize that knowledge gained from experience so that it may resonate with teachers in similar realities and thus truly make an impact.

Vicky : Before I let you go, I cannot resist to ask you one last question about Freire. According to him, There’s no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom. In times like these, does Freire sound truly utopian or is he more relevant today than ever?

To me, Freire’s work and ideas are timeless. Even if you do not come from or advocate for a critical perspective as an educator, Freire’s philosophy of education stresses justice, fairness, equality and the empowerment of all individuals alike. These are all crucial values to uphold for anyone involved in education. And if the current reality has taught us anything, it is that only true dialog, where teachers and learners learn – together – to name the new realities they inhabit, can we discover what success in learning is about.

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Gabriel Diaz Maggioli

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Contribute to the blog

If you are a member of IATEFL and would like to contribute to the blog, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected]. We’re looking for stories from our members, news about projects you’ve been involved in, and anything else you think those connected to English language teaching would be interested in reading. We look forward to hearing from you! If you’re not a member, why not join us?

See VIEWS Guidelines and Ideas

Back in 2009, I was starting to feel restless as a teacher and, following the advice of a friend and colleague, who said I should be doing more than teaching, I decided to send a proposal to speak at a conference. That same year I had become aware of IATEFL through Twitter, and I decided to send an application for the Latin American Scholarship. I was hesitant at first because I thought there would be lots of applicants and what were the chances I would get it? 

“Someone must get it…What if it’s me?” I told myself.

So, I took great care in writing and rewriting my application and sent it. Then came the waiting… And finally, one day I received an email saying I was the winner. The winner!!!! Me!!! And so, I would be attending IATEFL Harrogate 2010.

April 2010 came and I arrived in Harrogate on my own. I think I only knew two people who were attending…However, it was the time of the Twitter mania and I had been very active there and had connected to many people who were attending but had never met face to face before. As I settled down in my B&B room the day before the event started, I checked my phone and saw that a few of my Twitter mates were already at a pub near the conference venue. I went down, asked where that pub was and headed there. To my surprise, as soon as I got in, a now close friend saw me and shouted “Vicky Saumell!”, and that was it! I joined the table with teachers from the UK, Turkey and US and felt like I had known them all along!

Vicky Saumell in front of the Harrogate 2010 conference venue

The rest is history. I have been attending IATEFL ever since, I only missed Brighton 2011. But it has not been just attending, it has meant creating professional connections and forging friendships. In 2013, I offered my collaboration to the Learning Technologies SIG committee and became a volunteer as Community Manager, I then shifted to Treasurer and I am now LTSIG Coordinator, in my last term of service. I also served in the Publications Executive Committee from 2015 to 2020. 

IATEFL has allowed me to grow so much in my profession! In all these positions I have developed new skills, learnt how to truly work collaboratively in teams, and worked with incredible people. I have made friends that have made me feel at home in many places outside my own home.

But it was not just me. I have witnessed many cases of scholarship winners who then saw their careers lift off. A recurrent pathway after winning a scholarship has been to get more involved with IATEFL and then become a volunteer for one of IATEFL’s SIG committees. The common thread among them all is the initial feeling that they had few chances of winning a scholarship, but they applied anyway.

So don’t delay! It’s IATEFL scholarship applications season and who knows what the future holds? For me, it all started with applying for an IATEFL scholarship!

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About  Vicky Saumell

Vicky Saumell is a teacher, trainer, materials writer and presenter. She currently teaches at primary and secondary level schools in Buenos Aires. She is also a freelance author and has worked as a writer and trainer for Pearson, CUP, Macmillan and Santillana. She is the Coordinator for IATEFL Learning Technologies SIG. She has a professional website at www.vickysaumell.com.

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Contribute to the blog

If you are a member of IATEFL and would like to contribute to the blog, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected]. We’re looking for stories from our members, news about projects you’ve been involved in, and anything else you think those connected to English language teaching would be interested in reading. We look forward to hearing from you! If you’re not a member, why not join us?

See VIEWS Guidelines and Ideas

Continuing professional development or CPD comes in a variety of forms: conferences, workshops, learning groups, etc., and with all the great online opportunities booming around these days, you might have at least experienced a few of them in your teaching career, so far.    

Whether you would like to enhance your practical skills in the field, stay up-to-date with the current affairs or simply add to your CV, there are numerous benefits associated with CPDs, but the question is are we taking what we are supposed to take out of them? Why is it that many of us teachers take course after course, workshop after workshop with no significant change in our actual pedagogical skills? Today, I’m making a few suggestions on how to make the most of any CPD event, whether online or face-to-face, to produce long-lasting effects.

I have organised these suggestions into specific actions you can do before, during, and after each CPD event to maximise your learning experience.

Before the event   

The insight: OK. You have chosen to commit your time and probably your money to a specific CPD event in the hope of satisfying your ever-increasing appetite for learning. Great, but it is absolutely essential to bear in mind that the process of self-improvement begins not on the day of the event, but long before that?. The more curiosity and research you put before the event, the better learning time you will experience during and after the event. Act proactively.

Actions: Here’s a list of actions you can take before any CPD event:    

Get to know the people; organisers, presenters, etc.

Make a request to serve as a volunteer. This is a not only a great way to get to know the insiders behind the event but also a chance to see the mechanics of its organisation in case you are interested in setting up one in the future.

Get in touch with participants who wish to attend the same event and look for possible networking opportunities. You might also want to share with each other some of the information you have found interesting when attending different sessions. 

Check the event calendar for sessions timing and see which ones you wish to join. This saves you a lot of time looking or scrolling up and down the schedule during the event.

Do some research about the topic and prepare a couple of possible questions you might be able to ask the presenter. Having a little background knowledge can truly enhance your CPD experience.

During the event

The insight: True professionals do not passively consume the information. They know that CPDs are great places to maximise their engagement with the field. There’s nothing wrong with listening to the presenter and absorbing information, but as educators we all recognise the power and the role of active involvement to install the learning blocks in mind. Deeper understanding is the gift of getting yourself engaged with the content.

Actions: Here’s a list of concrete actions you can take while attending a CPD:

Make notes. Utilise the power of writing to make things more memorable for you. Write down a couple of things you learned as takeaways and think of the concepts you would like to do more research on.

Approach the speaker, either at the event (if onsite) or through email and social media (if available online). Do not be afraid. Ask questions, request materials and resources for further reading.

Start genuine networking in any possible form. This is your greatest chance to build a strong, professional relationship that can do you a lot of good. Don’t just pass on information about yourself. Engage in some meaningful conversation. You can always start by reflecting on the presentation you have attended.

After the event    

The insight: This is the time when you might feel overwhelmed with loads of information you have received. But the real work starts here where a well-engineered plan can lead you to your desired achievement. 

Actions: Here are some post-event activities you can do to make your learning experience even greater:

First of all, make sure you thank the organisers. Remember, it is’s often not a piece of cake to get things done for a typical CPD event. Receiving more acknowledgments will encourage them to keep going and organise more events. Do not forget that most of them welcome constructive feedback, as well.

Follow up on the people you have met. Talk about your experience on social media or in your teaching community and help spread the word.

Find a close friend and teach them something you have found interesting. Remember, the teacher learns the best. You can also do this in a study group where the participants are eager to discuss current issues.

Start reflecting on every single session and on the whole CPD experience. This might not be possible only after the event is over but typical reflective questions you can ask include:

How do I generally feel about my experience?

What have I learnt and how is it going to help me, my students and my colleagues?

Is there anything I need to learn more about? Which areas could I do for more research on?

Am I going to contribute to the event in the future? If yes, how?

All in all, attending CPD events is not just about learning the content. Use the time wisely. Make connections and have fun. Be smart, take your experience further and learn more about communication / presentation skills and professional conduct. I love this Stephen Covey’s quote: “The key is not spending time, but investing it.”

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About Farid Bashiri

Farid Bashiri is a Trinity College London DipTESOL graduate, and a teacher trainer certified by the British Council. He has completed his MA courses in TEFL and holds a BA in English literature. He’s been in ELT for more than 15 years and has presented at a number of prestigious conferences and ELT events. His main areas of interest include teacher education, educational technology and learner coaching. 

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Contribute to the blog

If you are a member of IATEFL and would like to contribute to the blog, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected]. We’re looking for stories from our members, news about projects you’ve been involved in, and anything else you think those connected to English language teaching would be interested in reading. We look forward to hearing from you! If you’re not a member, why not join us?

See VIEWS Guidelines and Ideas

Hope you all remember Jon Burton’s invitation in his article “30 years in English language teaching” to share the memories of the greatest changes in our professional life and Mojca Belak’s response in her blogpost entitled “The greatest changes in my professional life”. The inspiration behind this article is the blogpost by Mojca.

When I started my teaching career in a college in Kerala, India in 2002 chalks and blackboards were giving way to markers and white boards. The huge cassette recorder and cd player in the department of English had a tremendous role in providing a Bachelors in Functional English. The teachers were allowed to use it when their turn come once in a couple of days. I was handling the history of English literature and Phonetics and this machine had a major function in the language lab. I played the cassettes and CDs by the British Council in order to teach them the sounds. It was really hard to teach the sounds and accent in connected speech as we had only little practical experience with English speaking people at that time. But I tried my level best and recorded students’ responses  on a cassette and played them back in the same period for peer review.

I remember, we got a dial-up internet connection in the same year with a speed of 10kbps. An internet connection was a dream of all teachers and students of the college. With that connection, it took nearly 10 to 15 minutes to get the meaning of an unfamiliar English idiom, but we still all eagerly waited in front of the computer. In two or three years the speed of the internet was increased to 100kbps. Gradually we could make audio calls to teachers in different countries over Yahoo Messenger and Skype.  Later, I quit the job of a college lecturer and joined a Government school as a high school teacher. High school was the best place for me! It was really a novel thing to get connected with English speakers online. The students were eagerly waiting for someone online in my period. Gradually my position has changed from a traditional language teacher to a facilitator who could connect the class with the world. By 2010, internet has got a higher speed and we began to conduct webinars. It was not easy to run a webinar in those days as we had to give training to the participants and presenters. Stephen Herder and Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto of International Teacher Development Institute (iTDi) helped me in this regard. Super speed broad band connections are helping the whole ELT world to get connected, but still sometimes the act of conducting webinars was (being) criticized. The parents were anxious about online classes because of the problems like mobile phone addiction and screen addiction. I can say my students have also changed in two decades. They seem to be more independent and confident in using English.

COVID-19 has changed everything. Now no one is blaming the teachers for using Whatsapp or Zoom/Google Meet for the entire teaching learning process. There’s no problem with screen addiction. We gave all lessons through television in the academic year 2020-2021. Classes are available on YouTube too. The students and parents are free to contact the teacher via social media or over phone and ALL are waiting for the new ‘covid-less’ world.

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About Syke Annamma Kumaran

Syke Annamma Kumaran, a Committee Member of IATEFL (MemCom) is a teacher, writer and a presenter. He is a Fulbright alumnus (Claremont Graduate University, California) and currently works as a High School Teacher at Govt. H.S.S. Chorode, Kerala. He has given talks across the globe and received IATEFL Ray Tongue Scholarship in 2016. Furthermore, he is a Mentor for the International Teacher Development Institute (iTDi). He has been teaching English for over 19 years in schools and colleges in India and the U.S.

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Contribute to the blog

If you are a member of IATEFL and would like to contribute to the blog, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] or [email protected]. We’re looking for stories from our members, news about projects you’ve been involved in, and anything else you think those connected to English language teaching would be interested in reading. We look forward to hearing from you! If you’re not a member, why not join us?

See VIEWS Guidelines and Ideas

Having prepared and delivered online language courses for more than 10 years, one would assume that I would know what needed to be done when, in the Spring of 2020,  an email from the management arrived  overnight announcing  ‘we move to online from Friday’! . It is one thing to plan, prepare and implement language courses online from scratch and another to organise everything in a short period of time. It took a week for the entire institution to regroup – from management, administration, teachers to – students. It was immediate, necessary, shocking, urgent, stressful. Emotions which do not lead to comfortable feelings of knowing what you are doing and how to proceed. After that initial week, I started getting messages from colleagues from my PLN (Personal Learning Network) – now what? Can you please share advice? It was only then that I realized that I was in a somewhat better position – having had experience of online language teaching before. I certainly hadn’t felt that way. Why? Because – online language teaching has little in common with emergency remote language teaching. Let us consider some of the differences below. 

Preparation time

The key to a successful online course (not only a language course) is preparation, as in time for: preparation, reflection, writing, setting up course materials, getting familiar with the  platform, evaluation of course materials, rewriting them. Time for basically everything which usually involves the teaching process. Granted, some institutions allow ample time for preparation, some work with limited time frames. Still – there is time.  Teachers work for hours on end during this stage, much more than when preparing for a face to face course. This stage is crucial. If done correctly, it has a profound impact on the teacher’s confidence which is one of the most valued emotions among us. It is the feeling of knowing  what needs to be done, even if you are seeing the elearning platform for the first time, even if you have never worked with students online before, you have had time to check everything and see how you stand, what you need to check again, reread and so on.

What happened in spring 2020 was everything but that. For the most part, colleagues who have had some experience with learning technologies were helping out colleagues who had less experience. All of them were completely taken by surprise and put under a lot of pressure to navigate around areas with many  more questions than answers. So, the shock and pressure was followed , inevitably, with a lot of stress. The advantage of extended preparation time was not an option any more  and that seems to be the key difference.

Time to reflect upon teachers’ choices

When planning an online language course, the preparation time is used for reflecting and making choices. Here are some issues that need to be analyzed:

-Teaching methods – which teaching methods would work (at all), which would work if amended, which would work best?  That would largely depend on the tools you have to work with, which again implies that you need to be familiar with the elearning environment, check and evaluate.

– Learning strategies – Which learning strategies can be employed and how to introduce students to them. I believe that one of the teachers’ roles is to teach students how to learn, especially if they need to learn online. Nothing is a given. Students can be quite unfamiliar with the experience of having to learn online and we need to be fully aware of that.

– Factors of success – Which factors that contribute to successful language learning can I honestly take into account? I might want to include all of them in the equation, but time-frames and challenges of e-tools and platforms might not allow some.

– Input – is there enough/too much input? Is this input comprehensible enough to all students ?  How can I make it more comprehensible, if necessary? Do I add keywords with explanations, footnotes, images?

– Instructions – Are the instructions clear enough? Would students be able to understand immediately what they need to do and how to do it?

– Motivation – Is this motivating for students?Motivation is always important, however, motivation to study online is one of the most crucial  factors. Studies and experience show that one of the key challenges in online education is high drop-out rates connected to lack of persistence.

– Reactions to specific tasks – Would students feel awkward when working on this task? This would obviously depend on the age of the learners, but still – anxiety, fear, possibility of embarrassment definitely do not bring a positive atmosphere which is an important factor in language acquisition. Luckily, there are slim chances for such emotions to appear in online learning circumstances. Students have  time to prepare and reflect before doing anything.

Once again, emergency remote language learning did not allow for any of this to happen.

Expectations

Teachers are expected to know their job, to facilitate learning, to communicate with parents, to get their message across. And they are able to do that, of course, in their classrooms, where they are in their own territory. However, teachers are faced with a new working environment in which they are pressed for time to complete tasks and administrative duties. Many would therefore ask ourselves what students and parents will think of us if we are confused or unsure.Yes, teachers generally feel confident but in the circumstances of urgent course migration – I believe that this was one cause of stress which was not necessary. Students are understanding, parents as well. I believe  society as a whole has understood that the shift was enormous and their expectations were not that we needed to be perfect. The blame for things possibly going wrong was not placed on the teachers themselves. It was possibly addressed at the school administration authorities or similar. So, not us.

Now that we have all become more confident and have adapted to the new circumstances, the key issue would be to get rid of that feeling of stress which is present in all segments of our lives. Teachers’ well-being should become the focus of attention within our PLNs.

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About Milena Tanasijević

Milena Tanasijević has been working in the field of ELT for more than 20 years. She has been a teacher, teacher trainer, researcher and course developer. For the past 13 years, in her role as an English Language Lecturer at Belgrade Metropolitan University, she has been developing and implementing General English and ESP blended and online language courses. Along with the challenges that teaching online brings, she has discovered that there are numerous perspectives to be further explored. She is about to finish her doctoral dissertation at Belgrade University on the topic of pedagogical aspects of teaching English by distance at higher education.

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Living in the current surreal reality has taken a great toll on everyone and teachers are no exception. After a year in this situation now is the time to look back and reflect on some lessons learnt.

Your physical and mental health is your priority.

Being online is exhausting both mentally and physically. Teachers are vulnerable just like everyone else. They are not superheroes with special superpowers. They need time to rest, spend time with family, reflect on their work to be better at what they do. It is of utmost importance to find time for things that bring joy, peace and happiness. This can be anything, from taking long walks to cooking or binging on Netflix. I also don’t think teachers have been completely honest about how the virtual teaching world makes them feel. I don’t like it. Some of my friends hate it. Some love it. Either way, the virtual teaching world is exhausting, energy-draining, mentally and physically demanding. So many teachers have to teach more than 8 hours a day just to provide for their families or keep their businesses afloat. This is exactly why teachers need to focus on themselves.   

Ask for help.

Teachers forget that they sometimes need help and that they need to ask for help. If you are not feeling well today, ask for a substitute. If you feel too tired to prepare a lesson, ask a colleague to help you out. If your laundry hasn’t been done or your house hasn’t been cleaned, ask your family to help you out. I had COVID-19. I couldn’t leave the house for 5 weeks. I needed help getting out of bed, getting dressed, walking. I didn’t care about work or the house and I was very clear about that. I did not feel well and I asked for help. If someone asks you ‘Are you OK?’ tell them the truth. Not being OK is OK. Accept your weaknesses.

You can learn anything with time and effort.

Looking back and making a list of all the new things learnt since March 2020 can be beneficial. I am certain there are at least 5 new things you have learnt this past year about technology, online teaching/learning, digital pedagogy, flipped classroom, Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, etc. There are also new things you have learnt about your family and students too. Some students are not comfortable with being on camera. Some love being on camera. Some don’t have a quiet place for their online classes. Some don’t have a computer or an internet connection. Knowing our students’ context is extremely important in deciding what direction to take in teaching, what new skills or tools should be learnt, what kind of emotional support might the students need.

Your PLN (Professional Learning Network) is more important than ever.

Just think about how many professional development events you have attended in the last 12 months or so. What have you learnt from them? How many colleagues, FB friends/teachers have you turned to for advice? How much support have you received from your national teachers’ association? Have you joined a professional association at all? If not, you definitely should. Professional associations have shown great adaptability and provided free professional development events that improved our content knowledge, but also connected us with teachers from around the world. That is the power of a PLN – connecting professionals across the globe.

No one knows what the future holds for us. Will the wave of love and support for the teaching profession continue? Will we be able to keep our jobs although we are both physically and mentally exhausted? Will we want to go back to what we had before COVID-19? I don’t know.

One thing I know for certain is that we will never be the same.  

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About Aleksandra Popovski

Aleksandra Popovski holds an MA from the University of Chichester, UK.  She is a teacher and teacher trainer with over 20 years of teaching experience. She is an invited speaker at national and international conferences. Aleksandra is also Coordinator of IATEFL MaWSIG and President of ELTAM MK, N. Macedonia.

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If you are a member of IATEFL and would like to contribute to the blog, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] or [email protected]. We’re looking for stories from our members, news about projects you’ve been involved in, and anything else you think those connected to English language teaching would be interested in reading. We look forward to hearing from you! If you’re not a member, why not join us?

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Last year, at about this time, when the world started going into ‘lockdowns’, one of our Publications Committee members, Rakesh Bhanot, began to encourage friends and colleagues to write about how they were dealing with their professional English languyage teaching (ELT) duties during the covid pandemic. We had a flurry of activity, and blog posts began to appear (from all parts of the world) on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, Rakesh had to resign from the Pubs Committee a few months later for personal reasons. Recently, Syke, curator of IATEFL’s blog, noticed that epithets such as ‘songwriter’ and ‘lyricist’ began to appear before Rakesh’s name on some social media posts.  So, he decided to investigate, and to interview Rakesh.

Syke:  Rakesh, please tell us what you have been doing since last summer?

Rakesh:  As we both live in the northern hemisphere, I take it you mean last June/July? Well, since I retired from fulltime teaching ‘a long time ago’, I have continued to do some voluntary teaching/training, as well as taking part in some online ELT conferences.

Syke:  Yes, but I have noticed, however, that you are beginning to be described a ‘lyricist’; even a ‘song-writer’. How has this come about?

Rakesh:  This incredible (for me at least) phenomenon is very new, and I still find it embarrassing when someone refers to me as a ‘writer’ – let alone the two terms you just mentioned. Incidentally, I don’t write songs. I just write the lyrics.

Syke:  So, tell us what happened?

Rakesh:  When we had our first lockdown in the UK, like everyone else, I looked around to see what I could do during my free time. I decided to join an online folk club called Lockdown Folk (LF) run twice a week by one Jeremy Harmer. All readers of this blog will know Jeremy, and many of you will also know that, as well as being a prolific author of ELT course books, Mr Harmer is a talented musician and singer-songwriter extraordinaire!

Syke:  Yes, but how did you end up writing lyrics for the songs?

Rakesh:  One evening during the online session, Jeremy (who is a wonderful and eccentric host) said, “so, what are you going to sing, Rakesh”? My nervous, but honest, reply was, “I don’t sing, and I can’t play any instruments. However, if you like, I would be happy to read you a short poem”. Jeremy accepted my offer, and I proceeded to recite my modest ditty written many moons ago. I failed to attend the next LF online meeting but later learnt that SIX of the regular singers from LF had used/adapted the words of my poem to create/compose 6 entirely different songs!

Syke:  Surely, that is not enough to deserve the title of a songwriter; or was it?

Rakesh:  During subsequent meetings, I was invited to recite more of my poems from yesteryear, and several singers adapted some of these and turned them into songs. One member of LF in particular, Pauline Vallance from Scotland, has now collaborated with me to write more than 40 original songs (most available online) since last summer.

Syke: So, I guess that means you are a proper lyricist?

Rakesh:  It’s more of a hobby, and I still don’t think of myself as a ‘lyricist’. Yet, here I am holding a CD in my hands where it says “all lyrics by Rakesh Bhanot”!

Syke:  Tell me more about this CD.

Rakesh:  Somehow, in spite of various lockdown restrictions, Pauline, the singer/musician, managed to record 10 of our songs (mostly based on old poems of mine) and have them printed/duplicated. The CD was released on 8 March via the usual online platforms for music. It is called Blue Leaves which is one of the songs. Given our current lockdown situation, we had an online launch on 21 March where we all raised a glass or two to celebrate this (international) lockdown collaboration. This would not have happened without the pandemic, and, of course, Jeremy Harmer’s amazing LF initiative. You can see a recording of the ‘launch concert’ on Facebook Live here. Incidentally, 21 March is International Downs Syndrome Day, and it was fitting that the cover of the CD is an image of a painting by my younger brother, Neelum, who has Downs.

Syke:  So, what’s next?

Rakesh:  First, people can access the songs via these links on Apple, on Amazon, and on Spotify. Second, if any teachers want copies of the lyrics, they can write to me at [email protected]. Thirdly, I would be happy to share some ideas about using poems/songs in ELT. Finally, you can find more about Pauline and her special (comical) contribution to the world of entertainment on her website: www.paulinevallance.co.uk

Syke:  Tell us more about the ‘comical contribution to entertainment’, please.

Rakesh:  About a year ago, Pauline started recording well-known songs to the tune of other songs. This is based on a radio comedy programme whereby comedians are invited “to sing one song to the tune of another”, and the results can be hilarious. So far, Pauline has recorded 150 of these (more than anyone else in the world), and they can all be viewed on https://youtube.com/user/paulinevallance. They can make very interesting English lessons because they force you to listen to the lyrics of famous songs in a different light.

Syke:  Any plans to record more CDs?

Rakesh:  Well, we have enough material for several more. Perhaps when the second or third CD comes out, I will begin to feel comfortable with the title of lyricist (!), but, for the moment, I am happy to be called a former teacher/trainer of English. During the online launch of the CD, some ELT colleagues started referring to me as ‘Rakesh, the bard’! Perhaps they meant ‘barred’?

Syke:  Thank you, Rakesh, and good luck with your new hobby.

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About Rakesh

Rakesh Bhanot started teaching English in Spain in 1972, and since then he has been involved in various aspects of ELT (trainer, examiner, author, journal editor, inspector, book reviewer et al) in many parts of the world. He is the Founder Editor of Language Issues – the journal of the National Association for the Teaching of English and other Community Languages to Adults (NATECLA) in the UK. Rakesh likes cooking and writing poetry. During the Covid lockdown period, he has collaborated with several musicians to turn his poems into songs. The CD Blue Leaves is a collaboration with the Scottish singer, Pauline Vallance.