Planning Effective Language Lessons
The goal isn’t just to teach a language, it is to create effective language users. If you’ve ever watched a student shrink into their seat when asked to speak, you know the frustration of a lesson that hasn’t built true confidence in them. But why do we plan lessons in the first place? Jeremy Harmer […]
Scaffolding as a principle of lesson design
Have you ever felt like your students were producing less than you thought they should? I have. I remember when I was delivering a lesson and something came up like “they are moving towards CEFR B1, they should already know this!”. It was until I did some research on its descriptors that I knew that […]
Finding Our Way Home: CPD as a Beacon for Weary Educators
If you enjoy listening to Coldplay and analysing lyrics as I do, you probably listened to the song ‘Fix You’. At the beginning, they say: “When you try your best, but you don’t succeed. When you get what you want, but not what you need. When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep.” (COLDPLAY, […]
I am a teacher. Am I a leader?
It is often said that teachers take on many roles. As Diane Larsen-Freeman and Marti Anderson point out, “the work of teaching is simultaneously mental and social. It is also physical, emotional, practical, behavioral, political, experiential, historical, cultural, spiritual, and personal (2011, p. ix)”. Jeremy Harmer states that, “we are called upon to assume a […]
Parei de evoluir. E agora?
Praticamente todos nós que embarcamos nessa jornada de aprender inglês já sentimos que num determinado momento a evolução dá uma parada ou diminui consideravelmente. Isso nos faz repensar nossos propósitos de continuar estudando o idioma, aí vem a desmotivação, aumenta a procrastinação, e vira uma luta perceber que está progredindo de verdade. Mas não desista! […]
Inductive and Deductive reasoning beyond page 2
Inductive and deductive reasoning/teaching is a term that gets thrown around in level 5 certifications without going much deeper into either. We are taught that one is good and the other is to be avoided, but again, not much thought is given to either term and what they really mean or why they matter at […]
Estou arrasando no Duolingo! Vou ficar fluente?
O Duolingo é hoje um case de sucesso de marketing e traz cursos como matemática, música, diversos idiomas e a plataforma agora conta com seu mais novo curso: xadrez. Quem utiliza o aplicativo sabe que a coruja verde “[…] tornou-se a guardiã do comprometimento dos usuários, enviando lembretes diários que misturavam humor e ironia. A […]
3 dicas infalíveis para nunca esquecer novas palavras
Imagine a seguinte situação: você viu uma palavra nova em inglês, checou a definição no dicionário e continuou com sua vida. Algum tempo depois, essa palavra reaparece, mas você não lembra o que ela significa de jeito nenhum. Aposto que isso já aconteceu com você (já sofri desse mal diversas vezes, e olha que idiomas […]
How to Become a Better C1-Level User of English
I’ve been working as an English teacher for over a decade and preparing students for proficiency examinations for about half of that time. After a while, I’ve come to understand that improving your English at the C1 level is more than just expanding your vocabulary or memorizing grammar rules—it’s about integrating language skills into your […]
Qual é o melhor certificado para você? Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL ou PTE?
Cada um desses exames (Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL e PTE) serve para avaliar a proficiência em inglês, mas eles diferem em estrutura, objetivos, pontuação e reconhecimento. Todos eles avaliam as quatro habilidades: reading, writing, listening e speaking. Cambridge Os Certificados de Cambridge (B2, C1 e C2) são ideais para quem quer uma certificação de nível específico […]