Grade Teacher Training

2021-02-15 17:03:53 ​Storytelling is a universal way to convey a message, impress other people, share experiences, and achieve many other goals. Because of this, using stories in English classes, even with younger students, is an ideal way to engage them and improve their grammar and vocabulary skills.

Here is an idea how to use stories in your class:
– Divide your students into pairs or groups of three
– Give students a picture of a person they don't know (it can't be a celebrity)
– Write various questions on the board for students to come up with their stories about the person in the picture
– Ask students to introduce their character and the story that happened to them to the other pair or group

Question ideas:
– What's their name/profession/hobby?
– What did they do yesterday?
– Do they have friends/pets/relatives? Why?
– Do you think they like their job?
– What is their lifestyle/habits/likes/dislikes?
– Do you think they're happy/bored/lazy? Why?

It's a great way to practice new vocabulary and improve communication skills. Find more ideas about storytelling and English teaching on our blog. Open / Comment

2021-02-12 16:11:32 ​ Have you ever noticed that when you’re speaking with some people it’s all going very smoothly, you have a lot to discuss and you’re truly enjoying it, while with some other people you have to work hard to find the right words in order to be heard?

The truth is, it’s more than just about the language. There is a set of principles which, if we follow them, make communication smooth.

Join our free webinar to:
find out what communication consists of and how to develop those things
get acquainted with Grice’s maxims and learn how to implement them in communication
try several activities you can use with your learners in order to teach them to communicate effectively

Thursday, February 18

17:00–18:00

Kateryna Protsenko
Director of Teacher Training at Grade Education Centre, CELTA, Delta, CELT-P/S trainer and materials writer.

Join us to find out more and make your communication more enjoyable! Open / Comment

2021-02-11 19:30:04 ​ We have recently run the first marathon for English teachers. Our tutors did their best to share lots of storytelling, motivation, and classroom behaviour tricks to use in the classroom.

Even though all the participants crossed the finish line, you still have a chance to watch the recordings and implement our ideas in your teaching.

Follow this link and share our marathon playlist with your colleagues. Inspire and get inspired to teach! Open / Comment

2021-02-11 12:00:25 ​Just a quick reminder – we are going live on our Facebook page today at 17:00

Set a reminder and join us to find out everything about the international qualifications for teachers that have already obtained their CELTAs and are looking for further steps in their development or are only at the beginning of their teaching career.

Ask any questions in the comments section below this post. Open / Comment

2021-02-10 19:57:25 ​Most teachers have worked with children who do not keep up with their peers. These kids are often ridiculed by classmates because they are slow, dreamy, inattentive, and have bad grades. The reason of this problem may be dysgraphia or dyslexia. However, even seemingly insignificant tricks can help not only a child but also the teacher and other children in the class.

We invite you to join our free webinar 'Dyslexia: whose fault and what should be done?'

Tuesday, February 16th

17:00 - 19:00

Olena Ukrainska – a certified teacher and the author of an English programme for dyslexic children.

In this webinar we will:
discuss why children, even after learning all the rules of the language, do not write correctly
see why extra time is really needed for these children
find out what can we do to make a child feel calm in class and not count the minutes until the end.

Details and registration is here. Open / Comment

2021-02-08 18:34:42 Hey teachers!
If you missed our Grade Teacher Meetup, watch the recording of the event and get insights from our CELTA / CELT-P/S trainer Chris Reese, academic director Kseniia Biletska and CELTA, Delta, CELT-P/S trainer Kateryna Protsenko.

All you need to know about teaching English online is here Open / Comment

2021-02-05 13:00:09 ​ Hey teachers!
Next Thursday we will be running a live session on our Facebook page.

When
February 11th, 17:00

Speaker
Kateryna Protsenko
Director of Teacher Training at Grade Education Centre, CELTA, Delta, CELT-P/S trainer and materials writer.

Kate is going to talk about everything you need to know about the international qualifications for teachers that have already obtained their CELTAs and are looking for further steps in their development or are only at the beginning of their teaching career.

Ask any questions in the comments section below this post. Open / Comment

2021-02-03 18:05:44 ​What is the best way to make sure your students understood a task, a new grammar rule or an idiom right?

Never ask – Do you understand?
Ask – Concept Checking Questions

Here are the main strategies for using CCQs effectively:

Do not overcomplicate – use simple vocabulary and grammar
Do not use target vocabulary or grammar structures (if you teach question forms)
Ask questions with both yes/no answers
Ask questions related to students' experience
Ask 3–4 questions to check one concept
Use pictures, board, objects in the classroom in your CCQs
Don't confuse CCQ and eliciting questions to check target vocabulary

More ideas and recommendations find here. Open / Comment

2021-02-01 17:03:34 ​What are HOTS and LOTS in teaching English?

Provided that you've read our material on various teaching theories, Bloom's Taxonomy in particular, you should already know something about different thinking skills. If you missed it, find out more here.

Today, we'd like to talk about the higher and lower thinking skills reflected in Bloom's Taxonomy.

Higher-order thinking skills or HOTS are:
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating

Lower-order thinking skills or LOTS are:
Remembering
Understanding
Applying

How can we enhance our teaching and students' results with the help of HOTS? Read more on our blog. Open / Comment