top articles from the e l gazette

This blog often refers to pieces coming out of the journal E L Gazette - because they are interesting, have a lot to say, are provocative and are very useful for both teacher and student of English.

Here's their New Year newsletter, where they look back at the top stories of last year - which are all of the above.

Enjoy the reading!

Happy new year!   We hope you have settled back into work and looking forward to whatever this year has to offer.   Your weekly newsletter is now back for 2025, kicking off with a look back at 2024. We have compiled our top articles from last year, in no particular order, with some highly-read and others highly-controversial - and some that are both!   Without further ado, here are the EL Gazette Top Five Articles of 2024...

5. Exams aren’t just stressful – they’re unnecessary In his very first interview for the Gazette, Fabio Cerpelloni spoke to teacher and YouTuber, Christian Saunders on why exams should be scrapped. Citing the impact of exams on students’ ability to learn and their mental health, Christian speaks candidly about his transition from providing resources for IELTS takers, to the creation of his ‘most accurate English test’ where every taker gets 100%. Do you agree or disagree with Christian’s views?

4. Is it time to reintroduce graded readers? From one controversy to another, Willy Renandya and George Jacobs argue in defence of graded readers, as many teachers brand the books ‘boring and inauthentic’. In this article, Willy and George discuss the benefits of using graded readers, emphasising their ability to gradually help students improve their reading skills. Graded readers have evolved from adaptations of historic novels, such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’, to covering a wider range of topics and titles, including films and non-fiction. As one of our top-read articles of 2024, it’s clear that this perspective resonated with many of you out there!

3. Short of teachers? Time to offer them more! In the midst of a global teacher shortage, Melanie Butler took an in-depth look at the causes and what one school did to make it better. Post-pandemic, schools are struggling to get their teachers back, unaware that their own attitude towards their staff is what’s driving them away. Teachers need – not just want – good salaries, contracted hours and job security. Shocking! In this article, Melanie speaks to the director of ELC Bristol on how they re-built their team post-pandemic, with some pointers that many employers could learn from!

2. British Council teachers in Afghanistan – where are they now? After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, many teachers working for the British Council were unable, or struggled to, evacuate the country, and were forced into hiding. Perhaps most painfully, teachers in Afghanistan were tasked with teaching Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and yet were not treated with the same values they were teaching in their time of need. Joseph Seaton of #AtRiskTeachers has been keeping the Gazette informed of what is happening to these teachers since the beginning of 2023. Last year, we got our most recent update: after waiting all that time for news, the relocation process had finally begun!

1. The pain of recruitment through the British Council A come-from-behind victory for our most-read article of 2024 was William Grice’s scathing review of the British Council’s recruitment process. Popping up at the end of the year and sweeping out the rest of the competition, William’s article received over 2000 views within its first week, and is now sitting at just over 3000. In his article, William shares his experience of applying for a post in Vietnam through the British Council, shining a light on administrative errors and cost-cutting measures that dampened the excitement he should have had with the move. If you haven’t read it yet, now’s the time!

Home - E L Gazette

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the communicative approach in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

Today, the 'communicative approach' is pretty much everywhere in the language classroom, but teachers and students still don't quite understand the point of it.

Here's a good start:

The Communicative Approach is based on the idea that learning a language successfully comes through having to communicate real meaning. In the Communicative Approach, the main objective is to present a topic in context as natural as possible.

Communicative Approach in TESOL/TEFL (CLT)

And something a bit more academic

The Communicative Approach (CA) – or Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) –is “an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language,” (“Communicative language teaching”, Wikipedia) going so far as to “initially [prioritize] communicative competence over accurate grammar“ (Hart). This approach comprises a wide range of methods, not a single, well-defined one, but invariably they all work towards showing the learners “how we really use language in authentic discourse” (Davies, Pearse 193-194). In general, CA lessons are built round situations which are practical and authentic in the real world, e.g. asking for information, complaining, apologizing, job interviews or telephoning. Consequently, dialogues, that occur, focus on communicative functions such as socializing, giving directions, or making telephone calls, which all have relevance and purpose in real-life situations, allowing students to see the direct benefit of learning (Hart).

AUTHENTIC LANGUAGE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING | Masaryk University in Brno

Here's a good list from Gill Hart:

Gill Hart gives the following 13main core suggestions which make the CA the most successful language learning approach in use today. 

1. A teacher's main role is a facilitator and monitor rather than leading the class. In other words, "the guide by the side" and not "the sage on the stage". 

2. Lessons are usually topic or theme based, with the target grammar "hidden" in the context e.g. a job interview (using the Present Perfect tense.) 

3. Lessons are built round situations/functions practical and authentic in the real world e.g. asking for information, complaining, apologizing, job interviews, telephoning. 

4. Activities set by the teacher have relevance and purpose to real life situations - students can see the direct benefit of learning. 

5. Dialogues are used that centre around communicative functions, such as socializing, giving directions, making telephone calls. 

6. Emphasis on engaging learners in more useful and authentic language rather than repetitive phrases or grammar patterns. 

7. Emphasis on communication and meaning rather than accuracy. Being understood takes precedence over correct grammar. The fine tuning of grammar comes later. 

8. Emphasis is put on the “appropriacy” of language. What is the most appropriate language and tone for a particular situation? 

9. Communicative competence is the desired goal. i.e. being able to survive, converse and be understood in the language. 

10. Emphasis is put on correct pronunciation and choral (group) and individual drilling is used. 

11. Authentic listening and reading texts are used more often, rather than artificial texts simply produced to feature the target language. 

12. Use of songs and games are encouraged and provide a natural environment to promote language and enhance correct pronunciation. 

13. Feedback and correction is usually given by the teacher after tasks have been completed, rather than at the point of error, thus interrupting the flow.

The foundations of the communicative approach and three of its applications

There are more suggestions of what to do in the classroom:

Communicative approach | TeachingEnglish | British Council

3 Sample Activities Using the Communicative Approach with Intermediate Levels | OnTESOL

10 Ways to Apply the Communicative Language Teaching Method

Finally, there is the criticism that having fun in the classroom doesn't mean the students are actually learning anything - especially grammar!

Opposite to what critics say, Authentic Material is not used in a vacuum to spend some class time having fun. When ESL teachers properly use the Communicative Approach in the classroom, Authentic Material is supported with activities that reinforce practice of grammar structure.

For example, this Communicative Approach lesson plan developed by an OnTESOL graduate during the TESOL course shows how a TV show can be used to teach Phrasal Verbs. This other PPP lesson plan shows how a newspaper article can be used to teach the Present Progressive. The Engage-Study-Activate (ESA) framework is also a great way to teach English with the Communicative Approach. Here is a ESA lesson plan by an OnTESOL graduate.

Communicative Approach in TESOL/TEFL (CLT)

Teaching Grammar: Understanding Structures and Functions - YouTube

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mixed levels in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

Every class is a 'mixed level' class. This is not properly considered either in teacher training or in putting together a lesson plan. And actually, the students themselves are not properly considered.

So, what can we do about it?

One way would be to stop seeing the mixed level class as a problem:

A great teacher I know says that when the 10-year-olds in her class make a maths error, she asserts an instant “wrong”. The brighter the child, the sharper her “wrong” will be. At times she is moved to say “wise mistake” – but that’s as complimentary as it gets. Years of inspirational primary practice have taught her that children don’t want to hear false praise or be asked to talk in pairs when they make a number error. The child wants to work it out, get a similar question right next time and the time after that.

Jay Doubleyou: differentiation in the classroom

There are some great materials out there readily available to deal with mixed levels in the English language classroom - especially for reading and listening input:

Jay Doubleyou: breaking news english lessons: different levels and speeds

Jay Doubleyou: randal's esl cyber listening lab

Jay Doubleyou: learn english with voice of america and esl-bits

Jay Doubleyou: authentic listening - fast and slow

There are different ways of using materials:

Jay Doubleyou: using difficult texts in the esl classroom

And there have been some clear voices giving good advice - including Gareth Rees from a couple of decades ago:

Teaching mixed-ability classes 1 | TeachingEnglish | British Council

Teaching mixed-ability classes 2 | TeachingEnglish | British Council

Here's a review from Emily Davies - with a few highlights:

According to Gareth Rees, it is important to address this situation from the first day of class. He suggests having an open class discussion to put it out in the open which I believe makes for a more comfortable classroom. It is important to stage and structure the discussion by asking certain questions such as; would you rather sit and listen or actively participate? Rees calls this a "Needs Analysis"...

Another suggestion Gareth Rees makes which seems simple and effective, is a specially tailored reading lesson for mixed ability classes. Have each student read the same text and when they are finished have stronger students do detailed dictionary work on the vocabulary in the text while the teacher can monitor the weaker students with whatever problems they may have had with the text...

One teaching practice TEFL International employs is always having the class work in pairs. This can be very helpful in a mixed- ability class because the teacher can pair up stronger students with weaker students.

Another similar TEFL International teaching practice which is very useful for classes with mixed abilities is the use of working in groups. As TEFL International calls it, the Activate Activity, it gives the chance to use the language in a more relaxed environment.

Tefl article - TEFL Teaching Classes of Mixed Abilities #386 | ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT

As part of the needs analysis - and further into the course - questions are always useful, as the student can answer at their level:

Jay Doubleyou: questioning and problem-solving

Jay Doubleyou: the maieutic method of teaching and learning

As well as 'before and during the learning', students want some help after - with some good feedback:

Jay Doubleyou: students want feedback

And if students are to have lots of opportunities for practicing speaking, then leave them to it!

Jay Doubleyou: keeping down teacher talking time

Finally, in 'real life', people have to learn to communicate in very different situations anyway:

Jay Doubleyou: "As the market develops … education will become organically linked again into … family homes, workplaces, sports centres, town halls, reading rooms in pubs, debating chambers, book stores … but you won't see the youth ghettos we call schools and colleges"

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interculturality in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

The business of teaching culture in the English language classroom is hardly straightforward - although you can try with the sort of focussed activities from the British Council.

This is quite explicit - but it is much more difficult to dig down to what is not in the open - that is, the hidden curriculum:

"[lessons] which are learned but not openly intended”[1] such as the transmission of norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and the social environment.[2]

A problem in digging deep is that it gets us into the culture wars and so gets very politicised, whether it's Brexit and the culture wars, different understandings of the First World War, more generally the rewriting of history, or where we are today with register: populism, culture wars and woke.

How can we get round these rather toxic debates? We can challenge a few stereotypes and ask a few questions - such as What is British culture?

Because, actually, going back to the British Council, language and culture in the EFL classroom can be a real positive: 

This is a great topic for discussion because although all of us teachers are busy teaching our students English, we cannot forget that teaching a language is as much a cultural exchange as it is anything else.

And to enable real 'cultural exchange', we need to develop the cultural sensitivity in the ESL classroom of everyone - both teachers and students.

The idea of 'intercultural competence' has been part of the English classroom for a good thirty years by now. This very good piece from the EFL Café was put together very recently - and looks at the issues and strategies for the classroom:

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, the concept of intercultural competence has gained significant importance, particularly in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) education. 

Intercultural competence refers to the ability to interact effectively and appropriately with people from different cultural backgrounds. It encompasses a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills that enable individuals to navigate and mediate cultural differences and to communicate with people from other cultures respectfully and effectively. 

As noted by Byram (1997) and Deardorff (2006), intercultural competence is not merely about knowing another culture; it involves developing a deep understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity and the ability to apply this understanding in communication and interaction. 

For EFL/ESL learners, who are often exposed to a variety of cultures through language learning, the development of intercultural competence is particularly vital. 

Language and culture are intrinsically linked, and proficiency in a language requires more than just grammatical or lexical knowledge; it also requires an understanding of the cultural contexts in which the language operates. 

Thus, intercultural competence becomes an essential component of language learning, enabling learners to not only use the language more effectively but also to engage in meaningful communication across cultural boundaries.

How to Develop EFL/ESL Learners’ Intercultural Competence

How to Develop EFL/ESL Learners’ Intercultural Competence – EFLCafe.net

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ways of listening

There are lots of different things to listen to.

What sort of listening are we doing each time?

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab - English Listening and Animations Archive - StoryCorps

Jay Doubleyou: how to learn english from movies and Jay Doubleyou: learning english from films - an overview and Jay Doubleyou: how to learn english from watching tv and Jay Doubleyou: which tv programmes should i watch to improve my english?

Jay Doubleyou: improve your speaking by listening to excellent english-learning podcasts

Jay Doubleyou: opening up the world of classical music to children and Jay Doubleyou: listening to song lyrics will help your pronunciation

Jay Doubleyou: why do scandinavians speak such good english?

Jay Doubleyou: how to negotiate and Jay Doubleyou: taking turns in conversation and Jay Doubleyou: the art of conversation

Jay Doubleyou: how english sounds to non-english speakers and Jay Doubleyou: how english sounds to non-english speakers: part two and Jay Doubleyou: what english sounds like

Jay Doubleyou: from narrow reading and listening to fluency and Jay Doubleyou: from narrow reading and listening to fluency: part two

Jay Doubleyou: to acquire a language you need lots of comprehensible input

Jay Doubleyou: authentic listening - fast and slow and Jay Doubleyou: how to listen to fast speech and Jay Doubleyou: breaking news english lessons: different levels and speeds

Jay Doubleyou: english easy readers - audio books and Jay Doubleyou: shorter ted talks

Jay Doubleyou: the shadowing technique and Jay Doubleyou: connected speech and Jay Doubleyou: 'four ears' or 'four years'? and Jay Doubleyou: shadowing

Jay Doubleyou: europe is lost: let them eat chaos

Jay Doubleyou: dictation can be fun and Jay Doubleyou: practical dictation > online texts and audio

Finally: Jay Doubleyou: listening in english

And there are lots of different ways of listening, types of listening,

One Hundred Ways of Listening

Distracted, privatised, enchanted - do you ever think about how you listen? For the last 20 years, sound anthropologist Dr Tom Rice has been collecting different ways of listening from the world’s leading sound experts. He’s gathered more than 100 – some of these may be quite familiar, others will definitely surprise you. We are at a critical moment when it comes to listening. The world is increasingly busy with sound, and it’s placing more and more demands on our ears. There’s an awareness that our culture and economic circumstances influence our perception, concern about growing pressures on our attention, and anxiety about our relationship to the environment. With the pace at which technology is developing, can we even be sure of what it is we’re listening to? We need to be skilful and agile listeners. By recognising the vast scope and extraordinary complexity of listening, we can develop our awareness and sharpen our perception, helping us to survive and even thrive in the complex sound world of the 21st century. Contributors: Bernd Brabec, University of Innsbruck; Ruth Herbert, University of Kent and City University; Dylan Robinson, University of British Columbia. Special thanks to: Michel Chion – semantic listening; Martin Daughtry – palimpsestic listening; Michael Gallagher, Jonathan Prior, Martin Needham and Rachel Holmes – embodied listening, expanded listening; Stefan Helmreich – soundstate; David Huron – ecstatic listening; James M. Kopf – anal listening; Pierre Schaeffer – acousmatic listening; Murray Schafer, David Toop – clairaudience; Kai Tuuri – critical listening.

Illuminated - One Hundred Ways of Listening - BBC Sounds

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reflective practice in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

There are some helpful ways to get us to become better teachers:

We can learn from experience: Jay Doubleyou: kolb and experiential learning

We can reflect on and question why the we do things: Jay Doubleyou: learning theory: a short guide

We can go with the flow: Jay Doubleyou: dogme and emergent language pt 1

Much of this is about our own professional development: Reflective Practice - YouTube

Or, as Adrian Underhill says: 

See what’s going on, try something different, learn from it.

Pronunciation: Three practices to question, three practices to explore | Adrian Underhill's Pronunciation Site

With another example from him: Reflective teaching | Demand High ELT

Here he is at the IATEFL conference in 2012: 

This plenary talk looks at the connections between three fields – systems thinking, post-heroic leadership and learning at the organisational and individual level.

Plenary session by Adrian Underhill | TeachingEnglish | British Council

And this is from an article from Adrian, on reflective practice, action inquiry and deep values - from the IATEFL newsletter of summer 2007:

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE, ACTION, INQUIRY AND DEEP VALUES 

Introduction 

My aim is to encourage inquiring conversations of the kind “How, in my work, do I follow or contradict the values that are deeply important to me?” and to hold this question as a rigorous reflective practice in the midst of professional action. I suggest that this question can provide rich starting points for worthwhile professional reflection and inquiry, as well as a source of „passionate energy‟ for professional development. I shall say a little about where I am coming from, link that to reflective practice and action inquiry, and move on to the question of values as a starting point for inquiry...

In designing an action experiment it helps to remember that there are essentially only three types: 

1. Do something different from what you usually do, and observe well;

2. Refrain from doing something you usually do, and observe well; 

3. Do what you usually do, while observing it both differently and better than usual. 

The designing and refining of action experiments is an iterative process; the question changes as we learn.

Summary 

I have suggested that looking for and experiencing contradictions between one‘s values, actions and outcomes can be a productive and rewarding activity that can provide a rich source of inspiration for worthwhile professional reflection and inquiry. Experiencing oneself as a living contradiction can also provide a source of energy to drive inquiry of this nature. I have offered a simple framework for those who would like to experiment with this in their practice, either to change circumstances to align actions with values, or to develop the values themselves

Editors’ Foreword

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using pronunciation in and out of the esl/esol/tefl classroom

Teachers tend to ignore pronunciation - so-called 'non-native' teachers who doubt their own pronunciation and so-called 'native' teachers who are just too sure.

Indeed, pronunciation is "the Cinderella of language teaching": Dalton - Some Techniques for Teaching Pronunciation (TESL/TEFL)

But good pronunciation is the most important thing in learning a language - otherwise nobody's going to understand you: Why Pronunciation Teaching Should Be the Number One Priority

Here's a good discussion to start off: Studying pronunciation is a waste of time. - Page 2 - EnglishClub ESL Forums And another: Why do some people have great pronunciation? Why do others struggle?<br/><br/>Are some people just born with it? While the rest are forever doomed to struggle with bad pronunciation? — Lingtuitive

How though are we going to work on our pronunciation?

For all types of teacher, there are some excellent resources online - which provide good solid models to give the students - who can use most of the same links for themselves.

• A list of very specific activities: Learn English Pronunciation Elocution Intonation - Learn English
• A focus on the sounds of English: HOME | sounds-of-english
• A good look at all the phonemes: Introduction to Teaching Pronunciation Workshop - Adrian Underhill (COMPLETE) - YouTube With more from the master: Adrian’s Pron Chart Blog | Practical discovery of English pronunciation
• A look at the most important phoneme: Jay Doubleyou: a curvaceous young phoneme called schwa...
• An excellent guide from BBC Learning English, both old: BBC Learning English | Pronunciation Tips and new: BBC Learning English - Learn English pronunciation
• Several guides to listening - to songs: Jay Doubleyou: listening to song lyrics will help your pronunciation and Jay Doubleyou: singing songs to learn english and Jay Doubleyou: using songs in the esl/esol/tefl classroom
• A focus on the importance of getting and using 'connected speech': Jay Doubleyou: connected speech and Jay Doubleyou: 'four ears' or 'four years'?
• Perhaps the most effective method: Jay Doubleyou: shadowing
• And another couple more directions: Jay Doubleyou: chunking and Jay Doubleyou: sound scripting and Jay Doubleyou: voice recognition apps to help learn english pronunciation

Finally, we need to feel confident in teaching and learning - and using the language: Jay Doubleyou: pronunciation: empowering educators to feel confident and prepared to teach pronunciation

To finish, though, here are some funny crazy things: it doesn't help that none of it makes any sense: Jay Doubleyou: english pronunciation is crazy or that it's all rather a babble: Jay Doubleyou: what english sounds like

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