ai and the future of education

Where are we going with artificial intelligence in the English classroom?

Jay Doubleyou: the future of ai and english language teaching

How much should we (as teachers and students) be worried about AI?

Jay Doubleyou: controlling ai - part one: the dangers of chatgpt

Jay Doubleyou: controlling ai - part four: "integrating it into teaching, learning, and assessment will require careful consideration"

And how much should we be seeing it as a resource?

Jay Doubleyou: chat gpt in teaching/learning/working with english - the research

Jay Doubleyou: oak ai uk - "providing every teacher with a personalised AI lesson-planning assistant"

The UK government is keen:

AI in schools: What you need to know – The Education Hub

Salman Khan has written a book called "Brave New Words" on the issues. 

Here are some views from educators:

Opinions on Sal Khan’s book “Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education and Why That’s a Good Thing”? : r/education

Here's a review:

Teacher’s friend or enemy?
AI could revolutionize the classroom
By Robert Adès
Contemporary philosophy|

Book Review

Brave New Words by Salman Khan, the founder of the American non-profit online education company Khan Academy, is an advert for its new AI teaching and learning assistant Khanmigo, recently released in the UK. It is a generative AI powered by GPT-4 and prepared specifically for the classroom. If you believe the examples in this book, Khanmigo matches the already mind- boggling power of GPT-4 and may yet foretell a dystopian future. As a teacher, I can’t wait to use it in September.

The last thing this AI will do is write students’ essays for them. It is more likely to render plagiarism irrelevant. If the pupil tries to plagiarize, the bot will realize, probe the pupil’s motivations, then report to the teacher. If that sounds authoritarian, it is: just as a school is meant to be. The AI will then encourage the pupil to work independently, feeding back to the teacher and parents. For the teacher, the AI can make lesson plans, grade pupil work and provide personalized assessments. It can keep parents up to date and suggest tasks to do at home. And, like GPT-4, it has the capacity to mimic creatively: to invent conversations between historical figures, co-author creative writing, reword mathematical theories in terms of each pupil’s hobby. The possibilities are almost limitless.

Khan acknowledges some of AI’s dangers, such as “hallucinations”: factually false outputs. But he does not address the risk of losing the human experience of a student having a meaningful relationship with a good teacher. Part of the acquisition of knowledge derives from the charisma and authority of a teacher standing up and talking with passion. Many teachers leave lasting personal impressions on their charges. In a interview with Bill Gates in 2023, Khan recalled a list of his own inspiring school teachers. My worry is not that the students will cheat more or learn less, but that their opportunities for personal relationships, such as those Khan benefited from, will be reduced.

This loss would be a shame, not a dystopia. But there are dystopias on the horizon. Khan describes our current model of education as a “factory” – a conveyor belt in which a kid who falls behind his cohort stays behind. The AI teaching assistant may solve this problem while turning factories of education into self-checkouts of education. Perhaps a child with a knowledge gap won’t be left behind, but…

Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education – review | Impact of Social Sciences

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code-switching: jumping between different registers, different voices and different languages

REGISTER:

We can communicate using different registers and different types of language, depending on the context - for example:

For formal and informal register; 'Would you mind passing the salt?' is appropriate for a formal situation with strangers, whereas 'Pass me the salt' would be used for a situation where friends are talking, or possibly when being rude.

Register | TeachingEnglish | British Council

Here's a good introduction:

Register: Language Formality in Creative Writing–#AuthorToolboxBlogHop – Words like trees

We need to be teaching and learning about it:

MultiBrief: Language register: What is it and why does it matter in education?

How Did That Register? Five Levels of Formality in Language | ALTA Language Services

Here are some of those different contexts:

Jay Doubleyou: writing about your holiday in different registers

Jay Doubleyou: register: populism, culture wars and woke

Jay Doubleyou: learning to use the appropriate register @ fawlty towers

Jay Doubleyou: writing with register: a lesson in using different levels of 'politeness'

Jay Doubleyou: high culture > popular culture --- high register > low register

It becomes much more difficult to change register or 'voice' in the middle of speaking or writing

Do native English speakers face difficulty in switching between registers?

CODE-SWITCHING:

We can call this 'code-switching':

Register and style: code-switching

Code-switching isn't just for bilingual people: Code-switching is switching between multiple different languages, dialects, and registers depending on the social situation the speaker is in.

Although we usually talk about code-switching in terms of switching languages, utilising different registers in communication is also considered code-switching. A teenager at school may talk to their friends and classmates using a casual register, then code-switch to a formal or consultative register when talking to their teacher.

Register and Style: Definition, Meaning & Examples | StudySmarter

It's quite a hot topic:

Code-Switching in Language | Definition, Types & Examples | Study.com

For example:

In popular usage and in sociolinguistic study, the term code-switching is frequently used to refer to switching among dialects, styles or registers.[9] This form of switching is practiced, for example, by speakers of African American Vernacular English as they move from less formal to more formal settings.[10] Such shifts, when performed by public figures such as politicians, are sometimes criticized as signaling inauthenticity or insincerity.[11]

Code-switching - Wikipedia

HETEROGLOSSIA:

Mixing up register/voice/language can go beyond the sociology and politics of language.

Here's an interesting idea: 'heteroglossia':

In literature it refers to different voices used within a text, so that might be the differentiation between characters and an omniscient narrator, or it could be different sociolects (class/regional etc dialects) represented by characters. Any time the speech of someone in the text tells you about who they are and how they're different to others in the text is an example of heteroglossia. In non fiction, the same applies, only the heteroglossia arises out of people's real differences rather than having to be invented by an author. Linguistic code in this context is deliberately vague, but does entail that the characters should be using mutually intelligible language. So, it might be two male characters that both speak English but one is poor and black and uses ebonics and one is rich and white and speaks a more formal, standardised way, or it could be two middle class people but the male uses more assertive language and the female is more passive.

Confused about 'heteroglossia' meaning : r/linguistics

With more from Wikipedia:

Heteroglossia is the presence in language of a variety of "points of view on the world, forms for conceptualizing the world in words, specific world views, each characterized by its own objects, meanings and values."[1] For Bakhtin, this diversity of "languages" within a single language brings into question the basic assumptions of system-based linguistics. Every word uttered, in any specific time or place, is a function of a complex convergence of forces and conditions that are unique to that time and place...

The hybrid utterance, as defined by Bakhtin, is a passage that employs only a single speaker—the author, for example— but uses different kinds of speech. The juxtaposition of the different speeches brings with it a contradiction and conflict in belief systems.

In examination of the English comic novel, particularly the works of Charles Dickens, Bakhtin identifies examples of his argument. Dickens parodies both the 'common tongue' and the language of Parliament or high-class banquets, using concealed languages to create humor. In one passage, Dickens shifts from his authorial narrative voice into a formalized, almost epic tone while describing the work of an unremarkable bureaucrat; his intent is to parody the self-importance and vainglory of the bureaucrat's position. The use of concealed speech, without formal markers of a speaker change, is what allows the parody to work. It is, in Bakhtin's parlance, a hybrid utterance. In this instance the conflict is between the factual narrative and the biting hyperbole of the new, epic/formalistic tone.

Bakhtin goes on to discuss the interconnectedness of conversation. Even a simple dialogue, in his view, is full of quotations and references, often to a general "everyone says" or "I heard that.." Opinion and information are transmitted by way of reference to an indefinite, general source. By way of these references, humans selectively assimilate the discourse of others and make it their own.

Heteroglossia - Wikipedia

Let's draw back to give a bit more context.

Here's a very readable look at all of this by Jena Barchas of the Everyday linguistic anthropology blog:

Words have flavors: indexicality, heteroglossia, intertextuality

Let me start with an obvious point: we all have boatloads of resources at our disposal for making meaning. Not just our words — we’ve also got our clothing, our posture, the way we walk — but for now, I’m mostly going to talk about words.

All these resources communicate through indexicality. Basically, they point to other meanings. Classically, smoke indexes fire: it doesn’t look like fire, but it points to it by means of long association. Of course, smoke could mean that there’s a smoke machine rather than a fire. But most of the time, it doesn’t.

When we talk about indexicality and language, we’re generally talking about different ways of saying the same thing, which carry different meanings.

For example:

Using a higher pitch indexes femininity. It doesn’t resemble a woman in any way, but it’s connected by regular proximity. When men want to make it clear that they’re imitating women, the first thing they do is raise the pitch of their voices.
If I stop someone on the street and ask them for the time, do I say, “Yo” or “Excuse me, sir”? In fact, both are correct — but they tell you different things about me, that person, and our relationship.
Speaking a particular language or dialect often indexes group affiliation.
Accents index a particular region.
Slang indexes a particular age, among many other personal characteristics.

In short, words have flavors.

Consider the word “dude.” These days, it indexes a sort of laid-back Californian vibe, in addition to heterosexual masculinity. It’s not a quotation from a specific original source, but it’s connected to a way of talking, a voice in the broadest sense.

Or consider the words “beget” and “Sabbath.” They’ve both got Judeo-Christian Bible flavor. “Wack,” “talk to the hand,” and “the bomb” have ’90s flavor. “Actionable” and “productize” have corporate flavor. “Occupy” indexes leftist politics and inequality — and it’s only done so for about five years.

As you can see, a single language — in this case, English — always contains multiple voices and varieties. And it doesn’t matter how self-contained and original a single stretch of language is; it contains elements that index various contexts, norms, and voices.

When we talk about this sense that language always contains multiple voices, we’re talking about heteroglossia (lit. “different voices”). (The term was coined by Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin and promptly appropriated by linguistic anthropologists.)

We also often talk about a special case of heteroglossia, which we call intertextuality: the borrowing, quoting, or reworking of a recognizable (oral or written) text.

The movie Clueless is a reworking of Jane Austen’s Emma.
If I say “Accio pencil,” what am I referring to? What will you do? (I once heard a student say this in class, and another student picked up the pencil she’d just dropped.)
Internet memes often blend multiple texts, as do parodies.

So what? Why is this interesting?

Here’s why: both heteroglossia and intertextuality only work as devices if we can assume that some voices and texts are shared. “Accio pencil” is only meaningful if you’re also familiar with Harry Potter; this faux-mercial is only funny if you’ve seen this (real) commercial; a man raising the pitch of his voice to imitate his mother-in-law only makes sense if you share the knowledge that women have high voices.

Language isn’t homogeneous within a group of people, and language is never neutral. Heteroglossia makes visible our knowledge and assumptions of just how that diversity is organized.

Words have flavors: indexicality, heteroglossia, intertextuality | Everyday linguistic anthropology

Let's finish with a challenge to teachers in the classroom:

Dialogic education is a teaching method which is in stark contrast with monologic teaching methods. Nowadays, the educational systems all around the world characterize monologic education in which the ideas and voices of the teachers are the first and last ones uttered in the classrooms, textbooks are aimed so that students learn how to speak and write “correctly” and the time extent of the class is so short that teachers are struggling to cover all the “important” points mandated in the textbooks and by educational authorities. 

In contrast in dialogic education, the teacher shares his or her authority with the students; the voices of the students are heard and their opinions are valuable. In a dialogic class, the students are divided into groups to practice “exploratory talk” and “think reasonably”. The aim in discussing different opinions is just that; discussing different opinions not winning or losing. The role of the teacher is to facilitate the process; he or she is not a judge or referee, he or she is simply a guide. A dialogic environment is like a carnival; to borrow from Bakhtin. There are no omnipresent powers. 

The current study shows that different components of Bakhtin’s dialogism concept can be a very good starting point for a modern and effective theoretical framework for learning and teaching processes.

Dialogism versus Monologism: A Bakhtinian Approach to Teaching

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"belief in the kindness of others is much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought"

Finland is at the top of the table when it comes to happiness:

Jay Doubleyou: why are finns so happy?

They've done it again:

World Happiness Report: Finland named as happiest country for eighth year - BBC News

How do they do it?

One reason is good working conditions:

Finland has retained its position as the world’s happiest country for an eighth year running, with the country’s comprehensive welfare system having a strong sway on the outcome, according to analysts.

The UN-sponsored World Happiness Report saw Costa Rica and Mexico enter the top 10 for the first time. The UK slipped to 23rd in the list while the US fell a place to 24th – its lowest ever position.

Finnish CEO of customer feedback company HappyOrNot Miika Mäkitalo, said workplace culture played a massive part in happiness for societies. He said: “In Finland, we believe in offering practical solutions that enable employees to manage their professional and personal lives. For instance, the Working Hours Act allows employees to adjust their working hours by up to three hours and promotes remote working, giving individuals greater control over their schedules.

Finland’s workplaces the key to top spot in World Happiness Index - Personnel Today

Another reason is kindness:

Belief in the kindness of others is much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought, according to World Happiness Report 2025, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford

The country rankings are based on a three-year average of each population’s average assessment of their quality of life. Experts from economics, psychology, sociology and beyond then analyse and seek to explain the variations across countries and over time using factors such as GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption. These factors help to explain the differences across nations, while the rankings themselves are based solely on the answers people give when asked to rate their own lives.

World Happiness Report 2025 shows people are much kinder than we expect — University of Oxford, Medical Sciences Division

This is connected to the nature of our media - both social and mainstream.

Many of the stories in the UK are sensationalist, tabloid, focussed on murder and mayhem - and the general meanness of humanity:

Sensationalism: Murder, Mayhem, Mudslinging, Scandals, and Disasters

Jack the Ripper and the tabloid press - The History Press

Constructing Crime: Media, Crime, and Popular Culture

The News of the World's sensational history | News of the World | The Guardian

Tabloid Tales: How the British Tabloid Press Shaped the Brexit Vote - Simpson - 2023 - JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies - Wiley Online Library

The UK and the US are at the bottom of the table - and we need to ask to what extent our media contribute to that:

The latest research suggests that the news can shape us in surprising ways – from our perception of risk to the content of our dreams, to our chances of having a heart attack.

How the news changes the way we think and behave - BBC Future

The media so often talk about 'stranger danger' - but this is not the case:

Strangers are about twice as kind as people think, a study looking at happiness across the globe suggests. This year’s World Happiness Report – released on Thursday and published by the BBC – measured trust in strangers by deliberately losing wallets, seeing how many were returned, and comparing that with how many people thought would be handed in.

The rate of wallets returned was almost twice as high as people predicted and the study, which gathered evidence from around the world, found belief in the kindness of others was more closely tied to happiness than previously thought.

The report also ranked Finland as the world’s happiest country for the eighth year running, with the US and UK slipping down the list.

An economist at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the report, John Helliwell, said the wallet experiment data showed “people are much happier living where they think people care about each other”. He added the study showed people were “everywhere too pessimistic”, with wallets much more likely to be returned than predicted.

The 13th annual World Happiness Report, released to mark the UN’s International Day of Happiness, ranks the world’s happiest countries by asking people to evaluate their lives. Finland again took top spot with an average score of 7.736 out of 10, while Costa Rica and Mexico have entered the top 10 for the first time. Both the UK and the US slipped down the list to 23rd and 24th respectively – the lowest-ever position for the latter.

Strangers kinder than expected, global happiness report reveals

It's also about sharing meals and having somebody to count on:

Researchers say that beyond health and wealth, some factors that influence happiness sound deceptively simple: sharing meals with others, having somebody to count on for social support, and household size. In Mexico and Europe, for example, a household size of four to five people predicts the highest levels of happiness, the study said. 

Believing in the kindness of others is also much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought, according to the latest findings.

U.S. Falls to Its Lowest-Ever Ranking in Latest World Happiness Report | TIME

There are some in the UK media who don't like this report:

The World Happiness Report is a sham | The Spectator

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the future is african

 How do we and how should we see Africa?

LANGUAGE:

The continent is part of the Anglosphere:

Jay Doubleyou: the english-speaking world: west africa

Jay Doubleyou: different african english accents

Jay Doubleyou: english is an african language

Jay Doubleyou: west african pidgin english

Nigeria is the third largest country when it comes to English speakers, after India and the USA, although the list on Wikipedia can be questioned...

List of countries by English-speaking population - Wikipedia

And arguably the largest English speaking city in the entire world is Lagos, Nigeria:

The largest city by population in Africa with close to 25 million people! Also, arguably the largest English speaking city in the entire... | Instagram

Here's a better list:

English Speaking Countries in Africa - WorldAtlas

CULTURE:

In that case, when learning English, we do not need to stick with the UK - but can read and listen to stuff and have conversations with people coming out of places such as Cameroon and Kenya:

Jay Doubleyou: "let’s not make english about british culture"

When it comes to music, there is so much coming out of Anglophone Africa:

Jay Doubleyou: the music of west africa

Yes, London is a cultural centre, but much of this is multicultural, with the African diaspora contributing considerably:

Jay Doubleyou: adventures in art at the british museum

Jay Doubleyou: shonibare - gorgeously recognisable artist

And as for writing, there are powerful African voices making up the 'canon':

Jay Doubleyou: english literature

POLITICS:

Europeans have made their mark in the continent of course - and some are only just realising their impact:

Jay Doubleyou: facing up to your imperial past: the belgians

And this might also involve 'paying back' for any gains and losses:

Jay Doubleyou: reparations

But Africa has not always been on the receiving end of violence and robbery - but might have something to teach the rest of the world:

Jay Doubleyou: non-western democratic traditions

Jay Doubleyou: non-western democratic traditions - part two

THE FUTURE IS AFRICAN

Maybe, then, Africa can be seen not as a victim but as a provider and innovator:

Myth 6: Africa needs our help - Global Justice Now Global Justice Now

Here's another list:

10 things Africa has given the world | Eliza Anyangwe | The Guardian

Here's real promise for the future:

How Africa can help drive global climate change solutions - ONE Data & Analysis

Including in sport:

Newly elected IOC President Kirsty Coventry celebrated on return home to Zimbabwe | AP News

View from Africa: how Kirsty Coventry will handle sport’s biggest job at the IOC | International Olympic Committee | The Guardian

We need to think of Africa as more than a place to extract stuff:

What does Africa offer to global world development apart from Natural Resources? - Quora

And this might well become a source of power:

Why Africa will become a prominent player in global geopolitics | World Economic Forum

The future is African:

The Future Is African | Council on Foreign Relations

6 numbers that prove the future is African | World Economic Forum

To finish:

Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history and fantasy to explore the African-American experience and aims to connect those from the black diaspora with their forgotten African ancestry

Afrofuturism | Tate

Afrofuturism | National Museum of African American History and Culture

Afrofuturism: Turning pain into possibility - YouTube

And:

Let's Talk About 'Black Panther' And Afrofuturism - YouTube

Black Panther and Afrofuturism - YouTube

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the music of west africa

The music of West Africa is multi-layered and multi-faceted.

This would be one element:

Jay Doubleyou: polyrhythm and different rhythms

For example:

Butour Ngale - African polyrhythm demonstration - YouTube [Senegal]

Chaabi. That Moroccan groove that made you go WHHAAATTTTTT - YouTube

Mongo Santamaria - Afro Blue - YouTube [Afro-Cuban]

Tony Allen & Hypnotic Brass feat Baaba Mal - Ise Nla - LIVE@Broad Casting, London 29/01/09 - YouTube [Nigeria and Senegal]

There is a rich instrumental heritage: 

The kora (Manding languages: ߞߐߙߊ kɔra[1]) is a stringed instrument used extensively in West Africa.[2] A kora typically has 21 strings, which are played by plucking with the fingers. It has features of the lute and harp.

Kora (instrument) - Wikipedia

With very famous players:

Toumani Diabaté obituary | Music | The Guardian

Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté - Jarabi - YouTube

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté - In The Heart Of The Moon - YouTube [intro in English]

This is part of an inherited tradition: 

A griot (/ˈɡriːoʊ/; French: [ɡʁi.o]; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: ߖߋ߬ߟߌ,[1] djeli or djéli in French spelling); also spelt Djali; Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.

Griot - Wikipedia

Griot Music of West Africa | Steve Pile AND Jali Bakary Konteh | TEDxSonomaCounty - YouTube [intro in English]

And there are very interesting collaborations...

Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita met by chance in 2012, when Keita was called in to substitute for Toumani Diabaté in rehearsals for a tour with Finch. A military coup in Mali had prevented Diabaté from leaving the country in time, so Keita stepped in to help prepare the repertoire with Finch—a classical musician who had never seen or heard a kora before. For his part, Keita, a Senegalese kora master and griot of royal descent, didn’t read music. A wonderful musical partnership was born.

Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita: A Magical Partnership | KCRW 

Two Harps That Beat As One: Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita - YouTube

Bach to Baïsso - Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita - YouTube

Different traditions can fuse together...

Tishoumaren (ⵜⵉⵛⵓⵎⴰⵔⴻⵏ in Neo-Tifinagh script) or assouf,[1] internationally known as desert blues, is a style of music from the Sahara region of northern and west Africa. Critics describe the music as a fusion of blues and rock music with Tuareg, Malian or North African music.[2] Various other terms are used to describe it[1] including desert rock, Saharan rock,[3] Takamba,[2] Mali blues,[4] Tuareg rock[5] or simply "guitar music".[6] The style has been pioneered by Tuareg musicians in the Sahara region, particularly in Mali, Niger, Libya, Algeria, Burkina Faso and others; with it also being developed by Sahrawi artists in Western Sahara.[7]

The musical style took shape as an expression of the culture of the traditionally nomadic Tuareg people, amid their difficult sociopolitical situation, including rebellions, widespread displacement and exile in post-colonial Africa.[7] The word Tishoumaren is derived from the French word chômeur, meaning "the unemployed".[1]

The genre was first pioneered by and popularized outside of Africa by Ali Farka Touré and later Tinariwen. In recent years, artists like Mdou Moctar and Bombino have continued to adapt Saharan rock music and have achieved international success.[8][2][3][9][7]

Desert blues - Wikipedia

With a very special festival happening in Mali:

Festival au Désert - Wikipedia

Ali Farka Toure - Festival In The Desert 2003 - YouTube

The Tragic Story of Africa's Festival In The Desert - YouTube

Perhaps the most international music has come from Nigeria/Ghana:

Afrobeat (also known as Afrofunk[3][4]) is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Yoruba music[5][6] and Ghanaian music (such as highlife),[7] with American funk, jazz, and soul influences.[5][8] With a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, and percussion,[9] the style was pioneered in the 1960s by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who popularised it both within and outside Nigeria. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers."[10]

Distinct from Afrobeat is Afrobeats, a combination of sounds originating in West Africa in the 21st century. This takes on diverse influences and is an eclectic combination of genres such as hip hop, house, jùjú, ndombolo, R&B, soca, and dancehall.[11][12][13][14][15][16] The two genres, though often conflated, are not the same.[12][13]

Afrobeat - Wikipedia

With its most famous proponent: 

Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz.[2] At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers".[3] AllMusic described him as "a musical and sociopolitical voice" of international significance.[4]

Fela Kuti - Wikipedia

He was 'the president':

FELA KUTI Live at GLASTONBURY [Film Concert] - YouTube [intro in English]

Fela Kuti: Music Is The Weapon | Full Music Documentary Movie - YouTube

Faces of Africa - Fela Kuti: The Father of Afrobeat, Part 1 - YouTube

The Genius of Fela Kuti and Afrobeat (feat. Femi & Made Kuti) - YouTube

He had an important collaborator:

Tony Allen - Afrobeat Revolution (Full Album) 2020 - YouTube

To finish, from Ghana:

it is pure, rootsy, raw, driving African funk music of the highest order,

In 1976, Marijata made an african Raw Funk masterpiece

Marijata - No Condition Is Permanent - YouTube

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different african english accents

Most Africans are bilingual:

In a cafe in south London, two construction workers are engaged in cheerful banter, tossing words back and forth. Their cutlery dances during more emphatic gesticulations and they occasionally break off into loud guffaws. They are discussing a woman, that much is clear, but the details are lost on me. It’s a shame, because their conversation sounds fun and interesting, especially to a nosy person like me. But I don’t speak their language.

Out of curiosity, I interrupt them to ask what language they are speaking. They both switch easily to English, explaining that they are South Africans and had been speaking Xhosa. In Johannesburg, where they are from, most people speak at least five languages, says one of them, Theo Morris. For example, Morris’s mother’s tongue is Sotho, his father’s is Zulu; he learned Xhosa and Ndebele from his friends and neighbours and English and Afrikaans at school. “I went to Germany before I came here, so I also speak German,” he adds.

Was it easy to learn so many languages? “Yes, it’s normal,” he laughs.

He’s right. Around the world, more than half of people – estimates vary from 60-75% – speak at least two languages. Many countries have more than one official national language – South Africa has 11. People are increasingly expected to speak, read and write at least one of a handful of “super” languages, such as English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish or Arabic, as well. So to be monolingual, as many native English speakers are, is to be in the minority and perhaps to be missing out.

Why being bilingual works wonders for your brain | Language | The Guardian

Jay Doubleyou: ça va?! bilingualism is good for the brain

Much of Africa is Anglophone:

Jay Doubleyou: english is an african language

Jay Doubleyou: the english-speaking world: west africa

But each country and region has its own accent:

WHICH AFRICAN COUNTRY HAS THE BEST ENGLISH ACCENT - YouTube

KENYANS HAVE THE BEST ENGLISH ACCENT & PRONUNCIATION. DO SOUTHERN AFRICANS NEED TO RELEARN ENGLISH? - YouTube

Here is an excellent overview:

Accents of Africa | IDEA: International Dialects of English Archive

And here's a nice conversational view of being South African:

Language: Accents, dialects, and the Queen’s English - SPEAK Blog

Finally, here 

Languages of Africa - Wikipedia

635px-Map_of_African_languages.svg.png (635×600)

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it ain't what you say, it's the way that you say it: intonation and functional language

INTONATION AND FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE

'It ain't what you say it's the way that you say it.'

In focussing on 'getting the words right', both teachers and students often overlook the question of how intonation creates meaning.

Following on from a functional lesson ('telephoning') being observed, I'd like to consider how intonation interplays with functional language.

1) ADDING COLOUR: Once the notion of chunking has been firmly established, work on specific areas of intonation in connected speech:

(See: last chapters of 'Pronunciation Task's by Martin Hewings, CUP, for the basics)

Identifying stressed words/syllables:

dictionary work with 'schwa' for individual words prior to chunks unstressed forms of to/and/were - which are often the 'grammar words'! versus prominent words - which are normally the 'content' words rhythm in Whatdidhesay?/Yesofcourse/Whatdoyouearn?

Linking words together:

consonant+vowel - keepoffthegrass/putonyourclothes

assimilation, or some consonants changing nature - turnback!/Agoodpartybecomes = turmbackf/Agoopparty

vowel+vowel often needs /w/, /j/ or /r/ - Whoareyou?jTeaorcoffee?/Isthedooropen? elision, or the dropping of sounds - Canyouseehim/Ican'tunderstandher becomes Canyouseeim?/Icanunderstander

Students will be familiar with I'm/don't, but not that Areyoualright,mate? becomes ri'ma?

Mimicking the 'music' of the language:

Tonic words, or where there is a change in tone, normally indicate the prominent word -It'sontopofthebookcase or It'sontopofthebookcase

Rising tone can indicate what the listener already knows, whereas falling tone is 'news' - WhenareyougoingtoNewYork? (up = not sure) I'mflyingatteno'clock (down = I know)

Rising tone can also indicate that the speaker hasn't finished: the sound-scripted phone-call above would have rising tone at Canitakeamessaget and 'within' the phone­number

2) Students EXPERIMENT with intonation:

Students listen to clear and complete exponents and try them out themselves. PARROTING exactly what they hear - including pitch, pace, pauses, as above

Higher level students INTERPRET more varied exponents where intention and meaning are not clear. Content often contradicts use of voice:

Yes;. of course/I see. (When the speaker in fact doesn't agree)

Changing stress:

Idunno/Areyougonnago? becomes ldon'tknow/Areyougoingtogo

Whatdidyougetuptolastweek?/Wouldyoumindnotdoingthat,please?

Changing tone:

I'dliketo from down to up can show definite acceptance of an invitation to reservation

Wasitexpensive? from up to down can show curiosity to scolding

Really? from up-down to down-up

Work out with the students whether tone should be questioning or flatter

Changing function:

Trying to say a 'command' as a 'request' and vice-versa, whilst keeping the phraseology:

Iwaswonderingifyoucouldgivememycoat,please./Ablackcoffee.

Trying out different 'moods' to the same phrase, saying it weak/strong, pleading/demanding, authoritatively/patronisingly/sarcastically:

Canwegotothebeach?/Whydon'tyouloveme?

3) Start with the premise that most functional speech is made up of 'CHUNKS', that is, pieces of language which should be recognised as a single whole:

Could I have a cup of coffee?/I'll have the steak./Have you got any change?

Students should be given practice in saying these out loud - but as chunks: Repeating or reading these complete phrases as if they were one word.

Gaps in the wrong place would indicate hesitation:

CanlspeaktoJohn?/Wouldyoumindopeningthewindow?

Integrating set phrases into a complete conversation with correct pausing.

Speed does not equal fluency: it encourages students to blur chunks or stop mid-chunk. It'saboutnextWednesday. (pause.) I'msorrybutlcan'tmakeit (pause.) Canwemakeanotherdate? (pause.)

4) SOUND-SCRIPTING: Students take a ready-made audio script or a self-created conversation - then re-write it line by line. This can be done on a word-processor by pressing 'enter' at the end of each chunk to start a new line:

A: Hi.

Joehere. CanlspeaktoTim?

B: Sorry, He'snotin.

Canltakeamessage ordoyouwanttocallback?

A:Er

Canyoutakeamessage? 

ThisisJohn

Canhecallmebackon

01395

513

456?

It really does take off when students must ask themselves about both the appropriate phraseology to be adopted and the appropriate tone - depending on the role being played.

In other words, we are teaching our students to PLAY ROLES - to act out their lines convincingly - and 'with feeling'.

14th September 2008.

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Here's the same but as images to download and photocopy:

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today is world book day in the uk and ireland!

There are are in fact several 'world book days': 

World Book Day - Wikipedia

In this part of the world it's Thursday 6th March:

World Book Day - World Book Day | World Book Day is a registered charity. Our mission is to give every child and young person a book of their own.

A lot of it is about getting kids to show how much they can enjoy reading:

Prepare yourself to see some utterly awesome World Book Day costumes! You've been uploading your character creations from authors like Roald Dahl and Dav Pilkey. Your outfits range from bears to queens to intergalactic Jedi knights...

World Book Day 2025: Your incredible costumes - BBC Newsround

But not everyone can afford a costume to show off at school:

World Book Day: Why schools are asking pupils not to wear costumes of favourite characters | The Standard

Let’s end the performative hell of compulsory World Book Day costumes | The Independent

The point really is to show young people in particular the joys of reading for pleasure:

World Book Day provides a fantastic opportunity to focus on reading for pleasure, supporting children's autonomy in book choice, and embedding a habit of reading that brings a wide range of benefits.

World Book Day 2025 – Ideas and Activities | National Literacy Trust | National Literacy Trust

As one young person says, it's been really inspiring:

Amaya, our youngest writer, describes how her love of books has shaped her mission to protect nature and her ambition to be a marine biologist...

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File:Common Seal - Horsey Beach, Norfolk (44451475895).jpg - Wikimedia Commons

My mummy and daddy have always read books to me since I was a baby, and I now love to read them myself. I have two favourite books, which are Disney’s Frozen and Dolphin Tale.

Today is one of my favourite days of the year: it is World Book Day

It's all happening on the BBC today:

World Book Day 2025 - Live Lesson - BBC

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teaching 'unplugged' twenty-five years on

Over the years, these pages have looked at 'teaching unplugged', the last time some six years ago:

Jay Doubleyou: the 'dogme' approach or 'teaching unplugged':

In fact, the idea started some twenty-five years ago:

Scott Thornbury came up with this approach in 2000, following on from an article he wrote questioning the reliance on coursebooks and other classroom staples.

What is the Dogme ELT approach or Teaching Unplugged? - English Lessons Brighton

Teaching Unplugged is the term used for a teaching method and philosophy which has three primary aims: teaching through conversation, taking out external input such as course book and technology and letting the lesson content be driven by the students rather than being pre-planned by the teacher. Based on the ‘Dogme ELT’ approach to teaching, its origins lie in an article written in 2001 by Scott Thornbury and Luke Meddings called ‘The roaring in the chimney’. They later wrote ‘Teaching Unplugged’, a comprehensive guide to this type of teaching and winner of the British Council ELTons award for Innovation in 2010.The ‘Teaching Unplugged’ or ‘Dogme ELT’ movement has a very strong following amongst teachers. In fact, Dogme ELT discussion list, which was originally set up in March 2000 by Scott Thornbury to help bring this style of teaching to the fore, has now been disbanded, not due to lack of interest but because he felt the support had become so strong the method was ready to stand alone.

The main reason it’s become so popular is that the main focus is one hundred per cent on the students’ actual language needs. Take for example the elementary student who comes into class and says excitedly ‘See..friend..no see….fifteen years!’ Instead of saying ‘Oh, that’s nice! Now open your book at page twenty seven, we’re looking at the past simple’, the teacher constructs the sentence on the board: ‘I’ve just seen a friend I haven’t seen for fifteen years!’ The beauty is that, even if this use of the present perfect doesn’t come up in your course until pre-intermediate, you’re confident that the student knows exactly what this means as it is her own sentence and you’re absolutely sure you’ve just taught her something new as she definitely couldn’t say it before. The teacher then encourages other questions if students take an interest. ‘How.. you…know?’ ‘Where…you..meet?’ ‘What..he ..do..fifteen years?’ ‘ He change?’ The teacher now has a board full of great questions and a topic which can then be used as the basis for the class.

Teaching Unplugged | TeachingEnglish | British Council

Here's the original piece:

USING THE RAW MATERIALS THORNBURY MEDDINGS 2001 - Google Search

With a different aspect on the whole approach given in 2012:

A dogme based approach from the learners’ perspective.

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students making their own 'comprehension questions' in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

If we want students to learn to read and listen better, we can look at the ideas of Stephen Krashen:

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

Jay Doubleyou: "focus more so on input & absorbing the language"

Jay Doubleyou: krashen and the comprehensible input theory

Much of it is about getting the students to learn to read and listen by and for themselves:

Jay Doubleyou: creating learner independence outside of the classroom

Especially as learners need to work without a teacher:

Jay Doubleyou: how teaching interferes with learning

A teacher can be useful if they are getting the students to learn by themselves:

Studies have shown that passive engagement in a class or activity does not lead to better learning. In some cases it may have the opposite effect. Ask any teacher with a few years of experience and they will tell you that students who take part more in class are more likely to become more effective learners.

Asking questions to better examine an idea is perhaps the most essential tool to not only involve learners but also activate intellectual processes. Memory, recall, comprehension and reflection all take place during a debate or active discussion. Having These activities in the classroom allows for higher order thinking to take place.

Using Socratic Questions in the ESL/TEFL Classroom – ESL Debates

But what about getting the students to make up the questions themselves?

Here we have some 'fun' type of questions the students could put together to ask their colleagues:

12 Fun ESL Reading Comprehension Activities for All Levels!

For something more 'serious', we can go to the type of questions found in the Cambridge First Certificate exam:

B2 First preparation | Cambridge English

FCE Practice Tests for Reading and Use of English (Cambridge English: First)

And once we have the type of 'difficult' question in mind, we can then try and make up similar questions with almost any material - from film reviews and clips to news reports and sports commentary.

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non-linear lesson planning in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

How do we go about planning a lesson?

We can throw out questions and see how they progress:

Jay Doubleyou: socratic method pt 2

We can focus on 'getting something done':

Jay Doubleyou: task-based learning

We can find lots of ready-made lesson plans to guide us through 'what to do':

Jay Doubleyou: free english lessons with esolcourses.com

But we need something flexible enough to manage different levels/expectations/personalities:

Jay Doubleyou: mixed levels in the esl/esol/tefl classroom

Perhaps a non-linear approach would help:

When it comes to learning new skills... every type of student is different. Some people prefer linear learning, others non-linear learning. Some excel by listening to a teacher in the classroom and absorbing the information from A to Z, others thrive by a learning process that doesn’t necessarily follow a fixed, pre-programmed path but is dynamic, interactive, and intuitive. As we are propelled into the future of work, the need for agile and efficient learning strategies is rising. So when we look at linear vs non-linear learning, what is the most effective approach.

Linear vs Non-linear Learning and the Future of Work

Duncan Foord writing in the E T Professional looks at 'lesson planning right from the heart':

Lesson Planning From The Heart PDF | PDF

As a colleague points out:

Back in August as I was preparing to teach my first ever teacher training course, I stumbled upon an article called Lesson planning right from the heart by Duncan Foord (English Teaching Professional, 93, July 2014 – the article is available here if you’re a subscriber), and the idea suggested there struck a deep cord with me; we discussed the article with the trainees on the very first day of the course, and I think it sent a very important message and made a lot of difference to the outcome of the whole course.

In his article, Foord suggests planning the lesson in a way that reflects the approach outlined above, by stepping away from a ‘linear’ lesson plan (in which the task comes at the end and might easily get sacrificed for time reasons) and instead thinking of the plan as a heart (the task, which is the lesson aim) – supported by activities, all of which are valuable, and yet ‘droppable’:

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2014 take-aways – and a few resolutions | Olya Sergeeva's ELT blog

Here are some more ideas:

Using Linear and Non-linear Teaching Strategies to Meet the Multiple Learning Needs of Students  - Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

Is non-linear approach to teaching more effective than traditional coursebook approach? | TEFL Tips - YouTube

Non‐linearity and the observed lesson

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teaching sport in the esl/esol/tefl class

There are many different approaches teachers can take when 'doing sport' in the English classroom.

Here are some ideas and lesson plans.

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the decline in reading in the uk - and ways to reverse it

Reading is good for you.

It improves your own language, especially when young:

Jay Doubleyou: "children who read for pleasure are better at english"

It improves your learning of another language:

Jay Doubleyou: 'first language literacy skills enhance second language learning'

Jay Doubleyou: reading really is the best way to improve (your own and a second) language

And there are lots of ways to do it:

Jay Doubleyou: how to get back to reading

Jay Doubleyou: do you enjoy reading?

Jay Doubleyou: reading skills

The problem, at least in the UK, is that we're reading less:

More than a third of UK adults have given up reading for pleasure, study finds | Books | The Guardian

Report finds ‘shocking and dispiriting’ fall in children reading for pleasure | Books | The Guardian

It's not just in the UK that it's happening:

Recent studies have highlighted a disturbing trend: over 50 percent of American adults haven't read a book in the past year. Worse still, fewer younger people are reading, and they read less than half the amount of older generations.

This is a unfortunate, since reading has so many scientifically-backed benefits: it increases intelligence, improves memory (especially in later life), makes it easier to relate to others, reduces stress, helps us to sleep better, and more.

So why aren't people reading as much as they once did? And what can be done to reverse this trend? In this post, I take a stab at answering both those questions. Here are 5 reasons why people aren't reading, and 5 good solutions to this problem...

5 Reasons People Don't Read Anymore, And 5 Good Solutions

There are indeed ways to reverse this:

From a silent reading club in Plymouth to "book fairies" who hide interesting reads around Cornwall, book lovers aim to open a new chapter on the story of people's relationship with reading.

Most imagine reading to be a solitary pastime but a group in Plymouth has found fellowship through enjoying books together. Members of the Silent Book Club, which meet in venues around Plymouth, bring their favourite books to read quietly for an hour before chatting and sharing recommendations. The club has its roots in the USA where it was formed by Guinevere de la Mare, with her friend Laura Gluhanich, in 2012. From its beginnings in San Francisco it has grown to have more than 1,500 chapters in 54 countries, including Plymouth in Devon.

Research by The Reading Agency, external, a charity encouraging leisure reading, including audiobooks and e-books, found those who considered themselves readers reported higher levels of social connection, sleep, better concentration and higher empathy. Carina Spaulding, the agency's head of research and evaluation, said data in a 2024 report showed reading as an activity in itself helped people feel more connected to others.

In Cornwall, a group of "fairies" are helping give people greater access to books. Unlike the fairies found in story books, they do not have wings or leave money in exchange for teeth, but instead hide books in public places for people to find. Carys Wiggans, who began the Cornish branch of The Book Fairies, said: "It's about getting people to read books that maybe they wouldn't normally read or have access to books that they don't have access to. There's no cost, there's nothing that is required from them except that excitement."

Can book fans turn the page on decline in reading? - BBC News

With more here:

Silent Book Club - About

Plymouth, Devon, UK – Silent Book Club

Official Cornish Book Fairy | Facebook

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"thinking inside the box" - teaching approaches for the online classroom

Teaching and learning online became necessary if not commonplace during the pandemic:

Jay Doubleyou: the homeschooling revolution

Jay Doubleyou: is e-learning a good thing?

Jay Doubleyou: how to teach on zoom

Now the teaching and learning world is a very different place:

Jay Doubleyou: the english teaching industry is evolving

And today there are all sorts of great places to go online:

Jay Doubleyou: great online resources to improve your english

Jay Doubleyou: voice recognition apps to help learn english pronunciation

But even before 2020 this was already happening - as we learnt to adapt our teaching and learning approaches to the 'online classroom'.

The following are notes from an excellent seminar given in February 2016.

Screen-sharing is so easy:

Show your screen during a meeting - Microsoft Support

Sharing your screen or desktop on Zoom

Material-free lessons: getting teachers and students to notice:

Pedagogical grammar: teaching options, with Scott Thornbury – The TEFL Zone

The role of ‘noticing’ in grammar teaching – The Art of TESOL

Noticing and second language acquisition: Studies in honor of Richard Schmidt | NFLRC

There are lots of tools to help working online:

Virtual Classroom and LMS Software | WizIQ

Online Learning With The World's Most Popular LMS - Moodle

Learning management system - Wikipedia

Open eLMS: FREE LMS that's AI Powered - Open eLMS

25 Free LMS in 2025 to Check Out | SC Training

The Socratic method in online teaching:

How I Designed an Inclusive Socratic Seminar (and You Can Too!) - YouTube

Refresh Online Discussions with a Socratic Approach | U-M LSA LSA Technology Services

Socratic method of teaching In Online Tutoring

Finally, there are a lot of free online seminars for teachers:

Training | TeachingEnglish | British Council

Events Oxford TEFL • Oxford TEFL

Teaching English online | Cambridge English

With thanks to Nicola Clarke-Siegel:

Nicola Clarke-Siegel - English Teacher - The Abbey school Faversham | LinkedIn

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british universities cutting foreign language courses

The British (and Irish and Americans and Australians) don't have to learn French or German or Chinese or whatever - which might be the answer to why the British don't learn foreign languages.

These subjects are clearly not seen as a priority in Britain.

The problem is that this is self-perpetuating - as for years, the UK's critical shortage of foreign language teachers has meant students can't be taught.

As reported earlier in the month in the i-paper, language courses are in danger of dying out - with university lecturers facing losing their jobs.

Yes, it seems that Modern Languages degrees are at risk in UK unis - as reported by the EL Gazette and Sofia Smith Galer: 

That is, at least, what Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said recently in an i paper exclusive. “The single biggest problem facing our country is the catastrophic decline in language learning, both in schools and now at universities. Learning a modern language becomes a little bit like learning Latin and Greek. It becomes something that ancient universities tend to do and other universities withdraw from.”

88 out of 166 UK universities are running either redundancy or restructuring schemes, and languages degrees are seriously at risk within this climate because fewer students seem to want to take them. The number of students taking up language degrees has dropped massively in the last 20 years; in 2003, there were more than 160,000 language undergrads, whereas in 2019 there were just 75,000. This is in line with declining numbers at GCSE and A Level, too...

Multilingualism brings innumerable health and social benefits; something for me to unpack, perhaps, in another newsletter. Quite apart from languages generating more job opportunities for young people, linguistics as a discipline is also incredibly important in the development of AI; without such expertise, we put ourselves at a technological disadvantage.

Another area of concern as I write my book on linguicide are the UK’s long suffering indigenous languages; when the cuts were tabled in Aberdeen, Gaelic was one of the single degree programmes that was facing the axe.

If you are British and hear rumours or reports that your university is considering cutting jobs in languages, I’d like to hear about it; I’d also be interested in hearing about the gravity of cuts you have already had to face in the last five years.

And yet, decision-makers need to realise that English is not the language of the successful British exporter.

Where's the money in that?

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how to become an excellent teacher - giving feedback and demanding high

For teachers to really get it right, they need to connect with their students - and what students want more than anything is to have their teachers tell them how they are doing.

As educationalist John Hattie discovered in his research, the most important thing is feedback - answering the question ‘what has the greatest influence on student learning?':

Jay Doubleyou: students want feedback

It's all about trusting relationships and 'oodles of feedback':

Schools to provide a positive , optimistic, invitational, trusting and safe learning climate. One that welcomes student errors and develops positive peer influences.

Teachers who are seen by their students as quality teachers. Who provide clarity of expectations and a belief that all can learn. Teachers who are 'open' to new ideas, who develop a positive learning climate, and who value the importance of student effort to improve.

Jay Doubleyou: students want feedback part 2

Educationalist Scott Thornbury also sees feedback as central:

feedback | Search Results | An A-Z of ELT

Correct Me If I'm Wrong (Scott Thornbury) - YouTube

Vic Richardson draws on similar research with similar results:

Vic Richardson - Developing teachers for stronger results - YouTube

All of this amounts to gathering the evidence and realising what students need and what teachers need to do and to be:

Jay Doubleyou: evidence-based teaching

Over a decade ago educationalists Adrian Underhill and Jim Scrivener launched a new initiative:

Demand High Teaching asks: • Are our learners capable of more than we currently ask of them? • Have the tasks and techniques we use in class become rituals and ends in themselves? • How can we stop “covering material” and start focusing on the potential for deep learning? • What small tweaks and adjustments can we make to shift the whole focus of our teaching towards getting that engine of learning going? TTJ 25_2

What is Demand High? | Demand High ELT

Here's an excellent introduction they wrote for the Guardian: 

Teachers urged to go beyond 'right' answers and stretch all learners throughout the lesson

Demand more from students and they will learn more | Tefl | The Guardian

And here's their blog:

Demand High ELT | A discussion about re-inventing our profession

Here Silvana Richardson gives a talk and workshop session on the topic of demand high and quality learning:

Silvana Richardson - Beyond demand high: Making quality learning happen for all - YouTube

But let's finish with a video from Jim Scrivener:

Are you challenging your students enough to learn English? How do you know if tangible learning is taking place in your English language classroom?

Jim Scrivener - Demand High for teachers and learners | TeachingEnglish | British Council

And there's lots more!

Why “Challenging” Isn’t Quite The Right Goal

Demanding the best from your students, and helping them believe they can achieve it (Infographic) - McREL International

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