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...
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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?
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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!
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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!
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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!
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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! | | |
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