See Our Online Workshop Recording Library

+ Links, Articles, Shared Tips, and Useful Resources for Teaching Online

What's Inside?

  • Workshop recording library
  • Tips and Resources
  • Short introductory lesson series via email

 

We took the recordings of the live workshops with teachers that we held in April 2020 and enhanced them so you can go over what we covered in your own time.

We've also included various resources and tips for you that will help get you started.

Finally, straight to your inbox, when you sign up for this course, you'll receive a series of email lessons that cover the basics of beginning to teach online and where to find work.

It started with an audio diary of an English teacher in lockdown.

James had to do what many of you have needed to do, adapt to a new situation, with little knowledge, and fast.

What James realised quickly, as an experienced English teacher, was that teaching is teaching, regardless of the tools and technology. In his diaries, he shares his experience as he transitioned from being an "old-school" teacher, about to freak out, to a becoming a teacher confidently working online.

Then Emma challenged him to join her in presenting the workshops for other English language teachers. These are the results.

Reviews

5 star rating

The English Teacher in Lock-down Diaries: Teaching Online for Absolute Beginners

Lavina Melwani

Such a heartfelt and accurate account of the transition between face-to face and online teaching. I'm so glad you have been brave enough to publicly share your sentiments. Thank you for your encouragement. I hope, with your permission I am able...

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Such a heartfelt and accurate account of the transition between face-to face and online teaching. I'm so glad you have been brave enough to publicly share your sentiments. Thank you for your encouragement. I hope, with your permission I am able to share this with my colleagues. It will resonate with so many of them. Good luck James in all you do. You are a fantastic teacher.

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5 star rating

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW TO LEARN AND TEACH ENGLISH ONLINE

mamede gomes

First of all, I have to say that I am very proud, happy to live in England. I had never lived in London before. when I came to London it seems like something happened in mind. it seemed a light turned on in the head. I am feeling very comfortable...

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First of all, I have to say that I am very proud, happy to live in England. I had never lived in London before. when I came to London it seems like something happened in mind. it seemed a light turned on in the head. I am feeling very comfortable, for having to learn this amazing language which will open some doors for my future. I am 54 years old, and all my life I dreamed to be an English Teacher, I could not finalize my study because of that, because my country was devastated for war over 30 years and I had to left my study and get into the army. Afterward, I left the army and I emigrated to Portugal and then finally I arrived in London. I do not have words to describe how emotional, happy to be in this course. this is definitely where I have to be, and this is definitely the course I have to make without a doubt. amazing course, very well structured, the only thing I have to do is enjoy this stunning course. I truly believe this is the best course for me, definitely. thank you for Teachers involved in the preparation of this course. amazing job. I am sorry it was a bit longer in my thoughts about the course. Please give me the opportunity to overcome it.

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5 star rating

The best thing you can take from a teacher is experience

Abdelrahman Sayed Saad

It's full of advice and encourages me to join the future of teaching online

It's full of advice and encourages me to join the future of teaching online

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5 star rating

Excelent tools to work online, motivating ideas sharing. Thanks

Jaime Cortes

Excellent approach to the new era of communications. thanks

Excellent approach to the new era of communications. thanks

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Webinars, Tips & Advice for Teaching Online

  • 1

    The English Teacher in Lock-down Diaries: Teaching Online for Absolute Beginners

    • Into your inbox...

      FREE PREVIEW

    • The Teacher in Lock-down Diaries Part 1: Covid-19 The Day Everything Turned Upside-down.

    • The Teacher in Lock-down Diaries Part 2: From No Internet at Home to First Steps in Preparation.

    • The Teacher in Lock-down Diaries Part 3: Hello World!

    • The Teacher in Lock-down Diaries Part 4: First Classes Online and First Hiccups.

    • The Teacher in Lock-down Diaries Part 5: Some Silver Lining to Teaching English from Home Under Lockdown.

    • English Teacher in Lock-Down Diaries Part 6: First Feedback, Gaining Confidence and Thoughts on Applying Teaching Practice to an Online Context
  • 2

    The technical basics you need to know for taking the CELTA online

  • 3

    Resources and Recommended Content from Around the Net

    • Tools: How to set up an online classroom with Zoom I

    • Tools: Setting up with Zoom II

    • Tools: Zoom's Tips for Managing Break Out Rooms

    • Tools: A Beginner's Guide to Using Edmodo as Your Classroom Hub

    • Tools: Whiteboard.fi as a learning platform for checking meaning, understanding and formative assessment

    • Other Resources, Tools and Ideas

    • Children: Online Class Demo: Nancy Taylor from VIPKids shows us what teaching kids online looks and sounds like.

    • Children: Young Learner expert David Valente's tips for avoiding "Edutainment" while keeping it fun online.

    • Children: Activities to do with young learners online

    • Lesson Planning: Ceri Jone's Advice on Structuring Online Lessons Part 1

    • Lesson Planning: Ceri Jone's Advice on Structuring Online Lessons Part 2

    • Pronunciation: Active Language: Integrating Phonology into Online Learning

    • Testing: Using Google Forms and Microsoft Forms for Quizzes

    • Testing: Donald Clark's Tips for Designing Tests. Not a read for the faint-hearted.
  • 4

    Our online workshop videos: Get a taste of what teaching online looks like.

    • April 1, 2020: Introductory webinar on online teaching

    • April 11, 2020: Workshop 1: Giving instructions in our online classes

    • April 20, 2020: Workshop 2: Activities to Try in the Online Classroom - Part I

    • April 20, 2020: Workshop 2: Activities to Try in the Online Classroom - Part II
  • 5

    How do We Give Instructions Effectively in an Online Classroom?

    • Reflect

    • Giving Instructions I

    • Giving Instructions II

    • Further notes on giving instructions online
  • 6

    Live Online Teaching Common Problems, Solutions and Workarounds

    • It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the screen sharing buttons

    • The video is jumpy, no one can watch it when I play it.

    • Set up tips: Using two screens

    • It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the screen sharing buttons

    • The mute tool is essential but quite difficult to manage

    • It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the screen sharing buttons

    • Some parents and siblings are milling around in the background, it can be distracting.

    • I'm just following the coursebook

    • Getting Ss to stand up and move around can be quite difficult

    • I'm sitting down giving a lot of lessons in a row..ouch my back!

    • A lot of students aren't "turning up" to class.

    • It isn't clear when students have finished an exercise.

    • It isn't clear when students have finished an exercise.

    • Eek! My audio doesn’t work on videos!

These webinar recordings are additional support to the following courses:

View more courses

The Teachers Behind the Workshops

On the ground, in the English language classroom

James Heal

Course Writer and Online Workshop Presenter

James Santana Heal is the teen expert behind this course along with Emma Pratt. James has been teaching at the British Institute of Seville for the last 17 years, having taught previously in the United Kingdom, Poland and Indonesia. He has taught all ages, but has a particular speciality: he's recognised by his teaching colleagues as having "the touch" with teens. He is interested in teacher training, encouraging students to become autonomous learners and the use of student- generated materials. He has published several articles in the ETP magazine on differentiation and routines with young learners. He has a degree in Modern and Contemporary History, a CELTA and Delta.

Emma Pratt

Senior Tutor, Course Writer and Online Workshop Presenter

Emma’s specialism is looking at creative solutions to classroom practice and learning, working with all age groups. She has a background in museum and visual arts education and English language teaching, as well as communications, marketing, video, audio, design and coding. She has also worked in teacher management working with the business side of running language schools and working with agents. She is a visual artist with an active, recognised career spanning 20 + years (emmapratt.com). Her current project is in writing and illustrating for children. She is also a parent and company director.

In learning, her area of interest is in artmaking as a physical, intellectual, and emotional response to the world. She investigates ways in which it can be used in English language contexts to engage children’s brains, challenge their visual schema, and give voice to non-verbal forms of communication. She has contributed to publications and blogs on this subject.

Emma has given workshops at IATEFL and The Image Conference on drawing in the classroom as well as being the 2018 Artist in Residence at IATEFL. She is interested in the role of illustration in storytelling and how to exploit that in the classroom. Emma has been involved in an Artists in Schools programme and in artist residency projects where she has looked at storytelling. Online, she has given drawing and language workshops for children.

Emma has been designing online learning courses since 2013 and was, with Jamie King, a finalist in the ELTons 2014 for Innovation in Teaching Resources.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Fine Arts
  • CELTA Certificate– Certificate in English Language Teacher to Adults (Seville, Spain)
  • Post Graduate: Museum Studies, Massey University, New Zealand
  • Master in Programming (CEI, Spain)
  • Languages: English; Spanish (upper-intermediate advanced); Māori (beginner)