Sometimes it feels like it makes no sense ⠀ Most teachers try to make their lessons as entertaining as possible. We tend to choose trendy topics like productivity, time management, boosting self-esteem, striving for success or working from home. I am no exception. ⠀ Even when we discuss taboos and issues and all those PARSNIPs, we long for positive thinking and avoid triggers like the plague. I mean all those videos with sensitive content and real cases of human cruelty. And it's probably the right thing to do. ⠀ But I am one of those people who always takes things personally. I feel like I'm hiding something from the people I talk to if I don't share what I know about the injustices around us. On the other hand, I realise that my students don't come to my class just to spend the next week with a heavy heart, thinking about some terrible news. Besides, @corkenglishteacher has received a lot of criticism trying to raise awareness on topical issues in the world. ⠀ I wish I could tell people about the dog shelter in Radysy (a horrible place where hundreds if not thousands of dogs had been murdered up until June 2020). I wish we could share our opinions on the fact that a third of Polish cities have recently declared themselves "LGBT-free zones" (by the way, Lesser Poland voivodeship is one of them). ⠀ I do mention some of these issues in class (see in the comments below), but I never build a lesson around any of them. I try to keep things positive because an English class should give inspiration and provide an opportunity for speaking on topics relevant to our students (we know that there's only one thing students can discuss forever - themselves). Right? ⠀ Still, I know that there are books on similar issues, like "Raise Up", which I'm planning to buy, by the way. However, I am never sure if I should raise such topics myself. I've had some bad experience discussing Black Pete based on a piece of news (it was a rather neutral story, though). ⠀ Where do you stand on it?

How it all started ⠀ I started my internship in my language academy being just 17 years old. I would observe other teachers, write lesson plans every week, occasionally check homework of the group of teens I was assigned to, but I didn't get to teach it until a few months later. ⠀ On the appointed day, I was set to do a 15-minute part of the lesson. I prepared a speaking activity which had something to do with Scooby-Doo and had incredibly complicated rules (it was my first real speaking activity and, apparently, I wanted to make sure it was not the ordinary type of task). ⠀ The final stage of the lesson was creeping up, which meant it was my time to shine. I came to the whiteboard clinging to my lesson plan and suddenly everything went dark and I felt extremely dizzy. My hands were shaking, my voice was trembling and my right knee suddenly buckled. Let's be honest, it was bad. ⠀ The following day, I was observing a lesson of the teacher I was assigned to as a trainee. The DoS entered the room and sat behind me. While the kids were busy singing a song, the teacher joined her and they started discussing my failure. I didn't hear much, but one of them said "She was so nervous" and the other concluded "She won't be able to teach". I was totally devastated, swallowing my salty tears and wishing I had never even started. ⠀ A week later, I was in the same classroom with my lesson plan like always. The teacher came in just to say she needed to grab a coffee, so she asked me to start the lesson instead of her. I was there alone, with 10 pairs of eyes staring at me, but suddenly I felt more confident than ever before. I was doing one activity after another, having completely lost track of time, when the teacher finally came back. She quietly sat on a chair at the back of the room, smiled and gave me a gesture to continue. ⠀ Since then, I taught almost every lesson with that group. Two months later, I was asked to stand in for a few teachers and one year later I became a proud member of the team.

Wording in teacher talk We all know that reacting to a student’s answer with ‘Wow, interesting’ and a follow-up question is way better than just saying ‘Good!’. But what about other words we say? How much do they impact on your students’ motivation? ⠀ I’ve heard that when it comes to asking for students’ opinion, the sentence “There is no wrong answer” is somehow more liberating than “There is no correct/right answer”. I can’t tell for sure if it will help boost their creativity, but it does sound more inviting. ⠀ My CELTA tutor said that students sometimes felt apprehensive when they heard the word “grammar”, so he swapped it for “a bit of language”. Ever since I’ve been saying it a lot: “And now we’re going to learn a bit of language”. I’m not sure if it helps reduce my students’ anxiety, but I do hope so. ⠀ Another phrase that I’ve been trying to avoid is “correct some mistakes” at the post activity correction stage. As @cup_of_elt mentioned in her recent live stream (by the way, highly recommended), it’s so much better to say “Let’s see how you can say it better” instead. ⠀ When working with an NGO which mainly organises debates, I was advised to say ‘pair up’ or ‘unite in pairs’ rather than ‘split/divide into pairs’. Sometimes it seems to be something like the good old “last vs. latest” debate, and other times, that makes total sense to me. ⠀ Have you used or heard anyone use such phrases or other euphemisms? Do you think they are mere superstitions?

Google Classroom ⠀ I’ve been using it for a few years now and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. I helps me organise emergent language, links and materials, quizzes and tests, writing assignments, exam prep and so much more. ⠀ It’s also extremely user-friendly. Thanks to its intuitive interface you can use it with almost any age group and across all levels. There are two main pages: Stream and Classwork. ⠀ Stream looks like your Facebook news feed. Here you can see all your posts, including your posts in Classwork. You can also post announcements here, like homework or useful links after each lesson. All posts appear in chronological order, like it used to be on Facebook. ⠀ I use Classwork mostly to organise things like emergent language, quizzes and writing assignments. With my new groups, I’ve decided to organise posts by topic. We’ll see how it goes, but I already like it. ⠀ What I love about this platform is that you can schedule posts for any time in the future. It comes in handy when your students live in a different time zone or if you have some extra time to write useful posts for a year ahead. ⠀ Another great feature of Google Classroom is that you can reuse your old posts, which saves lots of time if you have similar levels and want to share the same thing with more than one student or group. ⠀ I use it with every student and group I teach. When it comes to commenting, some of them are more active than others. But they all use it to access their emergent language, complete writing tasks or check what they need to do for the next time. ⠀ Swipe left to see some examples.

Happy first day of summer! ⠀ It’s one year to the day since I took these photos. I woke up at 4 am and headed for the bridge in Toruń to catch the first rays of the sun on the first day of summer. ⠀ One thing I used to do with all my students was to surprise them saying “Happy first day of [spring/summer/winter]!” on the first day of March, June and December. I loved watching their puzzled faces for a moment until I explained that in my country seasons start three weeks earlier. They would start moaning and saying that’s not fair. This would always lead to a brief discussion about differences in our cultures and traditions. ⠀ This made me wonder how much we as educators should teach our students about a variety of cultures, not just the culture of Britain. How should we choose the material, as there are thousands upon thousands of cultures and ethnic groups? How can we make sure it’s a reliable source of information? ⠀ A good coursebook will introduce other cultures and include texts about traditions in other countries. I also think that students should be encouraged to go beyond the coursebook and find information online. ⠀ I’ve never forced my Polish students to talk about Ukrainian culture, but I’m always glad to tell them more if they ask me. I rarely mention that I’m actually Ukrainian, mostly because I don’t want to be pigeonholed as an immigrant who came to steal their (parents’) jobs. But maybe I should reveal more about myself to debunk some myths and stereotypes?

Lexical journal ⠀ As I’ve already told and showed you, I keep a lexical journal using something like the Bullet Journal system, which means I divide it into ‘topics’ and ‘random’. ⠀ ▫️Topics If expressions are somehow connected and can be placed under one topic, I write them on one page or on a two-page spread. ⠀ This could be a mind map, a list of pros and cons, dos and don’ts, a little scheme and so on. You can find some examples in my previous posts. ⠀ ▫️Random If words don’t go with any of the topics I have or are too general, hence can be used with pretty much any topic, I write them down according to the part of speech the main word is. - adjectives - nouns - verbs - adverbs - other (expressions, exclamations and so on) ⠀ I always write the word/expression and draw a little doodle (yes, even if the word is too abstract, in which case I can draw a situation in which it can be used). ⠀ Next I write a short definition, a synonym and/or translation. ⠀ Finally, I write a few example sentences or expressions which demonstrate other uses, prepositions and patterns. ⠀ You can see some of the pages from my new lexical notebook and, as a bonus, one page from my previous one. Can you see any difference? ⠀ What would you add or change? Any tips on keeping a lexical journal? ⠀ #lexicalnotebook #lexicalapproach #vocabularynotebook

Why using online games may be a waste of time ⠀ If you google "esl/efl games online", the first websites you see are "eslgames+" and "eslgamesworld". They provide loads of ready-made games for your classroom, which is great if you need to add some fun to your lesson and practise a bit of grammar with kids. But is it, though? ⠀ The biggest issue is that they have been made for everyone and no one in particular. It's not just the age group, but also the level that might not be appropriate to your students. Why not create something with your students in mind? There are plenty of websites which allow you to make bespoke games and activities within minutes, but the content will be more engaging and relevant. ⠀ You might say that in this way, students are exposed to extra vocabulary. But how is it recycled later? And how will kids even understand or remember it with no context (unless it's another fruit item, of course)? ⠀ Another problem is that these kinds of games presuppose very little or no speaking. They are basically grammar exercises presented in an interactive form (though, not in the "cooperation" kind of way). What's more, while one student is answering, the others are patiently waiting for their turn, not paying much attention to what's going on. The sentences themselves usually leave little to discuss, so the only interaction is between the user and the buttons on the screen. ⠀ Such websites also imply the grammar/vocabulary dichotomy and the games are nothing but drills of single structures and word lists. I must note that if drills are meaningful and allow for a bit of creativity, I don't have an issue with them. ⠀ These websites seem to have become the new Hangman for busy teachers, but all you need is have several no-prep games up your sleeves. Choose the ones that can be easily adapted to your teaching context. It's also important to remember that 'digital' does not always mean fun or interactive (in a broad sense). Why not use games of your childhood, like handmade board games, modified battleships or tic-tac-toe? You could also create games on your own, and with much nicer visuals (Kahoot). Life without ads or cookies notifications is even better.

Yes, I am a perfectionist ⠀ I do write it all in pencil before I make a clean copy. And I believe, when you do it with love, you remember the things better. This makes me want to flick through the pages more often. It is also easier to find what I need. ⠀ To add some colour, I use a 15-year-old multicoloured Koh-I-Noor Magic pencil. I can highlight or underline the most important parts with it. ⠀ I wish I could expand pages to write more things as I come across them in films, books or articles. But for now, it’s impossible, so I need to be careful when writing with a pen and leave some space for the future me. ⠀ #lexicalnotebook #lexicalapproach #lexicallab #outcomes

Story Cubes ⠀ I’m a huge fan of storytelling and especially story cubes. They can be used as a speaking or writing activity, as a warm-up or a wrap-up, as completely free practice to boost your students’ creativity or to revise a topic from your course. ⠀ In this post, I’d like to compare the most popular story cubes I know of. ⠀ I bought my first box of Rory’s Story Cubes a few years ago. It was the orange Classic box. It is a universal tool for storytelling with the young and the old. ⠀ Then I felt that children tended to avoid using verbs and sometimes just named the objects they’d rolled one by one, like “There was an arrow and then there was a tree and one day a sheep came and then there was chaos”. So I bought my second box - Actions. It helped my students give each story a shape and a sense of dynamic. I could mix the two sets, using 5 cubes from each set. This provided more flexibility and more possible combinations. ⠀ I got Fantasia as a gift, but I haven’t used it yet, because apparently you need to be aware of all the myths and ancient gods in order not to say ‘this guy’ and ‘this thing’ all the time. So I don’t recommend this set for YL, lower levels or anyone who isn’t fully into Greek mythology. ⠀ I also have a set from Tiger, which is nice to have for a change, but there are some issues. If you haven’t yet noticed on slide 2, there’s poop :D You either have to put this dice aside or play it cool (depends on your students). The choice of pictures seems to be a bit too straightforward. The size is more appropriate for very young learners, as the dice are heavier and easier to hold or line up. There are also fewer cubes, with just 6 in the set. On the plus side, they’re twice as cheap, with the price of only 22 PLN (about €5) and, if bought on sale, can cost just 8 PLN. ⠀ I would recommend starting with the Classic set and mixing it with Actions. There are many more full sets and additions (3 cubes) on any possible topic from Voyages to Medicine. ⠀ I know that there are apps, both official Rory’s Story Cubes (costing $1.50 or so) and free, but I think the best part of using real dice is that you can physically move them (not just on your screen)

Bullet journal for teachers ⠀ It’s my second year of bullet journalling. I am by no means a professional, but what I know for sure is that it’s all about your own choices. ⠀ Each week you have a chance to make a different layout. You can allocate as much or as little space for each day as you wish. ⠀ I don’t usually separate work from my life (hashtag worklifebalance), so I only have one BuJo and there’s a mix of everything. ⠀ Here’s just an example of what you could do include in it. ⠀ ▫️monthly log with events for the whole month ⠀ ▫️goals ⠀ ▫️your monthly schedule (I usually draw little circles and then colour then as we progress, which gives me a sense of completion) ⠀ ▫️reflections on your lessons ⠀ ▫️a summary of hours and income ⠀ I attach some possible layouts ( monthly spread, teaching stuff spread and weekly spread). ⠀ What else would you include? And, if you have a planner, what are your favourite bits?

Things to be happy about as a teacher ⠀ I sometimes have terrible lessons when everything goes wrong. Students will forget how to ‘join with computer sound’. My plan won’t work. The whiteboard will glitch and delete everything I prepared for our lesson. ⠀ That’s why it’s so important to focus on positive things. I know, we’ve all heard this saying about the silver lining, probably a few times too many during this lockdown. ⠀ So here are just a few nice things that have happened to me over the past two weeks. My list of things to be happy about: ⠀ ▫️when a course book has a text about your hometown ⠀ ▫️hearing your student use a word they’ve recently learnt in class ⠀ ▫️sharing childhood memories ⠀ ▫️playing a new revision game that goes perfectly well ⠀ ▫️when your student sends you a screenshot with a word they learnt last week ⠀ Let’s look on the bright side and cherish our memories. 🌱

Why I had to lie about my age in my first year in Poland I finished school when I’d just turned 16, which was absolutely normal in Ukraine (until they reintroduced the 4th grade). At the age of 17 I started my traineeship at the language school where I studied. Two years later I got my first groups of teens. ⠀ So by the time I applied for CELTA, I had worked for three years and got a full master’s degree in English Philology (by the way, I was still 21 at my graduation). ⠀ Is it too early? I guess so. But that’s how it worked in Ukraine until recently. ⠀ So being just 22 and looking like I was 14, I moved to Poland, where it was apparently unheard-of for someone that young to have a diploma and teach others. ⠀ I was kindly asked to tell my students I was 23, so that their parents wouldn’t worry that much. Since I was often asked about my age, I had to be careful not to spill the beans, especially when I celebrated my “24th” birthday. Thank god they never found out the truth, as I am rubbish at lying. ⠀ So after being called Viktoriia Viktorovna for nearly 5 years, I had to pretend I was one year older in order to gain credibility. Well, I’d assumed I would have to start everything from scratch in a new country, but I obviously hadn’t expected that. ⠀ What have you had to lie or stretch the truth about?