ELTtime

Garnet Education
ELTtime

At Garnet Education, we produce ELT materials that are used in schools, colleges and universities around the world. We’ve created ELTtime in the hope that it can be a springboard for further discussions in our online community and in your staffrooms. You can expect a variety of topics, from the origins of the word capsicum to in-depth discussions of industry biases, global issues and other challenges that the ELT community faces today.

Episodes

  1. 21/04/2020

    Racial biases in ELT with Zarina Subhan

    In the final episode of season 1 of ELTtime, our Senior Editor, Chris, speaks to Zarina Subhan about experiencing racial bias in ELT. They dive into discussions about different kinds of privilege, what it’s like to be judged by the colour of your skin before your teaching ability, and how the representation of race in ELT coursebooks and other materials can be improved. Let us know if you enjoyed the episode! Get in touch with any suggestions or questions – you can find us at @garneteducation everywhere! LINKS Book: Color, Race and ELT, Shades of meaning by Andy Curtis and Mary Romney Book: Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge Book: Race and ethnicity in English Language Teaching, Korea in focus by Christopher Joseph Jenks Article: The intersectionality of gender, sexuality, race and native-speakerness: Investigating ELT teacher identity through duoethnography by Luke Lawrence and Yuzuko Nagashima (Journal of Language, Identity and Education) Zarina’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zarina-subhan-a9372052/ CHAPTERS 0:19 – Introduction 1:17 – English identity: assumptions and credibility 11:08 – Being a woman in ELT 13:09 – Intersectionality: race and gender 16:31 – Racism in the workplace: classroom vs colleague experience 21:19 – Privilege and awareness 23:25 – The question of responsibility: educating people on racism 30:44 – Defining and understanding privilege 32:48 – The portrayal of race in ELT materials 41:20 – The loss of indigenous culture to economic power 43:16 – Perceptions of traditional non-western clothing 45:13 – Final comments 47:06 – Outro 47:25 – Bonus: Season 2 news!

    48 min
  2. 07/04/2020

    TeaBreak: How well does teaching English prepare you for a career in ELT publishing?

    In today’s episode of ELTtime, Rachel, Matt, Ella and Jaz all sat down together (whilst we were still in the office) for a TeaBreak! With Jaz as the moderator, Rachel, Matt and Ella look back at their teaching experiences and discuss how well teaching English prepared them for a career in ELT publishing. Let us know if you enjoyed the episode. Get in touch with any suggestions or questions – you can find us at @garneteducation everywhere! LINKS There are no links for this episode. CHAPTERS 0:20 – Intro 0:48 – Teaching experience 1:10 – Rachel’s teaching experience – Greece 2:07 – Matt’s teaching experience – Japan 3:31 – Ella’s teaching experience – Spain 4:55 – Pressure to get through materials quickly 7:12 – Transitioning into publishing 7:23 – Rachel: started as a writer before moving into editing 8:39 – Matt: did a publishing masters, worked in other publishing fields 10:11 – Ella: did an English Literature masters, work experience 11:20 – Does teaching prepare you for working in ELT publishing? 13:22 – Skills needed for editing vs teaching 15:23 – Teaching grammar 16:32 – Content development and teaching 17:45 – Using Teacher’s Books as a tool 18:53 – Time management as a teacher vs editor 23:05 – What parts of teaching doesn’t prepare you for publishing? 27:25 – Thinking about the publishing process as teacher 29:05 – What do you miss about teaching? 32:22 – Favourite thing about ELT publishing 35:03 – Outro

    36 min
  3. 22/03/2020

    Educating online: insights and advice

    Today’s special episode of ELTtime addresses the global COVID-19 pandemic. The virus is causing unprecedented levels of disruption to education – schools are closed, students are unable to attend lessons in person, international students can’t travel overseas, and institutions are forced to reschedule courses and exams. As a result, now more than ever before, English language teachers around the world are finding themselves with an urgent need to become effective online educators. In today’s episode, Garnet’s Digital Manager Matthew George talks to experienced English language Teacher/Teacher Trainer, Julietta Schoenmann. Julietta talks over the nuts and bolts of how to get going as an online teacher, and then offers a wide range of insights into how to manage online classes, how to make the most of the tools and resources at your disposal and how to maintain student motivation. Let us know if you enjoyed the episode. Get in touch with any suggestions or questions – you can find us at @garneteducation everywhere! LINKS Hands Up charity project Online platforms: Zoom, Adobe connect, Blackboard Collaborate Padlet: online collaboration tool Vialogues: dynamic video discussions Flipgrid: video discussions and respsonses Eaquals Webinars: Teaching live online using Zoom CHAPTERS 0:20 – Intro 1:17 – Julietta’s background in online teaching 2:20 – The Hands Up Project 3:18 – Online platforms: Zoom 5:20 – Zoom features – breakout rooms, screen sharing, polls 7:22 – Tips for using online tools for the first time 9:44 – Green screens in Zoom 10:44 – Online tools for teachers (Padlet, Flipgrid, Vialogues) 13:26 – How do teaching styles differ online? 16:33 – Disruptive home environments 18:05 – Online breakout rooms for group work 18:59 – Activity types in the virtual classroom and encouraging student autonomy 23:22 – Motivation and keeping students engaged 26:24 – Online tools can provide more variety in activities (e.g., using Google Street view) 27:29 – Encouragement and praise 27:56 – Pitfalls of online teaching: connectivity issues 29:20 – Orientation to working online and multitasking 32:18 – Boundaries and limits 33:37 –What can institutions and teachers do to ensure a positive outcome from this move online? 36:07 – Outro

    37 min
  4. 10/03/2020

    Integrated skills in the ELT classroom

    In this episode Rachel Finnie and Chris Graham sit down to discuss why integrated skills are beneficial in the classroom. They discuss how the real-life application of language is not separated into the four skills, why there is a reluctance from educational institutions to change and how integrated skills provides a way to exploit materials and engage students. Let us know if you enjoyed the episode! Get in touch with any suggestions or questions – you can find us at @garneteducation everywhere! LINKS Journal article: Integrated Skills in the ESL/EFL classroom by Rebecca Oxford (10:28) CHAPTERS 0:20 – Intro 0:52 – What are integrated skills? 1:33 – Are integrated skills a good thing for ELT? 2:54 – Do integrated skills reflect how we use language in real life? 4:22 – Teaching skills in isolation; focusing on specific skills 6:01 – Skills are already integrated: learning to write by speaking 7:28 – Teaching ‘speaking’ by using texts, pictures or audio 8:33 – Going from receptive to productive skills 9:36 – Focusing on the function of language 10:12 – Is there evidence that integrated skills are more effective? 11:51 – Learning strategies and ‘learning to learn’ skills 13:31 – Formative assessments and switching skills in daily life 15:52 – Integrated skills can flag up specific skills that need working on 17:11 – Reluctance to change: educational, institutional and exam culture 19:33 – Logistical change: institutional infrastructure and scheduling 21:27 – Exploiting materials and engaging students 22:13 – Technology has forced us to integrate skills 22:52 – Final thoughts

    24 min
  5. 25/02/2020

    TeaBreak: accents, dialects, and varieties of English

    In the fourth episode of ELTtime, we introduce a new feature: TeaBreak. A few of us here at Garnet grab a cuppa, and take half an hour to discuss something we’re passionate about within ELT. Today, Alice, Ella, Jaz and Rosie dive into why it’s problematic that RP is used as a standard, make some light-hearted observations about the differences between the way they speak, and discuss some interesting but bizarre Australian words – do you know what Manchester is? (And no, we don’t mean the city!) Let us know if you enjoyed the episode! Get in touch with any suggestions or questions – you can find us at @garneteducation everywhere! LINKS Article: Is RP outdated? Article: Why people will beat machines in recognising speech for a long time yet Article: Australian English in the 20th century CHAPTERS 0:20 – What’s TeaBreak? 1:03 – Introductions (Jaz, Alice, Ella and Rosie) 1:40 – Word (antipodean) Australia 2:21 – Alice’s Australian accent (8:45) 2:41 – Alice’s Background 3:12 – British and American spellings and pronunciations 3:53 – Non-English speakers and non-British 4:41 – Australian vs British words 8:08 – Australian stereotypes 8:22 – Australian word (galah) Scotland 8:59 – Rosie’s Scottish accent 9:39 – Alice’s Australian accent 10:02 – Is this a ‘dialect’ thing or a ‘my family’ thing? America 10:52 – Ella’s American background Received Pronunciation (RP) 11:23 – What is RP and why can it be problematic? 11:46 – Class and region divides in pronunciation 12:42 – Issues with digital activities Is there a ‘correct pronunciation’? 15:24 – Regional accent differences 16:02 – Slang and class 17:26 – Voice recognition and audio issues 19:02 – Students mimicking accents 19:49 – American media 20:07 – Australian word (Manchester) 21:00 – Australian idiom (shag on a rock) 21:34 – Final thoughts

    22 min
  6. 27/01/2020

    Nik Peachey: How online tools can unleash student creativity

    In the very first episode of ELTtime, our Digital Manager, Matt, chats with Nik Peachey, a well-known teacher trainer and learning technology consultant. Expect inspiring discussions about creativity and innovation in the classroom, recommendations for handy apps to use, as well as hidden pitfalls to avoid when using tech in the classroom. Let us know if you enjoyed the episode! Get in touch with any suggestions or questions – you can find us at @garneteducation everywhere! LINKS Nik’s publications: – Digital Video a Manual for Language Teachers, Hacking Creativity, Digital Tools for Teachers and Thinking Critically through Digital Media Nik’s EdTech and ELT blog Nik’s Learning technology and ELT newsletter 21st Century Skills in the ELT classroom – Coming soon. Nik wrote chapter 2: Creativity and Innovation in ELT classes Shot clip – a social movie making app with different templates. Lyrics training – You can watch music videos and recreate the lyrics Hypersay – Nik uses this in presentations and conferences CHAPTERS 0 – 0:19 – Intro 0:19 – 5:20 – ELTons and blended learning 5:20 – 9:48 – Creativity and innovation in the classroom 9:48 – 12:13 – How to create videos in a classroom setting 12:13 – 13:44 – Recommended resources, apps and websites for teachers to use 13:44 – 16:35 – Classroom management and video making 16:35 – 18:49 – Do activities such as video making favour outgoing students? 18:49 – 21:49 – Music podcasts 21:49 – 24:39 – Creative writing and texting 24:39 – 27:29 – Pitfalls to avoid when using tech 27:29 – 28:56 – Digital divide between teachers and students 28:56 – 30:28 – Do teachers actually want to use tech in their classroom? 30:28 – 32:00 – Have attention spans been ruined by social media? 32:00 – 35:38 – Are translation apps putting teachers out of business? 35:38 – Outro

    36 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

At Garnet Education, we produce ELT materials that are used in schools, colleges and universities around the world. We’ve created ELTtime in the hope that it can be a springboard for further discussions in our online community and in your staffrooms. You can expect a variety of topics, from the origins of the word capsicum to in-depth discussions of industry biases, global issues and other challenges that the ELT community faces today.

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