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Teaching with Ellii

Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

For as long as she can remember, Sidney has always&nbsp;wanted to be a teacher. She&rsquo;s been teaching for 18 years now. Two years ago, Sidney&rsquo;s passion for teaching led her to make the switch to ESL. Currently, she teaches adults ranging from literacy to the beginner level in Virginia, United States.

Sidney teaches her adult students in the evenings. Prior to the pandemic, she taught in a classroom and created lessons that were as interactive and multisensory as possible. When COVID-19 hit, Sidney had to pivot and figure out how to teach in an online environment.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;ESL Library was a real godsend to me. Prior to discovering it, I had to scan lessons into my computer each day. This was not so bad in itself, but I could not interact or write on the scanned document during teaching. Most of my students are working mothers, so I particularly enjoyed sharing videos and more diverting types of learning that kept them engaged even though they were very tired.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Check out Sidney&rsquo;s text response below to learn more about why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="camera *; microphone *; autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; display-capture *;" height="600px" src="https://www.videoask.com/ai6nwjj7lyn3ehgek3vxg8hzh6vhyhcczb0cmh04" style="border: none; border-radius: 24px" width="100%"></iframe></div>

For Sidney, the most challenging parts about being an ESL teacher are communicating concepts and serving students&rsquo; needs on different levels.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;I may have students who can hold rudimentary conversations but who are not sufficiently proficient for the intermediate class alongside students who cannot read in any language.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Despite these challenges, she finds being a teacher rewarding.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the relationships I form with my students.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Her advice for aspiring teachers?

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be afraid to trust your instincts or implement new vehicles to learning.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a>

Teacher Feature: Sidney

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Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

Did you watch <a href="http://www.tesol.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TESOL International Association</a>&rsquo;s webinar&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-N28JGQmz4&amp;ab_channel=TESOLInternationalAssociation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Cup of Coffee with TESOL Experts: Work-Life Balance</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the TESOL coffee chat.

<h2>Keeping a healthy work-life balance in online environments</h2>

In this webinar, the expert panelists discussed the following question: how can we keep a healthy work-life balance in virtual environments? A healthy balance is incredibly important for your mental health, while an unhealthy one can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and even dissatisfaction with being a teacher. In this chat, the expert panelists provided four tips for achieving a healthy work-life balance.

<h3>Enjoy the flexibility that comes with working from home</h3>

Working from home provides flexibility that many people didn&rsquo;t have before. Take advantage of this and take short 15-minute breaks when you need to. Schedule your breaks and use a timer if you find it hard to actually take a break.

<h3>Rely on your colleagues or network</h3>

Lean on, learn from, and work with other teachers. Working from home in the middle of a pandemic can be isolating. Talk to each other! Create a community and share experiences, tips, tools, and resources.

<h3>Rely on your students and try to involve them</h3>

Designate one student to be your student helper for the week. For example, you could ask one student each week to lead a discussion or give a presentation. This will help reduce your work load and give your students the opportunity to learn and gain leadership skills in a different way.

<h3>Use technology wisely</h3>

From time to time, make sure to disconnect from technology. Take technology breaks when you need to and set limits for yourself if that helps you recharge and stay focused.

<h2>In summary</h2>

Pay attention to your body. If you&rsquo;re tired, it&rsquo;s okay to take a break. If you&rsquo;re feeling burnt out, it&rsquo;s okay to turn off your computer and your phone.

Teachers, what do you do to keep a healthy work-life balance? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Takeaways from A Cup of Coffee with TESOL Experts: Work-Life Balance

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

Danny never planned on becoming an English language teacher. He was actually working in radio broadcasting when he started teaching English classes to adults through a community outreach program.

&ldquo;This was the turning point for me. I finally found my true calling.&rdquo;

Danny has been a teacher for 10 years now. Currently, he teaches in Cuenca, Ecuador. His students are anywhere from pre-kindergarten age to the ninth grade with levels varying from pre-beginner to high-intermediate.

For Danny, a typical day starts with a hot cup of coffee and ESL&nbsp;Library. With his coffee in hand, he checks his students&rsquo; progress and looks for patterns. Based on his findings, he creates appropriate exercises.

<img alt="On the left, a screenshot of some study notes with some terms highlighted. On the right, a screenshot of a video call with Danny and his students" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1583/content_WhatsApp_Image_2021-05-20_at_2.47.17_PM.jpg" />

Here is a screenshot of Danny teaching his students online.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Danny to adapt. Due to a lack of funding, he was laid off. Luckily, ESL&nbsp;Library was there to help. Watch the video below to see why he loves ESL Library and how he uses it with his students.

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe src="https://www.videoask.com/ax2hc5nilg6jqy1fmgcyptjn977szamh8035tmu1" encrypted-media *; fullscreen *;" width="100%" height="600px" style="border: none; border-radius: 24px"></iframe></div>

For Danny, the most challenging part about being a teacher right now is finding students to teach.

&ldquo;In Ecuador, COVID-19 has impacted the national economy severely. Hundreds of parents have lost their jobs and can&#39;t afford education, and private English classes for them are out of the question.&rdquo;

The most rewarding part though is hearing students use the language.

&ldquo;Seeing them grow in the language and want to use the language. It is rewarding to hear them improve their pronunciation.&rdquo;

Want to share why you love ESL&nbsp;Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="http://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here</a>.

Teacher Feature: Danny

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Did you watch <a href="http://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROftFQ_ZW0I&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTTTEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank">the best ice breaker games every English language teacher should know</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.

<h1>What are ice breakers?</h1>

Simply put, ice breaker games break the ice! Often used at the beginning of a new school year, ice breakers can help you and your students get to know each other. They are a great warm-up exercise to get your students to start speaking in English and will help you gauge their language level. Playing a game will also create a relaxing and enjoyable environment!

<h2>Ice breaker games</h2>

Here are three ice breaker games from the webinar that you can play with your students!

<h3>Two Truths and a Lie</h3>

This game is perfect with a brand new set of students. First, ask your students to write down two true statements and one false statement about themselves. Next, have your students take turns reading their statements out loud to the class. After they&rsquo;ve read out their statements, everyone else has to guess which statement was the lie. This game will help you get to know your class and will help your students get to know you!

<h3>ABC Word Chain</h3>

This game can be used to break the ice with a new class or it can be used anytime as a fun exercise for practicing vocabulary. First, choose a category and a word within that category. Then, have your students take turns creating a word chain by picking a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. For example, if the category was &quot;furniture&quot;&nbsp;and the first word was &quot;bed,&quot; the next word could be &quot;dresser,&quot;&nbsp;and the word after that could be &quot;recliner,&quot; and so on.

<h3>Finish the Sentence</h3>

Similar to the ABC Word Chain game, this game can be used as an ice breaker or it can be used anytime as a fun exercise for building sentences. First, write the beginning of a sentence. Next, ask your students to complete the sentence in their own words. Finally, have your students take turns reading their answers out loud to the class.

Teachers, do you play ice breaker games with your students? What games do you play? If not, how do you break the ice and get to know your students? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Takeaways from TEFL International Webinar on Icebreaker Games

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

After teaching math, science, and academic English for over 20 years in high schools, Emmalyn received her TESL certification in 2019. Then, she began working at the <a href="http://www.folk-arts.ca/" target="_blank">Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre</a> (NFAMC) in Ontario, Canada as a LINC/ESL teaching assistant.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always enjoyed teaching. It doesn&rsquo;t matter if it&rsquo;s piano, math, science, or English. I&rsquo;ve always considered one of my strengths to be understanding a concept&nbsp;and then breaking it down in such a way as to make it understandable to the student.&rdquo;

<img alt="A woman (Emmalyn) smiling and standing next to a presentation board" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1595/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Emmalyn_TESL-Certification-Presentation.jpg" />

Here, Emmalyn is pictured with a presentation she did for her TESL certification.

The NFAMC provides settlement services, including ESL classes ranging from literacy to CLB 6, for newcomers to Canada. The students are anywhere from 18 years old to seniors, and Emmalyn teaches a different class every day.

&ldquo;It is amazing being in a class with such cultural diversity. Hearing about students&rsquo; experiences is not only a learning experience for me, but also a wake-up call, in terms of how much we take living in Canada for granted.&rdquo;

<img alt="A woman (Emmalyn) standing in front of a sign reading LINC English Classes for Immigrants" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1555/content_The_first_photo_is_me_at_the_centre.jpg" />

Here, Emmalyn is pictured at the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, classes took place in person Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Currently, they are teaching online. As a result, a typical day for Emmalyn includes finding resources, converting them into online assignments, posting the assignments, marking, and providing the class teachers with feedback.

A typical day also involves planning a lesson that corresponds with the centre&rsquo;s monthly theme. For example, in May, the monthly theme was employment. In June, the monthly theme is Canadian culture. Each lesson is adjusted to the level of the class and the students, and includes listening, speaking, reading and writing.

&ldquo;This is where ESL Library comes in handy. There are countless topics, all differentiated according to various levels. Flashcards, videos, listening, vocabulary, crosswords. It&rsquo;s all there. The Taskplayer feature is especially useful for the lower-level classes. They love the Picture Dictionary. This resource has saved me so much time.&rdquo;

Check out Emmalyn&rsquo;s text response below to learn more about why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.

<blockquote>
💬 Hello ESL Library Staff,

First of all, can I just say thank you for these awesome resources! So many topics, so many levels, and so many opportunities to address different skills in class. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Let me tell you a bit about myself. My name is Emmalyn and I am an assistant teacher at a multicultural centre offering the LINC program to adult newcomers. I alternate between different levels of ESL classes ranging from Literacy to Level 5/6. Your resource allows me to pick and choose both topics and level-appropriate material.

How do I use the resources? Before the virus, I would print out the PDFs for the topics I wanted and use them in class. When we were first online, our centre upgraded our membership and teachers sent interactive lessons to students via Google Classroom. At the start of the school year, I saw the interactive view available. This worked especially well with the Literacy students. I would project the vocab and flashcards and they would name them. I would also project their handouts and use the annotation features to correct our work. This minimized touching paper, chalk, etc. and maximized space as students were able to remain at their desks. I also print out the flashcards and put them on the board. The clear visuals allow me and the students to participate in many different sorts of activities like identification, spelling, sentence construction, etc. Your website has been a valuable resource. I can&#39;t stress enough how thankful I am!

Emmalyn Sumodobila
</blockquote>

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="http://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here</a>.

Teacher Feature: Emmalyn

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Did you watch <a href="http://www.tesol.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TESOL International Association&rsquo;s</a> coffee chat, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYI5M2CMcZE&amp;ab_channel=TESOLInternationalAssociation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Cup of Coffee with TESOL Experts: Giving Feedback</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways.

<h2>Providing effective feedback in online learning environments</h2>

In this webinar, the expert panelists discussed the following question: how can we provide effective feedback in online learning environments? According to the panel of experts, effective online feedback needs to be timely, positive, constructive, specific, and clear.

<h3>Effective online feedback needs to be timely</h3>

Students need to know when they can expect feedback and it should be provided to them on a regular basis. Make time for giving your students feedback and build it into your schedule so it becomes part of your routine. For oral assignments, it&rsquo;s important to give corrective feedback in the moment. For written assignments, feedback doesn&rsquo;t have to be given right away, but it&rsquo;s not effective if it&rsquo;s given weeks after an assignment was due. Plus, if your lessons and assignments build on each other, it&rsquo;s important to give feedback before the next task.

<blockquote>
&quot;A safe environment helps students become better learners.&quot;

&mdash;Carla Pastrana
</blockquote>

<h3>Effective online feedback needs to be positive and constructive</h3>

It&rsquo;s important for students to receive both positive and constructive feedback. First, highlight the positive. Let them know when they&rsquo;ve done something well and that you appreciate the effort they&rsquo;ve made. After you&rsquo;ve provided them with a positive comment, then you can offer them constructive feedback.

<blockquote>
&quot;If you exhibit self correction, that&#39;s only going to encourage them to do the same.&quot;

&mdash;Elizabeth Adler
</blockquote>

<h3>Effective online feedback needs to be specific and clear</h3>

Lastly, effective online feedback should be specific and clear. There are a variety of ways that you can provide helpful feedback: you can offer an explicit correction; you can pinpoint an error and encourage the student to self-correct; or you can make suggestions and provide multiple options for correction. In an online environment especially, a student might find a quick recorded video with your feedback meaningful. If you teach a group of students, you can also provide collective feedback to the entire class through a video or a post with a list of common mistakes. You don&rsquo;t have to be the only one who gives feedback either&mdash;you can have your students provide feedback for each other too!

Teachers, when and how do you provide effective online feedback? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Takeaways from A Cup of Coffee with TESOL Experts: Giving Feedback

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

Out of necessity and due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Liat began teaching English classes online in Santiago&mdash;both the capital and largest city in Chile.

&ldquo;I am very new to teaching. Now I have realized that I actually enjoy teaching and I want to get better at it every day.&rdquo;

Liat teaches teenagers and adults at the basic to upper-intermediate levels. Since her students&#39; goals, interests, and needs vary, each day is different and each class is dynamic.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Not every day is the same, which makes it even more exciting! I try to make my classes as engaging as possible.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

For Liat, the most challenging part about being a teacher is when students aren&rsquo;t motivated to learn.

&ldquo;That can make you feel a bit frustrated, but you try your best to connect with your students and help them as much as possible.&rdquo;

Despite this challenge, and even though she has only been teaching English for around a year, Liat is always looking for ways to improve her teaching and has enjoyed the experience so far.

&ldquo;Definitely one of the most rewarding parts of being a teacher are those moments when you see a smile on your student&#39;s face and when they let you know that they are starting to feel a lot better and confident thanks to your help and guidance.&rdquo;

Liat is fairly new to ESL Library but she&rsquo;s a big fan. Watch the video below to see why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="camera *; microphone *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; display-capture *;" height="600px" src="https://www.videoask.com/ak3cgxrxf1ocip3tnqki6t45y4aqfxmkyxiktobq" style="border: none; border-radius: 24px" width="100%"></iframe></div>

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here</a>.

Teacher Feature: Liat

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Did you watch&nbsp;<a href="http://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkkH2IVLzYs&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ways to keep ESL students engaged after the lesson</a>? If you missed it, don&#39;t worry &ndash; we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.

<h1>Customer Retention</h1>

Even though customer retention is a marketing notion, the same concept can be applied to retain students. According to <a href="https://www.shopify.ca/blog/customer-retention-strategies#:~:text=Customer%20retention%20is%20the%20collection,from%20your%20existing%20customer%20base" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shopify</a>, &ldquo;customer retention is the collection of activities a business uses to increase the number of repeat customers and to increase the profitability of each existing customer.&rdquo; In other words, if we apply this same idea to the classroom, student retention is the collection of activities a teacher uses to increase the number of repeat students.

<h1>Tips for Student Retention</h1>

How can an ESL teacher retain students and get them to come back? A combination of personal qualities, teaching techniques, and lesson dynamics can influence student retention. Keeping this in mind, here are some tips for retaining students:

<h2>Give clear instructions.</h2>
Repeat, rephrase, and confirm that your students understand the task.

<h2>Give positive feedback and praise often.</h2>
When providing a critique, be sensitive and encouraging. Try not to over-correct; use a range of correction techniques and ask concept-checking questions.

<h2>Select topics and tasks that are interesting to your students.</h2>
Make sure the activities and materials are both engaging and challenging but not overwhelming.

<h2>Give students a manageable amount of homework.</h2>
Choose homework tasks that they&rsquo;ll find interesting and relevant. Be careful not to assign too much homework. An overwhelming amount of homework can cause a student to quickly lose their motivation for learning.</li>
</ol>

<h1>In Summary</h1>

Students will be eager to learn more from you if they understand the instructions, enjoy the classroom activities and homework tasks, and get appropriate and helpful feedback.

Teachers, what student retention strategies do you use to engage your students and get them to come back for another lesson? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Takeaways from TEFL International Webinar on Student Retention 

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

A few years ago, Khaled was invited to speak to a group of students about reading books. As he spoke to the students, he felt an instant connection. That was the moment he knew that he had a knack for teaching.

Khaled teaches English to college students in Abha, Saudi Arabia. According to Khaled, Abha is known for having natural beauty, rainy weather, and a cool climate.

<img alt="a picture of Khaled wearing traditional Saudi Arabia clothes" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1505/content_K.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 258px;" />

In this picture, Khaled is wearing a thobe (garment worn by men), a kaffiyeh (headdress), and a black iqal (used to keep kaffiyeh in place).

For Khaled, the most challenging part of teaching is keeping students engaged and holding their interest throughout the lesson, and the most rewarding part is inspiring students.

&ldquo;A good teacher inspires students to do their best. They inspire their colleagues to work hard. They inspire everybody around them to be happy and creative.&rdquo;

Prior to COVID-19, Khaled had never taught online. As schools closed and classes moved online, he worried about how he would continue to teach throughout the pandemic. He confided in a friend who introduced him to ESL Library. Watch this video to see why Khaled loves ESL Library and how he uses it!

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="918" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rLgTVypfef8" title="Teacher Feature Khaled" width="516"></iframe>

&ldquo;There are many people out there who are eager to learn this language, but because they never had the chance to learn it or a good teacher, they stopped pursuing their dreams of speaking this language. I have taught several students for free and I am happy to say they now can speak English.&rdquo;

Want to share how you use ESL Library in your classroom? <a href="http://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here</a>.

&nbsp;

Teacher Feature: Khaled

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These posts are written for learners of English themselves. Find learning tips and ideas for learning English.

For Students

In January of 2020, Doris moved to Thailand from China with her two young daughters, Candy and Cherry. Even though all she knew was one Thai word and very little English, she found a house to rent, bought a car, and registered her daughters for school.

Later that year, she enrolled in an English class. According to her teacher, Myriam, she was a good writer and understood basic grammar.

<img alt="Doris and Myriam" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1460/content_125202364_5193540807352955_7074738393205264499_o.jpg" />

Here, Doris (left) is pictured with Myriam (right).

Since she began learning English, Doris has been a studious student. She reads self-study books, attends an extra weekly conversation class, and always completes her homework assignments.

Doris is very motivated and makes learning English a priority,&rdquo; Myriam says.

Recently, Myriam used the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/129/lessons">True Grammar Stories</a> lesson as inspiration for an incredible activity. After reading the friendship story about <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/129/lessons/3358">Dan and Norah</a>, Myriam had Doris write her own story. Doris wrote about her daughter, Candy. Listen to Doris read the story she wrote and follow along with the transcript as she speaks.

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio" style="text-align: center;">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/1461/Big_coach_.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<blockquote>
Transcript:

Candy is my seven-year-old daughter.

A few days ago, at Candy&rsquo;s tennis class, I saw her talking with an old person. He is from Australia. I don&rsquo;t know his name but he told Candy that his name is Big Coach!

Candy thought that he was lonely because he was sitting alone. She went up to him and said, &ldquo;Hi, what&rsquo;s your name?&rdquo;

The old man said, &ldquo;You need to call me Big Coach!&rdquo;

Candy said, &ldquo;No, that young man is my coach!&rdquo;

But he replied, &ldquo;No&hellip; he is small coach. I am Big Coach!&rdquo;

So, whenever Candy sees him, she shouts, &ldquo;Hello, Big Coach!&rdquo; and she told me, &ldquo;This is his name!&rdquo;
</blockquote>

<img alt="Candy and Big Coach" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1462/content_image__1_.png" />

Here, Candy (right) is pictured with Big Coach (left).

We hope you enjoyed learning about Doris and Myriam, and that Doris&rsquo;s story inspires you! Teachers, do you have a fun student project to share? Tell us about it in the comments below for a chance to have it featured on our blog!

Student Spotlight: Doris

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<div class="white-box">
This article is part of a series of posts highlighting education systems around the world. With this article, we hope to raise awareness of&nbsp;both the needs of the students and the challenges of running an English language program online. We also hope to share heartwarming and inspiring success stories with our community of teachers around the&nbsp;world.
</div>

In 2003, Lisa Herb, an attorney, traveled to Mongolia.

While her husband worked as a wildlife biologist, Lisa volunteered with women&rsquo;s rights organizations. As a lawyer and an English speaker, she was able to help these advocacy groups with their communications and with researching domestic violence legislation.

In 2005, Lisa came back to the United States. She wanted to continue volunteering with international women&rsquo;s rights groups, but she couldn&rsquo;t find an organization that provided long-distance support for women.

Later that year, she founded <a href="http://aiwr.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_&quot;blank&quot;">Alliance for International Women&rsquo;s Rights (AIWR)</a>.

AIWR empowers women through two programs: an English program and a mentor program.

In the English program, a student is matched with a trained English teacher. The student and teacher meet one-on-one over Skype twice a week for a three-month period.

Similarly, in the mentor program, a mentee is matched with a mentor who has expertise in the subject matter relevant to the mentee&rsquo;s work.

Today, AIWR primarily focuses its&nbsp;efforts in Afghanistan.

&ldquo;There was an intense need and desire,&rdquo; Lisa explained. &ldquo;We asked ourselves: How can we make the biggest impact?&rdquo;

In many rural places in Afghanistan, it&#39;s extremely hard for women to get an education and to participate in public life. Many cannot access the internet or English learning materials. Some are not allowed to work with male teachers. Some can&rsquo;t even go out in public without a male escort.

&ldquo;The services we provide are the only means to access English learning resources,&rdquo; said Lisa.

Before COVID-19, one of the biggest challenges was the lack of reliable internet in rural Afghanistan.

It&rsquo;s not uncommon for a Skype video to stop working and to have to resort to just messaging back and forth or for the electricity to go out completely during a one-on-one session. And even though AIWR operates its educational and mentorship programs online, it was not immune to the impacts of COVID-19 either.

Due to the pandemic, some internet cafes in Afghanistan that were available for women to use at designated hours had to shut down, meaning that many students and mentees could not access the internet at all.

Despite the technology challenges, AIWR has had a tremendous impact. In the last 15 years, it&#39;s reached over 500 students and mentees. Past students have used their English language training to obtain scholarships and visas to study abroad, and past mentees have used their training to find employment and become leaders in their own communities.

&ldquo;These women gain choice over their lives,&rdquo; said Lisa. &ldquo;They gain agency. Then&nbsp;they use the skills to pay it forward.&rdquo;

AIWR is a volunteer-run organization. When asked how the average person can help, Lisa said they always need more trained English teachers and that donations are always welcome. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a labor of love.&rdquo;

To learn more about AIWR, to make a donation, and/or to volunteer, visit their website at <a href="http://aiwr.org/" nofollow="" noreferrer="" rel="noopener" target="_blank">aiwr.org</a>.

Building an Alliance for International Women’s Rights

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<div class="white-box">
This post is part of a series of articles highlighting education systems around the world. With this article, we hope to&nbsp;raise awareness of&nbsp;both the needs of the students and the challenges of running a school in a refugee camp. We also hope to share heartwarming and inspiring success stories with our community of teachers around the world.
</div>

Since 2016, thousands of adults and children seeking asylum from conflict, violence, and poverty in the Middle East have been stuck living in overcrowded and unsanitary refugee camps in Greece.

These asylum seekers lack access to basic necessities like nutrition, hygiene, and education.

As a response to the inhumane conditions that refugees were forced to endure on the Greek island of Chios, volunteers with Be Aware and Share provided educational services to children, teenagers, and young adults.

In 2018, <a href="http://www.actionforeducation.org" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Action for Education (AFE)</a> took over the educational initiatives started by Be Aware and Share and expanded their educational programs to the Greek island of Samos.

<img alt="Action for Education" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1369/content_150466299_534067220892126_1740422451005985831_n.jpg" />

Jokin, a volunteer ESL teacher with AFE on the island of Samos, describes the crisis.

<blockquote>
&quot;Thousands of people have no access to basic needs or social support. The conditions are challenging in refugee camps. Today, Action for Education still provides informal educational programs and activities to refugee children, teenagers, and young adults, but they also provide food, tea, showers, reliable internet, and charging stations. At a deeper level, they provide a safe space, a routine, and emotional support.&quot;

&mdash;Jokin
</blockquote>

<img alt="Action for Education" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1370/content_151527278_413940946574718_3084410115408861054_n.jpg" />

&quot;It&#39;s a small footprint, but it goes deep. It goes beyond the education,&rdquo; said Jokin. &ldquo;It makes a big difference.&quot;

A typical day (before COVID-19)&nbsp;of teaching for Jokin begins by setting up the classroom. At 10:00 am, their educational centers open and students begin to arrive.

With the help of a translator, Jokin teaches the young refugees how to read, write, speak, and understand English. In between classes, he helps facilitate different activities like ping pong or foosball and workshops on creative writing or mental health education.

During the school day, each student is also provided with a meal.

<img alt="Action for Education" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1371/content_150902436_2749366395378032_7438118220288573021_n.jpg" />

Janyar, a past student with Action for Education, describes his time at Banana House, one of AFE&rsquo;s learning centers.

<blockquote>
&quot;My time at Banana House was great! I learned a lot. The most important thing for me was the educational support. I studied two different languages, Greek and English, which allowed me to navigate through my stay in Samos. The teaching was very helpful. Not only because the teachers were great and knew how to engage with the students, but because it meant a safe environment.&quot;

&mdash;Janyar
</blockquote>

Khaled, another past student with AFE, also describes his time at Banana House.

<blockquote>
&quot;It was very useful for me. I learned a lot. Banana House helped me feel comfortable and safe. I made new friends and learned some vocabulary of other languages, not just English. I learned about different cultures and traditions by interacting with people from different countries.&quot;

&mdash;Khaled
</blockquote>

Like many organizations, AFE is not immune to the negative impacts of COVID-19.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Greece went into lockdown and AFE switched from teaching in person to teaching online classes.

In June of 2020, they were able to reopen and implemented many safety measures like smaller class sizes, offering classes outside, staggered class times, temperature checks, and masking.

In the fall, Greece went back into lockdown and AFE went back to teaching online. They then started planning how to reopen at the end of February 2021 with the same safety measures they had implemented in the summer.

<img alt="Action for Education" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1372/content_150341428_726882981356524_8790419457362210428_n.png" />

While it was challenging to provide an online education due to the limited and inconsistent Wi-Fi in the camps, Jokin says &ldquo;the biggest challenge is still the situation itself.&rdquo;

With the poor living conditions in the camps and the tensions between locals and refugees, &quot;there are just so many needs that are not being covered.&rdquo;

AFE relies on individual donations to run their educational programs and social services.

When asked how the average person can help, Jokin says they appreciate donations and volunteers, but that it&rsquo;s also important to raise awareness&mdash;to be aware and make others aware that this is happening.

To learn more about Action for Education and/or to make a donation, visit their website at <a href="https://www.actionforeducation.org" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">actionforeducation.org</a>.&nbsp;

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Melissa Bender