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

Articles

<p>English is always changing and growing. Although it <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-history-of-english">started life in England</a>, over the centuries it&nbsp;has traveled the globe. Now, around <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/26884/most-spoken-languages-online-offline/" target="_blank">1.5 billion people</a>&nbsp;around the world use it every day to communicate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These users are not all so-called &quot;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-belongs-to-everyone-here-s-how-to-own-your-english">native speakers</a>.&quot; Most of these users have learned it as an additional language.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><b>There are many ways&nbsp;to speak English</b></h2>

<p>There is often a mistaken belief that there is one &quot;correct&quot; way of speaking English. This is impossible.</p>

<p>Around 75 countries use it as their official language. Each one uses it in their own special way.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And within each country, people use it differently in&nbsp;different areas, cities, and towns. This gives us an interesting mix of accents and words.&nbsp;</p>

<p>People often think of British English or Amercian English as the &quot;correct&quot; models. But in Britain, there is Brummie (Birmingham English), Cockney (London English), and Glaswegian (Glasgow English)&mdash;to give just three examples. In the US, there&#39;s Southern (e.g., Texan), Mid-Atlantic (e.g.,&nbsp;New York), and Western (e.g., Californian).</p>

<p>If you&#39;d like to know more, check out my posts on the use of English in countries like <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/australian-english-for-esl-learners-common-phrases-slang-for-clear-communication">Australia</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/essential-scottish-for-english-language-learners-common-phrases-expressions">Scotland</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/irish-english-for-esl-learners-common-phrases-expressions">Ireland</a>.</p>

<h2><strong>The three circles of English speakers</strong></h2>

<p>In 1992, Braj Kachru created the three circle model of English speakers. He wanted to explore the use and status of different&nbsp;Englishes around the world.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He categorized them into the inner, outer, and expanding circles.</p>

<h2><strong>The inner circle&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>The &quot;inner circle&quot;&nbsp;includes the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. These are countries that historically spoke English first.</p>

<p>The Englishes from these countries are often used as&nbsp;models or &quot;norms&quot;&nbsp;for English language learners. This is why many language teaching resources use American or British English as examples&nbsp;in class.</p>

<p>This is also why some language schools continue the discriminatory practice of hiring language teachers from these countries&nbsp;rather&nbsp;than&nbsp;focusing on proficiency, lingusitic knowledge, or teaching expertise.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, there is a growing&nbsp;awareness that English is global. Speakers around the world are now challenging the&nbsp;outdated belief that so called &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speakers from &quot;inner circle&quot;&nbsp;countries use the language more effectively.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>The outer circle</strong></h2>

<p>The &quot;outer circle&quot; includes countries where English may not be the most common language, but&nbsp;is an important or official language.</p>

<p>For example,&nbsp;India, Kenya, Malaysia, and Singapore started using&nbsp;the language when they were part of the British Empire. Like <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/australian-english-for-esl-learners-common-phrases-slang-for-clear-communication">Australian,</a> <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/irish-english-for-esl-learners-common-phrases-expressions">Irish</a>, and<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/essential-scottish-for-english-language-learners-common-phrases-expressions"> Scottish</a> English, their Englishes have unique differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although English speakers from these countries have grown up using the language, they are often mistakenly considered &quot;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-belongs-to-everyone-here-s-how-to-own-your-english">non-native</a>&quot;&nbsp;speakers.</p>

<p>This is due to the incorrect perception that English belongs to &quot;inner circle&quot; countries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In reality, English belongs to everyone. Every user can make it their own.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>The expanding circle</strong></h2>

<p>The &quot;expanding circle&quot;&nbsp;refers to countries that have never had English as an official language, but still use it as a lingua franca. For example,&nbsp;English is an important language in Argentina, Egypt, and&nbsp;South Korea.</p>

<p>Although English is not an official language, many people in these countries want to learn it in order to enhance their careers&nbsp;and communicate confidently around the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Three circles of english" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5626/content_3-circles.png" /></p>

<h2><strong>How does the &quot;Three Circles of English Speakers&quot;&nbsp;model impact our classroom practice?&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>As language teachers, we need to be aware that there is not one correct way to speak English. Everyone uses it in their own way. The most important goal is to be understood.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This means that we need to adapt our classroom practices to our learners&#39; needs. Every learner has different reasons for learning&nbsp;and will use their language skills in different places.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It can be helpful to introduce learners to different accents and uses of the language. This supports them to adapt when they meet people who use an unfamiliar English.</p>

<p>We can also give learners confidence in knowing that even speakers from so-called &quot;inner circle&quot; countries can find each other hard to understand. Let them practice skills such as checking meaning, rephrasing, and adapting their pronunciation in order to be understood.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Finally, and most importantly, let them discover their own voice in English. Everyone uses English differently. Things that speakers from one country think are &quot;incorrect&quot; or &quot;weird&quot;&nbsp;may be very common in another.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Think about your own use of English. In what ways do you use it differently to other people you know?&nbsp;</p>

<p>If you enjoyed this blog post, we think you&#39;ll love these posts too:&nbsp;</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elf-pron-what-is-it-and-how-can-we-teach-it">ELF Pron: What Is It &amp;&nbsp;How Can We Teach It?</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-history-of-english">The History of English</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/australian-english-for-esl-learners-common-phrases-slang-for-clear-communication">Australian English for ESL Learners: Common Phrases &amp; Expressions for Clear Communication</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/essential-scottish-for-english-language-learners-common-phrases-expressions">Essential Scottish English for English Language Learners: Common Phrases &amp; Expressions</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/irish-english-for-esl-learners-common-phrases-expressions">Irish English for ESL Learners: Common Phrases &amp; Expressions</a></li>
</ul>


What Every Language Teacher Needs to Know about Global Englishes

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Discover what's new or coming soon, including upcoming lessons and resources and product feature updates. 

Announcements

<h1>A new way to check in on your students</h1>

<p>We know how much time teachers spend clicking through assignments to piece together how a student is doing,&nbsp;so we built something to help. We&#39;ve added a new <strong>Activity</strong> tab right inside the class page&nbsp;so you can now look at results student by student across all their assignments&nbsp;instead of having to go assignment by assignment. It&#39;s a small addition, but it makes a big difference when you&#39;re trying to get a sense of how an individual learner is progressing.</p>

<h2>We call this new feature Student Activity Reports</h2>

<p>The navigation works like flipping through a stack of pages. Click on any student, then a lesson, and then a task, and each view layers on top of the last. The edge of the previous sheet stays visible&nbsp;so you can quickly flip back to it.</p>

<p>We also put a lot of thought into making the navigation feel predictable. Moving between students and assignments, you&#39;ll always know where you are and how to get back. No unexpected dead ends mid session.</p>

<p>We hope you like it. Give it a try and let us know what you think. And stay tuned for more enhancements to our reporting tools coming soon!</p>

<div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 99.26470588235296%; height: 0;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.loom.com/embed/6801f95d4c154a2d808653a3c4f1e616" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Introducing Student Activity Reports

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Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>[<em>Listen to the full post.</em>]</p>

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio" style="text-align: center;">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/5399/Heteronyms_Full_Post.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<p>Recently on Instagram, @imgur posted a column titled &ldquo;Why English Is So Hard to Learn&rdquo; from an undated, unnamed newspaper. In the column, writer Marlene Davis uses 20 sentences to illustrate how English can be rather tricky.</p>

<p>Quite a few Instagram users disagreed with Davis&rsquo;s premise that English is indeed a difficult language. One user referred to English as &ldquo;the fast food of languages,&rdquo; while another lamented that &ldquo;literally no one aside from native English speakers thinks that English is hard.&rdquo; Nonetheless, Davis has chosen an interesting linguistic feature to consider. Her focus is on <strong>heteronyms</strong>.</p>

<p>In this post, I&rsquo;m going to explain what heteronyms are and list Davis&rsquo;s sentences. I&rsquo;ll also suggest a few activities you can use with advanced ELLs.</p>

<h2>Defining heteronyms</h2>

<p>Oxford Languages defines heteronyms as follows: </p>

<blockquote>
<p>each of two or more words that are&nbsp;spelled&nbsp;identically&nbsp;but have different sounds and meanings, such as&nbsp;tear meaning &ldquo;rip&rdquo; and&nbsp;tear meaning &ldquo;liquid from the eye&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The key to this definition is that, unlike homophones (think &ldquo;bat&rdquo; as in a nocturnal flying mammal and &ldquo;bat&rdquo; as in a piece of metal or wood used to hit a baseball), heteronyms have <strong>different pronunciations</strong> in addition to having <strong>different meanings</strong>.</p>

<h2>Davis&rsquo;s examples</h2>

<p>Though you may not often find a set of heteronyms in the same sentence in the real world, Davis&rsquo;s examples do not sound entirely unnatural. Here&rsquo;s her complete list:<br />
<br />
<em>[Listen to just the list. Right click to save.]</em></p>

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio" style="text-align: center;">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/5401/Heteronyms_List_Only.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<ol>
	<li>The bandage was wound around the wound.</li>
	<li>The farm was cultivated to produce produce.</li>
	<li>The dump was so full that the workers had to refuse more refuse.</li>
	<li>We must polish the Polish furniture shown at the store.</li>
	<li>He could lead if he would get the lead out.</li>
	<li>The soldier decided to desert his tasty dessert in the desert.</li>
	<li>Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present to his girlfriend.</li>
	<li>A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.</li>
	<li>When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.</li>
	<li>I did not object to the object which he showed me.</li>
	<li>The insurance was invalid for the invalid in his hospital bed.</li>
	<li>There was a row among the oarsmen about who would row.</li>
	<li>They were too close to the door to close it.</li>
	<li>The buck does funny things when the does (females) are present.</li>
	<li>A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.</li>
	<li>To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.</li>
	<li>The wind was too strong to wind the sail around the mast.</li>
	<li>Upon seeing the tear in her painting, she shed a tear.</li>
	<li>I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.</li>
	<li>How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?</li>
</ol>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5400/content_why-english-is-so-hard-to-learn.png" /></p>

<h2>Suggested activities</h2>

<ol>
	<li>Read Davis&rsquo;s sentences out loud as students write them down. Then have students circle the heteronyms in each one. See if they can figure out the meanings and then write two new sentences that clearly show what each heteronym means.</li>
	<li>If you choose not to do the first activity, give students a copy of the sentences or write them on&nbsp;the board. Have students identify the part of speech of each heteronym.</li>
	<li>Ask students to work out the stress pattern for the two-syllable nouns and verbs in Sentences 2, 3, 6, 10, and 19. (If the word is a noun, the stress falls on the first syllable. If the word is a verb, the stress falls on the second syllable.)</li>
	<li>Have students look up the following heteronyms and make note of their pronunciation, part of speech, and definition: resume, minute,&nbsp;live, bow, windy, convict, record, excuse, sake, appropriate.</li>
	<li>Allow students to choose three or four of the heteronym pairs in activity #4 and write a sentence for each set.</li>
	<li>Have students dictate their sentences to a partner. Then have the partner read the sentences back.</li>
</ol>

<p></p>

<p></p>

Using Heteronyms to Challenge Advanced ELLs

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Find quick links to each episode of the Teacher Think-Aloud podcast, hosted by Shélynn Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean and sponsored by Ellii.  

Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

<p>Join Anna and Sh&eacute; on the latest episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>&nbsp;as they explore a practical and research-informed approach to grammar instruction with ESL teacher and founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eslgrammargallery.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The ESL Grammar Gallery</a>, Audrea Gold. Together they unpack the NUFU framework&mdash;Noticing, Understanding, Forming, and Using&mdash;and what it offers teachers who want to move beyond rule-based grammar teaching toward more meaningful, communicative practice.</p>

<p>This conversation challenges the idea that grammar should be taught as isolated structures to memorize, instead positioning it as a tool for meaning-making and expression. Audrea walks listeners through each stage of the NUFU framework, showing how intentional sequencing&mdash;from exposure to application&mdash;can help learners not only understand grammar, but actually use it with confidence.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>&ldquo;The NUFU framework asks how we can put less of the onus on teachers and more on the students so that they take more responsibility for their learning and are more engaged as a result.&rdquo; &mdash; Audrea Gold</blockquote>

<p>Through concrete examples, reflective insights, and classroom-ready ideas, this episode invites educators to rethink how grammar is introduced, practiced, and applied&mdash;offering a clear pathway toward instruction that truly sticks.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Abv-cwwCP9Q?si=6rrKUZ80PZ8rNNNL" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div>

<p>🎙️&nbsp;<strong>Listen now on your favorite platform:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2zv5mVNpSqkDNiNbQlnm7B" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-teacher-think-aloud-podcast/id1629819608" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>🔗&nbsp;<strong>Follow The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast on social media for more updates:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/teacherthinkaloud" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thinkaloud_pod/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thinkaloudpod.bsky.social" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/teacher-think-aloud/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li>
</ul>


Rethinking Grammar Instruction with the NUFU Framework

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

Conferences

<p>The Ellii team is back from another spring conference&mdash;<a href="https://www.coabe.org/coabe-2026" target="_blank">COABE 2026</a> in Indianapolis. This year, five of us made the trip, some racing in from other trips to&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/celebrating-60-years-of-tesol-in-salt-lake-city-utah" target="_blank">TESOL</a> and Japan! We gathered&nbsp;from various states and provinces:&nbsp;Columbus, Ohio (Teacher Trainer Christine), the San Francisco&nbsp;Bay Area (Teacher Trainer Kylie), Richmond, Virginia (Editor Ann), Windsor, Ontario (VP of Publishing Tara), and Winnipeg, Manitoba (CEO &amp; Founder Ben).</p>

<p>As a remote team, it was the first time some of us met in person. For me, finally connecting face-to-face with our new(ish) teacher trainers who joined us at COABE for the first time was the standout memory of the trip.</p>

<p><img alt="The Ellii booth with Ann and Christine and some COABE attendees" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5385/content_image-1.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">At the Ellii booth with editor Ann and teacher trainer Christine and some COABE attendees</p>

<p><img alt="Kylie and a former student" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5386/content_image-5.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Teacher trainer&nbsp;Kylie with a former student</p>

<h2>#ELT Trending Topics at COABE 2026</h2>

<p>At Ellii, spring conference season is one of our busiest times of year.&nbsp;Whether large or small, conferences often have a standout theme or &ldquo;hot topic&rdquo;&mdash;the kind that fills sessions to standing room only.&nbsp;In recent years, we&rsquo;ve seen trends emerge around <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=45">civics and citizenship</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=44" target="_blank">family literacy</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/english-foundations/adult-literacy" target="_blank">SLIFE</a>, and, of course, AI.</p>

<p>This year, however, felt a little less focused&nbsp;on AI and what it can and can&#39;t do. In fact, as our editor Ann pointed out, COABE 2026 didn&rsquo;t seem to have one clear overarching theme at all, and I&rsquo;d agree. Beyond the expected focus on <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=6" target="_blank">workplace</a> in adult education, a range of topics surfaced across sessions.</p>

<p>Some of the most common themes included:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Career pathways</li>
	<li>Digital literacy (Ellii&#39;s theme of the year for 2026)</li>
	<li>Soft skills&nbsp;(Ellii&#39;s theme of the year for 2025)</li>
	<li>Financial literacy</li>
	<li>Assessment</li>
	<li>Speaking</li>
	<li>Differentiation</li>
</ul>

<h2>Top Speakers &amp; Sessions</h2>

<p>Ellii always sponsors, exhibits, and presents at conferences like COABE. This year, Christine did&nbsp;a&nbsp;demo of <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a> &amp; <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/announcing-ellii-dilemmas" target="_blank">Dilemmas</a>, and had some fun talks with attendees about <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/polls/tipping" target="_blank">tipping</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/dilemmas/the-dinner-bill" target="_blank">splitting the bill</a>. Kylie talked about <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/english-foundations/adult-literacy" target="_blank">Adult Literacy</a> and showcased our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/first-five" target="_blank">First Five</a> section. In my role as head of publishing, my primary focus was attending sessions and learning from teachers, administrators, and fellow publishers to ensure we&rsquo;re on the right track. Our head editor Ann was busy doing important research too!&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Ellii Booth COABE 2026" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5387/content_image-7.jpg" /></p>

<p>These conferences play a key role in helping the Publishing team plan and refine our offerings for the year ahead, and we rely heavily on the insights we gather at COABE. Writing an annual reflection also gives me something to revisit the following year. I like to highlight a few of my favorite sessions&mdash;both for those who couldn&rsquo;t attend and as a way to consider how these ideas can be applied to my work at Ellii.</p>

<p>Here are three sessions that stood out above the others at COABE 2026:</p>

<h3>#1 &ndash; The Gift of the Gab: Empowering Adult ESL Students&nbsp;to Speak</h3>

<p><strong>Presenter:</strong> Claudette Session</p>

<p><strong>Focus:</strong> low-anxiety activities to get ELLs talking and building oral proficiency</p>

<p>This was the first session I attended, and it set a fantastic tone for the conference. Claudette packed it with practical ideas, all centered on engaging speaking activities.</p>

<h3>Core Speaking Skills</h3>

<ul>
	<li>requesting</li>
	<li>expressing</li>
	<li>explaining&nbsp;</li>
	<li>directing</li>
	<li>offering</li>
	<li>describing&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h3>Tips from Claudette</h3>

<ul>
	<li>ELLs are more engaged when talking about topics they enjoy.</li>
	<li>Familiar topics help build confidence and fluency.</li>
	<li>Teachers should provide lots of practice with third-person forms (e.g., reporting what someone said or did).</li>
	<li>Using visuals&mdash;especially candid photos&mdash;is an effective and safe conversation starter.</li>
	<li>Teachers should set clear speaking expectations early. Meet with students individually if possible, allowing shy learners extra time while still encouraging full participation.</li>
	<li>Teachers should try recasting errors instead of directly correcting students in a classroom setting.</li>
	<li>Tracking common errors during class allows teachers to&nbsp;address problems in short review lessons rather than singling out students.</li>
	<li>Establish simple visual cues (like Claudette&#39;s&nbsp;&ldquo;do&rdquo; stick) to remind&nbsp;students when they are making a common error (such as forgetting &quot;do&quot; in a sentence).</li>
</ul>

<h3>Speaking Activities</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Guess the Photo: students have to ask Yes/No or information questions until they can guess a picture that only a teacher (or one student) can see</li>
	<li>Fast Stories: students retell something&nbsp;three times, getting faster each time (can also be done for reading fluency)</li>
	<li>Story in a Bag: students receive&nbsp;five items (or photos of the items) and have to create the story</li>
	<li>Foodie Talk: students post pictures of something that has been in their fridge too long and describe it</li>
	<li>One-Minute Podcasts: students record how to do something, such as how to get rid of the hiccups</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>Milk it!<br />
<br />
~ Claudette Session on getting the most out of an activity or task</p>
</blockquote>

<h3>Ellii Takeaways about Speaking</h3>

<p>This session gave me some great ideas for a new <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/photo-prompts" target="_blank"><strong>Photo Prompts</strong></a> series featuring candid photos. I would also like to add some How-To prompts in our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/speaking-in-english"><strong>Speaking&nbsp;in English</strong></a> section too. Claudette definitely has the gift of the gab and would be a great speaker to invite to our next ElliiCon!&nbsp;</p>

<hr />
<h3>#2 The English Language Proficiency Standards: Cracking the Code</h3>

<p><strong>Presenters:</strong> Jenny Siegfried &amp; Catherine Porter</p>

<p><strong>Focus:</strong> discovering key concepts and skills in the standards;&nbsp;enhancing ESOL lessons for ELPS alignment</p>

<p>In this session, the speakers helped crack the code behind the English Language Proficiency Standards, challenging attendees to come up with one word or phrase for each of the standards. This was a practical lesson for me&nbsp;since we&#39;ve been adding these standards to all of our content at the section level&nbsp;and tweaking them at the lesson level. Being able to associate each standard to one word or phrase is super helpful for tagging content.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Ellii Takeaways about the ELPS</h3>

<p>It is time to add the&nbsp;English Language Proficiency Standards to Ellii&#39;s interactive activities (Ellii Polls &amp; Dilemmas).<br />
<br />
Here are the ELPS that apply to <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a> &amp; <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/dilemmas" target="_blank">Dilemmas</a>:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>ELP 2 (two-way communication)</li>
	<li>ELP 4 (claims &amp; evidence)</li>
	<li>ELP 6 (evaluate &amp; reasoning)</li>
	<li>ELP 7 (register / adapt language)</li>
	<li>ELP 8 (understanding vocabulary)</li>
	<li>ELP 9 (coherence)</li>
	<li>ELP 10 (grammatical conventions)</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="ELPS Coabe" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5390/content_ELPS-coabe_2026.jpg" /></p>

<hr />
<h3>#3 Skillful Living Now: Developing a Soft Skills Course for Adult Learners</h3>

<p><strong>Presenter:</strong> Ray Agliata</p>

<p><strong>Focus: </strong>tools to help adult learners develop critical soft skills for today&#39;s workforce, including&nbsp;communication, adaptability, and leadership</p>

<p>Soft skills was Ellii&#39;s theme of the year for 2025, so I was eager to attend this session to find out how our <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/soft-skills-for-hospitality-workers" target="_blank">Soft Skills for Hospitality Workers</a>&nbsp;course measured up.</p>

<p>Ray Agliata, an author, shared a statistic that 89% of the reasons people don&rsquo;t succeed in the workplace are related to soft skills.</p>

<h3>10 Soft Skills Hiring Managers Are Looking for in 2026</h3>

<ol>
	<li>Attitude</li>
	<li>Attendance</li>
	<li>Appearance</li>
	<li>Confidence</li>
	<li>Leadership</li>
	<li>Communication</li>
	<li>Work Ethic &amp; Self-Motivation</li>
	<li>Flexibility &amp; Adaptability</li>
	<li>Teamwork</li>
	<li>Problem-Solving</li>
</ol>

<p>After sharing notes about these top skills, Ray&nbsp;walked attendees through how to build their own soft skills courses. His #1 design tip was to think like TikTok, creating small bits of information that can be consumed quickly.&nbsp;He also suggested using real, exceptional people that you know in your own life to be a source of inspiration for your materials. Ray talked about using Keri Mandell, his friend, in his course. She&nbsp;completed seven marathons in seven days in seven continents. That must have taken all 10 soft skills!</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Don&#39;t do it on your lunch hour. That&#39;s ridiculous!&quot;&nbsp;<br />
~ Ray Agliata on creating your own courses</p>
</blockquote>

<p>He reminded us that adult learners need learning to be <em>relevant</em>, <em>achievable</em>, and <em>applicable</em>. I&#39;d say this is also the case for conference session attendees! I found this session to be all of the above.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Ellii Takeaways about Soft Skills</h3>

<p>In this session, there was a question about how to help students showcase their soft skills in an interview. I noted this as something that&nbsp;would make a great lesson on Ellii.&nbsp;I also learned about a baseball player that we should add to our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/easy-readers" target="_blank">Easy Reader</a> or <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/famous-people" target="_blank">Famous People</a> section.&nbsp;Mariano Rivera, a New York Yankee, used soft skills to progress&nbsp;from being an ESL learner to closer to Baseball Hall of Famer. I also hope to&nbsp;invite Ray Agliata to speak at our&nbsp;next ElliiCon! (Find his book listed at the end of the post.)</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;I believe you are one choice away from a different life.&quot;&nbsp;<br />
~ Kyle&nbsp;Quilausing, pro golfer, turned Hawaii&#39;s most wanted, turned GED graduate,&nbsp;turned motivational&nbsp;speaker at&nbsp;COABE 2026</p>
</blockquote>

<hr />
<h3>Recommended Resources at COABE 2026</h3>

<p>Here are some more resources we learned about at COABE 2026 that you may want to check out:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Marshall Adult Readers</li>
	<li>Skillblox</li>
	<li>Tabetest.com</li>
	<li>TABE Edge</li>
	<li>Notebook LM</li>
	<li>Vids (Google tool)</li>
	<li>Digital Inclusion Library</li>
	<li>Ready for Industry (workforce app)</li>
	<li>GED &amp; Me</li>
</ul>

<h3>Book Recommendations + a Final Note&nbsp;</h3>

<p>There&rsquo;s always plenty of book talk when you&rsquo;re surrounded by language lovers. I finished the classic <em>Man&rsquo;s Search for Meaning </em>by Viktor Frankl on my short flight from Detroit to Indianapolis and picked up <em>Theo of Golden</em>&nbsp;by Allen Levi for the trip home.</p>

<p>Ann, Kylie, and I also discovered we&rsquo;d all recently read (and loved) <em>The Correspondent</em> by Virginia Evans, which turned into a mini book club at our final lunch. Ann challenged us&nbsp;to write and send a letter to someone by the end of May! Coincidentally, an email I scheduled five years ago to my father, who was in the hospital during the pandemic, got sent this week and it was a fun surprise and exercise to receive a letter back. Did you know you can schedule gmail up to 49 years ahead? This could be a fun time-capsule exercise to try with your students.</p>

<p>Here are a few books recommended by COABE attendees:</p>

<ul>
	<li><em>The Anxious Generation</em> by Jonathan Haidt&nbsp;</li>
	<li><em>The Names</em> by Florence Knapp (fiction)</li>
	<li><em>Skillful Living Now: Lead Human: Leadership in an AI World</em>&nbsp;by Ray Agliata&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>Lastly, some of the best advice&mdash;and always the best stories&mdash;the Ellii team takes away from conferences come from time spent with our founder and leader, Ben. This year, Ben shared a video he had once shown his daughter&mdash;and one I&rsquo;ll now be sharing with mine as she heads off to graduate school. Its message is simple but powerful: if you want to change the world,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBAqF00gBGk" target="_blank">start by making your bed</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="43 celebrated Hoosiers, mural in Indianapolis" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5391/content_image-4.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Indianapolis&rsquo;s bicentennial mural, 43 Hoosiers</p>

<p>See you next year in New Orleans!<br />
<br />
Tara &amp; Team Ellii&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Kylie, Christine, Ann, Tara " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5392/content_image-8.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Kylie, Christine, Ann, and Tara closing out&nbsp;COABE 2026</p>


On Track in Indianapolis: Key Takeaways from COABE 2026

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

For Students

Find fun games and activities for teaching English to young learners and middle schoolers. 

Young Learners

<h2>Behind the Scenes at Ellii</h2>

<p>At Ellii, there are a few lesson sections that started out as passion projects for our Publishing team members.&nbsp;Our Young Learner section called&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/picture-stories" target="_blank">Picture Stories</a>&nbsp;is one of these sections. You might know this section better as &quot;Benji stories.&quot;<br />
<br />
These stories, about an adorable bear who happens to have the same name as our founder and CEO,&nbsp;are written and illustrated by our in-house designer, Saori.</p>

<p>Saori is from Brazil and her&nbsp;first language is Portuguese! In the early days, Saori had a lot of help from our editor, Tanya. Over the years, while working closely with the English materials developed by our in-house writers and editors,&nbsp;Saori&#39;s English improved immensely, and she was able to starting writing&nbsp;these lessons more independently!&nbsp;Meanwhile, Tanya took on a new role as our head of video and began overseeing the development of Benji <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/stories-songs/picture-stories" target="_blank">videos</a>. The amazing videos have brought even more fans to this fun series!</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/video/spring" target="_blank"><img alt="Benji Picture Stories and Videos" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5353/content_Screenshot_2026-04-08_at_10.48.49_AM.png" /></a></p>

<h2>Fan Fiction</h2>

<p>As you can imagine, if you see how much <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/new-content" target="_blank">new content</a> we put out each month,&nbsp;Saori has a very busy job as the lead designer on Ellii&#39;s Publishing team. Though she&nbsp;doesn&#39;t have a lot of time for her passion project, Saori tries to add at least a few new Benji stories and lessons&nbsp;each year.</p>

<p>For some Benji fans, however, this is not enough! In fact, a recent young reader named Olivier (age 8) took this into his own hands and submitted his own&nbsp;Benji story. He asked that we publish it, so we&#39;ve decided to put it on our blog.<br />
<br />
With the World Cup coming soon, we hope your young soccer fans and early readers&nbsp;enjoy Olivier&#39;s Benji Soccer Story, our first &quot;fan fiction&quot; submission! We think Olivier got the tone just right for Benji. He even invented his own new Benji &quot;friend&quot; named Banjo. (Move over, Yumi and Onyx!)&nbsp;<br />
<br />
If your students love Benji and his friends, you can encourage them to write their own fan fiction and submit it below in the comment section.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Olivier is very excited that Benji has a friend Banjo. They sound like maybe they&#39;re twins. We hope you like the story and will publish it! Cheers!</p>

<p>~ Ezri (teacher) &amp; Olivier</p>
</blockquote>

<h1>Benji Soccer Story</h1>

<h2>Hi, my name is Benji.</h2>

<h2>Today I am playing soccer with my friend Banjo.</h2>

<h2>Banjo and I like to play drums too.</h2>

<h2>My friend Banjo and I played a soccer match, and Banjo won the match 2 to 1.</h2>

<h2>We played another match, and this time&nbsp;I won 3 to 2.</h2>

<h2>We continued to practice soccer by doing free kicks.</h2>

<h2>After the game, we went to get pizza&nbsp;and played drums.</h2>

<h2>&quot;See you next time!&quot;</h2>

<p>By Olivier, age 8</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Oh my god, that&#39;s so sweet! 🥹 I can picture Banjo as a fluffy black bear, ha!&nbsp;<br />
<br />
~ Saori, author of Ellii&#39;s Benji Picture Stories</p>
</blockquote>


Benji Fan Fiction

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Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

<p>Growing demand for career-specific, workplace English content has driven the Publishing team at Ellii to work hard at expanding our IET materials.</p>

<blockquote>
<h3><strong>What is IET?</strong></h3>

<p><strong>IET</strong> stands for <strong>Integrated Education and Training</strong>. It is a model that provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation and training for a specific occupation.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Ellii offers a vast library of lessons, courses, videos, and assessments designed to teach fundamental English language skills while preparing students for immediate workforce entry or career advancement.</p>

<h3><strong>Here&rsquo;s How It Looks in the Classroom</strong></h3>

<p>Instead of a generic lesson on &quot;prepositions,&quot; an IET lesson might teach prepositions through <strong>hazard communication</strong>. (e.g., &quot;The safety goggles are <em>in</em> the cabinet <em>above</em> the workbench.&quot;)</p>

<h2><strong>Where to Find IET Content on Ellii</strong></h2>

<p>There are three main sections to visit on Ellii if you&rsquo;re in search of IET content:</p>

<ol>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/career-pathways">Career Pathways Lesson Section</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=6">Workplace Courses &amp; Study Packs</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace">Media Gallery Workplace Videos</a></li>
</ol>

<p><em>This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT7zMtV9npQ">video</a> quickly walks you through how to navigate each of these sections.</em></p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HT7zMtV9npQ?si=NEmY8EDC__A3swGX" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div>

<h3><strong>1. Career Pathways Lesson Section</strong></h3>

<p>Our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/career-pathways">Career Pathways</a> collection is booming with new lessons, now categorized into career clusters such as <strong>Health Science</strong>, <strong>Financial Services</strong>, and <strong>Hospitality &amp; Tourism</strong>. These digital-only lessons introduce your students to various roles within the English-speaking workforce.</p>

<p>Designed for <strong>high-beginner to low-intermediate</strong> learners, each lesson provides a deep dive into specific careers&mdash;covering necessary education, required experience, and common daily duties. They&#39;re a perfect fit for IET programs or motivated students looking for independent self-study.</p>

<p>Explore our recently added lessons:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/6081-working-as-a-restaurant-manager">Working as a Restaurant Manager</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/6065-working-as-a-bank-teller">Working as a Bank Teller</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/6055-working-as-an-accountant">Working as an Accountant</a></li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="Ellii IET lessons " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5354/content_IET-lessons-Ellii.png" /></p>

<h3><strong>2. Workplace Courses &amp; Study Packs</strong></h3>

<p>If you need a more comprehensive set of IET materials than a single lesson provides, our Courses and Study Packs offer curated content in a logical, ready-to-teach sequence.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Study Packs</strong> are short bundles of 3&ndash;6 lessons centered around a specific theme, skill, or grammar structure.</li>
	<li><strong>Courses</strong> are in-depth modules based on common workplace scenarios. These often include video instruction and assessments to help you track student progress.</li>
</ul>

<p>We offer specialized content in areas like <strong>healthcare</strong>, <strong>dentistry</strong>, and <strong>paraeducation</strong>. Check out our most recent additions:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-entrepreneurs-1">English for Entrepreneurs</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-commercial-drivers">English for Commercial Drivers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-baseball-players-1">English for Baseball Players</a></li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="Ellii IET courses" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5355/content_IET-courses-Ellii.png" /></p>

<h3><strong>3. Media Gallery Workplace Videos</strong></h3>

<p>If you&rsquo;re looking for high-impact visual aids, look no further than Ellii&rsquo;s <strong>Media Gallery</strong>. This section is packed with photos and videos designed to bring workplace scenarios to life.</p>

<p>Our <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job">workplace flashcards</a> provide clear, useful imagery for career-specific terms&mdash;from safety gear like <a href="http://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/phlebotomists?search=safety&amp;flashcard=8884">face masks</a> to professional tools like <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/phlebotomists?search=stethoscopes&amp;flashcard=10013">stethoscopes</a>.</p>

<p>Take a look at these examples intended to teach career-specific skills, model workplace behavior, and build essential vocabulary:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job">At Work &amp; On the Job Flashcards</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/nursing-vocabulary">Workplace Silent Clips</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/pre-employment-phrasal-verbs">Pre-Employment</a> &amp; <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/employment-phrasal-verbs">Employment Phrasal Verbs Videos</a></li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="Ellii IET videos" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5356/content_IET-videos-Ellii.png" /></p>

<h3><strong>Bonus IET Materials</strong></h3>

<p>While the three sections above are our top recommendations, you can find even more job-readiness resources tucked into these popular Ellii categories:</p>

<ol>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/gather/dilemmas"><strong>Ellii Dilemmas</strong></a><br />
	Spark critical thinking and debate with workplace-specific scenarios. These interactive activities are perfect for practicing &quot;soft skills&quot; like negotiating, turn-taking, and professional disagreement.
	<ul>
		<li><em>Try these:</em> <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/dilemmas/the-crooked-coworker">The Crooked Coworker</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/dilemmas/the-inflated-launch">The Inflated Launch</a>, or <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/dilemmas/the-unfair-demand">The Unfair Demand</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/business-matters"><strong>Business Communications</strong></a><br />
	Found within our Business Matters section, these lessons target advanced students and cover high-level professional interactions.
	<ul>
		<li><em>Try these:</em> <a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/3357-negotiating">Negotiating</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/5625-active-listening">Active Listening</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/4374-performance-reviews">Performance Reviews</a>.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading"><strong>Real-World Reading</strong></a><br />
	Bring authentic &quot;realia&quot; into your classroom to help students navigate essential workplace documents.
	<ul>
		<li><em>Try these:</em> <a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/4399-workplace-safety">Workplace Safety</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/4042-employee-benefits">Employee Benefits</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/lesson/3953-operating-instructions">Operating Instructions</a></li>
	</ul>
	</li>
</ol>

<h2><strong>Ready to Boost Your IET Curriculum?</strong></h2>

<p>Whether you are looking for a quick vocabulary deep dive, a comprehensive multi-lesson course, or engaging media to spark classroom discussion, Ellii&rsquo;s IET content has you covered. By integrating these resources, you can provide your adult learners with the practical language skills they need to succeed in the modern workforce.</p>

<p>We&#39;re constantly adding new vocational areas and workplace scenarios, so keep checking back for more great material to support your IET program!</p>


3 Places to Find IET Materials on Ellii

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<section>
<p>Great teaching grows through reflection and conversation. That&#39;s the heartbeat of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</em></a>&nbsp;&mdash; and as it celebrates five years, the podcast is spotlighting&nbsp;<a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCuUBia4J9i-lOLm-uUR2Nm5Kwv5Hg5KZ&amp;si=eNjq1xqxbbR2gxwS" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">five episodes</a>&nbsp;that continue to resonate with English language educators everywhere.<br />
Ellii is proud to sponsor&nbsp;<em>The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</em>&nbsp;&mdash; a leading voice in ELT professional development today.</p>

<h2><strong>1. Episode 14 &ndash; Representation: More Than Just a Stock Photo</strong>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>In this episode, Anna and Sh&eacute; explore how materials, narratives, and classroom examples shape students&#39; sense of belonging. Whose voices are centered? Whose identities are erased? This conversation challenges teachers to move from surface-level diversity to meaningful inclusion, and remains one of our most-shared free ELT resources for opening up conversations about equity in the classroom.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NpUmrnbUJo8?si=KqNJR1X4VN3_T3Rv" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<hr />
<h2><strong>2. Episode 34 &ndash; Trauma-Sensitive Teaching</strong>&nbsp;<em>(with Sherry MacKay)</em>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>In this episode, guest Sherry MacKay discusses how trauma may show up in the classroom and what it means to respond with compassion rather than control. The takeaway is simple but powerful: behavior is communication, and safety is foundational to learning.</p>
<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCiyPTgqfcs?si=071YassbcrIwS1bm" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<hr />
<h2><strong>3. Episode 44 &ndash; Global Citizenship: Opening the View to the Possible</strong>&nbsp;<em>(with Brantley Turner)</em>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>In this episode, guest Brantley Turner explores the role of English language teaching classrooms in fostering global citizenship. From intercultural communication to critical awareness and empathy, she reflects on how teachers can move beyond transactional language instruction and create spaces where students grapple with global issues, multiple perspectives, and their own responsibilities as members of an interconnected world.</p>
<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kpb6zt7Cnck?si=pWGld0L4adyIAa2k" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<hr />
<h2><strong>4. Episode 56 &ndash; Building a Sustainable PD Practice</strong>&nbsp;<em>(with Yulia Kharchenko)</em>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>How do you sustain your professional development as an educator? In this episode, guest Yulia Kharchenko shares a framework she and her colleagues have developed to ensure future teachers are prepared for future challenges in the teaching profession.</p>
<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gs_kjYqRa4M?si=aP11sm4JvEH2IbLI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<hr />
<h2><strong>5. Episode 66 &ndash; &quot;Being a Native Speaker Isn&#39;t a Qualification&quot;</strong>&nbsp;<em>(with Meri Maroutian)</em>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Native speakerism continues to shape hiring practices, pay structures, and perceptions of competence in ELT. In this episode, Anna and Sh&eacute; dive into the pervasive issue of native speakerism in English Language Teaching with educator and advocate Meri Maroutian, unpacking accent bias and challenging the assumption that nativeness equals qualification. The focus shifts toward credentials, intelligibility, and professional expertise as the true markers of effective teaching.</p>
<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/91XXrBvpn7g?si=armTwcwODKN-I3R6" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<hr />
<p>Five years in,&nbsp;<em>The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</em>&nbsp;continues to be a space where English language educators can work to think more deeply, teach more equitably, and grow more sustainably. Tune in and keep the conversation going.</p>

<p>🎙️&nbsp;<strong>Listen now on your favorite platform:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2zv5mVNpSqkDNiNbQlnm7B" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-teacher-think-aloud-podcast/id1629819608" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>🔗&nbsp;<strong>Follow The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast on social media for more updates:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/teacherthinkaloud" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thinkaloud_pod/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thinkaloudpod.bsky.social" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/teacher-think-aloud/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li>
</ul>
</section>


5 Years of Thinking Aloud: 5 Episodes Worth Revisiting

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<p>For me, the theme of TESOL this year was finding a balance between the old and new, incorporating both the familiar and the novel into our lessons and lives. Tucked in between and within sessions about AI and technology were many inspiring messages about human creativity and connection.</p>

<p>Ellii is an old hand at TESOL, attending it&nbsp;for over 20 years. But this year, we sent three completely new members, including myself. It was the first time we had&nbsp;met each other&nbsp;in person, and we hit it off. I couldn&rsquo;t ask for better teammates&nbsp;to spend TESOL with.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Ellii group picture" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5329/content_Team-picture.jpg" /></p>

<p>But not everything about this conference was completely new&mdash;I was born and grew up in Utah, so for me, it was coming home. Whether it was the sight of mountains peeking from behind the downtown&nbsp;buildings, the warm, dry air, or the &ldquo;dirty&nbsp;soda&quot;&nbsp;bar in the expo hall, I constantly felt a sense of familiarity at this conference.</p>

<p>As TESOL celebrated its 60th anniversary, the Wednesday night keynote by the president of TESOL highlighted many of the members who have made a difference in&nbsp;teaching over the years. It made me reflect on how the field of teaching always has to deal with this balance of building on tradition and embracing the new. I saw many examples of this balance in the sessions that I attended. I&rsquo;d like to highlight a few of these sessions.</p>

<h2>Thinking about the future of learning</h2>

<p>The Wednesday morning keynote,&nbsp;<strong>The Interplay between Technology and Humanity: Shaping the Future of Education</strong>,&nbsp;by Enilda Romero-Hall, prompted us to think about what education will&nbsp;look like in the future and where learners will go to find&nbsp;an education. She emphasized the importance of having conversations about accessibility and equity, and of&nbsp;developing communities for learners.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When the presenter gave us the prompt to think about one word we would use to describe the future of learning, the word that came to mind was &ldquo;flexibility.&rdquo; Learners come in all levels and with unique background experiences. As teachers, being flexible is how we can adapt to help our students succeed in a world where change is constant.</p>

<h2>Creating spaces for learning</h2>

<p>I also noticed a theme of creating learning environments at TESOL. As teachers, we want to make the environment of our classrooms conducive to learning, no matter what level our students are at. We want them to feel comfortable&nbsp;by incorporating things that are familiar to them along with the new language.</p>

<p><img alt="Image of packed session" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5330/content_Nat-Geo-Full-Session.jpg" /></p>

<p>In the packed Thursday session&nbsp;<strong>Welcome Elementary Newcomers With Language, Literacy, and Content</strong>, Deborah Short from National Geographic Learning/Cengage gave us some key principles for teaching newcomers:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Know your newcomers and the resources they bring into the classroom</li>
	<li>Create conditions for language learning</li>
	<li>Design high-quality language lessons</li>
</ul>

<p>The learning environment not only includes the physical space where you teach, but also involves giving students ways to get help, express how they&nbsp;feel, and find comfort in routines. If you know your learners, you can utilize their background knowledge and skills to help them develop challenging new skills in English.</p>

<p>We also need to consider the learning space in conjunction with new technologies such as AI. In the session on&nbsp;<strong>The Future Academic English Textbook: AI Changes Everything</strong>&nbsp;by <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elliicon2022-dr-ken-beatty" target="_blank">Dr. Ken Beatty,</a> we explored the challenges of AI in the classroom and how to work with it. If we&nbsp;assign a task to students that isn&rsquo;t meaningful or useful to them, then they will be tempted to just use AI to complete it. Instead, we can encourage students to get different perspectives and learn about representation bias in AI-generated materials.</p>

<p>One suggestion he had for lesson planning&nbsp;is to create activities&nbsp;that are AI-proof by having students&nbsp;give opinions and personal examples from their own experiences. Have them show drafts of their work and focus on the process over the outcome.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These points reminded me of Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/discussion-starters" target="_blank">Discussion Starters</a>, which&nbsp;feature speaking activities that focus on opinions and personal experiences. They are my favorite lessons to share with my own&nbsp;students to get them both thinking and talking, and it looks like they can be effective for AI-proof teaching.</p>

<p>Along with all these great tips for creating materials, my main takeaway from this session is that <a href="https://ellii.com/ai" target="_blank">ethical use of AI</a> is a skill we should be teaching our students rather than avoiding AI. We must address new and pervasive technology with critical thinking.</p>

<h2>Improving conversations outside of the classroom</h2>

<p>Two of the&nbsp;most enjoyable sessions&nbsp;were interactive workshops focusing on discussions and soft skills.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Rewarding Small-Group Speaking with Semisynchronous Discussion Circles</strong>, led by Mark Makino of Southern Utah University, introduced the idea of creating discussion circles where students can hold discussions in class or meet up and record themselves outside of the classroom.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the spirit of presenting on discussion circles, the presenter put us in groups of 4 or 5, gave us each a role, and had us hold our own discussion on&nbsp;teaching strategies. Our&nbsp;roles included the leader, the stubborn one, the generous one, the shy one, and the attentive one. It was fun to experience the activity from the students&#39; point of view and also reflect on our roles at the end.</p>

<p>Eamon McGowan and Haley Boone led a delightful session on&nbsp;<strong>Soft Skills in Action: Practical Strategies for EL Classrooms.</strong>&nbsp;This session focused on teaching the students not only how to use <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning">soft skills</a>, but also how to talk about soft skills outside of class, such as in a job interview, and apply them to their own experiences. The steps in this teaching process include&hellip;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Teach specific&nbsp;soft skills&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Practice the skills in a low-stakes activity with roles assigned to each student</li>
	<li>Practice in a higher-stakes activity that demonstrates skills beyond the classroom</li>
	<li>Describe the soft skills and how to respond to questions about them</li>
</ul>

<p>Both of these sessions taught me ways to incorporate routines and familiarity alongside learning&nbsp;new skills, and I&rsquo;m excited to apply them in my own lessons and in creating materials at Ellii.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Embracing both the old and new at Ellii</h2>

<p><img alt="Image of Ellii session" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5331/content_Ellii-session.jpg" /></p>

<p>The pre-keynote speech and our own Ellii sessions led by Christine and Kylie highlighted Ellii&rsquo;s newer gamified features,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii&nbsp;Polls</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/announcing-ellii-dilemmas" target="_blank">Dilemmas</a>, our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/first-five" target="_blank">First Five</a> section for adult literacy, and how to organize materials and share them with students using Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/try-class-prepping-with-elliis-lesson-planner" target="_blank">Lesson Planner</a>.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Ellii booth at TESOL 2026" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5332/content_Booth-picture.jpg" /></p>

<p>As a member of the publishing team at Ellii, I enjoyed asking teachers who stopped by our booth what resources they use at Ellii. Our new <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=45" target="_blank">civics</a> materials are a big hit, along with the many <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=6" target="_blank">workplace courses</a> we&rsquo;ve put out in the past few months. Teachers also enjoy our classic <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/holidays-events" target="_blank">holiday</a> lessons and <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">pronunciation videos</a>. And of course, they love to visit our booth at conferences&nbsp;and get some pens, chocolates, and T-shirts! Being able to share Ellii with teachers who had never used our lessons before was also a great experience.<br />
<br />
<img alt="image of chocolate and pens" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5333/content_pens-and-chocolate.jpg" /></p>

<p>At Ellii, we want to continue offering teachers flexible options for teaching, whether they need print materials and flashcards or are incorporating digital lessons and videos into their classrooms. We continue to embrace the future of language education and the ever-changing needs of our teachers and students.<br />
<br />
Thank you, Salt Lake City! We look forward to the next meet-up&nbsp;at TESOL 2027 in&nbsp;Houston, Texas.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Celebrating 60 Years of TESOL in Salt Lake City, Utah

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<p><em>Just like the Publishing team constantly puts out new content, our Product team continuously rolls out new features. Some builds are requests and needs shared by school districts, admins, or teachers, and others are updates we decide on internally to complete during a six-week cycle. In addition to building and designing new features, our&nbsp;engineers and designers are constantly cleaning things up to make the platform as user-friendly as possible for learners and teachers. </em></p>

<p><em>We don&#39;t always get a chance to make formal announcements about all of our new releases, so if you&#39;re a subscriber, we hope you&#39;ll take a minute to review what&#39;s new!</em></p>

<h2>No more password headaches: Key codes arrive</h2>

<p>Logging in just got easier for students. When creating student accounts, teachers can now choose between traditional username + password or our new simpler option: key codes made up of six digits.</p>

<p>Students can log in using their key code + last name, making access quicker and more classroom-friendly.</p>

<p>And for even more efficiency, teachers can bulk create students via CSV upload.</p>

<p><img alt="Keycodes on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5305/content_image__8_.png" /></p>

<h2>Time reports reveal student effort</h2>

<p>Curious how much time students are actually spending on tasks?</p>

<p>The new Time Reports feature gives teachers clear visibility into:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Time spent by students within a specific class</li>
	<li>Total time spent across Ellii and Ellii Solo</li>
</ul>

<h2><img alt="time reports on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5306/content_image__9_.png" /></h2>

<h2>Assessments get a major upgrade</h2>

<p>Assessments just leveled up. We&rsquo;ve brought more task types into the Assessment Player, including:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Image Match</li>
	<li>Listen &amp; Type</li>
	<li>Writing&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Speaking</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="Ellii Placement Test with speaking and writing" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5308/content_Screenshot_2026-03-18_at_8.58.47_AM.png" /></p>

<p>This unlocks more robust assessments, including true 4-skills placement tests and Ellii Bot assistance to grade them. Because of this, students will now see a message at the end of an assessment letting them know their score is being processed and will be available shortly.</p>

<p><img alt="Assessment Player gets new tasks on Ellii " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5307/content_image__10_.png" /></p>

<h2>Round buttons roll into town</h2>

<p>The interface just got smoother.&nbsp;Round buttons have officially arrived, and some of them are now sporting fresh color gradients for a more modern look.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It might look like a small visual tweak, but a lot of work went into it behind the scenes.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="round buttons on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5296/content_image__1_.png" /></p>

<h2>Teacher hack inspires new emoji class feature</h2>

<p>We noticed a teacher manually adding emoji&nbsp;to their class names and thought,&nbsp;<em>That&rsquo;s actually pretty cool...why not make it a feature?</em></p>

<p>Now teachers can pick an emoji for their class name directly from a selector, adding a bit of personality (and easier visual scanning) to the class list.</p>

<p><img alt="emoji in class name on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5297/content_image__2_.png" /></p>

<h2>Ellii Bot now takes scoring requests</h2>

<p>Ever had your class set to manual grading and then realized you suddenly had a mountain of responses to score?&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ellii Bot autoscoring can now be run on demand as a one-off job!</p>

<p>So even if your class settings are set to manual grading (or you forgot to change them), you now have the option to let the bot step in and help.</p>

<p><img alt="Need Ellii Bot's help " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5298/content_image__3_.png" /></p>

<h2>Bot declares: English-only for speaking tasks</h2>

<p>Ellii Bot is tightening the rules on speaking activities. Responses must now be in English, ensuring more accurate feedback and scoring for speaking practice.</p>

<p><img alt="Ellii Bot allows English only" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5299/content_image__4_.png" /></p>

<h2>Homework confusion avoided with&nbsp;in-class tasks skipped</h2>

<p>Some lesson tasks are really meant to be done live in the classroom, not assigned for homework.</p>

<p>Now pair or group tasks like warm-ups, discussions,&nbsp;and role-plays are skipped by default when assigning lessons. Teachers can still add them back into the assignment if they want.</p>

<p><img alt="Homework-only tasks" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5300/content_image__5_.png" /></p>

<h2>Students get &ldquo;already started&rdquo; assignment tracker</h2>

<p>Students will now see which assignments they&#39;ve already started but not finished.</p>

<p>This makes it easier to jump back in and finish the job...hopefully. 😅</p>

<p><img alt="Already started homework label on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5301/content_image__6_.png" /></p>

<h2>Classes can be easily transferred</h2>

<p>Teachers now have a new option when managing their classes&mdash;transfer a class to another teacher. When handing off a class to a coworker or dealing with schedule changes, teachers can now move a class without losing its structure or student list.</p>

<p><img alt="Transfer homework to another teacher on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5302/content_image__7_.png" /></p>

<h2>More platform updates</h2>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Universal Roster</strong>&nbsp;now includes students without a class</li>
	<li><strong>Old notifications cleaned up</strong>&nbsp;to reduce clutter and improve performance</li>
	<li>Platform performance benefits from <strong>smarter notification management</strong></li>
	<li>Performance boost for students&#39; lists, <strong>now loading 4X faster</strong>!</li>
</ul>

<p>A big thank-you to the entire Product team and everyone involved in the discussions that helped shape these updates, including teachers!&nbsp;Your ideas, feedback, and collaboration make improvements like these possible.</p>


2026 Feature Updates at Ellii (Q1)

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<p>When it comes to language learning, confidence is everything. Some&nbsp;learners may have varied&nbsp;vocabularies, understand complex grammar, and know what they want to say.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But when it comes to speaking&nbsp;in front of others, they may stumble. They may question themselves, get overwhelmed, and put too much pressure on perfection.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this blog post, we&#39;ll explore ways to encourage student participation in full-class discussions while providing support&nbsp;so they gain confidence using their English.</p>

<h2>1. Create an encouraging classroom atmosphere</h2>

<p>For learners to feel confident, the classroom has to feel like a safe space. This means building trust and fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and support.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the first day of class, do some activities to help students get to know each other. For example, have them share an interesting fact about themselves or their main reason for learning English. Start simple, based on the level of the class, so that learners can feel confident using the language that they have.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You could also have them collaborate to create posters on positive classroom behaviors, such as switching off mobile phones and being kind and respectful.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For more ideas for icebreakers and building a positive classroom atmosphere, check out&nbsp;this blog post by Tanya Trusler on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/5-ways-to-make-students-feel-comfortable-in-your-class">Ways&nbsp;to Make Students Feel Comfortable in Class</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>2.&nbsp;Allow thinking &amp; planning time</h2>

<p>Students are more likely to feel confident&nbsp;speaking up if they have had time to think, plan, and prepare. Make sure to give a sufficient pause after&nbsp;asking questions. You could even set a prescribed amount of thinking time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example:&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Teacher:</strong> What did you do over the weekend? Think about this for one minute. Then answer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>[pause]</p>

<p><strong>Student 1:</strong> I went to the mall and met my friends.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Before speaking activities, give students time to write down what they want to say. Encourage&nbsp;them to think of useful words and phrases, or perhaps even write their own script. This will make them more accurate and fluent when it comes to using their voice in larger groups.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>3. Try the think-pair-share method</h2>

<p>The think-pair-share<em> </em>method is one common way to give students thinking time and increase their&nbsp;confidence. First, set the question or task and give students time to think about their answers. Allow them to take notes as required.</p>

<p>Then have students discuss their ideas with a partner. This gives&nbsp;students&nbsp;a chance to check that their ideas are correct or relevant and supports them with their language choices.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Finally, have students share their ideas with the whole class. The previous step will have reassured them that their ideas are valid and, therefore, they will be more likely to share.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>4. Implement the 2, 4, 6, 8+ presentation method</h2>

<p>Speaking in public can be scary&nbsp;in any language. Some learners will find this challenging even in their first language.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One way I&#39;ve always found helpful in building confidence is to allow students to&nbsp;practice with peers while&nbsp;slowly increasing the size of their audience.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This 2, 4, 6, 8+ method lets students say the same one-minute presentation multiple times to a gradually larger audience. Students benefit through repetition and reflection. By the time they deliver&nbsp;the same presentation in front of the whole class, they&#39;ve nailed it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>First, give them the topic for a one-minute presentation&nbsp;and let them make notes by themselves.&nbsp;Then have them present their ideas in pairs. Encourage learners to give each other feedback and make tweaks. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Once they are ready to present again, have students work in groups of four, delivering their one-minute presentation to three people. Again, have them give feedback to each other and review and revise their mini talk.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Then&nbsp;increase the group size to six so they are delivering the same presentation for the third time, but to five people.</p>

<p>Continue by increasing the group size until they are confident with their content and delivery. Hopefully, all the practice will give them a huge boost in confidence to speak in front of the whole class.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>5. Give positive feedback</h2>

<p>Finally, increase learners&#39; confidence by giving them encouraging and supportive feedback. Praise and a warm smile can go a long way.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When learners&nbsp;make mistakes, use the mistakes as learning opportunities and celebrate students&#39; attempts. Each time students use English, they can learn something from it. (You may find this post useful:&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/low-prep-high-impact-feedback-strategies">High-Impact Feedback Strategies</a>.)&nbsp;</p>

<p>You may also want to do this fun activity to help them become more aware of their self-talk. It helps them identify&nbsp;negative thoughts and reframe them as positive:&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/activity-to-boost-confidence-and-well-being">Inner Troll Vs. Inner Angel</a>.</p>

<p>Michelle Worgan has done a lot of work on supporting introverted learners. I highly recommend this blog post too:&nbsp;<a href="https://michelleworgan.com/introverted-students/ " target="_blank">How to Make Your Classroom Introvert Ready</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>How do you encourage quiet learners to speak in class? What are your top tips? Have you tried any of these methods? We&#39;d love to know your thoughts and ideas.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>


Taking the Fear out of Full-Class Discussions: Boosting Quiet Learners' Confidence to Speak

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<p>We&rsquo;ve all been there: it&rsquo;s quiet enough to hear the heater humming or that pesky fly buzzing near the window. Your students&rsquo; eyes glaze over, and you fight the urge to once more repeat, &ldquo;Anyone? Anyone?&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>An uninterested class is much more entertaining onscreen than it is in your classroom.</p>

<p>Here&#39;s an activity that can help your students reset while also increasing overall student talk time in the classroom. I call it the &ldquo;Line Up Game,&quot; and it can be done at almost any point in class.</p>

<h2>How it&nbsp;works</h2>

<p>You can get as creative as you want with your topic and how you ask your students to line up, but here&rsquo;s an example:</p>

<p><em>Line up in alphabetical order based on your first language.</em></p>

<p>Display the directions on the projector&nbsp;or write them on the board, and provide a written example of how you would like your students to communicate with one another.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Hiyab: Hi. What&#39;s your first language?<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yusuf: My first language is Arabic. What&#39;s your first language?<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hiyab: My first language is Amharic.<br />
&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>From here, students can work together to figure out which language comes first alphabetically and where they fit into the line with the rest of the class. More conversation may naturally unfold from their initial questions, depending on their English level and comfort with speaking.</p>

<p>Students will move around the room talking to each other in English, trying to figure out where everyone needs to line up.</p>

<h2>After students line up</h2>

<p>After the entire class has lined up, you (the teacher) can have each student say something like: &ldquo;Hi, my name is ____ ,&nbsp;and ____ is my first language.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The amount of time you have, the language level of your class, the size of your class, etc., will determine how quickly you move on to the next student or how many follow-up questions you ask. You could also give other students the opportunity to ask follow-up questions.</p>

<h2>Variations to try</h2>

<p>There are so many ways you can do this activity. You can line students up alphabetically or numerically (e.g., How many siblings do you have?), or even in reverse alphabetical or numerical order if you are looking for even more of a challenge for your class.</p>

<h2>Teacher tip: Use it for new groupings</h2>

<p>This activity gets your students up out of their chairs and&nbsp;gives them an opportunity to put their English skills into action.</p>

<p>Additionally, this kind of activity can help build your classroom community by helping students learn more about each other and encouraging them to work together.</p>

<p>As an added bonus, you can use this as a&nbsp;chance to assign students to new groups. If students always sit in the same spot in class and work with the same people, you can put them into new groups for the next activity when they are in line at the end of this activity.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>What ideas do you have for boosting student talk time?</p>
</blockquote>


Boost Student Talk Time with the Line Up Game

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<section>
<p>The latest episode of <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a> explores the pervasive issue of monolingual bias in education with Dr. Lillian Ardell, founder of <a href="https://www.languagematters.org/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Language Matters</a>. Hosts Anna and Shé join Dr. Ardell in examining how the belief that one language—often English—should dominate schooling continues to shape policies, classroom practices, and student identities.</p>

<p>Dr. Ardell unpacks how monolingual bias shows up across educational contexts, even in spaces that claim to support multilingualism, and explains the long-term harm these assumptions cause for multilingual learners. She introduces her framework for recognizing and addressing linguistic inequities, along with insights from her book, <a href="https://www.corwin.com/books/disrupting-monolingual-bias-294185" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Disrupting the Monolingual Bias</em></a>, which outlines advocacy archetypes educators can embody to challenge English-only norms.</p>

<blockquote>“ The monolingual bias is a set of deficit beliefs and attitudes about language and about the learners themselves that promote a story of urgent academic English proficiency that must come at all costs. It comes at costs to their heritage language. It come at costs to access to their culture. I argue that it comes at costs to their full identity development.”<br>
 — Dr. Lillian Ardell</blockquote>

<p>Through powerful metaphors, lived experiences, and reflective dialogue, the episode emphasizes advocacy as a sustained practice—one rooted in community, self-care, and the belief that honoring students’ full linguistic repertoires is essential to equitable language education.</p>
<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U5dWZWp7JQQ?si=xapZTL0pvxrX_pu6" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>🎙️ <strong>Listen now on your favorite platform:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2zv5mVNpSqkDNiNbQlnm7B" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li>
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-teacher-think-aloud-podcast/id1629819608" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>  </li>
</ul>

<p>🔗 <strong>Follow The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast on social media for more updates:</strong></p>

<ul>
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