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

Announcements

Are you teaching US history and government and&nbsp;preparing students for the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test? You are changing lives, and Ellii wants to help!

<blockquote>
Yes! Ellii is developing test prep materials for the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test.
</blockquote>

We began working on new content as soon as the notice went out about the new test (Sep&nbsp;18, 2025). If your students are preparing for the naturalization test, you&nbsp;can expect plenty of new content on Ellii in the next few months. We&#39;ll be updating this post as new content is available.&nbsp;

<h3>What has changed with the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test?&nbsp;</h3>

<ul>
	<li>If applicants applied before or within 30 days of the notice (Sep&nbsp;18, 2025), they take the 2008 test.</li>
	<li>If applicants&nbsp;applied 30 days or more after this notice (Sep&nbsp;18, 2025), they take the 2025 test.</li>
	<li>On the new (2025) test, the&nbsp;USCIS officer will ask applicants to answer up to 20 out of&nbsp;128 civics test questions&nbsp;to prove their&nbsp;knowledge of&nbsp;US&nbsp;history and government.</li>
	<li>USCIS officers will&nbsp;stop&nbsp;after the&nbsp;applicant answers&nbsp;12 questions correctly OR misses 9 questions.</li>
</ul>

Note: Scroll down for useful external links to resources regarding these updates.&nbsp;

<h2>Ellii&#39;s Media Gallery</h2>

Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;new <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/us-civics-test-prep" target="_blank">US Civics &amp; Test Prep</a> videos build history and government knowledge while offering practical test-taking tips. Choose from short, digestible clips or full-length video lessons with chapter divisions.&nbsp;

<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/us-civics-test-prep/colonial-period-independence" target="_blank"><img alt="US Civics Test Prep videos" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5010/content_Civics-Video-Colonial-Period-and-Independence_OG-play.png" /></a>

The first 18 <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/us-civics-test-prep" rel="noopener" target="_blank">US Civics &amp; Test Prep videos</a> are available now!&nbsp;

<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/us-civics-test-prep/the-1800s" target="_blank"><img alt="https://ellii.com/media/videos/us-civics-test-prep/the-1800s" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5011/content_Civics-Video-1800s_OG-play.png" /></a>

Videos include a real teacher from Ellii, real&nbsp;photographs, useful drawings, and real questions and possible answers from the test.

<a href="https://ellii.com/video/recent-american-history" target="_blank"><img alt="Recent US History video " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5055/content_Screen_Shot_2025-11-19_at_3.11.32_PM.png" /></a>

More videos are coming soon.&nbsp;

<h2>Ellii&#39;s Study Packs</h2>

Ellii Study Packs allow you to assign your students bundled content easily with one click. Visit our <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=45&amp;page=1" target="_blank">US Civics</a> category in Courses &amp; Packs&nbsp;and watch this content&nbsp;grow. 
 
If you and your students like Ellii&#39;s test prep videos, you&#39;ll love the NEW study packs. Each video lesson comes with practice tasks, including vocabulary review, comprehension, and speaking practice. In our first release, <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/colonial-period-independence/materials" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Colonial Period &amp; Independence</a>, students practice questions 73&ndash;89 of the civics test.

<a href="https://ellii.com/packs/colonial-period-independence/materials" target="_blank"><img alt="Colonial Period &amp; Independence Study Pack on Ellii " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5012/content_US-Civics-Test-Prep-Colonial-Period-and-Independence_OG.png" /></a>

This follow-up pack on <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/the-1800s/materials" target="_blank">The 1800s</a>&nbsp;features video lessons and practice about western expansion and the Civil War. Students practice questions 90&ndash;99 of the civics test. Expand your students&#39;&nbsp;knowledge with related lessons from our library, such as lessons on historic figures from this period, including <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3185-harriet-tubman" target="_blank">Harriet Tubman</a>, <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3473-frederick-douglass" target="_blank">Frederick Douglass</a>, and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2881-susan-b-anthony" target="_blank">Susan B. Anthony</a>.

<a href="https://ellii.com/packs/the-1800s/materials" target="_blank"><img alt="The 1800s US Civics Test Prep Study Pack on Ellii " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5013/content_US-Civics-1800s_OG.png" /></a>

The third&nbsp;pack features video lessons and practice about conflict and change in <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/recent-american-history/materials" target="_blank">Recent US History</a> (the 1900s and early 2000s). Students practice questions 100&ndash;118&nbsp;of the civics test. Expand your students&#39;&nbsp;knowledge with related lessons from our library, such as lessons on historic figures from this period, including <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1535-franklin-d-roosevelt" target="_blank">Franklin Roosevelt</a>, the <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2856-the-vietnam-war" target="_blank">Vietnam War,</a> and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1466-september-11th" target="_blank">September 11th</a>.

<a href="https://ellii.com/packs/recent-american-history/materials" target="_blank"><img alt="Recent US History US Civics Test Prep Study Pack: The 1900s and early 2000s" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5054/content_US-Civics-Recent-US-History_OG.png" /></a>

You can also send content individually to just the students who are studying for the test&nbsp;(NEW feature).

<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/introducing-individual-student-assignments" target="_blank"><img alt="individual assignments on Ellii " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5014/content_Screen_Shot_2025-11-14_at_11.12.24_AM.png" /></a>

We have six more packs in the works&nbsp;and will be releasing the videos and lessons as they are ready!

<h2>Ellii&#39;s Collections</h2>

<h3><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/us-civics" target="_blank">US Citizenship &amp; Naturalization</a></h3>

This collection category offers six ready-made collections of EL Civics content focusing on US law, government, history, and culture. This content will help prepare ELLs for life and citizenship in the United States.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lessons/american-presidents" target="_blank">American Presidents&nbsp;</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/us-civics/american-institutions" target="_blank">American Institutions</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/us-civics/american-trailblazers" target="_blank">American Trailblazers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/us-civics/american-holidays" target="_blank">American Holidays</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/us-civics/us-history" target="_blank">American History</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/us-civics/us-landmarks" target="_blank">American Landmarks</a></li>
</ul>

<h3><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/el-civics" target="_blank">EL Civics</a></h3>

This collection category features curated content for pre-approved civics objectives (COAAPs) selected by California agencies supporting adult ed. Search for content that is specifically related to the needs assessment of your students and use this content toward&nbsp;the 30 hours of instruction your learners need before doing related assessments.

<h3><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/nations-regions/americana" target="_blank">The United States</a></h3>

Our content library is full of lessons about American facts, figures, and firsts. This collection highlights some of our most popular lesson content related to the US, including presidents, famous people, and holidays.

<h2>Popular Ellii Lessons</h2>

Use the Search field on Ellii to find lessons on topics you are covering, and reach out to us if you can&#39;t find what you&#39;re looking for. Here are some popular US civics lessons:

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5757-us-immigration-rights" target="_blank">US Immigration Rights</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2277-american-citizenship" target="_blank">American Citizenship</a> (in editing)</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3836-n-400-vocabulary" target="_blank">N-400 Vocabulary</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2676-the-united-states" target="_blank">The United States </a>(Listening in English)</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2263-map-of-the-us" target="_blank">Map of the US</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1505-george-washington" target="_blank">George Washington</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2779-trail-of-tears" target="_blank">The Trail of Tears</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3172-the-us-constitution" target="_blank">The US Constitution</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5636-the-bill-of-rights" target="_blank">The Bill of Rights</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4037-the-declaration-of-independence" target="_blank">The Declaration of Independence</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2764-the-supreme-court-us" target="_blank">The Supreme Court</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3381-election-day-us" target="_blank">Election Day</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/video/republicans-democrats" target="_blank">Republicans Vs. Democrats</a> (explainer video)</li>
</ul>

<h3>Coming Soon on Ellii&nbsp;</h3>

<ul>
	<li>30 + more videos</li>
	<li>Six + US Test Prep Study Packs</li>
	<li>NEW comprehensive civics&nbsp;lessons focused on US History &amp; Government&nbsp;</li>
	<li>US Test Prep Speaking Practice Tests</li>
</ul>

<h3>Useful External Resources for 2025 Updates</h3>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/18/2025-18050/notice-of-implementation-of-2025-naturalization-civics-test" target="_blank">Notice of Implementation of 2025 Naturalization Civics Test </a>(09.18.2025)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/brochures/USCIS-2025-Civics-Test-Study-Guide.pdf" target="_blank">One Nation, One People Study Guide (2025)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-Civics-Test-128-Questions-and-Answers-09.15.2025.pdf" target="_blank">128 Civics Questions (2025)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/find-study-materials-and-resources/check-for-test-updates" target="_blank">USCIS Comparison of 2008 / 2025 Test</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5n2h5rdfojhykxegok15a/Natz_Test_Comparison_A_2008-2025.pdf?rlkey=47rpmtohvcrqazh1uf17h8o7k&amp;e=1&amp;st=r1lxr88r&amp;dl=0" target="_blank">Bill Bliss&#39;s Comparison chart of 2008 / 2025 Test</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship" target="_blank">USCIS Citizenship Resource Center</a></li>
</ul>

2025 US Naturalization Civics Test Prep Now on Ellii

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

Articles

There are many reasons why teaching teens may be considered&nbsp;a daunting task. Teenage learners face many social, academic, family, hormonal, and life pressures that can impact&nbsp;their classroom behaviors. However, teaching this age group is also a lot of fun, as they can be super energetic, entertaining, and inquisitive.&nbsp;

In this blog post, I&#39;ll share some of the tips I&#39;ve learned about teaching teenagers over the years.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Get to know your learner</h2>

I guess this is my number one tip for any age group really. Knowing your learner helps you put them at the center of their learning experience and tailor your lessons to their needs and interests.&nbsp;

In the very first class, have learners introduce each other and share their learning goals as well as hobbies, likes, and dislikes. Finding out what makes them tick can help you choose topics that will engage and motivate them. If many of your learners love computer games, consider delivering the next lesson on that topic.&nbsp;

These Ellii tools&nbsp;can help you get to know your learners better:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2123-autobiography-beg">Autobiography - Beginner</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2124-autobiography-int">Autobiography - Intermediate</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2125-autobiography-adv">Autobiography - Advanced</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2127-my-language-goals">My Language Goals</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>2.&nbsp;Create a welcoming atmosphere</h2>

All learners want to feel included, welcomed, and important. This may be particularly crucial for&nbsp;teenage learners, who might lack confidence, feel socially anxious, or want their English class to be an escape from reality more than just a learning opportunity.&nbsp;

Welcome learners into the classroom with a smile, learn their names, and get to know each one as individuals. Building rapport in this way can help strengthen relationships and build mutual respect for each other.

You can also facilitate&nbsp;discussions where students can share their opinions, thoughts, and ideas in a safe space. Encourage learners to listen and respond to each other with respect for differing viewpoints and cultivate an inclusive atmosphere.&nbsp;

<h2>3. Foster social-emotional awareness</h2>

The teenage years can be an emotional roller coaster. Try to include class activities that help learners to become aware of their feelings and manage their responses&nbsp;in practical ways.

For instance, at the beginning of class, have learners select an emoji that represents how they are feeling. They can choose one on their phone or computer, or draw one in their notebook. Discuss the reasons for their emotions&nbsp;and things they could do to turn negative emotions into more positive ones.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
🥳 I am excited because it is my birthday today.&nbsp;

😕 I am worried about an exam. I will feel better once I study more&nbsp;and relax in front of the TV later.&nbsp;

😡 I am annoyed because my football team lost, but I think I will feel better when I see my friends&nbsp;after class.&nbsp;
</blockquote>

This blog post has more information and ideas about social-emotional learning:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/social-emotional-learning">A Quick Guide to Social-Emotional Learning</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>4. Up the pace</h2>

Teenagers get bored quickly. A fast-paced lesson with varied activities will keep them interested.&nbsp;

Here are some ideas to try:&nbsp;

<h3>Ellii Polls</h3>

These interactive group activities allow learners to connect via their device using a QR code. There is an ever-growing selection&nbsp;of polls, so there is bound to be one related to the content you&#39;re planning to cover.&nbsp;

Learners discuss questions and then share their opinions by voting anonymously.

<img alt="Ellii Poll &quot;What is your superpower?&quot;" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4634/content_Ellii-Poll.png" />

They can then pause and discuss the answers in more detail:&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii Poll Question" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4633/content_Ellii-Poll-Question.png" />

<h3>Ellii Flashcards&nbsp;</h3>

There are over 6,000 Ellii flashcards, and the activity opportunities are infinite. They are perfect for teaching vocabulary and&nbsp;practicing storytelling, and they serve as excellent visual thinking tools.

These blog posts are full of&nbsp;suggestions for teaching with flashcards:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/twelve-ellii-flashcards-for-reflection">12 Ellii Flashcards Perfect for Planning &amp; Reflection</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/3-tips-for-using-flashcards-no-prep-required">3 Tips for Using Flashcards&mdash;No Prep Required</a></li>
</ul>

<h3>(Silent) Videos</h3>

Ellii&#39;s Media Gallery&nbsp;currently has over 600 videos to choose from. These videos are perfect as the starting point of a lesson or as a complement to the topic you are teaching. They could also be used as warmers or as a way to switch the pacing and engagement in a lesson.&nbsp;

Here are some ideas for your class:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-videos-in-class">4 Ways to Use Videos Effectively in Class</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-ways-to-use-silent-video-clips">4 Creative Ways to Use Silent Video Clips in Class</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>5. Get creative</h2>

Teenagers love the opportunity to express themselves in creative ways. Give them a chance to draw, do origami, create posters, cut up magazines, and make things from craft materials. This is the perfect opportunity to develop critical thinking and team-building&nbsp;skills too.&nbsp;

However, creativity in the classroom isn&#39;t just about playing with felt-tip pens and glue. You can also get creative with projects, inquiry-based learning, and activity choices.&nbsp;

Check out these blog posts for more ideas:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/not-your-ordinary-english-9-creative-ideas-for-teaching-language-learners">Not Your Ordinary English! 8 Creative Ideas for Teaching Language Learners</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/inquiry-based-learning-a-quick-guide-of-elt-professionals">Inquiry-Based Learning: A Quick Guide for ELT Professionals</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>6. Introduce competition</h2>

I haven&#39;t taught a single teenage class that hasn&#39;t got excited at the idea of a bit of competition. This could come in the form of a quick game&nbsp;where a student is nominated to keep score. It could also be a longer-term group effort&nbsp;where scores are totaled up monthly. For example, you could give prizes to the group who completed the most tasks on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/teachers/management/classes">Ellii Classroom</a>.

The prizes themselves don&#39;t have to be costly or sought-after. They could be as simple as a check mark&nbsp;on a poster on the wall or coupons to save up to get&nbsp;sweets, stationery, or stickers.&nbsp;

Likewise, the games don&#39;t need to be intricate or time-consuming, either. Here are some I have found to be low-prep and highly&nbsp;effective:&nbsp;

<h3>Spelling Race</h3>

Put students in groups. One representative from each group stands at the back of the classroom. The teacher (or a nominated student) shouts out a word. Students then race to write the word on the board with the correct spelling. For an added challenge&nbsp;or to balance a clear difference in abilities, you could have learners draw the word or write a sentence using the word too.&nbsp;

<h3>Dice&nbsp;Game&nbsp;</h3>

Put students in groups. Each group takes turns to nominate a representative to answer a question, spell a word, create a sentence (using the target language), etc. Once their chosen group member completes their task, they can roll the dice. The group gets the number of points on the dice roll.&nbsp;

Alternatively, you could assign each number on the dice with a different outcome.&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii dice flashcard image" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4635/content_Ellii-Dice.png" />

For example:&nbsp;

<blockquote>
1 = 10 points

2 = multiply current score by 10

3 = lose all your points

4 = miss a turn&nbsp;

5 = -10 points

6 = pass the dice to a team of their choice
</blockquote>

<h2>7. Use technology (or don&#39;t)</h2>

The question of whether to use technology in class is becoming more polarized. Some believe the classroom is a space for learners to develop the digital skills they need for further study and employment. Others feel the classroom should be a device-free zone and&nbsp;an opportunity to get away from screens and deepen&nbsp;social connections.&nbsp;

If you want to enhance students&#39;&nbsp;digital skills, consider activities such as <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls">Ellii Polls</a>, set tasks via the <a href="https://ellii.com/teachers/management/classes">Ellii Classroom</a> portal, or have them use digital tools to create blog posts, websites, or presentations.&nbsp;

If you would prefer the classroom to be device-free, consider printing <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons">Ellii&#39;s PDF lessons</a>&nbsp;for use in class and doing activities such as <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/role-plays">role-plays</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/simply-storytelling-inspiring-english-learners-with-story-prompts">storytelling</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/improv-in-the-classroom">improv</a>.&nbsp;

<h2>8. Give them&nbsp;independence</h2>

While most adults want to feel younger than they are, many teenagers want to feel older. In some ways, adolescents are in&nbsp;limbo between childhood and adulthood. Teens can&#39;t wait to be independent, make their own decisions, and choose their own path.&nbsp;

An easy way to do this is to give them options&nbsp;in class. For example, let them choose whether they want to&nbsp;deliver a presentation, write a blog post, or record a podcast. Or have them decide whether to work alone, in pairs, or in groups. You could even let them choose the topic of the next lesson or which game to play next.&nbsp;

<h2>9. Let them be the teacher</h2>

This is another great way to give them independence. It is also fun and a huge boost to their confidence. Plus, teaching knowledge or skills to others is one of the best ways to learn.&nbsp;

My learners have always responded well to taking the whiteboard marker from my hand. It is often followed by a giggle, a smile, and then lots of examples and ideas I would never have thought of myself being added to the board. Students can use their own language to explain language points, tell a story, spell words, correct errors, or draw a diagram.

To make this more collaborative and supportive, have students work together to help each other. And, of course, you can always take the marker back whenever they need your input.&nbsp;

<h2>10. Relax &amp; enjoy!</h2>

English class is an opportunity to develop&nbsp;communication skills. The main objectives&nbsp;of any lesson is to learn the language, practice, and gain confidence. Teens appreciate it when the teacher relaxes and goes with the flow&mdash;and perhaps even throws the lesson plan out the window when the discussion is juicy!

If the lesson has gone off on a tangent and students are animatedly using their English skills to discuss Pok&eacute;mon cards (or whatever), roll with it. You&#39;ve found what makes the students tick! You are winning and they are using their language. If there is no imminent examination on the horizon, use the opportunity to teach the language&nbsp;that emerges from this conversation.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
These are my top tips for teaching teenagers. Which ones do you relate to most? What are your top tips or activities?&nbsp;
</blockquote>

10 Tips for Teaching Teens

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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

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<section>
What does it&nbsp;really&nbsp;take to be a digital nomad as an English teacher? Beyond the beachside laptops and inspirational quotes, there&rsquo;s a whole world of planning, pivoting, and problem-solving that often gets left out of the Instagram feed.&nbsp;

In a new episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>, Ellii contributor and visual thinking trainer&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/emily-bryson" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Emily Bryson</a>&nbsp;joins hosts Sh&eacute;lynn Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean to dig into the full story&mdash;logistics, lessons, and all. Whether you&#39;re considering taking your ELT career on the road or you&#39;re simply curious about how teachers are adapting to hybrid and remote work, this episode delivers honest insight and practical tips from someone who&rsquo;s been there, packed that.&nbsp;

Emily shares what her daily routine really looks like while working remotely&mdash;hint: it involves upturned coffee tables and early morning webinars. She talks about building a freelance income through materials writing, teacher training, and sketchnoting <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/emily-bryson">(some of which she&rsquo;s done for Ellii!)</a>, and gives a refreshingly candid take on the myth of passive income.

The conversation also highlights the&nbsp;hidden labor&nbsp;of travel: from juggling deadlines with poor Wi-Fi to planning your next destination while maintaining a full workload. Emily and the hosts reflect on the importance of digital connections, maintaining community on the move, and the ethical considerations of being able to work and travel freely when many others cannot. 
 
This isn&rsquo;t a dreamy travel episode. It&rsquo;s a grounded, practical, and thoughtful look at what it means to design a teaching life with intention&mdash;whether you&rsquo;re traveling the world or working from your kitchen table. Emily&rsquo;s reflections will resonate with anyone navigating freelance life, exploring online teaching, or rethinking what flexibility and purpose look like in education.
<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/cl_gQESADKE?si=53zByOrgxChlDc30" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

🎙️&nbsp;Listen now on your favorite platform:

<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/watch?v=cl_gQESADKE" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e68-backpacks-bandwidth-burnout-the-realities-of/id1629819608?i=1000706979013" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e68-backpacks-bandwidth-burnout-the-realities-of/id1629819608?i=1000706979013https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e68-backpacks-bandwidth-burnout-the-realities-of/id1629819608?i=1000706979013https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e68-backpacks-bandwidth-burnout-the-realities-of/id1629819608?i=1000706979013https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e68-backpacks-bandwidth-burnout-the-realities-of/id1629819608?i=1000706979013" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a></li>
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Check out Emily&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-be-an-elt-nomad" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">blog post</a>&nbsp;for more on life as an ELT nomad.
</section>
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Nomadic Teaching, Real Talk: Lessons from the Road with Emily Bryson

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When we think about reading, our mind can often go straight to&nbsp;relaxing with a good book. The reality is somewhat different. On a daily basis, we are more likely to use literacy skills in shorter, more purposeful ways.

We might go out for breakfast to a coffee shop, taking time to peruse&nbsp;the menu before ordering. Perhaps we skim reviews first and then use&nbsp;an online map or follow signs to find the right place. On the way, we may stop&nbsp;to withdraw&nbsp;some cash&nbsp;at the ATM and then check&nbsp;our bank statement just to make sure we have enough for&nbsp;an extra croissant!

Each of these reading skills is uniquely different:

<ul>
	<li>Reading a book requires concentration for longer periods of time as well as imagination and the ability to consider the <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3125-identifying-the-author-s-purpose" target="_blank">author&#39;s purpose</a> or <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3136-understanding-implied-meaning" target="_blank">implied meaning</a>.</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3369-menus" target="_blank">Reading a menu</a>&nbsp;may involve <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3179-skimming-scanning" target="_blank">scanning</a> for a specific item and then checking prices or information about ingredients, allergies, or nutrition.</li>
	<li>Reading reviews involves <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3179-skimming-scanning" target="_blank">skimming</a> to get an overall idea of what to expect, scanning the ratings, and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3393-distinguishing-fact-from-opinion">identifying facts or opinions</a>.&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3781-maps" target="_blank">Reading maps</a> will have us&nbsp;scanning for locations and matching street names and landmarks.&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3231-atm-receipts" target="_blank">Reading ATM receipts</a>&nbsp;or <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3232-bank-statements" target="_blank">bank statements</a> will make us scan&nbsp;for important information such as&nbsp;previous withdrawals and our current balance.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Just as each of the reading skills required are different, so too are the layouts of each of these texts:

<ul>
	<li>A book uses continuous prose.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>A menu will use food names, descriptions, ingredients, prices, and perhaps even images.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>A review will use images, star ratings, and a short summary text.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>A map will show distance, grids, suggested routes, and bird&#39;s-eye views of streets or geographic data.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>ATM receipts use summary texts, headings, and numbers.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

When reading, we not only read the text, but also the visual clues surrounding it. I recently switched my phone to Spanish to help surround myself with the language, and I found myself using visual cues such as app icons and structure to help me understand new words.&nbsp;

In this post, I will explore the importance of&nbsp;visual literacy to support reading skills development, taking examples from Ellii&#39;s <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading">Real-World Reading</a> series. This series provides learners with the opportunity to read&nbsp;texts as they would experience&nbsp;them in real life.&nbsp;

<h2>Health Labels &amp; Warnings</h2>

Food packaging contains a lot of important information, especially if learners have dietary requirements or allergies. Food manufacturers use visuals to make this information more accessible. In Ellii&#39;s <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3398-health-labels-warnings">Health Labels &amp; Warnings</a> lesson, students read various food labels and icons and consider their meaning. Visual literacy plays a key part in interpreting the message.&nbsp;

For example, this black circle with a cross through it makes it very clear that consuming alcohol while taking this specific medication is not advised. The visual alone can convey this message in an impactful way&nbsp;without the need to read and understand the text.&nbsp;

<img alt="Alcohol warning label" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4509/content_Ellii-Reading-Literacy-Visuals-Alcohol-Warning.png" />

Another example is the black octagonal food warning icon that is used in many countries to express that food is high in calories, salt, sugars, or saturated fats, or that it isn&#39;t suitable for children. <a href="http://www.paho.org/en/news/9-3-2021-octagonal-warning-labels-perform-best-helping-consumers-choose-healthier-food-major">A research study</a> by the Ministry of Health and Wellness of Jamaica found that these black octagons had a bigger impact on healthy food choices than the nutritional traffic light system.&nbsp;From a visual literacy perspective, perhaps the black color choice and octagonal shape convey&nbsp;more of a warning message than the bright, cheerful colors of the green, amber, and red traffic light system.&nbsp;

<img alt="Black octagonal warning" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4510/content_Ellii-Reading-Literacy-Visuals-Dept-of-Health.png" />

Of course, some food labels can be misleading and require&nbsp;critical thinking skills to decode.&nbsp;For example, the color green in these circles suggests natural and healthy. However, not all gluten-free, vegan, and organic products are good for your health. Some may be high in fats, salts, or sugars, or they may use processed ingredients.&nbsp;

<img alt="Three green circles with gluten/vegan/organic" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4513/content_Ellii-Reading-Visual-Literacy-Gluten.png" />

<h2>Parking</h2>

The ability to read and understand information about parking is a key skill. Without it, students run the risk of fines or their car being impounded. To help everyone avoid that, visual support is often provided in the form of signs, colors, and icons. In this lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4660-parking">Parking</a>, students explore the meaning of different signs and interpret an infographic on how to pay for parking.&nbsp;

<img alt="Parking signs" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4511/content_Ellii-parking-signs.png" />

Once again, we see the circle with a cross through it. This time, it&#39;s&nbsp;red&nbsp;to express that parking is prohibited. As a comparison, the green circle shows that parking is allowed. This circle does not have a cross through it, so it uses both color and shape to convey meaning.&nbsp;

The other signs show:

<ul>
	<li>a wheelchair on a blue background to express&nbsp;that parking is reserved for people with mobility needs</li>
	<li>a red sign warning that your car could be towed if you are not a tenant at the property</li>
	<li>a mobile phone to convey&nbsp;that you can pay for parking via their website</li>
	<li>a red sign with a fork and knife to show that only restaurant customers can use the parking lot</li>
</ul>

The lesson starts with key vocabulary and then has students interpret&nbsp;these signs. It then continues with an infographic on how to pay for parking. The infographic mirrors the type of signage you may encounter in a parking lot. The visuals make the information more understandable for everyone and could easily be understood without knowing the language.&nbsp;

<img alt="Parking infographic" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4512/content_Ellii-Parking-Infographic.png" />

The infographic uses dotted lines to connect the larger image to the logical order in which people will pay for parking. The circular pop-up images highlight key stages. The text has headings that&nbsp;can be used as a summary&nbsp;as well as more detailed information.&nbsp;

<h2>Other Real Reading Examples</h2>

The <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading" target="_blank">Real-World Reading</a> section covers essential&nbsp;topics such as banking, house &amp; home, employment &amp; school, transportation &amp; food, and health &amp; hospitality. Each lesson uses authentic features of layout, color, icons, and headings&nbsp;to provide students with experience of reading real-world texts.&nbsp;

For more ideas on teaching reading or visual literacy skills, check out these posts:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ten-ways-to-develop-visual-literacy-in-the-elt-classroom">Ten Ways to Develop Visual Literacy in the ELT Classroom</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/pre-reading-activities-to-boost-comprehension">Pre-Reading Activities to Boost Comprehension</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/9-post-reading-activities-to-help-students-reflect-on-a-text">Nine Post-Reading Activities to Help Students Get the Most Out of a&nbsp;Text</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-one-image-can-develop-visual-literacy-and-critical-thinking">What&#39;s the Story? How One Image Can Develop Visual Literacy &amp; Critical Thinking Skills</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-power-of-visuals-and-how-to-use-them-in-class">The Power of Visuals in the Classroom</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
How do you incorporate visual literacy to support learners developing their reading skills? Have you explored any of the concepts in this post? We&#39;d love to know!&nbsp;
</blockquote>

Reading in the Real World: The Importance of Visual Literacy for Reading Literacy

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

Conferences

<section>
In the latest episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>, hosts Anna and Sh&eacute; dive deep into the heart of the 2025 TESOL International Convention. Through interviews with conference attendees, including with Ellii&#39;s CEO and founder Ben Buckwold, they capture the vibrant energy and diverse perspectives of educators from around the globe, and harness the main themes of the convention: connection, community, and support for teachers.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://youtu.be/8CxCEIBPWyA?si=N_ak7frW02bD2CcE" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">2025 TESOL Special</a>&nbsp;isn&#39;t just a recap; it&#39;s an immersive experience. Listeners will feel like they&#39;re walking the convention hallways and hearing firsthand about the latest trends and challenges in the field. From discussions on AI in the classroom to reflections on the emotional labor of teachers and advocacy for students, the episode covers a wide range of topics with depth and sensitivity.

<blockquote>&quot;Teaching can be really isolating and teaching can be difficult. And so when we can step away from our classrooms and join together and encourage one another and support one another, and keep building these professional and personal relationships, we come back stronger and better for our own students as well.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&mdash; Janine Darragh, University of Idaho</blockquote>

Whether you attended TESOL 2025 or not, this episode offers valuable insights and a sense of belonging. The guests interviewed reveal the convention&#39;s true essence: a gathering place for kindred spirits, a space for growth and renewal, and a reminder of the power of educators to make a difference. Tune in to hear stories of resilience, innovation, and the unwavering dedication of teachers worldwide, and perhaps find your own sense of connection and inspiration.
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🎙️&nbsp;Listen now on your favorite platform:

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	<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/episode/1OdOXKen4987GDL9Gb8fw8" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e-64-soft-skills-strong-impact-supporting-multilingual/id1629819608?i=1000685309083" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

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</section>

Finding Connection & Community at the 2025 TESOL International Convention

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The annual meeting of the ELT clans took place in Edinburgh last week. The IATEFL conference brought English Language Teaching professionals from all over the world together to share&nbsp;best practices in learning and teaching.&nbsp;

As ever, it passed in a whirlwind of talks, fleeting conversations, hugs, and coffees. In this post, I will attempt to share some of my highlights, though I think I could probably write an entire book on it!

<h2>People</h2>

In Scotland, they say that &quot;people make Glasgow,&quot; but last week in Edinburgh, &quot;people made IATEFL.&quot;&nbsp;It is always a joy to catch up with familiar faces, make new connections, and meet online friends in real life. I&#39;ve been attending IATEFL since 2009, so walking between sessions and spending time in the exhibition hall tends to lead to multiple fleeting hugs and conversations, reminiscent of a family wedding! There is never enough time!

This year, I was particularly delighted to catch up with people I&#39;ve worked with on recent projects&nbsp;from National Geographic Learning, Nile, and The Hands Up Project. I also had the pleasure of meeting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/about">Sh&eacute;lynn Riel from The Teacher Think-Aloud podcast </a>(sponsored by Ellii) in real life for the first time. This was particularly exciting as I have only met her online while recording a podcast episode about being an<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-be-an-elt-nomad"> ELT nomad</a>!&nbsp;

<img alt="Image of Emily Bryson and Shelynn Riel at IATEFL conference in Edunburgh in 2025." src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4503/content_Emily-_-Shey.jpg" />

<h2>Talks &amp; workshops</h2>

As always, the quantity and quality of teacher development sessions&nbsp;was overwhelmingly high. It was difficult to choose which sessions to attend. Topics included AI, critical media literacy, visual literacy, mediation, inclusion, diversity, and&nbsp;sustainability&nbsp;as well as all the usual methodology, pronunciation, and grammar geekery.&nbsp;

Here is a sketchnote from Jade Blue&#39;s fantastic session on Visual Literacy.

<img alt="Sketchnote by Emily Bryson of Jade Blue's IATEFL 2025 session on Visual Literacy" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4504/content_Emily-Bryson-Visual-Literacy-Jade-Blue-sketchnote.jpg" />

For more visual notes, check out my blog post where I share all my sketchnotes:&nbsp;<a data-behavior="truncate" href="https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/posts" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/posts</a>

<h2>Speaking at IATEFL</h2>

One of the things that I love most about IATEFL is the community spirit in sharing expertise. It feels just as good to attend a talk or workshop as it does to deliver one. This year, my session was entitled Real Role Models: Authentic Voices That Make an Impact. It was sponsored by National Geographic Learning to promote books and resources I have created for them: Voices, Impact, and <a href="https://www.ngl-emea.com/teaching-through-crisis">Teaching through Crisis</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The session explored the importance of authentic role models in language learning. Inspiring humans can give us the confidence to know that we can achieve what may at times feel impossible. And supportive teachers can help learners to believe in themselves and reach their true potential.&nbsp;

I shared some of my own role models (my parents,&nbsp;<a href="https://jenny-graham.com/">Jenny Graham</a>, various National Geographic explorers,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ngl-emea.com/teaching-through-crisis-professional-development">Roza Salih</a>, etc.) and was particularly fortunate and honored to have one particularly epic human in the audience: Ali Waters.&nbsp;

Ali has inspired people all over the world to pick up over one&nbsp;million pieces of litter! I consider her to be my youngest role model,&nbsp;as she has achieved all this by just&nbsp;eleven years old! Supported by her own role models at Kids Against Plastic and her fabulous&nbsp;parents, Harry Waters and Gema Gal&aacute;n Est&eacute;vez, Ali delighted my audience with her changemaking tales.&nbsp;

<img alt="Ali Waters on stage with Emily Bryson at IATEFL 2025. Ali is the perfect example of a young changemaker who has used her voice to make an impact." src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4505/content_Emily-Bryson-Story-with-Ali-Waters.jpg" />

You can find out more about Ali&#39;s #1MillionLitterPick challenge on the <a href="https://kidsagainstplastic.co.uk/1millionlitterpick/">Kids Against Plastic</a> website or by following her dad:&nbsp;Harry Waters <a href="https://www.instagram.com/renewableenglish/">@RenewableEnglish</a>. Ali&#39;s&nbsp;new target is two million and you can help her by logging any litter picks on the app.&nbsp;

<h2>A closing plenary to change the world</h2>

Not only did Ali steal the show during my session, but she also blew us all away with her powerful questions at the closing plenary with her father. IATEFL wanted to recognize the importance of learner voices, so they invited her to speak and reflect on her own learning experiences to pose 5 Burning Questions.&nbsp;

Here is my sketchnote from the session. Please excuse the &quot;burnining&quot;&nbsp;spelling mistake! I guess it shows that I am not a robot! 😉

<img alt="Emily Bryson's sketchnote of Harry Waters and Ali Waters closing plenary at IATEFL 2025. 5 Burning Questions about Education." src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4506/content_Emily-Bryson-Sketchnote_Burning-Questions.jpg" />

<h2>More info &amp; further reading</h2>

If&nbsp;you would like more about the IATEFL conference this year, I recommend checking out Sandy Millin&#39;s blog, where she posts detailed notes from&nbsp;sessions she attends:&nbsp;

<a href="https://sandymillin.wordpress.com/category/iatefl/iatefl-edinburgh-2025/">https://sandymillin.wordpress.com/category/iatefl/iatefl-edinburgh-2025/</a>

You can also scroll through the <a href="https://www.iateflconference.org/">IATEFL</a> social media pages or search for #IATEFL2025 on various social media platforms. If you would like to attend, become a member or follow them on socials. Speaker proposals are usually accepted from July to September. The conference will be in Brighton, UK, next year.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
What are your favorite conferences? Did you attend IATEFL this year? What were your key takeaways and highlights?&nbsp;
</blockquote>

&nbsp;

Reflections from IATEFL 2025

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Having authored various English language teaching books and resources, one of the questions I get asked most frequently is how to get into ELT materials writing. In this post, I would like to share some of my thoughts, experiences, and advice for anyone interested in a career in educational content creation.&nbsp;

But firstly, I would like to manage expectations... 😉

ELT materials writing is NOT lucrative!

If you want to get into ELT materials writing for the money, I am taking the time now to burst your bubble gently. English language teaching materials writers are not paid vast sums of cash. In fact, they probably earn about the same as&nbsp;teachers&mdash;some less, some more. It depends on the publisher and the workload,&nbsp;but largely royalties are falling, fees are decreasing, and then there are the new concerns brought by AI.&nbsp;

If you want to get into ELT materials writing because you are creative and LOVE creating resources, fantastic. It is a wonderful career with lots of potential. You can wear a variety of different hats and work with loads of diverse professionals from all over the world. You can&nbsp;also choose to specialize in&nbsp;all sorts of different areas, such as&nbsp;business, young learners,&nbsp;specific purposes, sustainability, advanced, and literacy.&nbsp;

So here are my top tips for getting started:&nbsp;

1. Practice&nbsp;

I started my ELT materials development journey while teaching ESOL at a further education college in Glasgow. I created classroom resources tailored specifically to my learners&#39; needs and to the local area. Then my boss asked me to develop courses in workplace English and for literacy-level learners.&nbsp;

This experience gave me the chance to develop my skills, trial resources with my classes, and get confident enough to share my work. It also meant that I had sample units available for applying for work when the opportunity arose.&nbsp;

2. Share your work

Visibility is crucial for becoming an ELT materials writer. Publishers and learning design organizations like to hire people who have an online presence. This can help them raise the profile of the resources they create and&nbsp;generate more&nbsp;sales.&nbsp;

Sharing your work is a good way to tell the world you exist and to show the style, personality, and quality of your work. It has never been easier&nbsp;to create a website or share your lesson ideas on social media. The more you share, the more you are seen and&nbsp;the more likely people will ask you to work for them.&nbsp;

3. Design visually appealing resources

It is often said that &quot;you eat with your eyes first.&quot;&nbsp;This is also true of English language teaching resources. When designing materials, it is important that they will pass the &quot;flick test.&quot;&nbsp;Most teachers will only pick up a book for a minute or so (possibly less). First impressions are everything. If the layout isn&#39;t captivating or clear, the book will go back on the shelf. Using images, thoughtful layout, and design tools such as Canva can make educational content more visually edible!

4. Consider accessibility

There is more to layout than simply making a worksheet look pretty. It also has to be easy to read, have clear instructions, and use accessible fonts, font sizes, and colors.&nbsp;

Sans serif fonts tend to be considered easier to read than serif fonts. A &quot;serif&quot;&nbsp;is the little flick or tail on the end of some letters as in Times New Roman. This blog post and other Ellii resources use&nbsp;a sans serif font.&nbsp;

In regard&nbsp;to font size, 12 point is the minimum size for readability, though larger and with greater line spacing is recommended. For PowerPoints, 24 is the minimum, but 36 or 44 are best practice.&nbsp;

For more on this, you can watch this YouTube video of me walking through creating accessible learning materials with John Hughes:&nbsp;

<a href="https://youtu.be/kHD35CNY-mA?si=pHY_uTQXIYbm7z6Q">The A&ndash;Z of Writing Language Learning Materials: A Is for Accessible</a>

And this blog post I wrote a few years ago, which is still relevant:&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/creating-accessible-learning-materials/">Creating Accessible Learning Materials</a>

5. Use vocabulary &amp; grammar profiling tools

Making learning accessible to language learners relies on using plain English and getting the level right. If a text or listening activity&nbsp;is above level, it could be too challenging and de-motivate learners. If the activity uses language that is below level, learners may get bored or not receive enough of a challenge to learn.&nbsp;

Vocabulary and grammar profiling tools allow you to check the level of a word or grammar item. One of the most popular versions is <a href="https://textinspector.com/help/lexis-evp/">Cambridge English Vocabulary Profiler</a>&nbsp;&amp; <a href="https://englishprofile.org/">Grammar Profiler</a>. It profiles language items based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) from A1 level to C2.&nbsp;

6. Join social networks

The English language teaching industry is global, so getting online and making connections is a crucial way to get ahead in materials development. Having a strong network means that you can reach out to people for advice, share your work, learn about opportunities, and let people know your skills and availability.&nbsp;

Here are some groups that I have found particularly helpful:&nbsp;

Freelance Publishing Professionals

FPP has a paid membership portal where publishers can post opportunities&nbsp;and freelancers can apply for projects&nbsp;and post&nbsp;their availability. It also has a Members Only Facebook group for people to share experiences, training opportunities, and other useful information. Once a year, they host&nbsp;a meetup in Oxford.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.publishingprofessionals.co.uk/">www.publishingprofessionals.co.uk</a>

IATEFL MaWSIG

IATEFL has many special interest groups. One focuses on&nbsp;MaW: Materials Writing. They host&nbsp;events, workshops, webinars, and an annual pre-conference event at IATEFL. They also have&nbsp;a Facebook group and helpful resources on their blog.&nbsp;

<a href="https://mawsig.iatefl.org/">www.mawsig.iatefl.org</a>

Reflecting realities: Diversity, equity, inclusion &amp; belonging in ELT

This group now focuses on DEIB&nbsp;for all ELT professionals, but was initially established with materials writers and editors in mind. Many of the people within the group are from the ELT content development community and, therefore, it often shares resources and ideas about materials creation. It is also a great place to connect with like-minded ELT professionals and learn more about creating inclusive and accessible lessons.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reflectingreality">www.facebook.com/groups/reflectingreality</a>

7. Professional development

As with any career in ELT, participating in teacher development courses is one of the best ways to hone your skills. Not only will you learn to create the best possible resources, you will also meet other&nbsp;writers and editors who can help you stay in the loop about opportunities&nbsp;or recommend you for upcoming work.&nbsp;

Here are some courses to check out:&nbsp;

Nile:&nbsp;Materials Development for Language Education:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nile-elt.com/products/MatDevOnline">www.nile-elt.com/products/MatDevOnline</a>

Oxford TESOL:&nbsp;CertTESOL Materials Development: <a href="http://www.oxford-tesol.org.uk/oxford-certificate-in-tesol-materials-development/">www.oxford-tesol.org.uk/oxford-certificate-in-tesol-materials-development/</a>

John Hughes &amp; Katherine Bilsborough: Writing ELT Materials:<a href="https://writingeltmaterials.com/"> www.writingeltmaterials.com</a>

Bridge:&nbsp;Materials Development for the EFL Classroom:<a href="https://bridge.edu/tefl/courses/micro/materials-development-efl"> www.bridge.edu/tefl/courses/micro/materials-development-efl</a>

International House: Materials Development:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ihlondon.com/course/materials-development">www.ihlondon.com/course/materials-development</a>

&nbsp;

<blockquote>
These are just a few of my top tips for getting into materials writing. Which ones would you like to try first? Is there anything missing that you would add?&nbsp;
</blockquote>

&nbsp;

Here are some other blog posts that might be of interest to you:&nbsp;

<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/beyond-teaching-elt-careers-to-keep-you-motivated">Beyond Teaching: ELT Careers to Keep You Motivated</a>

<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authentic-materials-grade-the-task">Authentic Materials: Grading the Task</a>

<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-talks-materials-writing-teacher-think-aloud-podcast">Ellii Talks about Materials Writing with The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

How to Be an ELT Materials Writer

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In the latest episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>, hosts Sh&eacute;lynn Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean discuss&nbsp;the issue of native-speakerism within the English Language Teaching (ELT) industry alongside guest&nbsp;Meri Maroutian, who brands herself as&nbsp;<a href="https://thenonnativespeaker.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Non-Native Speaker</a>. Together, they unpack the systemic bias that prioritizes &quot;native&quot; English speakers over qualified teachers from other backgrounds. They explore how this bias manifests in hiring practices, course materials, pronunciation models, and overall perceptions of &quot;good&quot; English. Meri shares her personal journey and insights as a non-native English speaker who entered the profession and later pursued extensive qualifications, highlighting the systemic issues that marginalize skilled educators.

<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6eH51MwhZ4RaMDW5ei16Yg?si=NazqeMY1Tcq5N9U6qupNEA" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Episode 66</a>&nbsp;addresses the&nbsp;historical roots of this bias, tracing it back to colonialism and imperialism, and examines its&nbsp;ongoing impact on both professionals and learners. Meri emphasizes that being a native speaker is not a qualification and advocates for prioritizing credentials, pedagogical knowledge, and the effort teachers invest in their development. Listener contributions further illustrate the real-life experiences of teachers facing discrimination due to their linguistic backgrounds.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;[T]eaching English is an occupation. It&#39;s a job just like anything else, just like you wouldn&#39;t say you&#39;re a yoga instructor just because you&#39;ve taken some yoga lessons or you&#39;re a pilot because you&#39;ve flown in a plane a couple of times. I wish for people to see it as a serious job.&rdquo;&nbsp;

&ndash; Meri Maroutian, The Non-Native Speaker
</blockquote>

Ultimately, Meri calls for a shift in mindset within the ELT field, urging those in hiring positions, teacher training, and classroom teaching to challenge their biases and promote equity. Meri advocates for a future where teaching English is seen as a serious profession requiring qualifications and dedication&nbsp;rather than a skill inherently possessed by those born in certain countries.

<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/aoEKjIVkh1Y?si=-lXJP2L-J1UTxD_J" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

 
🎙️&nbsp;Listen now on your favorite platform:

<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/episode/6eH51MwhZ4RaMDW5ei16Yg" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e-66-being-a-native-speaker-isnt-a-qualification/id1629819608?i=1000700923582" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a></li>
</ul>

Would you like your thoughts and experiences to be included in an episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>?&nbsp;Follow them on social media&nbsp;and respond to their monthly audience question.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/teacherthinkaloud" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CzGrcVFBuEH/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://twitter.com/thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">X</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>
</ul>

"Being a Native Speaker Isn't a Qualification" — A Conversation about Native Speaker Bias in ELT

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<h2>Let&#39;s start with an intention</h2>

At the beginning of my <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1990-yoga" target="_blank">yoga</a> class every Tuesday, my favorite teacher, Leanne, invites us to start with an intention. I am always amazed what a difference this can make to my practice.&nbsp;

Heading to Long Beach, California, from Windsor, Ontario,&nbsp;for TESOL this year, I felt like I needed to set myself up for success in an intentional way.&nbsp; 
 
The first thing I did was buy a book at the Detroit airport.&nbsp;Inciting Joy by Ross Gay jumped out as if to say &quot;pick me,&quot; so I did. The bookseller smiled and said, &quot;Great choice. The world needs more of this right now.&quot; Yes, I thought to myself, my TESOL 2025 intention is joy.

<blockquote>
&quot;My hunch is that joy is an ember for or precursor to wild and predictable and transgressive and unboundaried solidarity. And that solidarity might incite further joy...and...noticing what we love in common, and studying that, might help us survive.&quot; 
 
~ Ross Gay, Inciting Joy
</blockquote>

<img alt="inciting joy Detroit airport" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4466/content_TESOL-giraffe-chandelier-book-inciting-joy.png" />

I had been thinking about The Joy of TESOL after a&nbsp;sneak peek of the presidential keynote via <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes/episode/20e6a4a0/e65-the-world-comes-to-tesol-with-dr-debra-suarez" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>. In Episode 65, Debra Suarez reflects on&nbsp;walking into TESOL for the very first time&mdash;a&nbsp;sea of&nbsp;flags from all over the world taking her breath away&mdash;and how she felt she had finally found her place in the world. A place where like-minded people share a passion for teaching and language learning.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, back in Canada, Ellii&#39;s CEO, Ben Buckwold, seemed to be tuning in to the same sentiment.&nbsp;Before leaving Winnipeg, Ben picked up a box of US-Canada pins to share with any TESOL attendees who wanted to express solidarity.&nbsp;

Below are 10+ joyful highlights from my 15th year at TESOL.

<h2>Delightful sessions</h2>

Regrettably, I missed Tuesday&#39;s opening keynote about&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1467-hip-hop-rap" target="_blank">Hip-Hop</a>, so Missy Testerman&#39;s keynote on Wednesday morning was the true start of TESOL 2025 for me.&nbsp;

Missy, from Tennessee, was the&nbsp;2024 National Teacher of the Year.&nbsp;Her sunshiny voice lit up the room and her stories about her young ELs and their families were touching and uplifting, setting conference attendees&nbsp;up for an inspiring day. She talked about little Adrian (11 going on 37), who is eager to get married after learning about&nbsp;tax codes, and of her teacher&#39;s pet, Anna, who loves school so much she dreams of stealing the&nbsp;flip chart. Missy reminded us&nbsp;that English teachers often&nbsp;spark a language learning journey for&nbsp;an entire&nbsp;family, especially the moms working in the&nbsp;home.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;Teaching is the only career that guarantees every other profession.&quot;

~&nbsp;Missy Testerman, TESOL 2025
</blockquote>

It is always a joy when you attend a session full of useful tips and ideas that relate to your own work in ELT.&nbsp;This year we attended sessions on:

<ul>
	<li>CASAS eWorks</li>
	<li>teaching literacy (Google the&nbsp;&quot;flyswatter&nbsp;vocabulary&nbsp;game&quot; for some fun)</li>
	<li>inquiry-based learning&nbsp;</li>
	<li>service learning</li>
	<li>job skills of the future</li>
	<li>AI for personalized learning</li>
</ul>

One noteable session was&nbsp;a talk on Positive Education by George Kokolas. The speaker shared simple, yet powerful reminders about the impact of positivity in the classroom. If&nbsp;we don&#39;t feel positive ourselves, we can&#39;t expect our students to arrive ready and eager to learn. He focused on the importance of developing&nbsp;character strengths and suggested creating &quot;inner-strength&quot; groups to help students develop their strongest skills.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;Decide to be a positive educator and embody it. Positive education is not taught, it&#39;s caught.&quot;

&ndash; George Kokolas
</blockquote>

Another excellent session was Techniques and Materials to Teach Basic Literacy Level ESL Learners by Gretchen Bitterlin. This session was full of useful tips for using the Early Production Technique and gave us some inspiration&nbsp;for growing our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/english-basics" target="_blank">English Basics</a> section.

We learned three words in Mandarin and got a&nbsp;feel for how much repetition is needed to own a new word (an average of 20&nbsp;passes&nbsp;for recognition and 60&nbsp;for production). She recommended following this formula when introducing new vocabulary:

<ol>
	<li>nonverbal statements (Show me the pencil.)</li>
	<li>yes/no questions (Is this a pencil?)</li>
	<li>or questions (Is this a pencil or a ruler?)</li>
	<li>wh- questions (What is this?)</li>
</ol>

Gretchen also recommended focusing&nbsp;on listening, pointing to research&nbsp;suggesting that listening without oral repetition in the earliest language learning stage actually improves an EL&#39;s pronunciation over time.&nbsp;

At a session called&nbsp;AI in Materials Development, Brent Warner shared the publishing statistic that&nbsp;it takes about 6&ndash;8 years to publish a course book. He walked us through a fun way&nbsp;of using AI to generate personalized stories that started with surveying ELs about their favorite celebrities and activities.&nbsp; 
 
In an NGL session titled Future-Ready Skills for the Global Workplace, Caitlin Thomas, a dynamic speaker,&nbsp;talked about AI fluency being the new digital literacy. During the talk, I jumped over to Basecamp to share&nbsp;this thought-provoking quote with Ellii&#39;s creative Publishing team.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;AI won&#39;t replace humans, but humans who use AI will replace those who don&#39;t.&quot; 
 
~ Caitlin Thomas, National Geographic Learning 
&nbsp;
</blockquote>

Ellii&#39;s CEO, Ben Buckwold, also gave three presentations that were well attended, including a session on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a>, our FREE interactive feature. We enjoyed hearing fun stories about <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/names" target="_blank">names</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/parenting-styles" target="_blank">parenting styles</a>, and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/tipping" target="_blank">tipping</a>,&nbsp;and were thrilled to see how our interactive feature could inspire&nbsp;so much conversation with just a few questions.

<h2> 
Our happy place (the Ellii booth)</h2>

Back at the booth, the Ellii team was impressing teachers with&nbsp;ready-made, breaking-news, multilevel lessons about the NASA astronauts that had been stuck in space for nine months.&nbsp;

It was impossible not to to feel happy as our team&nbsp;handed out chocolate and T-shirts, especially to anyone who popped in to see what&#39;s new or&nbsp;who said the magic words (I Love Ellii). Ellii sponsored TESOL&#39;s Day 1 coffee hour in the Expo Hall, delivering some liquid life&nbsp;to a long line of thirsty TESOLers!&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii coffee cart TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4460/content_Ellii-tesol-coffee-cart-tshirts.png" />

As they gathered up stickers, pens, and more&nbsp;fun swag, Ellii subscribers shared what they are excited about this year,&nbsp;including:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank">our NEW CASAS practice tests</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">our Pronunciation videos</a>&nbsp;(Lise was there in person and felt like a celebrity!)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtLIzmA29Xw&amp;t=3s">AI feedback tools</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls">Ellii Polls</a></li>
	<li>Ellii&#39;s upcoming partnership with Cambridge University Press &mdash;Ventures (more info coming soon)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Lovely Long Beach&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

It was my first time in Long Beach, and even though it was slightly warmer at&nbsp;home&nbsp;in Canada,&nbsp;the sun was shining most of the week! Getting a chance to run on the beach at the crack of dawn&nbsp;with a new colleague was a joyful way to start each day.

Our team had a lovely stay at the Hyatt and enjoyed local sushi, Greek, and Thai food. Besides the orange cranberry muffins that tasted like creamsicles, the&nbsp;food that brought me the most happiness was a loaf of olive bread on the patio at Sevilla!&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

<img alt="Team Ellii at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4461/content_Ellii-team-TESOL-2025.png" />

Wendy, Ann, Lise, Ashley, and Tara from Ellii at TESOL 2025 in Long Beach, California

<h2>Exciting announcements</h2>

Just like every year, our team arrived at TESOL with some exciting announcements. 
 
On Thursday, we celebrated the release of <a href="https://www.englishapp.com/" target="_blank">English App by Ellii</a>, our new language learning app for students available in the App Store and on Google Play! After months of building, curating, and designing in preparation for this exciting launch, it was almost hard to be away from Ellii HQ that day!&nbsp; 
 
<img alt="English App released" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4462/content_Ellii-englishapp-cambridge-ventures.png" />

On Friday, Ben, Wendy, and I shared more exciting news at&nbsp;a TESOL session focused on an upcoming partnership&nbsp;between Ellii and&nbsp;Cambridge University Press.&nbsp;Over the years, we have learned that many Ellii subscribers use Ventures as their core text, and we&#39;re excited to offer some supplementary support for this popular CUP series.&nbsp;More on this development coming soon!

<h2>Real-time requests</h2>

You know what else brings me joy as the head of an agile publishing team? Requests from teachers! Last year at TESOL, attendees asked for many items that we have since checked off! Here are a few:

<ul>
	<li>an additional <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5227-how-to-cite-a-source-apa" target="_blank">How to Cite a Source</a>&nbsp;in English&nbsp;lesson that focuses on&nbsp;APA&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>higher-level <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/grammar" target="_blank">grammar</a> lessons&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>more lower-level <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me" target="_blank">That&#39;s News to Me</a> lessons&nbsp;&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>the ability for administrators to create their own <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1" target="_blank">Study Packs</a>&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>more accented voices in our audio and video&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation">test prep content</a>&nbsp;✓</li>
</ul>

This year we had a few new requests that I hope we can tackle before Salt Lake City:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/pronunciation" target="_blank">pronunciation lessons</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">videos</a> that go beyond the vowel and consant sounds (suprasegmentals)</li>
	<li>more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/phonics-stories" target="_blank">Phonics Stories</a></li>
	<li>the ability to create your own <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a></li>
	<li>lower-level, shorter Ellii Polls that can be done faster</li>
	<li>other fun activities like Ellii Polls</li>
	<li>work-related videos with real people in real-life scenarios</li>
	<li>more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading">Real-World Readings</a></li>
	<li>even more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/grammar-stories" target="_blank">Grammar Stories</a></li>
</ul>

Wherever we go these days, we always get a lot of love and requests for our videos! As one&nbsp;speaker&nbsp;mentioned, students light up when you put a video on, especially when they are in a class with a no-cellphone rule and seem to be starving for screen time.&nbsp;

<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos" target="_blank"><img alt="Ellii Videos" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4456/content_cute-kitty-video-TESOL-2025.jpg" /></a>

I&#39;m more of a giraffe chandelier gal than a cat person,&nbsp;but still, whenever this video came on at the Ellii booth, it brought me so much joy.

<h2>Friends of Ellii</h2>

Last year at TESOL, we got to meet Shey and Anna from our favorite ELT podcast,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>. This year we got to hang with&nbsp;them again and also celebrate being their podcast sponsor! We can&#39;t wait for their TESOL 2025 recap.

<img alt="Anna and Shé from the Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast with Tara Benwell and Ben Buckwold from Ellii at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4463/content_friends-of-Ellii-TESOL2025.png" />

Speaking of sponsorship, you&nbsp;may remember Diego from coffee talks with TESOL experts&nbsp;or from our very own Ellii Con coffee talk about AI (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPg8qkpwBWk&amp;t=149s" target="_blank">How Fast Is IT Moving?</a>). Ellii sponsored Diego&#39;s time at TESOL this year, and, at the booth, Diego and I did a deep dive into Ellii&#39;s new AI feedback settings. We looked at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtLIzmA29Xw&amp;t=3s" target="_blank">Ellii&#39;s new Grade Feed</a> and how Ellii Bot&nbsp;was leaving feedback for&nbsp;his students. I helped Diego switch his settings to the recommended middle ground so that he could review and adjust the AI ratings and feedback before submitting it to his students. An interested teacher passed by to listen to our conversation and instantly wanted to learn more about why teachers love Ellii. There&#39;s nothing better than live&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/tour/testimonials" target="_blank">testimonials</a> and demos by real Ellii users at the booth. Thank you, Diego!

<blockquote>
Did you attend TESOL 2025 or a recent conference or webinar? What brought you joy?
</blockquote>

Next week, we will be off to Dallas, Texas, for COABE 2025. We hope to see some of you there for a little more joy! 
 
~ Tara &amp;&nbsp;Team Ellii

<img alt="Tara Benwell in a fuzzy egg chair at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4464/content_Tara-egg-chair-tesol.png" />

Fuzzy egg chair to relax in before a presentation? Pure joy!

Inciting Joy at TESOL 2025 in Long Beach, California

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Visual literacy is a key life skill. So much of the information that we see and process on a daily basis comes from visual sources such as images, pictures, symbols, signs, and diagrams. In the English language classroom, it is important for us to support our learners to develop these skills.&nbsp;

Visual literacy skills can help learners to:

<ul>
	<li>interpret the main idea of a text before reading by looking at pictures</li>
	<li>understand a complex process using a diagram</li>
	<li>navigate online platforms or learning apps using icons</li>
	<li>stay safe through decoding signs and symbols</li>
	<li>analyze meaning, think critically, and discuss their opinions with others</li>
	<li>be aware of how their responses to imagery and colors can be different from others&#39;</li>
	<li>inspire them to ask questions and explore the topic further</li>
	<li>be creative in how they communicate and convey information</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;In this blog post, I will share some creative ways to bring visual literacy into the ELT classroom.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Infographics</h2>

Infographics are a visual summary of complex information. They use icons, images, and diagrams to convey complex information in a visually engaging and quick way. Their popularity is growing as people in our fast-paced world consume information in more rapid ways.&nbsp;

When I want to find information online quickly, I will search for an infographic (or sketchnote) as a starting point. This way I can have an overview of the key aspects of a topic in seconds, without having to read dense texts.&nbsp;

In class, they are a great way to incorporate real-world reading skills into the classroom. They also support reading skills development in a fun way that reduces processing load on learners who may get overwhelmed by longer texts.&nbsp;

Here is an example infographic about <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4116-sun-protection" target="_blank">Sun Protection</a> from Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading" target="_blank">Real-World Reading</a> section.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4432/content_infographic.jpg" />

The Real-World Reading section supports learners to develop literacy and visual literacy skills in tandem. It provides texts in their authentic layout such as emails, bank statements, menus, receipts, bills, bus schedules, and maps.&nbsp;

<h2>2. Sketchnotes</h2>

Sketchnoting is a form of visual note-taking that can boost creativity, information processing, and focus. It is a fun way to bring whiteboards, notebooks, and lessons to life. Students can try it out as a way of helping them take notes, express ideas, or keep a journal.&nbsp;

You can collaboratively create a large scale sketchnote of a topic on the whiteboard and then have students copy it or take a photo of it for their records. You could also have students search online for sketchnotes of a topic (e.g., the water cycle) and have them analyze it as they would an infographic.&nbsp;

For example:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>What is the infographic/sketchnote about?</li>
	<li>What images does it use? Why?</li>
	<li>What colors does it use? Why?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What facts does it summarize?</li>
	<li>What numbers does it show?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What types of lettering style does it use? Why?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What questions do you have about the topic?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>And of course, you could have students research a topic and then create their own sketchnotes to share with the class.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

You can find out more about sketchnoting here:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/sketchnoting-101-supercharged-professional-development-with-visual-notes">Sketchnoting 101: Supercharge Professional Development with Visual Notes</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/top-digital-tools-for-visual-thinking-activities">Top Digital Tools for Visual Thinking Activities</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-an-elt-conference">How to Get the Most Out of an ELT Conference</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>3. Diagrams, charts &amp; graphs</h2>

Analyzing data in the form of diagrams, charts, graphs, and maps is crucial for navigating life, but also to prepare for academia and work. The ability to interpret with a critical eye can ensure that learners understand diagrams, charts, graphs, and maps correctly and don&rsquo;t get duped by <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/fake-news-in-the-ai-era-essential-skills-for-every-language-teacher-learner" target="_blank">fake news</a>. Learning to create their own can help them to process information, present their knowledge confidently, and study effectively. &nbsp;

This <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/academic-vocabulary" target="_blank">Academic Vocabulary</a> lesson on the <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4185-the-digestive-system" target="_blank">Digestive System</a>, for example, offers learners the opportunity to understand the human body in more detail&nbsp;and learn vocabulary using visual markers. Having a diagram like this in their notebooks serves as an engaging memory booster to help them study and retain the information.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4433/content_diagram.jpg" />

This&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3570-introduction-to-graphing " target="_blank">Introduction to Graphing</a> lesson helps students to learn the basics of understanding, using, and creating graphs.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4434/content_graph.jpg" />

<h2>4. Graphic organizers</h2>

Graphic organizers are visual tools that provide a space for learners to add their ideas, notes, and answers. They are a great way to reduce processing load by providing structured learning in visual form rather than written.&nbsp;

For example, in this lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1681-internet-entrepreneurs" target="_blank">Internet Entrepreneurs</a>, students read three texts and then complete a graphic organizer in the form of a Venn Diagram. This allows learners to think deeply about the similarities and differences between each business owner. Having a small space to write in also encourages them to take notes in as succinct a fashion as possible. It also provides a quick visual memory booster to ignite conversations later in the lesson.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4435/content_Venn-diagram.jpg" />

You can read more about graphic organizers in the English language classroom here:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/graphic-organizers-for-language-skills-development" target="_blank">Using Graphic Organizers for Language Skills Development</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/graphic-facilitation-101">Graphic Facilitation 101: Teaching English through Visual Communication</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>5. Icons, signs &amp; symbols</h2>

International iconography is everywhere&mdash;from the cursor icon on your computer screen to the emergency exit icon in buildings or public transportation vehicles. These icons are specifically designed to be recognizable in any language and can help learners of all levels communicate effectively.&nbsp;

Discussing these signs and symbols in class can make learners more aware of the international language of imagery&nbsp;and how they can use it to convey their own visual messages.&nbsp;

This lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3077-road-signs-signals">Road Signs &amp; Signals</a> is a good place to start. Students can discuss what a red triangle or a green traffic light means. On completing the lesson, you could send them off around the college (or their computer screen) to find other icons that are instantly recognizable. For example, the microphone on or off icon uses a similar circle with a cross through it as the no parking sign.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4436/content_signals.jpg" />

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4437/content_flashcard.jpg" />

You could also use symbolism like this to help learners to express their feelings towards a lesson, concept, or activity. Give them a red, amber, and green &quot;traffic light&quot;&nbsp;card. Students can show the green card if they understand and are happy with an activity or turn it to red if they are confused and need more clarification.&nbsp;

<h2>6. Flashcards</h2>

There is more to flashcards than simply teaching vocabulary. One image may have infinite interpretations. Take the <a href="https://ellii.com/search/flashcard" target="_blank">microphone</a> icon above for example. It could be used to:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>express that the sound is off</li>
	<li>ask people to turn their mobile phones to silent</li>
	<li>signal where to press to turn your sound off</li>
	<li>show that this is a quiet space</li>
</ul>

In class, it could be used to:

<ul>
	<li>represent quiet reflection time</li>
	<li>manage turn-taking (or active listening time) during conversations or debates</li>
	<li>initiate a silent role-play, skit, or presentation</li>
	<li>inspire a story or conversation about a (broken) microphone</li>
</ul>

Ellii has over 6,000 <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards" target="_blank">flashcards</a> in its library. Each can be renamed. A fun visual literacy boosting activity could be to pick a flashcard&nbsp;and have students make suggestions for different ways it could be interpreted. This is a fun way to have learners get creative, think critically, and share their differing perspectives, interpretations, and ideas of a visual.&nbsp;

Here are some other ideas for using flashcards in class:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-our-flashcards">How to Use Our Flashcards&nbsp;</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/3-tips-for-using-flashcards-no-prep-required">3 Tips for Using Flashcards&mdash;No Prep Required</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/assigning-videos-and-flashcards-to-students">Assigning Videos &amp; Flashcards to Students</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/twelve-ellii-flashcards-for-reflection">12 Ellii Flashcards Perfect for Planning &amp; Reflection</a></li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<h2>7. Emoji</h2>

Emoji&nbsp;are everywhere. They are bright and fun, and they can convey actions, feelings, and opinions. Choosing the right emoji to respond to an online message&nbsp;or to accompany a social media comment can quickly convey how someone feels about something.&nbsp;

For example: &nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>They asked me to write an article for the school magazine! 🤩🥳</li>
	<li>They asked me to write an article for the school magazine! &nbsp;😤🤦&zwj;♀️</li>
	<li>They asked me to write an article for the school magazine! 😳🫣</li>
</ul>

The first emoji&nbsp;convey delighted excitement, while the second shows annoyance and the third embarrassment and anxiety. These emojis are commonplace and generally understandable to everyone across cultures. However some may be more open to interpretation.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>For example, my friend often uses this one for a smile, but I think it looks like a grimace: 😬&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Then there are cultural differences. This one could be pray, high five, or thank you depending on the person, place, or context: 🙏</li>
	<li>This one could be &quot;okay&quot;or &quot;perfect&quot;&nbsp;in some places, but highly offensive in others: 👌</li>
</ul>

Inviting discussions on these different interpretations can raise awareness, allow students to choose which icons to use in which contexts, and when to avoid them or explain their interpretations of them.&nbsp;

Here are some other ways to use them to develop visual literacy:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/emoji-feeling-adjectives">Blog</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2381-emoji " target="_blank">Discussion Starter</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/how-are-you-feeling " target="_blank">Ellii Poll</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>8. Visual storytelling</h2>

It is often said that a picture can say a thousand words, so why not use pictures to inspire learners to use a thousand words (or ten, depending on their level).

There are many ways to do this. You could bring comics or graphic novels into class and have students read them, discuss them, rewrite the captions, and do role-plays of the panels.&nbsp;

Another idea is to have students draw their own stories&nbsp;or create them using pictures, such as cutouts from magazines or Ellii&rsquo;s flashcards. Students can then narrate or tell the story, turn it into a video story,&nbsp;or interview a character from it.&nbsp;

Here are some other ideas:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/create-your-own-adventure-teaching-english-the-wordless-way">Create Your Own Adventure: Teaching English the Wordless Way!</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-stories-we-tell">The Stories We Tell</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/simply-storytelling-inspiring-english-learners-with-story-prompts">Simply Storytelling: Inspiring English Learners with Story Prompts&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<h2>9. Photos</h2>

One of the best ways to bring natural discussion into the classroom is to have students share personal photos. Have them bring in a photo that is important to them&nbsp;or share some of their recent photos from their phone. Students can then describe the photo to others, ask questions, and find out more about the other learners in their class.&nbsp;

As a written activity, have students share images in an online group such as on a shared padlet or virtual learning environment and write a caption. Then have students comment on other learners&#39; posts, encouraging them to ask and answer questions.&nbsp;

If you prefer higher-impact photos with a more global outlook, check out Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/resources/photo-prompts " target="_blank">Photo Prompts</a> section. These digital activities are a great way to spark conversations and think critically about world topics.&nbsp;

Have learners:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>describe the photo</li>
	<li>guess what happened before the photo</li>
	<li>predict what will happen next</li>
	<li>write a caption</li>
	<li>role-play the photo</li>
	<li>consider different people&rsquo;s emotions or perspectives</li>
</ul>

Here are some ideas for how to get a whole three-hour lesson out of just one image:

<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-one-image-can-develop-visual-literacy-and-critical-thinking">What&#39;s the Story? How One Image Can Develop Visual Literacy &amp; Critical Thinking Skills</a>

<h2>10. Videos</h2>

As with photos, these are a great way to personalize lessons. Have students share their favorite online funnies or a short clip of them doing something funny or entertaining. Facilitate discussion about what they liked about the video, why it might be popular on socials, and any interesting language that it uses. Let them reflect on the impact the video had on their emotions or beliefs.

There are many ways to use videos in the English language classroom. Here are some tips and ideas for other ways to use them in class:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-videos-in-class">4 Ways to Use Videos Effectively in Class</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-ways-to-use-silent-video-clips">4 Creative Ways to Use Silent Video Clips in English Class</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/selfie-videos-ell">Teaching English with Selfie Videos&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>

These are just a few ways to incorporate visual literacy skills development in the English language classroom. Which ideas have you tried? What other ideas do you have? We would love to know.

10 Ways to Develop Visual Literacy in the ELT Classroom

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In the latest episode of&nbsp;The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, hosts Sh&eacute;lynn Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean sit down with&nbsp;Dr. Debra Suarez, President of TESOL International Association, to discuss what&rsquo;s in store for&nbsp;TESOL 2025&nbsp;and the evolving landscape of English language teaching (ELT).

Dr. Suarez shares insights into&nbsp;key conference themes, including the rise of AI in ELT, translanguaging, project-based learning, and the growing emphasis on teacher advocacy and well-being. She also reflects on her inspiring career journey&mdash;from classroom teaching to leadership roles in the US&nbsp;Department of Education and the White House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders&mdash;offering invaluable wisdom for educators at all stages of their careers. 
&nbsp;

<blockquote>&quot;TESOL is like a buffet. There&rsquo;s something for everyone because we all contribute to the table.&quot; 
&mdash;Dr. Debra Suarez,&nbsp;President of TESOL International Association</blockquote>

 
But what truly sets this conversation apart is her deeply personal take on&nbsp;&ldquo;The Joy of TESOL,&rdquo;&nbsp;the theme of her upcoming keynote. Dr. Suarez explores how joy sustains educators through the challenges of the profession, beyond passion and mission alone. 
&nbsp;

<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/XNfDw-YJ19A?si=gYSe7e7AIc5fkZ_p" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

<h2> 
Listen to Episode 65: The World Comes to TESOL!</h2>

Don&rsquo;t miss this dynamic and inspiring conversation that will&nbsp;get you excited for TESOL 2025&nbsp;and provide&nbsp;practical guidance on making the most of the event.

<h2>Listen now on your favorite platform:</h2>

<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/episode/1OdOXKen4987GDL9Gb8fw8" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e-64-soft-skills-strong-impact-supporting-multilingual/id1629819608?i=1000685309083" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Follow&nbsp;The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast&nbsp;on social media for more updates:</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/teacherthinkaloud" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CzGrcVFBuEH/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://twitter.com/thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">X</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> 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Planning to attend&nbsp;TESOL 2025? Join the conversation in the comments!

<blockquote>
What are you most looking forward to at the conference?
</blockquote>

The World Comes to TESOL! An Inside Look at the 2025 Convention with Dr. Debra Suarez

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Since the launch of OpenAI tools such as ChatGPT in late 2022, teachers and learners around the world have been both amazed and concerned. The tools are infinitely useful in generating language explanations, examples, feedback, and lesson ideas. However, they are not without their challenges.&nbsp;

There are concerns that students may use the tools to cheat and that they may reduce critical thinking and ideation skills. Some are worried that they could lead to mass unemployment as bots replace the need for human language instruction.&nbsp;

The use of AI tools also increases the&nbsp;risk of misinformation spreading. In this blog post, I explore why AI poses a threat to factual information and how to help learners to develop their fact-checking and fake news detection skills.&nbsp;

Why does AI increase misinformation?&nbsp;

Generative AI tools are still learning how to process and compile information. They trawl open-access content on the internet to create their responses. This means they don&#39;t always have access to the truly factual content that may be behind paywalls. It also means that they may be generating meaning from advertisements, forums, blogs, and other unregulated content. So far, generative AI tools haven&#39;t learned to identify which of this information may be biased&nbsp;or based on opinion&nbsp;rather than facts.&nbsp;

What else may cause fake news?&nbsp;

Fake news is not a new challenge. Myths, legends, and hoaxes have been shared for centuries. One particularly famous example&nbsp;involves a mystery&nbsp;from Scotland. Photos of the legendary&nbsp;Loch Ness Monster were faked by Marmaduke Wetherell in 1933. Since then, there have been various other counterfeit claims to the existence of the mythical creature. In reality, it is probably just a clever way to boost tourism to the Scottish Highlands!

In 2024, Pew Research found that <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/28490/news-consumption-on-social-media/" target="_blank">54% of people from the USA got their news from social media.</a>&nbsp;What is particularly concerning about this statistic is that this source of information is unregulated and, therefore, can be rife for misinformation. On social media, entertaining, shocking, or polarizing content can rapidly go viral. Influencers and people with large followings can also command alarming power over what people deem to be true and false.&nbsp;

The recent release of the Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar has highlighted one of the most famous&nbsp;examples of this.&nbsp;Belle Gibson gained over 200,000 followers and duped them into believing that she was curing her terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet and clean living. She has become known as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35655983-the-woman-who-fooled-the-world">The Woman Who Fooled the World</a>, as titled by journalists&nbsp;Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, who wrote a book unveiling her lies. She also&nbsp;managed to trick Apple, Google, and Penguin Random House into&nbsp;publishing her Whole Pantry app&nbsp;and book. In today&#39;s world, even some of the greatest minds can&#39;t identify fake news!

How can I avoid fake news?&nbsp;

I am not entirely convinced it is&nbsp;possible to avoid fake news, as the story above demonstrates. Moreover, every piece of news&nbsp;is told from a different perspective, no&nbsp;matter how well researched it is. Even large-scale, respected newspapers write articles that show subtle biases in their opinions. It is therefore essential to think critically about every piece of information we encounter and&nbsp;read the same story from multiple sources&mdash;and teach our students how to do this too.&nbsp;

How can I help learners to identify false information?&nbsp;

Here are some key skills and activities to help learners to think critically about their news sources and stories and to decide what to believe.&nbsp;

1. Check the source

The most important thing to check with news is who or where the information started. A news story is more likely to be reputable if it is written by an experienced journalist for a respected organization rather than a social media influencer who shares no evidence sources.&nbsp;

Have students think about which news providers they would consider to be trustworthy. For example, Al Jazeera, BBC News, CNN, National Geographic, and Reuters take fact-checking very seriously. Share news articles on the same topic with them and have students&nbsp;identify any differences in writing styles. You can also have them identify any biases, opinions, or aspects of the article they would like to investigate further.&nbsp;

2. Check website&nbsp;URLs

Fake news may be spread by fake websites, set up to share extreme or emotionally enticing content. It is important to check the website address. For example, the domain for an official site might end in&nbsp;.org, .com,&nbsp;or .co.uk, while a fake one might use .co or something similar.

They may also have spelling mistakes, duplicate words or letters, or use numbers: Eellii.co, ElliiESL.live, and E11ii.info could be examples.&nbsp;

3. Question everything

Cynicism isn&#39;t always seen as an attractive quality, but when it comes to 21st-century news, it is&nbsp;essential. Approaching every story with a critical eye can help us and our learners to consider its source and validity. If something looks too good to be true&nbsp;or too wildly outrageous, then it probably is. Though who can really tell? We live on&nbsp;a pretty outrageous planet!

4. Double-check

Reading information from at least two news sources can help us and our learners to understand the world more, gain differing perspectives, and check facts. It also allows students additional language practice. It could even give them the chance to compare how the news is reported in their language and in English.&nbsp;As well as reading news from other sources, it is also advisable to dig a little deeper by looking at published (and peer-reviewed) research.&nbsp;

5. Question images&nbsp;&amp; videos

More than ever, my &quot;suggested videos&quot;&nbsp;on socials are becoming very obviously AI-generated clickbait. I suspect the algorithm may have noticed that&nbsp;my curious brain hovers over them a little too long. I have resisted the urge to click&nbsp;for fear of them entering my feed, but there is a&nbsp;strange fascination about snakes crawling over a polar bear&nbsp;or a laughing baby playing with a two-headed pig!&nbsp;

Sometimes AI-generated&nbsp;audiovisual content is easy to spot. It tends to be fantastical in nature or the characters will have extra fingers, toes, and teeth. However, some are eerily lifelike. AI can generate realistic talking-head videos and replicate people and voices.&nbsp;

There are various tools that may&nbsp;identify AI-generated content such as Google Reverse Image search. However, when I tried this with an image I had generated with Canva Dream Lab, all I got was that there was no source or record of this image online. When I tried again with one of my doodles and then an image of me teaching, I got the same results. I also tried AI or Not, and it told me that the same AI-generated image was &quot;likely human.&quot;&nbsp;

I&#39;m not convinced that AI-generated audiovisual content is identifiable, but we can support our learners to at least question it. Share some obvious and less obvious artifically created videos or images with them. Have them discuss their purpose and whether the messages they convey are misleading or ethically sound.&nbsp;

6. Share &amp; discuss examples

To raise awareness of the pursuit of authenticity, a fun activity is to investigate potentially fake news with learners. You could share examples that are trending online or&nbsp;have students share&nbsp;some they&#39;ve seen recently. Give them time to discuss what makes it appealing (e.g., emotional response, captivating headline, engaging images). You could also have&nbsp;students create their own by themselves or using AI. As an added challenge, have some students communicate&nbsp;real news as others develop&nbsp;fakes, and then see if they can spot the difference.&nbsp;

7. Focus on the language

There are some linguistic features of information checking that all learners need to know. Articles that haven&#39;t been&nbsp;properly fact-checked may use vague or sensational language. For example:&nbsp;

Modal verbs: Can, Could, May, Might&nbsp;

Sensational headings: This will SHOCK you! / Everyone NEEDS this!&nbsp;

Generalized sources: Experts say...&nbsp; (Who exactly?) / Research shows... (What research?)

8. Ask a trusted friend (or friends)

If you are still not sure if something is worthy of belief, ask someone else for their opinion. Often other people can share new knowledge of the topic with you. Make sure it is someone who you feel will know the subject well or ask a few different people for their perspectives. This can be eye-opening in itself and can help you formulate your own opinions. It is also a great excuse to perhaps practice English in a more authentic way with others.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Here are some other lessons and posts on the topic of misinformation, media literacy, and identifying fake news:&nbsp;

<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/introducing-media-literacy-in-the-english-language-classroom">Introducing Media Literacy in the English Language Classroom</a>

<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2348-fake-news">Fake News</a> (Discussion Starters&nbsp;lesson)

<a href="https://ellii.com/video/trump-assassination-attempt">Misinformation Fills Internet after Trump Assassination Attempt</a>

Have you encountered any fake news recently? Or have your learners been duped? How do you spot deep fakes and support your learners to think critically about the content they are consuming. We would love to know your experiences, thoughts, and ideas.&nbsp;

Fake News in the AI Era: Essential Skills for Every Language Teacher & Learner

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You may be hearing more people talking about inquiry-based learning at the moment. It seems to have become a bit of a <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elt-trends-to-watch-in-2025" target="_blank">trend in ELT</a> and education in general.&nbsp;

In this post, I&rsquo;ll give a short introduction to what inquiry-based learning is, its advantages, and ways to use it effectively in class.&nbsp;

<h2>What is inquiry-based learning?&nbsp;</h2>

IBL is a learner-centered educational approach that encourages learners to ask and answer questions on a topic of their choice. Similar to project- or task-based learning, students explore a theme in depth by carrying out research.&nbsp;

In short, learners are inspired to get inquisitive and make their own inquiries to learn more about a subject that interests them or to solve a complex problem.&nbsp;

It could be said that IBL is a &quot;bottom-up&quot;&nbsp;learning approach. It gives students a subject to investigate and supports them to share their findings. This allows learners more autonomy and opportunity to develop life skills than a &quot;top-down&quot;&nbsp;approach in which the teacher shares their knowledge with the class.&nbsp;

<h2>What are the benefits of IBL for English language learners?</h2>

There are many benefits to taking an inquiry-based approach in your classroom. Here are some:&nbsp;

<h3>1. It boosts motivation.&nbsp;</h3>

Inquiry-based learning lets learners choose what questions they want to answer and what topics they&rsquo;d like to explore. When students get to choose something that interests them, they are immediately motivated to learn.&nbsp;

<h3>2. It allows space for organic language practice.&nbsp;</h3>

Learners learn through practicing and using their language skills. In the real world, they need to think spontaneously about their grammar and vocabulary choices. IBL creates a safe space to do this. The inquiry will naturally allow them to ask questions, consider responses, share opinions, give advice, and benefit from a whole manner of other organic language practice opportunities.&nbsp;

<h3>3. It is a chance to develop multiple skills.&nbsp;</h3>

An inquiry-based approach allows learners to watch videos, listen to podcasts, read texts, write down ideas, and share their thoughts. This allows them to practice all of their language skills at the same time&nbsp;in a natural and engaging way. It also provides an opportunity to develop 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.&nbsp;

<h3>4. It is inclusive.&nbsp;</h3>

IBL is a flexible approach that allows learners to pick what they want to learn more about. It also allows them to choose how they want to carry out their research, present their learning, and interact with other learners. Small adaptations like these can make classrooms more accessible and welcoming for everyone.&nbsp;

<h3>5. It creates a need to use the language.&nbsp;</h3>

One of the main aims of English language teaching is to create a need for learners to use the language. An inquiry-based approach creates this necessity by posing a problem to be solved or a question to be answered. Learners&nbsp;then have to use their language skills to solve it or explore the topic more.&nbsp;

<h2>How can I use IBL in class?&nbsp;</h2>

There are four steps to inquiry-based learning:

<h3>1. Inspire curiosity that generates questions</h3>

Have you ever read or watched something that got you instantly hooked on the subject and desperate to learn more? That is the feeling we want to give learners in this stage of IBL process.&nbsp;

To do this, we could:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos" target="_blank">watch a video</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me" target="_blank">read a text</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/photo-prompts" target="_blank">look at a picture</a></li>
</ul>

Then give students time to think, talk together, and make notes of questions that this input has inspired them to ask.&nbsp;

<h3>2. Research the topic</h3>

Now that students have questions they&rsquo;d like to answer, we can help them to find those answers. In this stage, it is important to teach them research skills and how to identify reliable sources.&nbsp;

In particular, it is essential that students understand that AI tools and Wikipedia pages are good starting points, but that the information within them must be fact-checked. AI tools search the internet for all sources, but haven&rsquo;t yet learned how to distinguish facts from opinions, or reliable from unreliable sources. In a similar way, Wikipedia can be updated by anyone, so the information may not always be correct there either.&nbsp;

As a research guide, you can help learners to evaluate sources by encouraging them to find information in books, magazines, research papers, and reputable newspapers. You may wish to have learners compare the information represented in each, as different publications might slant their information for political or economic purposes.&nbsp;

For websites, have students think critically about the purpose of each one. Sources such as the World Health Organization, UNESCO, or National Geographic are likely to be well researched and reliable. Other sites may be trying to sell them something and could be manipulating data for their own gains.&nbsp;

<h3>3. Share findings</h3>

In this stage, learners can present their findings to the rest of the class. They could do this by:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>delivering a presentation</li>
	<li>creating a poster</li>
	<li>writing a blog post</li>
	<li>recording a video or podcast</li>
	<li>doodling a sketchnote</li>
	<li>making an infographic</li>
	<li>building a web page</li>
</ul>

This is an excellent opportunity to encourage more inquiries and curiosity by inviting learners to ask further questions and explore the topics even further.&nbsp;

<h3>4. Reflect&nbsp;</h3>

The final stage of IBL is to reflect on the learning process. This gives them a chance to explore what aspects of the process they enjoyed, what was challenging, what they discovered about how they like to learn, and what they might do differently in the future.&nbsp;

<h2>Further reading</h2>

If you&rsquo;d like to know more about inquiry-based learning, here are some sites where you can carry out your own inquiry:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://michelleworgan.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Michelle Worgan</a> is a fantastic inquiry-based learning expert in ELT who offers IBL-themed training, courses, and resources.</li>
	<li><a href="https://edutopia.org/article/blog-what-heck-inquiry-based-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Edutopia</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.education.gov.au/australian-curriculum/national-stem-education-resources-toolkit/i-want-know-about-stem-education/what-works-best-when-teaching-stem/inquiry-based-learning" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Australian Government Department of Education</a></li>
</ul>

You may also be interested in the following blog posts from Ellii:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://ellii.com/blog/task-based-learning" target="_blank">Task-Based Learning: An Introductory Guide</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://ellii.com/blog/takeaways-from-tesol-2022-project-based-learning" target="_blank">Project-Based Learning</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elt-trends-to-watch-in-2025" target="_blank">ELT Trends to Watch in 2025</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
Have you tried inquiry-based learning? Would you like to give it a try? Let us know in the comments.
</blockquote>

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