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

For Students

<p>The languages we speak are an important part of who we are. They help us to understand the world in different ways. They open us to meeting interesting&nbsp;people, learning new things, and being ourselves.&nbsp;</p>

<p>So when we learn a language, we need to make it our own. We can choose which words to use and how to use them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this blog post, I&#39;ll talk about how to speak English YOUR way.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Do you feel like a&nbsp;different person when you speak&nbsp;English?</h2>

<p>This&nbsp;is very common. Many people feel like their personality changes when they speak different languages. For example, English is a very polite language. Speakers use &quot;please,&quot;&nbsp;&quot;thank you,&quot; and &quot;sorry&quot; a lot, so some learners&nbsp;might feel that they become more polite (or too polite) when they speak English.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I personally feel more confident in English than in Spanish. In Spanish, I&#39;m quieter, but I still try to make silly jokes. I always want to make everyone smile and that part of my personality has become part of how I speak Spanish.</p>

<p>Take a couple of minutes to think about how your personality changes in different languages.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Adopt a catchphrase</h2>

<p>I often visit my cousin&#39;s Italian family in the summer. My Italian is mostly food, campsite, and beach&nbsp;vocabulary. However, I have also learned a few key phrases that&nbsp;always bring&nbsp;a smile to the family&#39;s&nbsp;faces.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, at bedtime,&nbsp;&quot;Sogni d&#39;oro&quot; (<em>sweet dreams</em> or<em> dreams of gold</em>) has become my key phrase. It shows that I&#39;m trying to learn even though their English is a million times better.</p>

<p>Having a catchphrase is a good way to feel welcomed and have a laugh. It can make you feel confident because you know how to say it. It is also a great way to share some of your personality or beliefs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, my Cuban friend often asks me, &quot;Eeeeeh! Emily! Who really cares?&quot;&nbsp;He does this with such a huge, relaxed&nbsp;smile that all my stress&nbsp;disappears.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is his way of reminding me not to take life so seriously. Whenever I feel stressed or worried, I think of him saying this!</p>

<h2>Make your own language</h2>

<p>An <em>idiolect</em> is one person&#39;s own unique way of using a language. Everyone is different. They know different vocabulary, speak with different accents, and choose to use grammar differently.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speak your own idiolect with confidence.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Own your &quot;mistakes&quot;</h2>

<p>There is no perfect way to speak English. There are hundreds of different Englishes. Even so-called &quot;native&quot; speakers make mistakes and misunderstand each other.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The most confident English language users are often the ones who are not afraid of making mistakes. In fact, they sometimes even choose to make mistakes as part of how they speak English.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They know that the best way to deal with mistakes is to make them YOUR mistakes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, I have a Hungarian friend who is an advanced English speaker and loves to misuse the phrase &quot;back in the day.&quot;&nbsp;Instead, he chooses to say &quot;back in days.&quot;&nbsp;He does this for fun and as a reminder that he once said it incorrectly, but <em>who really cares? &quot;</em>Back in days&quot; is perfectly understandable.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some common&nbsp;mistakes have even become popular&nbsp;in English. For example, groups of Spanish and English speakers use the phrase &quot;make a party!&quot; even though they all know it&#39;s technically incorrect. As a direct translation, Spanish people &quot;hacer una fiesta&quot;&nbsp;(<em>make a party</em>)&nbsp;while English people &quot;have/throw a party.&quot; It is such a common error that some so-called &quot;native&quot; English language users now use it as their own.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Are they really mistakes? If people understand you, maybe they are just a fun part of how you speak English.</p>

<h2>Own your accent too</h2>

<p>There are hundreds of different ways to speak English. Everyone speaks English differently. The most important thing about pronunciation is to be understood.</p>

<p>Some people want to learn to speak with an American or British accent. But&nbsp;this is really hard. Even so-called &quot;native&quot; speakers have to change how they pronounce some words in order to be understood.&nbsp;</p>

<p>My Italian cousin-in-law has lived in Scotland for nearly 20 years. He speaks English with a little bit of a Scottish accent, but he still has a lovely Italian accent. I love the way he sings my name, speaks with his hands, and adds a little vowel sound to words ending with a consonant. It&#39;s part of who he is, and I never want him to change.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I also love the way my Spanish friends say &quot;a leetle beet&quot; when they ask for &quot;a little bit&quot; of cake or add a&nbsp;schwa sound before &quot;s&quot; words, like &quot;a-Spain&quot; or &quot;a-speak.&quot;&nbsp;For me, it&#39;s not a pronunciation error, but a way for them to share who they are with me.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Mix languages</h2>

<p>If you are reading this, you probably already speak another language&mdash;or 10. One of the most fun parts of speaking other languages is choosing to use different words.</p>

<p>English borrows hundreds of words from other languages. For example:</p>

<ul>
	<li><em>emoji&nbsp;</em>from Japanese</li>
	<li><em>entrepreneur</em> from French</li>
	<li><em>kindergarten</em> from German</li>
</ul>

<p>I have added phrases from other languages I&#39;m learning to my daily English use. This has become part of my idiolect, so my friends and family understand them too.</p>

<p>For example,&nbsp;I often say Spanish phrases&nbsp;like &quot;Hola, mi amor&quot; (<em>Hi, my love</em>)&nbsp;and &quot;nada mas&quot; (<em>nothing else</em>). I also often say&nbsp;&quot;basta&quot; (<em>stop</em>) in hopes that I don&#39;t eat too much&nbsp;at Italian mealtimes and &quot;scarpetta&quot; (<em>use bread to clean the sauce from your plate</em>) when I am eating too much.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Scarpetta&quot; is an amazing word. One reason for this is&nbsp;because cleaning the plate with a piece of bread is delicious. But also, there is no word for this in English.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mixing languages is a great way to share some of your other languages (and personalities) with the world.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Get colorful</h2>

<p>One day I was sitting, reading my book in a park. Nearby, I could hear two people chatting together in Dutch. One was telling the other a story, while the other was listening.&nbsp;All of a sudden, one of them started swearing in English.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the Netherlands, most people speak Dutch and English. The speaker chose to switch from Dutch to English for that part of their story to give it more power, more drama, more feeling.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this moment, I loved how they used their languages to express themselves. That&#39;s one of the many joys of speaking different languages.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>How do you add your personality to the languages you speak?&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>You may also like these blog posts:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-belongs-to-everyone-here-s-how-to-own-your-english">English Belongs to Everyone</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/what-every-language-teacher-needs-to-know-about-global-englishes">What Every Language Teacher Needs to Know about Global Englishes</a></li>
</ul>


English Your Way: How to Express Your English Personality

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

Articles

<p>I am writing this blog post a year and a day after I started my first adventure as a digital nomad. Packing my life into two small bags has been one of the best decisions of my life. It has taught me that creating memories and making new friends enrich my life more than accumulating objects. I hope to continue this lifestyle for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For the last year, my husband and I have been meandering around Latin America. We&rsquo;ve scaled volcanoes in Chile, toured wineries by bike in Argentina, visited the <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/boiling-rivers-burning-forests-why-teaching-conservation-topics-is-so-important" target="_self">Boiling River in Peru</a>, snorkeled on Colombia&rsquo;s Caribbean coast, and seen sloths chilling in the trees of parks in Panama.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&rsquo;ve also managed to write three books, edit one, develop two resource packs, write 12 blog posts for Ellii, create countless sketchnotes, and deliver who knows how many webinars. When I left, I wasn&rsquo;t sure how I was going to feel about working while away, but it has given me a sense of purpose, the opportunity to stay places for longer and get to know them better, and the time to just enjoy sitting still and taking in the view.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this post, I&rsquo;ll share some of my top tips for working remotely as an ELT professional.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Be financially prepared</h2>

<p>It&rsquo;s always good to have a safety net before embarking on any travel adventure. Take a look at accommodation prices in the places you plan to visit, plus transportation and average food costs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Have enough savings to at least&nbsp;survive for the first few months and get you home in an emergency. If you&rsquo;re working, you might never need to use these funds, but it&rsquo;s good to have them just in case. It&rsquo;s also good to have more than you think you need, as there are a lot of tempting unexpected adventures to be had.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Get insured</h2>

<p>Travel insurance and health insurance are essential. My best friend used to work in an international hospital. He has told me many horror stories of uninsured travelers. You really don&rsquo;t want to get sick without the right insurance papers. Make sure to read the small print and get the coverage you need.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Find a remote ELT job</h2>

<p>It goes without saying that to work remotely while traveling, you need a job you can do anywhere! Thankfully, English language teaching has tons of opportunities. You could:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>teach online</li>
	<li>develop ELT materials</li>
	<li>write blog posts</li>
	<li>deliver teacher development webinars</li>
	<li>manage projects</li>
	<li>create your own business</li>
</ul>

<p>Here are some blog posts that you might find useful:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/5-ways-to-make-passive-income-as-a-teacher" target="_self">5 Ways to Earn &quot;Passive&quot; Income as a Teacher</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/teacherpreneur" target="_self">How to Be a Teacherpreneur</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/beyond-teaching-elt-careers-to-keep-you-motivated" target="_self">Beyond Teaching: ELT Careers to Keep You Motivated</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>Pack light &amp; carefully</h2>

<p>Packing has been a logistical challenge but one I&rsquo;ve found enjoyable. For me, everything has to be superlight, be extremely small, or have multiple purposes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>What you take will depend on where you are going. Since we planned to travel at different altitudes, seasons, and climates, we had to pack for all weathers. I love my squashable down jacket as it&rsquo;s cozy and tiny, my lightweight waterproof jacket, and my packable 20l backpack, which scrunches into the ball of my hand.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In terms of shoes, I only have one pair of trail running shoes, which I carefully selected as they look passable in restaurants as well as outdoors. I also have a pair of flips-flops&nbsp;and a tiny pair of ballet pumps that I use for conferences.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="ballet shoes" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4246/content_ballet-shoes.jpg" /></p>

<p>One thing I wish I had done was pack lighter. My bag was full, meaning that there was no space for anything I hadn&rsquo;t realized I would need. Plus, I had way too many tops and an unnecessary travel changing robe! Over time, I found new homes for things I didn&rsquo;t use to make space for real essentials like a bag of herbs and spices and my trusty coffee filter.</p>

<p><img alt="coffee filter" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4247/content_coffee-filter.jpg" /></p>

<h2>Network &amp; meet fellow ELTers</h2>

<p>One of the things I&rsquo;ve enjoyed most about traveling while working is connecting with fellow ELTers. It has given me the chance to get to know people I had only met online, extend my network, and cultivate new friendships.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Going to conferences, like <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/perutesol-2024-reflections-and-take-aways" target="_self">Peru TESOL</a> in Arequipa and Anglo in Montevideo, gave me the opportunity&nbsp;to learn more about the Latin American ELT market. I also made new friends&nbsp;who&nbsp;invited me to speak at other conferences, to team teach with them, and even to enjoy dinner at their houses. ELTers truly are a lovely bunch of humans!&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Travel slowly</h2>

<p>Working while traveling really means that you need to slow down. You&rsquo;re not going to see much&nbsp;or get much work done if you just stay somewhere for a couple of nights. Plus, accommodation is often cheaper if you can make use of longer-term discounts. You also save a lot on transportation costs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Depending on where we are, accommodation costs, and where we need to be, my husband and I tend to stay a minimum of a week wherever we are. However, I think a month or more is ideal. Whenever we have stayed for a month or longer in the same place, we have made more friends, been more productive, and really gotten&nbsp;to know the area well.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Be aware of privilege</h2>

<p>This trip has really made me aware of passport privilege&nbsp;and how lucky I am to be traveling on a UK salary. Having taught students from refugee backgrounds for years, I have heard their stories of crossing borders in refrigerated vans, hanging onto the undercarriage of trucks,&nbsp;and hiking for days in the dead of night.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I also saw firsthand many people preparing to cross the infamous Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama. They carried small tents and the bare&nbsp;essentials, and in many cases they weren&rsquo;t dressed for three days of hiking through dense forest during the rainy season. Meanwhile, all I needed to do was buy a boat ticket and get my passport stamped.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As I travel, I often ponder how to redress this equality gap. I am very lucky to be able to have the opportunity to choose this lifestyle. In some places, digital nomads are pricing locals out of accommodation, so my presence could impact people&#39;s quality of life. I try my best to choose places that aren&rsquo;t super touristy and do simple things like being kind and respectful, taking an interest in the local culture, donating to local charities, and leaving generous tips.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Be flexible</h2>

<p>I used to have the luxury of a desktop PC, two huge screens, a giant whiteboard, a visualizer, a top-notch microphone, and a ring light as my work setup. Now, I have a laptop, a drawing tablet I use as a second screen, a portable lavalier mic, and a head torch! I&rsquo;ve had to get creative with my workspace. I even worked from an ironing board once when the place we rented didn&rsquo;t have a table!&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="ironing board desk" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4248/content_ironing-board-desk.jpg" /></p>

<h2>Have a plan B</h2>

<p>Traveling while working can throw lots of challenges at you. Meetings, webinars, and events need to be planned carefully to make sure you have Wi-Fi and a suitable workspace. This means that travel days need to be planned around workdays. Some weeks your day off might be spent entirely on a bus.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You may also need to find last-minute solutions to unexpected problems. Recently, I got stuck for two extra days in a remote town due to tropical storms. The only feasible way out was by boat. This delay meant that I wasn&rsquo;t going to be able to deliver two scheduled webinars. I managed to postpone one, but the other was for a conference that had to go ahead on that day. So I pre-recorded the video. Thankfully, the conference organizers, World Education, and Ellii were happy with this solution, but I will forever have FOMO of not getting to e-meet everyone on the day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You can watch the recordings here:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVcE9TdIY/UVNbUNqJGyUXxOKPanjBlA/watch" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lightning Talk</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVcD82ZTs/ktshmSZMIFJHyUS1olNIRA/watch" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Breakout Room Tech Demonstrations</a></li>
</ul>

<p>For more remote-working inspiration, you&rsquo;ll love this post by Ellii&rsquo;s videographer, Lucia Padilla:&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/traveling-with-ellii" target="_blank">Working Remotely: Traveling with Ellii</a></p>

<p>Here are some related lessons&nbsp;that you might want to try with your students:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4328-digital-nomads" target="_self">Digital Nomads</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3877-portugal-protects-remote-workers" target="_self">Portugal Protects Remote Workers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/travel-english/materials" target="_self">Travel English</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>Have you tried out remote working while&nbsp;traveling? Would you like to? Share your thoughts, tips, and experiences in the comments!</p>
</blockquote>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


How to Be an ELT Nomad

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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

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

Announcements

<h2>Happy New Year!</h2>

<p>This year, Ellii will be sponsoring&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>! As&nbsp;founding fans of this #ELT podcast&nbsp;and&nbsp;firm believers in the power of reflection, we are confident this will be a great fit for Ellii.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In addition to enjoying&nbsp;many&nbsp;episodes and meeting up with this friendly podcast duo in person at the TESOL convention in 2024,&nbsp;Ben and I made an appearance on The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast last year for <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-talks-materials-writing-teacher-think-aloud-podcast" target="_blank">Episode 60</a>. We loved talking about materials writing and sharing Ellii&#39;s (formerly ESL Library&#39;s) origin story with Shey and Anna.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with this podcast and are looking to start the year with some fresh and friendly professional development, we encourage you to browse past episodes of The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast. If you like what you hear, be&nbsp;sure to subscribe so you don&#39;t miss all of the new shows.</p>

<p>In their<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes/episode/26cb7c6b/e63-2024-end-of-year-reflection" target="_blank"> 2024 End-of-Year Reflection</a> episode, Shey and Anna discussed&nbsp;some of the themes they are considering for&nbsp;2025:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Ready-to-use teaching tips</li>
	<li>Career advice</li>
	<li>Broader TESOL trends</li>
	<li>Emerging ELT topics</li>
	<li>The intersection of personal and professional lives (finding balance in&nbsp;both worlds)</li>
</ul>

<p>Find The Teacher Think-Aloud podcast in all of your favorite places:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">www.teacherthinkaloud.com</a></p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2zv5mVNpSqkDNiNbQlnm7B" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thinkaloud_pod" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e60-from-teaching-to-materials-writing-a-chat-with/id1629819608?i=1000670852097" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a></li>
</ul>

<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tBD4sc4TzB0" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4207/content_Ellii-Think-aloud-podcast-2025.png" /></a><br />
Happy listening!</p>


New Year, New Reflections & a Partnership with The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

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Learn tips on how to teach grammar and usage from our editors and grammar experts. 

Grammar & Usage

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The habitual past is a grammar structure that allows us to talk about actions that happened regularly or repeatedly in the past but no longer occur. We can also use it to&nbsp;describe states of being that were once a reality but aren&#39;t true anymore.</p>

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The habitual past is perfect for reminiscing about our childhood or describing how life used to be. It is quite easy to form, and English speakers often use it to talk about past routines and habits.</p>

<h2>How to form the habitual past</h2>

<p>In the habitual past, either &quot;used to&quot; or &quot;would&quot; is&nbsp;followed by the base form of the main verb.</p>

<p>1. used to + base verb</p>

<ul>
	<li>Elizabeth <strong>used to be</strong> very thin, but she has recently gained a lot of weight.</li>
</ul>

<p>2. would + base verb</p>

<ul>
	<li>Before my husband and I&nbsp;had children, we <strong>would sleep in</strong> on the weekends.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Used to</h2>

<p>&quot;Used to&quot; is a versatile phrase for the habitual past. It works with both actions and states.</p>

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>Action: She <strong>used to</strong> ride her bike to school every day.</li>
	<li>State: We <strong>used to</strong> live in a small village.</li>
</ul>

<div class="white-box">
<h2>Note</h2>

<p>The negative form of &quot;used to&quot; is &quot;did not&nbsp;use to&quot; or &quot;never used to.&quot; The question form is &quot;Did (you) use to...?&quot;</p>

<p>Examples:</p>

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>Negative: I <strong>didn&rsquo;t use to</strong> like vegetables when I was a kid. / I <strong>never used to</strong> bring my own bag to the grocery store.</li>
	<li>Question: <strong>Did you use to</strong> have a pet?</li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Would</h2>

<p>&quot;Would&quot; is&nbsp;often paired with specific time markers and is used to describe repeated actions in the past. However, unlike &quot;used to,&quot; it is never used&nbsp;with states of being.&nbsp;</p>

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>On Sundays, my grandfather <strong>would</strong> tell us stories by the fire.</li>
	<li>Every winter, we <strong>would</strong> build a snowman in the backyard.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Common mistakes to avoid</h2>

<p>1. <strong>Mixing &quot;used to&quot; and present habits:</strong>&nbsp; &quot;Used to&quot; is only used for the past. To describe present habits,&nbsp;words like &quot;usually&quot; or &quot;tend to&quot; are more appropriate.</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="incorrect">I used to go jogging every morning.&nbsp;(if it&rsquo;s still happening now)</li>
	<li class="correct">I <strong>usually</strong> go jogging every morning.</li>
</ul>

<p>2. <strong>Overusing &quot;would&quot;:</strong>&nbsp;As mentioned earlier, &quot;would&quot; cannot describe states.</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="incorrect">She would own a bakery in her hometown.</li>
	<li class="correct">She <strong>used to</strong> own a bakery in her hometown.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Why is the habitual past important?</h2>

<p>Understanding and using the habitual past allows speakers to:</p>

<p>1. <strong>Tell engaging stories:</strong>&nbsp;It helps listeners imagine repeated events or routines.</p>

<ul data-spread="true">
	<li>When we were teenagers, we <strong>used to</strong> stay up all night talking about our dreams.</li>
	<li>Every evening, we <strong>would</strong> sit on the porch and watch the sunset.</li>
</ul>

<p>2. <strong>Show contrast:</strong> It emphasizes how life has changed over time.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <strong>used to</strong> have so much free time before I started this job.</li>
	<li>This neighborhood <strong>used to</strong> be dangerous at night, but the city installed street lights last year and crime has decreased significantly.</li>
</ul>

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1620-past-modals" target="_self">Past Modals</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1565-what-did-you-use-to-do" target="_self">What Did You Use to Do?</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2830-used-to-get-used-to-be-used-to" target="_self">Used To, Get Used To &amp; Be Used To</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/used-to-get-used-to-and-be-used-to" target="_parent">Used To, Get Used To &amp; Be Used To</a></li>
</ul>


The Habitual Past: Used To & Would

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<p>As a resident blogger for Ellii, my annual &quot;trends to watch&quot; has become a bit of an end-of-year event. This is the third time I&#39;m sitting down to write it, and in many ways, the process has become harder.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Firstly, I am not a fortune teller. I have taught the future tense for predictions countless times, and yet I still haven&rsquo;t accurately guessed what ELT themes will be popular in the coming year. This was abundantly clear in 2023&nbsp;when I wrote my post shortly before AI took the world by storm.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Secondly, writing these posts has&nbsp;helped me reflect on the differences between a trending topic and a core element of being an ELT professional. My post this year will focus more on identifying and discussing these differences.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>These were my trends to watch in 2023:</strong></p>

<p>💚 Green ELT<br />
🫂 DEIB &ndash;&nbsp;Diversity, Equity, Inclusion &amp; Belonging<br />
🕹️ Virtual Reality<br />
💬🗨️ Mediation<br />
🤹 Life Skills<br />
🔍 Task Based Teaching, Learning &amp; Assesssment</p>

<p><strong>These were my trends to watch in 2024:</strong></p>

<p>🤖 Artificial Intelligence<br />
💞 Well-Being<br />
🫂 DEIB &ndash;&nbsp;Diversity, Equity, Inclusion &amp; Belonging<br />
💚 Green ELT<br />
💬🌍 EFL&nbsp;Pron (e.g., global English and equity for &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speaker teachers)<br />
🧗🏿ELT Careers (e.g., Teacherpreneurship + Working Rights)</p>

<p>In making these predictions, I enlisted the help of my English-language-teaching peers for suggestions, plus I looked&nbsp;around the web for social posts, blogs, videos, and webinars for trending topics.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>You&rsquo;ll notice the following crossovers in 2023&ndash;2024: &nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>🫂 DEIB &ndash;&nbsp;Diversity, Equity, Inclusion &amp; Belonging<br />
💚 Green ELT</p>

<p>In hindsight, these aren&rsquo;t necessarily trends&nbsp;but elements that have become central to language teaching. Learner-centered teaching means devoting time to accessible learning and inclusion. Inspiring learners with real-world topics that make the world a better place means incorporating environmental themes.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>You&rsquo;ll notice that the following ELT themes didn&rsquo;t make it into either of my trends posts:&nbsp;</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>Grammar</li>
	<li>Vocabulary</li>
	<li>Pronunciation</li>
	<li>4-Skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening)</li>
	<li>Communicative Language Teaching</li>
	<li>Limiting teacher talking time</li>
</ul>

<p>That is because they are simply the core elements of language teaching. These are things we learn in our initial teacher training. In many ways, trends are topics that get teachers to experiment and try new ways of working. Trends are things we probably should be doing, so we need to discuss them and share ideas.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, when I first attended IATEFL (probably around 2009), &quot;Teaching with Technology&quot; was the hot topic. Now it is just part of our daily teaching lives.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In 2020, as the pandemic pushed us all online, teaching with Zoom or Teams was the webinar session everyone wanted to deliver and attend. This is also now part of our standard practice.</p>

<p><strong>So what will be the trends&nbsp;and new core elements&nbsp;to watch for in 2025?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Although I cannot look into a crystal ball, I can use my expertise, research skills, and network of skilled English-language-teaching peers to make some educated guesses as to what might be popular in teaching next year:&nbsp;</p>

<h2>1. Artificial Intelligence</h2>

<p>This is still a hot topic. As educators, we are still finding ways to use this effectively in class, ensure learners are using it responsibly, and get to know new AI tools to support learning. I believe this will continue to trend&nbsp;until one day soon it will become a core&nbsp;element.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although we are all gaining confidence with this, it is still quite shiny and new&mdash;and perhaps a little scary. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_cwm_Hyc-8&amp;t=6s" target="_blank">Dr. Amin Davoodi</a> recommends that we see artificial intelligence as a &quot;resource&quot; and not as a &quot;competition.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Dr. Davoodi AI sketchnote Elliicon" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4200/content_sketchnote.png" /></p>

<p>Ellii has&nbsp;been working hard to develop new ways to make teachers&rsquo; lives simpler with AI while maintaining the teacher&#39;s critical role and human touch in a student&#39;s language-learning journey.&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/ai">Ellii Bot</a> can be used to grade student tasks and give personalised feedback. Ellii also uses AI to provide recommendations for lessons based on learners&rsquo; age, level, and goals.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>2. Global Englishes &amp; Equity for &quot;Native&quot; Speaker Teachers</h2>

<p>Sadly, this hasn&rsquo;t become part of our core&nbsp;yet, though it should have many years ago. Last week, a trainee teacher in Indonesia asked if they could chat to me as part of a university assignment. The task was to interview a &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speaker teacher. I agreed, but said that it would be on the grounds that I was a &quot;proficient&quot; language user and that I felt the use of &quot;native&quot; was discriminatory. The perception of how well someone can speak or teach English shouldn&rsquo;t be based on which country they are from.&nbsp;</p>

<p>English is global and 80% of its users are so-called &quot;non-native&quot;&nbsp;speakers. The majority of conversations that take place in English are between people whose first language isn&rsquo;t English. It is a means of communication for travel, education, and business. Around the world, there are millions of confident and proficient language users. Furthermore, there are many different, unique, and beautiful Englishes used to effectively communicate across languages. English is spoken everywhere and belongs to everyone.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yet&nbsp;some language schools still market themselves as having &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speaker teachers and actively recruit accordingly. More frustratingly, some countries only give work visas to teachers from certain countries. There is a huge perception and legislation shift needed to ensure that all proficient language users have the same access to opportunities.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Until this changes, we need to keep pushing for change. I&rsquo;m keeping this as a trend&nbsp;until our industry becomes equitable and it finally becomes a core element.</p>

<h2>3. Visual Thinking</h2>

<p>Visuals have long been a core part of language teaching. One picture, doodle, or diagram can aid understanding more effectively than using infinite words.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In recent months I&rsquo;m noticing more blogs, posts, and videos appearing on developing visual literacy, using graphic novels, interpreting infographics, discussing photos, sketchnoting, and using simple doodles in class.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It could be that AI-generated infographics, comics, and visual tools are making this more accessible. Here&rsquo;s a post on <strong>Bluesky</strong> from AI guru, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/joszoke.bsky.social/post/3lc3fbdvcic24 " target="_blank">Joanna Szoke</a>.</p>

<p><img alt="jo szoke bluesky" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4201/content_napkin-ai.png" /></p>

<p>It&nbsp;could also be that some teachers are looking for a more &quot;back-to-basics&quot;&nbsp;approach&nbsp;utilising just whiteboards and markers. For example, in this LinkedIn post by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ricardocezarpro_elt-tefl-tesol-activity-7270457801364185088-09GC?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop" target="_blank">Ricardo Cezar</a>, he shares a low-tech teaching idea using simple drawings.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="visuals simple whiteboard" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4205/content_Ricardo-cezar.png" /></p>

<p>Or it could just be what Ellii has always known&mdash;that using visuals in class is simply a fantastic way to teach.</p>

<p><strong>Here are some Ellii lessons and resources&nbsp;with a visual theme:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/story-prompts" target="_blank">Story Prompts</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/visual-learning" target="_blank">Visual Learning</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards" target="_blank">Flashcards</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos" target="_blank">Videos</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>4. Teacherpreneurship</h2>

<p>Whenever I write these posts about trends, I&rsquo;m always a little wary of things that may be trending for me but perhaps not for other ELT professionals. It could be that this topic trends on my socials because it stops me while I&#39;m scrolling, so&nbsp;my algorithm knows my interests more than I do. Or perhaps it is trending on many ELTers&#39; feeds as they aspire to more flexible work schedules and higher pay.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Either way, there are more ELT professionals setting up their own online courses, starting podcasts, building YouTube channels, and offering coaching services. Software and AI development have made digital content creation and marketing simpler.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here are some trends to expect in<a href="https://copythat-copywriting.co.uk/9-language-education-marketing-trends-for-2025/ " target="_blank"> ELT Marketing in 2025</a>&nbsp;from language education copywriter Lauren Martin, and from <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dan-shepherd-76694788_linkedin-i-need-your-help-im-planning-activity-7275089015253463040-fHHo?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop" target="_blank">Dan Shepherd at Hubbub Labs</a>.</p>

<p><strong>You may also be interested in these posts:&nbsp;</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/5-ways-to-make-passive-income-as-a-teacher" target="_blank">5 Ways to Earn &quot;Passive&quot; Income as a Teacher</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/teacherpreneur" target="_blank">How to Be a Teacherpreneur</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>5. Inquiry-Based Learning</h2>

<p>This is a learner-centered approach to teaching that is based on curiosity, active questioning techniques, and exploring real-world topics. It is an excellent way to build life skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Similar to project-based or task-based learning, IBL focuses more on exploration and investigation processes than project or task completion. Students may choose a topic that interests them, ask questions, and find out more in order to answer those questions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Inquiry-based learning featured highly in the British Council ELTons nominations this year. You can read more about the trends based on the ELTons in Chia Suan Chong&rsquo;s blog post:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/ten-trends-and-innovations-english-language-teaching-2024" target="_blank">Ten Trends and Innovations in English Language Teaching in 2024</a>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Michelle Worgan is one of the leading ELT experts in this field. You can also explore this topic more on her site and through her <a href="https://michelleworgan.com/ ">course</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Other Trends</h3>

<p>We will, of course, continue to see mediation, life skills, well-being, social-emotional learning, sustainable development goals, teacherpreneurship, and EFL Pron feature highly in web conferences and events. They are popular for a reason and a pretty staple part of our core,&nbsp;after all.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>What would you predict as a trend for 2025? What do you feel is a core part of ELT? What should be?</p>
</blockquote>


ELT Trends to Watch in 2025

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<p>Using visuals and visual thinking strategies in class has a multitude of benefits. It can support understanding, aid memory, enhance learner engagement, and make lessons accessible to all.</p>

<p><strong>Visual thinking strategies include:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>mind maps</li>
	<li>graphic organizers</li>
	<li>sketchnotes</li>
	<li>diagrams</li>
	<li>images</li>
	<li>visual storytelling</li>
</ul>

<p>You can use these techniques to simplify complex information, guide conversations, activate schemata, and help students to understand and process their learning.</p>

<p>If you&rsquo;re looking for examples, I&rsquo;ve written loads of blog posts for Ellii sharing super simple, minimal preparation visual thinking activities. You can check them out on the <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/emily-bryson" target="_parent">Ellii blog</a> here.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this post, I would like to share some of my favorite digital tools for visual thinking activities. These can be used in various ways in both online and face-to-face classes.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Canva, Miro &amp; Mural</h3>

<p>I can&rsquo;t tell you how much I love <strong><a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a></strong>. It is a free design tool, but if you upgrade to a paid plan, you&#39;ll get more access to its bank of stock images, icons, videos, and audio. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>You can use it to:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>create and deliver presentations</li>
	<li>develop resources</li>
	<li>edit videos</li>
	<li>make social posts such as Instagram reels</li>
	<li>use mind maps and graphic organizers</li>
</ul>

<p>The tool I love most on Canva is the whiteboard. Like many teachers, I was devastated when Google announced the end of Jamboard. It was fantastic for creating visual and interactive activities for online classes.</p>

<p>After the announcement, I looked around for other tools. <a href="https://miro.com/signup/" target="_blank"><strong>Miro</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mural.co/&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1734457704526561&amp;usg=AOvVaw1rlyZKkymVKa5_sFIfHV6H" target="_blank"><strong>Mural</strong></a> are fantastic online whiteboards. As with Canva, they let you share access to the whiteboard via Weblink. This allows you collaborate with learners in real time or gives them access to class content whenever they need it.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Miro, Mural, and Canva also let you:</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>draw</li>
	<li>use their pre-made templates</li>
	<li>create your own mind maps, graphic organizers, and visual stories</li>
	<li>use virtual &quot;sticky notes&quot;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>add text, images, icons, videos, etc.</li>
	<li>upload your own images, PDFs, and audiovisual files</li>
</ul>

<p>For me, Canva whiteboard wins because it can do all the extra things like create videos, social posts, and PDF resource packs.</p>

<h3>Annotation tools in Zoom</h3>

<p>Annotation tools in Zoom are so much fun and can bring any online class or webinar to life. They are a great way to engage learners and course participants.</p>

<p>If you share your screen in Zoom, your learners will see a green bar saying &quot;You are viewing [your name]&rsquo;s screen.&quot; They&rsquo;ll see a drop-down menu. If they click it, they will be able to add text, icons, and doodles directly onto the zoom screen.</p>

<p><img alt="annotate on Zoom" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4189/content_Ellii-zoom-annotate-option-Emily-Bryson.png" /></p>

<p>I love doing this with visual templates, images, tables, or graphic organizers. It&rsquo;s a great way to have students share their ideas, give feedback, or cast their votes.</p>

<p>Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/resources/photo-prompts" target="_blank">Photo Prompts</a> are perfect for some interactive annotation fun. Share your screen to display the image and then have students add text to:</p>

<ul>
	<li>brainstorm useful vocabulary</li>
	<li>suggest what people are thinking</li>
	<li>write a caption</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="Photo Prompts on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4190/content_Ellii-photo-prompt.png" /></p>

<p>These tools can be more interactive and engaging than simply using the chat function. However, if learners are unfamiliar with Zoom, you might want to get them confident with simple features such as chat before teaching them to use annotation tools.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>CamScanner</h3>

<p>People often ask me how I digitize my paper-based drawings and sketchnotes to make them so white and shiny. My secret is <a href="https://www.camscanner.com/" target="_blank">CamScanner</a>&nbsp;and its Magic Color&nbsp;function.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here is a sketchnote I did on a paper notepad and then&nbsp;took a photo. You&rsquo;ll notice there are shadows and it is a bit gray.</p>

<p><img alt="sketchnote Emily Bryson" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4191/content_Ellii-sketchnote_Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" /><br />
<br />
Here is a sketchnote I did on paper and then&nbsp;used CamScanner&#39;s Magic Color&nbsp;function. You&rsquo;ll see it is much cleaner, brighter, and whiter.</p>

<p><img alt="sketchnote Emily Bryson" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4192/content_Ellii-camscanner-sketchnote_Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" /></p>

<p>CamScanner is a free app, though it does have lots of advertisements until you upgrade to a paid plan. I find the ads quite tolerable though. You can save and share files as JPEGs or PDFs.</p>

<p>It is perfect for taking photos of your doodles&nbsp;or hand-drawn infographics. You can also use it to capture students&rsquo; work, such as their posters, mind maps, sketchnotes, graphic organizers, or writing.</p>

<h3>Adobe Fresco</h3>

<p>If you want a superclean look for your sketchnotes, doodles, or hand-drawn visual thinking activities, <a href="https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/fresco.html" target="_blank">Adobe Fresco</a> is a good place to start. It is a much simpler digital drawing tool to use than <strong>Illustrator</strong> or <strong>Photoshop</strong>. For Apple users, I&rsquo;ve heard <strong>Procreate</strong> is great, though I&rsquo;ve never used it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here&rsquo;s a sketchnote I created in Fresco for<strong> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ" target="_blank">ElliiCon 2023</a></strong>. You&rsquo;ll notice it is super shiny and bright:</p>

<p><img alt="sketchnote Emily Bryson" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4193/content_Ellii-sketchnote-teaching-humanity_Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" /></p>

<h3>Visualizers</h3>

<p>A visualizer is essentially a 21st-century overhead projector! It acts like a webcam that can be pointed at various objects to stream to your computer.</p>

<p><img alt="visualizer" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4194/content_Ellii-visualizer-Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" /></p>

<p>Visualizers are brilliant for online classes as they turn your desktop and notepad into a whiteboard. I love using them to draw and tell visual stories.</p>

<p>In this story, &quot;Stan&rsquo;s Lunch,&quot; I doodle words with simple phonics sounds: SATPIN. You can view it <a href="http://www.emilybrysonelt.com/freebies/ " target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

<p><img alt="doodling with Emily Bryson and phonics sounds" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4195/content_Ellii-Stans-lunch-Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" /></p>

<p>For a more detailed demonstration on how to use these tools, check out these <a href="https://emilybrysonelt-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/p/emily/ElHU_Gdmo8lPiMP7JX_lIfYBsofbCBHHnypEeOimrCoCKQ?e=t58zi5 " target="_blank">videos</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>What are your favorite digital tools? Have you tried any of these? We&rsquo;d love to know.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>


Top Digital Tools for Visual Thinking Activities

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<p>If you have ever taught or written an environmental-themed lesson, I salute you. I have taught many in my lifetime, but somehow there&#39;s always an <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/activity-to-boost-confidence-and-well-being" target="_self">inner troll</a> telling me:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>This is futile.</li>
	<li>No one cares.</li>
	<li>Students aren&rsquo;t interested.</li>
	<li>It won&#39;t change anything.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>My inner troll has taken a bit of a beating since I visited the <strong>Boiling River</strong>&nbsp;in Peru. As an author for NGL, I got lucky and managed to visit with National Geographic explorer Andr&eacute;s Ruzo. This is a guy who has devoted his life to discovering the mysteries of the river and protecting this unique place. If you&#39;re not familiar with him, check out his <a href="https://www.ted.com/speakers/andres_ruzo" target="_blank">TED talks</a> (or use them in class). I promise you&#39;ll be blown away.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Emily Bryson with Andres Ruzo at the Boiling River, Shanay Timpishka, Peru." src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4149/content_Ellii_Andres-boiling-river_Emily-Bryson.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Emily Bryson with Andr&eacute;s Ruzo at the Boiling River, Shanay-Timpishka, Peru.</p>

<h2>The Boiling River</h2>

<p>So the Boiling River is indeed a river that boils! It can reach temperatures of 95 degrees Celsius! To get there, you need to first arrive in Pucallpa by bus or plane and then drive for three hours, mostly on gravel roads. It is a hidden wonder of the world that not many people know about or have seen. Personally, it is one of the most impressive places I have ever visited.</p>

<p><img alt="the boiling river signage" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4150/content_Ellii_boiling-river_Emily-Bryson.jpg" /></p>

<p>My first glimpse was both breathtaking and terrifying. Only a noticeboard with the temperature keeps danger away. One misplaced foot&nbsp;and I&#39;d have been boiled from the outside in, starting with my eyes, according to Andr&eacute;s! The wellness retreat we stayed at recommended sitting on the rocks less than a foot from the river to enjoy a natural steam bath. Oddly, even when I was sweating profusely in&nbsp;40-degree&nbsp;heat, the steam from the river was cleansing and refreshing.</p>

<h2>The climate crisis: Too close for comfort</h2>

<p>As we drove to the river, we noticed a lot of wildfires. We asked our driver to stop and took some photos and videos. It reminded my husband of photos of the aftermath of the Battle of the Somme in the First World War! Whole forests had been razed to ashy fields, mere tree stumps remaining. It was so hot that Andr&eacute;s&#39;s phone overheated and his sneakers&nbsp;melted.</p>

<p>That night, as we slept in our wooden tambo, I could smell the fires still burning. My mind raced as I expected to be evacuated at any point.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Thankfully, when we woke, all was quiet and the steam continued to rise from the crystal clear waters.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="boiling river" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4151/content_Ellii_boiling-river2_Emily-Bryson.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">The aftermath of a forest fire just a few kilometers from the site of the Boiling River</p>

<p>Our visit continued with meetings with local people. The situation is complex and I had to remind myself that Scotland, as well as many other countries, chose to deforest many years ago to make boats and farmland. Of course the quick reward of cash is easier to desire than trees, even if trees give us clean air and reduce the risk of drought and floods.</p>

<p>The remaining lungs of the planet are vanishing rapidly. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/04/global-deforestation-rainforest-climate-goals-brazil-colombia-agriculture" target="_blank">The World Resources Institute reckons on 10 football fields to be lost every minute!</a> Given that Bolivia just lost 3 million hectares (5.6 trillion football fields) in September, I suspect this rate might now be quicker!</p>

<p>Locals want to make way for crops such as soy and palm oil. Illegal loggers want to cut down and sell the biggest, most carbon-absorbing trees. And land traffickers sell plots of land they don&#39;t own to anyone trusting enough not to check.</p>

<h2>A positive message</h2>

<p>It&#39;s hard not to get disillusioned and let the inner troll run riot. But something Andr&eacute;s said helps my <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/activity-to-boost-confidence-and-well-being" target="_self">inner angel</a> win.</p>

<p>Every time the Boiling River gets a mention in a book, blog, printable lesson plan, video, or social media post, it&#39;s one more piece of evidence to strengthen the conservation case to officials.</p>

<p>So dear ELTers, keep teaching conservation topics, especially about the Boiling River and other undiscovered beauties that need our protection. And if you ever write about the BR, send Andr&eacute;s a link. He&#39;ll want to know!</p>

<p>Keep on teaching, keep on writing, keep on spreading the word that our planet needs help if the human race wants to continue to thrive on it!&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Related</h2>

<p>There are 400+&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/collections/global-issues/the-environment" target="_self">environment-themed resources</a> on Ellii, including these&nbsp;wildfire-themed materials:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4665-dealing-with-devastation-in-fire-ravaged-hawaii " target="_self">Dealing with Devastation in Fire-Ravaged Hawaii</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4671-trudeau-slams-facebook-for-blocking-canada-wildfire-news" target="_blank">Trudeau Slams Facebook for Blocking Wildfire Ne</a><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4671-trudeau-slams-facebook-for-blocking-canada-wildfire-news" target="_blank">ws in Canada</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/video/can-tourists-help-maui-s-economy-without-compounding-wildfire-trauma" target="_blank">Tourism in&nbsp;Maui after Wildfire</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4586-wildfires " target="_blank">Wildfires</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>Here are some more related posts:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/46-greening-the-elt-classroom-tips-teaching-ideas" target="_blank">Greening the ELT Classroom</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-what-why-and-how-of-sustainable-development-goals" target="_blank">The What, Why&nbsp;&amp; How of Sustainable Development Goals</a> &nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/one-in-a-million-plastic-litter-challenge" target="_blank">One in a Million: Plastic Litter Challenge</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/student-showcase-earth-day-projects" target="_blank">Student Showcase: Earth Day Projects</a> &nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/activity-to-boost-confidence-and-well-being" target="_blank">A Quick Activity to Boost Confidence &amp; Well-Being: Inner Troll Vs. Inner Angel</a></li>
</ul>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Have you heard of BR? Have you experienced a wildfire or noticed extreme climate change? Do you know any other special places that need their profile raised? What have you done to protect places like this? We&#39;d love to know.</p>
</blockquote>


Boiling Rivers & Burning Forests: Why Teaching Conservation Topics Is So Important

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

Teaching with Ellii

Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>Ellii&#39;s new <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=6&amp;page=1" target="_self">career-specific courses</a> were initially designed to be used as self-study solutions for English learners looking to explore a variety of career pathways. While some students are waiting patiently to get into English language classes, others are looking for specialized content that meets their specific needs outside of a General English class.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Teachers or administers can assign a course, and&nbsp;ELs&nbsp;can work their way independently&nbsp;through the digital-only units on their laptops or mobile devices. All tasks and assessments are autoscored; however, we hope that teachers are&nbsp;monitoring students&#39; results and progress and helping as much as they can along the way.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
But what if you want to teach Ellii&#39;s workplace&nbsp;courses in a group setting? We know now that many teachers are previewing these ready-made courses with this question in mind.</p>

<p>Here are some ideas for adding speaking, writing, and other group activities into a classroom setting. Please share your own activity suggestions and feedback in the comments below!&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Exploit the dialogues in pairs&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Each unit in a career-specific course at Ellii&nbsp;centers around one dialogue with two or three speakers. As a self-study task, students can read and listen to the dialogues and review vocabulary in context. As a class, you can play the audio and students can follow along. Students can also take turns reading the dialogue out loud. But what else can you do in class with ready-made dialogues? Here are some ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Read the dialogues&nbsp;out loud as a pair&nbsp;and then swap roles</li>
	<li>Peform the dialogues for the teacher and work on pronunciation and intonation</li>
	<li>Swap out a set number of words or expressions and perform a new dialogue&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Write an entirely new dialogue using the key vocabulary and expressions&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Role-play what happened before</li>
	<li>Role-play what happens next</li>
</ul>

<h2>Have a class discussion after&nbsp;each scenario</h2>

<ul>
	<li>What was the dialogue mainly about?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What went wrong?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What went right?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Do you think this scenario would happen&nbsp;on a daily basis? If not, how often?</li>
	<li>Is this a scenario that you could see yourself excelling in? Why or why not?</li>
	<li>Are you still interested in this career after studying this scenario? Why or why not?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What else do you want to know about this type of scenario?</li>
</ul>

<h2>Help the new vocabulary become more sticky</h2>

<p>Here are a bunch of activity ideas we have shared in the past about reviewing vocabulary with ELLs. We also recommend using these blank&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2966-vocabulary-cards" target="_self">Vocabulary Cards</a>.</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-remember-vocabulary" target="_self">How to Remember Vocabulary</a>&nbsp;(Share the URGE&nbsp;method with your learners)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-activities-for-reviewing-vocabulary" target="_self">4 Activities for Reviewing Vocabulary</a> (Hot Seat, Matchup, Concentration A &amp; B)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/one-to-one-vocab-review" target="_self">One-to-One Vocabulary Review Ideas</a>&nbsp;(Wh-questions;&nbsp;Reduce, Reuse, Recyle; Speed Sort; Word Soup; and more!)</li>
</ul>

<p>In addition, we&nbsp;hope you have already discovered the places to find related <strong>flashcards</strong> and <strong>silent clips</strong>&nbsp;(and how to use them) in this&nbsp;post: <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/career-pathways-for-newcomers" target="_self">Career Pathways for Newcomers</a>.</p>

<h2>Have students quiz each other&nbsp;before assigning the assessments</h2>

<p>Each workplace course has two assessments&mdash;a mid-course and a final assessment. Your students can work in pairs&nbsp;to quiz each other on the vocabulary and scenarios&nbsp;using the <strong>Review</strong> task from each unit. Alternatively, ask each student to come up with five questions and then pull them out of a box and quiz the class as a group.&nbsp;Students can raise their hands or approach the board to answer. Examples of question types include drawing, spelling, or defining&nbsp;words. Encourage students to also ask&nbsp;main idea or detail&nbsp;questions about the scenarios.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Draw a <em>call button</em> for me.</li>
	<li>When would a nursing assistant use <em>an ear thermometer</em>?</li>
	<li>How does a pharmacist technician verify a person&#39;s ID?</li>
	<li>How do you spell <em>autoclave</em>?</li>
	<li>What kind of questions does an EMT ask when arriving at the scene of an accident?</li>
</ul>

<h2>Create your own additional units together</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Put students in pairs or groups of three.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Have groups come up with a new scenario involving the worker (e.g., nursing assistant) and a colleague or patient/customer from the course.</li>
	<li>Encourage students to research their new scenarios. (They may want to try to use AI for this task, but make sure that they fact-check the results!)</li>
	<li>After writing a new short dialogue, encourage students to choose about 6&ndash;10 keywords that they want to teach from it. (Alternatively, encourage them to&nbsp;recycle vocabulary they learned in&nbsp;the course.)</li>
	<li>After writing their new dialogues, have students work together to peer-edit each other&#39;s work (try our <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2218-writing-correction-key" target="_self">Writing Correction Key</a>). Where would the new scenario fit best into the course?</li>
	<li>Students can then try to create other tasks to build out their lesson (matching, dialogue, vocabulary review, comprension, review), using the template that Ellii has used in the course.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Interview a professional</h2>

<p>To build these courses, Ellii collaborated with people in the field, including nursing assistants, phlebotmists, and others. Your students could do this as well!</p>

<p>Do you or any of your friends, colleagues, or even students know someone who works in this field? Would they be willing to come into your class to talk to the students or even call in via speaker phone?</p>

<p>Have your students prepare&nbsp;some questions for a professional whether you find someone to ask or not. If you can&#39;t find someone to answer the questions live for you, consider putting students to work researching the answers to their own questions.</p>

<h2>Reflect on the course</h2>

<p>We hope you and your learners always take the time to reflect on the content you use at Ellii. We have plenty of reflection tools that you can use in our Assesment Tools area. Some of these tools may be useful for you to use alongside these courses. You could even have students share comments on this blog post!</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2557-3-2-1-reflection" target="_self">3-2-1 Reflection</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2228-exit-slips" target="_self">Exit Slips</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3085-wrap-up" target="_self">Wrap-Up</a></li>
</ul>

<h2><br />
Help Ellii design a printable workplace course template</h2>

<p>If you are&nbsp;hoping to use paper-based versions of Ellii&#39;s workplace courses, we would love to hear from you!</p>

<ul>
	<li>Which tasks and activites would you like to see in a paper-based version of Ellii&#39;s courses?&nbsp;Would you use an abridged printout that has the dialogue and comprehension questions, or are you looking for a full printable lesson with all of the tasks from the digital version (i.e.,&nbsp;similar to an Everyday Dialogues PDF)?</li>
	<li>Would you be using the printable version in a group or one-to-one setting?</li>
	<li>Is there a reason the digital version is not currently meeting your classroom needs?</li>
</ul>

<p>Any suggestions or feedback you have will help as we explore how to reverse-engineer our courses for your printable needs in 2025. Thank you for your requests!</p>

<blockquote>
<p>What ideas do you have for adding&nbsp;engaging classroom activities to self-study materials.</p>
</blockquote>


Transform Self-Study Workplace Courses into Engaging Group-Learning Experiences

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<p>Learning English can be challenging, especially when it comes to collocations&mdash;<em>words that naturally go together</em>. One type of collocation that English learners often struggle with is <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5236-verb-preposition-collocations" target="_self"><strong>verb&ndash;preposition collocations</strong></a>. Unfortunately,&nbsp;there are no clear-cut rules that govern which prepositions go with specific verbs, yet speakers whose first language is English rarely get the combinations&nbsp;wrong. Mastering these collocations will not only improve learners&#39; fluency, but also make&nbsp;everyday conversations much easier to understand and participate in.</p>

<h2>Common verb&ndash;preposition collocations</h2>

<p>Here are some of the most commonly used verb&ndash;preposition collocations in English:</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Verb</th>
			<th>Preposition</th>
			<th>Example Sentence</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>agree</td>
			<td>with</td>
			<td>I <strong>agree with</strong> your opinion.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>apologize</td>
			<td>for</td>
			<td>She<strong> apologized for</strong> being late.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>apply</td>
			<td>for</td>
			<td>He <strong>applied for&nbsp;</strong>a new job.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>depend</td>
			<td>on</td>
			<td>You can <strong>depend on </strong>her to help out.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>focus</td>
			<td>on</td>
			<td>I need to <strong>focus on</strong> my studies.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>wait</td>
			<td>for</td>
			<td>They are <strong>waiting for</strong> the train to arrive.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>complain</td>
			<td>about</td>
			<td>He <strong>complained about</strong> the long wait.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>participate</td>
			<td>in</td>
			<td>She <strong>participated in</strong> the school event.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>succeed</td>
			<td>in</td>
			<td>He <strong>succeeded in</strong> passing his exam.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Why verb&ndash;preposition collocations are important</h2>

<p>Verb&ndash;preposition collocations are essential to learn for several reasons:</p>

<ol>
	<li>
	<p><strong>They reduce hesitation.</strong>&nbsp;Knowing common collocations makes speaking and writing easier as learners&nbsp;won&rsquo;t need to pause to consider the right preposition.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong>They improve&nbsp;listening comprehension</strong>. Since collocations are common, recognizing them will help students&nbsp;understand English speakers&nbsp;more easily.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong>They allow for clear communication.</strong>&nbsp;Collocations give context and precision to language. For example, verbs like&nbsp;&quot;agree&quot; and &quot;ask&quot; can have different meanings when paired with different&nbsp;prepositions. Knowing which preposition to use in a given situation enables speakers to convey their intended meaning accurately.&nbsp;</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong>They help learners avoid mistakes.</strong> English learners often make mistakes by omitting prepositions or using incorrect ones, which can change or distort the meaning of their sentences. Learning collocations will help reduce the number of errors learners make.</p>
	</li>
</ol>

<h2>Tips for students</h2>

<p>Mastering collocations is not about memorizing endless lists. Instead, there are practical strategies that can help make these phrases feel more natural and easier to acquire.</p>

<ol>
	<li><strong>Study common verb&ndash;preposition collocations&nbsp;in context.</strong> One of the best ways to learn collocations&nbsp;is to see them in real-life contexts. Reading books, watching TV&nbsp; shows, or even listening to podcasts can expose you to these collocations in action.</li>
	<li><strong>Create examples.</strong> Using collocations in sentences helps solidify their meaning. Create sentences like &quot;I agree with your opinion&quot; or &quot;I&#39;m waiting for your reply&quot; as you study.</li>
	<li><strong>Practice speaking and writing with verb&ndash;preposition collocations.</strong> To retain what you&#39;ve learned, try incorporating collocations into your everyday speech and writing. Use them in spoken conversations, journal entries, emails, and texts.</li>
	<li><strong>Learn verb&ndash;preposition collocations as fixed phrases.</strong> Collocations are fixed expressions, so it&rsquo;s helpful to learn the two elements&nbsp;together as a unit. Instead of memorizing &quot;depend&quot; on its own, focus on &quot;depend on&quot; as a single concept that means &quot;to rely on.&quot;</li>
</ol>

<h2>Verb&ndash;preposition collocations&nbsp;vs. phrasal verbs</h2>

<p>Verb&ndash;preposition collocations&nbsp;and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2742-phrasal-verbs" target="_self">phrasal verbs</a> might seem similar, but they are different. Collocations keep a connection to the verb&rsquo;s original meaning, while phrasal verbs can have meanings that are quite different from the individual words.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Verb&ndash;preposition collocation example:</strong> &quot;listen to&quot; &ndash; &quot;She <strong>listens to</strong> the news every morning.&quot;</li>
	<li><strong>Phrasal verb example:</strong> &quot;count on&quot; &ndash; &quot;I can always&nbsp;<strong>count on</strong>&nbsp;my parents for emotional support.&quot;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Summary</h2>

<p>Verb&ndash;preposition collocations&nbsp;are a&nbsp;vital aspect of producing clear, accurate English. By learning common collocations, understanding their meanings, and practicing them in sentences, students will be well on their way to achieving fluency and communicating effectively.</p>


Verb–Preposition Collocations

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<p>Every week, our <strong>Customer Support</strong> team answers dozens of questions from Ellii subscribers. The Support team&nbsp;passes some of these questions on to our <strong>Publishing</strong> and <strong>Product</strong> teams in order to:&nbsp;<br />
<br />
1. gather specialized tips and suggestions that will benefit teachers&nbsp;<br />
2. push for features, updates, and content that subscribers request<br />
<br />
Frequently asked questions&nbsp;often turn into full-length blog posts (e.g., <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/categories/grammar-usage" target="_parent">grammar questions</a>), Help Docs (e.g., <a href="https://help.ellii.com/" target="_parent">step-by-step instructions</a>), or videos (e.g., in-depth feature <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2HAIBUNgKo&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aM_OP18M7G9XSYjXigIuunA" target="_parent">explainers</a>).&nbsp;Reflecting on questions like these&nbsp;also helps us think about what we can do to improve the user experience for teachers, students, and administrators.</p>

<p>Here is a question the Customer Support<strong> </strong>team passed on to the Publishing team this week.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>I was wondering which lessons already have built-in assessments. For example, your <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1754-making-requests" target="_parent">Making Requests</a> lesson, found in the <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/functional-english" target="_parent">Functional English</a> section, already has a ready-made assessment included with it.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>For 20+ years, Ellii (formerly ESL Library) has been creating materials&nbsp;focused primarly on helping students <strong>learn</strong>, <strong>practice</strong>, and <strong>use</strong>&nbsp;real and relevant English.</p>

<p>We began incorporating <strong>formative</strong> and <strong>summative</strong> <strong>assessments</strong> into our ready-made lessons and courses several&nbsp;years ago when teacher&nbsp;requests for ready-made assessments&nbsp;began to pour in.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With so many different types of lesson sections and resources available at Ellii, we did not take&nbsp;a standardized approach when it came to adding assessments. For example, we added multiple-choice quizzes to our<strong>&nbsp;foundational </strong>sections that focus on grammar and vocabulary. For sections focusing on<strong> life skills</strong>, we added assessments more aligned with&nbsp;real-world tasks with ready-made tools for grading and offering feedback.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While some teachers appreciated our <strong>ready-made rubrics</strong>, other preferred editable ones that they could <strong>customize</strong>. To answer this need, we developed an <strong>Evaluation</strong> resource category in our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools" target="_parent">Assessment Tools</a> section and added generic forms that could be used with a variety of lessons.</p>

<h1>Index of assessments on Ellii</h1>

<p>As we work on improving how teachers can find suitable assessments on Ellii, we&nbsp;hope the index below&nbsp;will give you a better idea of what types of assessments you will find in sections that have built-in assessments.</p>

<p>We also have several sections that were designed to focus on <strong>skill using</strong>, and we do not have plans to add assessments to these. If you come across a lesson or section that you think would benefit from the addition of&nbsp;built-in assessments, please let us know!&nbsp; Note that some of our older lessons in the sections below may be missing a printable or digital&nbsp;assessment.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools" target="_parent">Diagnostics</a></h2>

<p>The following tests are available to help you get a better idea of your students&#39; proficiency levels. This can then help you determine which level of Ellii you should set your filters to when browsing lessons for these students.</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4226-ellii-placement-test" target="_self">Ellii Placement Test (Speaking &amp; Writing)</a>&nbsp;(Multiple-Choice and Open Answer: Grammar, Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4164-ellii-placement-quiz" target="_self">Ellii Placement Test (Autograded)</a> (Multiple-Choice: Grammar, Listening, Reading)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5607-ellii-exit-test-autograded">Ellii Exit Test (Autograded)</a>&nbsp;(Multiple-Choice: Grammar, Listening, Reading)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2448-grammar-test-1" target="_self">Grammar Test 1</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2449-grammar-test-2" target="_self">Grammar Test 2</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2450-grammar-test-3" target="_self">Grammar Test 3</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2451-grammar-test-4" target="_self">Grammar Test 4</a></li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="speaking task placement test" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4100/content_Ellii_placement-test-speaking.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">A sample speaking question from Ellii&#39;s Placement Test.</p>

<h2><img alt="grammar test 2 writing" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4099/content_Ellii-Grammar-Test-2-Writing.png" /></h2>

<p class="caption">A sample index of questions and a sample writing question from the digital version of Ellii&#39;s Placement Test.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank">CASAS Test Preparation</a></h2>

<p>In this section, you will find ready-made practice tests for all levels of the CASAS STEPS Reading and Listening tests. These tests are modeled after the CASAS STEPS tests and will give your students practice and help them become familiar with the types of questions they will encounter on the real tests. The amount of time students have and the number of times they can listen to the audio is identical to the real tests.</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4925/content_Screen_Shot_2025-09-17_at_2.01.13_PM.png" /></a></p>

<p>To use the tests in practice mode during class time, you can click on the left menu and launch the questions in a <strong>Task</strong> player. Otherwise, assign a test to your students and they will see it in the same way as you do when you click the <strong>Launch assessment</strong> button.</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank"><img alt="practice task or test mode" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4926/content_Screen_Shot_2025-09-17_at_2.03.43_PM.png" /></a></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/grammar-practice-worksheets" target="_parent">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a></h2>

<p>This is our most popular grammar section. A suggested teaching order is available.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable quizzes</li>
	<li>digital quizzes</li>
</ul>

<p>Note: We&#39;ve had some requests to offer assessments in our companion grammar section for young learners (<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/fun-grammar-lessons" target="_parent">Fun Grammar Lessons</a>). If this is something you would like to see on Ellii, be sure to let us know.</p>

<p><img alt="grammar assessment printable" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4071/content_Grammar-printable-quiz.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">A sample assessment from a printable lesson in&nbsp;<strong>Grammar Practice Worksheets</strong>.</p>

<h2 class="caption"><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/super-simple-grammar" target="_parent">Super Simple Grammar</a></h2>

<p>This section offers verb basic grammar drills focused on a single target.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable quizzes</li>
	<li>digital quizzes&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/functional-english" target="_parent">Functional English</a></h2>

<p>This life skills section centers around real-world dialogues. It focuses on teaching everyday vocabulary and expressions used in daily&nbsp;interactions.&nbsp;Each lesson includes&nbsp;a few short dialogues.</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable review tasks for assessment purposes with ready-made rubrics</li>
	<li>digital assessment tasks (some include videos)</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="functional english assessment" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4074/content_Functional-english-assessment.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">A sample ready-made rubric from the&nbsp;<strong>Functional English</strong> section.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/english-basics" target="_parent">English Basics</a></h2>

<p>This section offers&nbsp;lessons for newcomers with very low-literacy skills.</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable assessment with ready-made rubrics</li>
	<li>digital assessment (check)</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="money assessment tool b" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4092/content_money-assessment-tool-ellii.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">A sample assessment&nbsp;and rubric from the <strong>English Basics</strong> section.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/everyday-dialogues" target="_parent">Everyday Dialogues</a></h2>

<p>This life skills section centers around real-world dialogues. It focuses on teaching everyday vocabulary and expressions used in English-speaking communities and&nbsp;workplaces. Each lesson introduces one main dialogue. Assessments may introduce new dialogues while reviewing targeted language. Role-plays that can be used for assessment purposes are available in each lesson. A generic <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2771-role-play-assessment-tool" target="_parent">assessment tool</a> is also available.</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable review tasks that can be used for assessment purposes&nbsp;</li>
	<li>role-plays that can be used for assessment purposes</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="everyday dialogues sample assessment" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4082/content_Screen_Shot_2024-11-05_at_11.39.31_AM.png" /></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading" target="_parent">Real-World Reading</a></h2>

<p>This life skills section centers around real-world reading and vocabulary. Each lesson features&nbsp;materials with&nbsp;authentic formats, such as receipts, maps, posters, and emails. These materials help prepare adult ed students to answer reading questions on&nbsp;standardized proficiency tests.</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable assessment with ready-made rubrics</li>
	<li>digital assessment</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="real-world reading digital assessment" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4101/content_Ellii-digital-assessment-sample.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">A sample digital assessment from&nbsp;the <strong>Real-World Reading</strong> section.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/reading-in-english" target="_parent">Reading in English</a></h2>

<p>This academic English&nbsp;section centers around reading strategies. It focuses on reading skills that are useful for improving comprehension.&nbsp;Each lesson is based on&nbsp;one main reading skill.</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable assessment with ready-made rubrics</li>
	<li>digital assessment (check)</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/writing-in-english" target="_parent">Writing in English</a></h2>

<p>This academic English&nbsp;section centers around writing&nbsp;strategies. It focuses on writing&nbsp;skills that are useful for academic and workplace purposes.&nbsp;Each lesson hones in&nbsp;on&nbsp;one main writing skill.</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable writing challenge</li>
	<li>digital writing challenge&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="digital writing challenge" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4102/content_Ellii-sample-writing-assessment.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">A sample writing assessment from the digital version or a <strong>Writing in English</strong> lesson.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/career-pathways" target="_parent">Career Pathways</a></h2>

<p>This digital-only workplace section focuses on career exploration with an emphasis on vocabulary and reading comprehension. Each lesson introduces one possible career pathway.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>digital quiz</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/super-simple-questions" target="_parent">Super Simple Questions</a></h2>

<p>This life skills section centers around very short&nbsp;real-world dialogues for absolute beginners.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>printable assessment suggestions&nbsp;in answer key</li>
	<li>digital assessments</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="Assessment suggestions in Answer Key" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4084/content_Assessment-in-akey.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">A sample answer key excerpt with suggested tasks a teacher could use for assessment.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=43&amp;page=1" target="_parent">General English courses</a>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>These Ellii Up courses are designed for teachers who do not use a coursebook or do not want to build their own curriculum. They&nbsp;offer a sequence of lessons from multiple sections on Ellii&nbsp;at a single proficiency level. Students can progress through the levels and take assessments as they go.</p>

<p>In addition to the course assessments, some lessons within each course&nbsp;have their own assessments within them.</p>

<ul>
	<li>mid-course assessment</li>
	<li>final assessment</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=3&amp;material=courses&amp;page=1" target="_parent">Grammar courses</a></h2>

<p>These courses are designed for teachers who do not use a coursebook or do not want to build their own curriculum. They&nbsp;offer a sequence of grammar-focused lessons from multiple sections on Ellii&nbsp;at a single proficiency level. Students can progress through the levels and take assessments as they go.</p>

<ul>
	<li>final digital assessment</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=6&amp;material=courses&amp;page=1" target="_parent">Workplace&nbsp;courses</a></h2>

<p>These ready-made courses focus on business English or career-specific English.&nbsp;They&nbsp;offer a sequence of lessons at a&nbsp;proficiency level with two main assessments. These are ideal for self-study.</p>

<ul>
	<li>mid-course assessment</li>
	<li>final assessment</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="final assessment sample workplace course on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4083/content_Screen_Shot_2024-11-05_at_11.44.52_AM.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">A sample vocabulary question from a final assessment in an Ellii workplace course.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=2&amp;material=courses&amp;page=1" target="_parent">Serials</a></h2>

<p>These ready-made courses focus on informal English.&nbsp; They&nbsp;offer a sequence of lessons at a&nbsp;proficiency level with assessments throughout.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>3-4 assessments (printable/digital) per course&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools" target="_blank">Generic evaluation &amp; reflection tools</a></h2>

<p>Ready-made printable rubrics and forms to use for a variety of purposes when assessing language learners. Below are 10 examples. Many more are available in our <a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools" target="_parent">Assessment Tools</a> section.</p>

<ol>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2832-english-questionnaire" target="_parent">English Questionnaire</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2132-reading-task-assessment-form" target="_parent">Reading Task Assessment Form</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2131-writing-task-assessment-form" target="_parent">Writing Task Assessment Form</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2129-speaking-task-assessment-form" target="_parent">Speaking Task Assessment Form</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2130-listening-task-assessment-form" target="_parent">Listening Task Assessment Form</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2326-advanced-reading-comprehension" target="_parent">Advanced Reading Comprehension</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2383-personal-opinion-assessment-tools" target="_parent">Personal Opinion Assessment Tools</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2126-self-evaluation-form" target="_parent">Self-Evaluation Form</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2228-exit-slips" target="_parent">Exit Slips</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2557-3-2-1-reflection" target="_parent">3-2-1 Reflection</a></li>
</ol>

<h1>A Note on Grading</h1>

<p>If you&#39;re interested in learning more about Ellii&#39;s <strong>Grade Feed</strong>, please watch this video. Note that important updates are in the works, including expanding on our use of AI for grading open-ended writing and speaking responses.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lk1zLa3MGU0?si=UxvrrU74VSMcEXEy" width="640"></iframe></div>

<blockquote>Which Ellii assessments have you used? Which tests are your students preparing for? Share thoughts and feedback about assessment in the comments. Be sure to share your feedback on&nbsp;Ellii&#39;s new CASAS practice tests!</blockquote>

How to Find Assessments on Ellii

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<p>When I was an ESOL lecturer at City of Glasgow College, I delivered a lot of employability-themed and workplace English lessons. My learners were mostly from refugee backgrounds, wishing to get back into their profession or upskill to reap the economic benefits.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In my previous post, I reflected on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-importance-of-workplace-english" target="_parent">Why You Should Teach Workplace English</a>. In this post, I&rsquo;ll give some of my top tips on &quot;how.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<h2><b>Seek local (or online) partnerships</b></h2>

<p>Students want to learn workplace English in order to enhance their career opportunities. To do this, connecting them with people who can offer further support is extremely helpful. Local and online partners could provide services such as:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>inspiring workshops and webinars</li>
	<li>mentoring&nbsp;</li>
	<li>job application advice</li>
	<li>work placements</li>
	<li>volunteering</li>
	<li>workplace visits and site tours</li>
</ul>

<h2><b>Share inspiring stories&nbsp;</b></h2>

<p>Finding work in a language you are developing can be a challenge. Students can often get disheartened. To boost their confidence and motivation levels, share stories of people who have been in similar situations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You can find these stories in newspapers, magazines, or blog posts. Alternatively, search through the content library at Ellii for a real-life reading, like this one on how <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2405-jack-ma " target="_parent">Jack Ma</a> became China&rsquo;s wealthiest person after creating Ali Baba or how <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4061-entrepreneurs-simple-past" target="_parent">Milton Hershey</a>&nbsp;opened a world-famous chocolate factory or how <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2212-hedy-lamarr" target="_parent">Hedy Lamarr</a> went from acting to paving the way for Wi-Fi technology.</p>

<p>Personally, I find the most motivating stories for learners come from their own peers. Have them share their own success stories in class&nbsp;or invite previous students back to class to share theirs.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><b>Bring in realia</b></h2>

<p>When I was teaching ESOL for Social Care, learners had A LOT of technical vocabulary to learn. One of the most fun&nbsp;and realistic&nbsp;ways to get vocabulary to stick was by bringing in realia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Luckily for me, my parents hadn&rsquo;t retired at the time, so they brought me lots of cool stuff to use in class: colostomy bags, syringes, bandages, and bedpans. Students had a great time discussing these items as well as&nbsp;labeling them and doing role-plays with them!</p>

<p>Of course, it may not be practical or possible to bring real equipment to class. It&rsquo;s quite unlikely you&rsquo;ll be able to bring a dentist&rsquo;s LED light to class, for example!&nbsp;That&rsquo;s when you can rely on Ellii&rsquo;s vast <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards" target="_parent">Media Gallery</a>, which now has almost 5,000 images and 150 workplace videos.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://ellii.com/video/led-light" target="_blank"><img alt="LED light silent clip" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4087/content_LED-light-video-Ellii-workplace-english.png" /></a><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job?flashcard=9109&amp;query=LED%20light" target="_blank"><img alt="LED light flashcard" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4080/content_Screen_Shot_2024-11-04_at_4.17.25_PM.png" /></a></p>

<p>Check out Ellii&#39;s growing&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job" target="_parent"> At Work &amp; On the Job</a> flashcard category.</p>

<h2><b>Focus on the&nbsp;<i>English</i></b></h2>

<p>When teaching workplace English, remember that you are first and foremost teaching English. You are (probably) not a pharmacist, dentist, phlebotomist, custodian, emergency medical technician, or nursing assistant. It can be tricky to distance yourself from learning (or inadvertently teaching) the workplace topic. That&rsquo;s for your students to learn. You can give them the communication skills to succeed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>To get around this, ask your learners frequently what they need and what interactions they have (or may have) had. You can also have them bring any tricky coursework to class to inform your lessons. Use these to put the vocabulary into practice using role-plays and real-life scenarios.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It can take a lot of time and preparation to create high-quality workplace English lessons. That&rsquo;s why Ellii has done the hard work for you with its new Career-Specific&nbsp;Pathway courses. The teachers and writers at Ellii are not phlebotomists or pharmacists, either! However, they hired real-life&nbsp;consultants to help build these courses for your students&#39; career exploration and to ensure the scenarios are realistic and relevant. You can teach these in class or set them as self-directed study.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Check them out here:&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Career-Specific Pathway&nbsp;Courses</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/nursing-assistants/materials" target="_parent">English for Nursing Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/pharmacy-technicians/materials" target="_parent">English for Pharmacy Technicians</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/dental-assistants/materials" target="_parent">English for Dental Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-phlebotomists/materials" target="_parent">English for Phlebotomists</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-paraeducators/materials" target="_parent">English for Paraeducators</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-custodians/materials" target="_parent">English for Custodians</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-emergency-medical-technicians/materials" target="_parent">English for Emergency Medical Technicians</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-medical-assistants/materials" target="_parent">English for Medical Assistants</a></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>

<p>Not ready for full courses?&nbsp;Ellii also has exploratory Career Pathways lessons that can be ideal to find out what your students are interested in.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Exploratory Career Pathways Lessons</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5018-working-as-a-nursing-assistant " target="_parent">Working as a Nursing Assistant</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5034-working-as-a-pharmacy-technician" target="_parent">Working as a Pharmacy Technician</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5030-working-as-a-dental-assistant " target="_parent">Working as a Dental Assistant</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5035-working-as-a-phlebotomist " target="_parent">Working as a Phlebotomist</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5016-working-as-a-custodian" target="_parent">Working as a Custodian</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5038-working-as-a-paraeducator " target="_parent">Working as a Paraeducator</a></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>

<h2>Related</h2>

<p>For more on our <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/career-pathways-for-newcomers" target="_parent">Career-Specific&nbsp;Pathway&nbsp;courses</a>, check out this blog post from Tara Benwell and watch for an upcoming webinar!&nbsp;</p>

<p>You may also like this post on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-importance-of-workplace-english" target="_parent">Why You Should Teacher Workplace English</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Have you taught workplace English? What career-specific topics have you taught? What are your top tips? Do you have any employment success stories to share regarding your past ESOL students?&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>


How to Teach Workplace English

https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2607/Emily_How-to-Teach-Workplace-English_Banner.png

<p>In this post, I outline some reasons why teaching workplace English is so important. (And why I&rsquo;m personally excited about Ellii&rsquo;s new <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=6&amp;page=1" target="_parent">Career-Specific Pathway&nbsp;courses</a>.)</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S2HAIBUNgKo?si=WOUi4VpVjRMOR39Y" width="640"></iframe></div>

<h2><b>1. Hope</b></h2>

<p>For many years, I taught workplace ESOL to new Scots. My learners were mostly people from <strong>refugee backgrounds</strong> who had made Scotland their home. Many of them were skilled professionals&mdash;doctors, nurses, business owners, and engineers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Imagine being forced to leave your country due to war, political unrest, or lack of safety.&nbsp;You find yourself in an unfamiliar place where you have to take a role below your skill level to survive. You&rsquo;ve devoted years of your life to your career, but your qualifications aren&rsquo;t accepted or have been destroyed. To add to that, your English language skills aren&rsquo;t proficient enough.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Teaching workplace ESOL&nbsp;and providing learners access to self-study courses&nbsp;can give them hope. It can take years to learn English, but <strong>developing skills tailored to their chosen career path</strong> can help them get where they want to be much faster.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/nursing-assistants/materials" target="_parent">English for Nursing Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/pharmacy-technicians/materials" target="_parent">English for Pharmacy Technicians</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/dental-assistants/materials" target="_parent">English for Dental Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-phlebotomists/materials" target="_parent">English for Phlebotomists</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-paraeducators/materials" target="_parent">English for Paraeducators</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-custodians/materials" target="_parent">English for Custodians</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-emergency-medical-technicians/materials" target="_parent">English for Emergency Medical Technicians</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-medical-assistants/materials" target="_parent">English for Medical Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-home-health-aides/materials" target="_blank">English for Home Health Aides</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/soft-skills-for-hospitality-workers/materials">Soft Skills for Hospitality Workers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-commercial-drivers/materials">English for Commercial Drivers</a></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>

<h2><b>2. Motivation</b></h2>

<p>One of the main reasons for learning another language is to enhance career opportunities. Having proficient language skills can increase confidence and open doors. If you ask your learners why they are learning English, <strong>employability</strong> will likely be one of their top reasons.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As teachers, we are constantly looking for content that students can get excited about, and tailoring lessons to students&rsquo; needs can help do this.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>If a student is a <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/pharmacy-technicians/materials " target="_parent">pharmacy technician</a>&nbsp;or is (re)training to be one, what could be more motivating than a whole course specifically designed with their needs in mind?</p>

<h2><b>3. (Re)Training</b></h2>

<p>One of the biggest <strong>barriers</strong> my learners faced when finding employment in Scotland was their <strong>qualifications</strong>. In many cases, their certificates had perished in fires&nbsp;or been abandoned in haste. This left them <strong>without evidence </strong>of having completed their training.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Another issue was that some <strong>qualifications</strong> had different <strong>equivalencies</strong> between countries. For example, four years at university in one country could be the equivalent to two levels below in another. This meant that many students had to re-train in order to practice. In some cases, this meant a conversion course while&nbsp;others had to start their training again from scratch.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Training or re-training is not simple, especially in a new language. Teaching workplace English can support learners to prepare for training courses&nbsp;or support them while they complete their professional development.</p>

<div style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/976886639?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="English-for-Nursing-Assistants-Intro-V2"></iframe></div>
<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>

<h2><b>4. Opening closed doors</b></h2>

<p>In order to be a teacher, lawyer, dentist, or other specialized trade, you need to speak the language of the country you are practicing in proficiently. Many of my learners were intermediate or below. This meant that the proverbial door was closed to them until their language skills were strong enough.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Learning a language can take years. However, this can be fast-tracked by targeted learning and by focusing on the interactions, skills, and vocabulary that each individual learner needs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=6&amp;page=1" target="_parent">Career-Specific&nbsp;Pathway&nbsp;courses</a> help <strong>dental assistants, nursing assistants, pharmacy assistants, phlebotomists, medical assistants, paraeducators, </strong>and<strong> custodians</strong> communicate confidently in their chosen profession. And don&#39;t worry! Ellii has plans to help nudge the doors open for many other occupations in 2025.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><b>5. Client communication</b></h2>

<p>Many learners may already be working in their chosen profession. They might already have developed their language skills, gotten the qualifications they need, and started working in their chosen role. Yet, now that they are working, they feel the need to polish their work-specific communication skills.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A South African friend of mine is a surgeon. He speaks English proficiently, but when he moved to Scotland, he found that he couldn&rsquo;t understand his patients. Why? Because his patients are speaking Scots. My friend started taking notes of all the Scots terms he encountered and now uses them conversationally around other Scots speakers&nbsp;and with his patients. As with our learners, he needed to develop his workplace communication skills.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4944-communication-during-a-blood-draw" target="_parent">Communication during a Blood Draw</a>&nbsp;from the <strong>English for Phlebotomists</strong> course, the student can read and listen to an example conversation during a blood draw. The phlebotomist describes the stages and what he is doing&nbsp;while&nbsp;distracting the patient by asking her to talk about her interests.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="English for phlebotomists" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4064/content_Screen_Shot_2024-10-30_at_2.27.58_PM.png" /></p>

<h2><b>6. Career inspiration</b></h2>

<p>Some learners may be exploring which career path they wish to take. Workplace English can be a great way for them to consider some aspects of the job roles that interest them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, maybe they want to be a dental assistant. Giving them access to the <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/dental-assistants/materials " target="_parent">English for Dental Assistants</a> course can not only polish their English skills, but also help them understand the role more deeply.</p>

<p><img alt="English for dental assistants" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4067/content_English-for-Dental-Assistants.png" /></p>

<blockquote>
<p>If your students aren&#39;t sure what jobs they might be interested in, you&nbsp;could even start with an <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/career-pathways" target="_parent">Ellii Poll</a> or lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/career-pathways" target="_parent">Career Pathways</a>&nbsp;before assigning a full course.</p>
</blockquote>

<h2><b>7. Switching roles: Being a better patient!</b></h2>

<p>Maybe your learners have other career interests or Ellii hasn&rsquo;t yet had a chance to create the perfect course for them. You can still use them with your learners!&nbsp;</p>

<p>If a student is going into hospital, you could do this lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4809-patient-admission " target="_parent">Patient Admission</a> from the <strong>English for Nursing Assistants</strong> course.&nbsp;</p>

<p>If a student is <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4892-filling-procedure " target="_parent">getting a filling</a>, try this lesson from the <strong>English for Dental Assistants</strong> course.&nbsp;</p>

<p>If a student needs to visit the pharmacy for medicine recommendations, you could use <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4938-over-the-counter-recommendations " target="_parent">this lesson</a> from <strong>English for Pharmacy Assistants</strong>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When I first started teaching workplace English many years ago, there were limited resources. We had to create our own, so I was delighted to see that Eliii has created all these wonderful resources to make teachers and learners lives so much easier.&nbsp;I hope you enjoy them.&nbsp;For more ideas on how to teach <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/career-pathways-for-newcomers" target="_parent">Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;Career Pathways content</a>, check out these tips.</p>

<p>Watch for my follow-up post on <strong>How to Teach Workplace English</strong>&nbsp;as well as an upcoming webinar focusing on Ellii&#39;s content for&nbsp;<strong>Allied Health </strong>industry.</p>

<blockquote>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-57c41dd3-7fff-3929-616a-3dc8321f83ed">Have you taught workplace English? What have you taught? In what ways do you think it is important for learners? </b></p>
</blockquote>


Why You Should Teach Workplace English

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<p>There is no doubt that using photos, images, and illustrations in class is a powerful tool. They can help:</p>

<ul>
	<li>aid understanding</li>
	<li>boost memory</li>
	<li>ignite conversations</li>
	<li>motivate learners&nbsp;</li>
	<li>enhance accessibility</li>
	<li>stimulate critical thinking</li>
	<li>inspire creativity</li>
</ul>

<p>Here are some ways to use them to support English language learning.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>1. To teach vocabulary</h2>

<p>Images are particularly useful for teaching vocabulary, especially at lower levels. It can be challenging to explain the meaning of a word using simpler language than the target word&nbsp;itself. However, showing an image can bring immediate understanding.</p>

<p>For example, imagine trying to explain &quot;cheek retractors&quot; to a B1 student studying workplace English without using pictures or looking at each other! First, you&rsquo;d need to check that they understood the word &quot;cheek&quot;&nbsp;(the part of your face between your lips and ears), and then you&rsquo;d need to find a way to express &quot;retractor.&quot; Pretty tricky, right?</p>

<p>Or, you could just show them this photo from Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/packs/dental-assistants/materials" target="_self">English for Dental Assistants</a> course!</p>

<p><img alt="cheek retractor" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4012/content_cheek-retractor-Ellii-visuals.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">&nbsp;Image of &quot;cheek retractors&quot; from the Ellii course Workplace: <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4900-teeth-whitening-treatment" target="_self">English for Dental Assistants: Teeth Whitening Treatment</a>.</p>

<p>You could also use this illustration from Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/dental-assistants?flashcard=9713" target="_self">Dental Assistants</a> flashcard set.</p>
<p<img alt="cheek retractors" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4006/content_cheek-retractors_CT.png">
<p>Many of Ellii&#39;s lessons use flashcards and picture dictionaries to introduce vocabulary. Ellii has almost 5,000 flashcards and teachers can create sets to meet their students&rsquo; needs. Students can then use these to create their own picture dictionaries and vocabulary notes.</p>

<p>Here are some other <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/twelve-ellii-flashcards-for-reflection" target="_self">creative ways to use flashcards</a>.</p>

<h2>2. To introduce global topics</h2>

<p>While illustrations can be fun and educational, sometimes a photo is more appropriate and expressive, such as this photo entitled <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4546-fleeing-sudan" target="_self">Fleeing Sudan</a>&nbsp;from Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resources/photo-prompts" target="_self">Photo Prompts</a> section.</p>

<p>Using just one image, students are prompted to describe the photo, make predictions, research the history of Sudan, and explore reasons for migration. In this case, a photo is essential to show the reality of the situation.</p>

<p><img alt="real photos from the news" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4007/content_Screen_Shot_2024-10-17_at_4.19.10_PM.png" /></p>

<p>This blog post has more ideas for you to get a three-hour lesson out of just one image:&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-one-image-can-develop-visual-literacy-and-critical-thinking" target="_self">What&#39;s the Story? How One Image Can Develop Visual Literacy &amp; Critical Thinking Skills</a></p>

<h2>3. To inspire storytelling</h2>

<p>Using storytelling in class is a brilliant way to incorporate all four communication skills. Students can:</p>

<ul>
	<li>listen to a story and take notes</li>
	<li>discuss the story</li>
	<li>write a summary of the story (or an alternative version)</li>
	<li>read other students&#39; stories</li>
</ul>

<p>Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/story-prompts" target="_self">Story Prompts</a> use images to inspire students&rsquo; storytelling skills. For example, in this Superhero story, students can describe the picture or use it to tell their own version of the story. Students can do this alone or in groups.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
<img alt="Story Prompts at Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4008/content_Screen_Shot_2024-10-17_at_4.20.44_PM.png" /></p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/language-scenes" target="_self">Language Scenes</a>&nbsp;like this one, &quot;At the Beach,&quot; can be used in a similar way:&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Language Scenes at Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4009/content_Screen_Shot_2024-10-17_at_4.20.54_PM.png" /></p>

<p>For more ideas on how to use images to tell stories, check out these blog posts:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/simply-storytelling-inspiring-english-learners-with-story-prompts" target="_self">Simply Storytelling: Inspiring English Learners with Story Prompts</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/wordless-lessons-project" target="_self">Wordless Lessons: An Innovation Project</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/create-your-own-adventure-teaching-english-the-wordless-way" target="_self">Create Your Own Adventure: Teaching English the Wordless Way!</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>4. To instigate conversation</h2>

<p>Sometimes the best way to get a conversation going is to stay silent. For example, show students this image from Ellii&#39;s silent video &quot;disagreeing,&quot; or play the full video. In this case, the authentic person showing their disagreement is perhaps more emotive than an animation might be.</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/video/disagreeing" target="_blank"><img alt="Silent Clips on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4011/content_Ellii-video-screenshot-disagreement.png" /></a></p>

<p>Have students answer conversation starters, such as:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>How does she feel?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Why do you think she feels this way?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What makes you respond in this way?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>When was the last time you disagreed with someone? Why?</li>
	<li>Make a list of five things you disagree with. Share them with a partner.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>For an added challenge, have students come up with their own questions, or ask them to write a dialogue between two people disagreeing about something.&nbsp;You can access Ellii&#39;s<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/silent-clips" target="_self">&nbsp;silent clips</a> here. There are also Workplace vocabulary silent clips&nbsp;in this <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace" target="_blank">category</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For more ideas on using silent clips and moving images, check out these blog posts:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-ways-to-use-silent-video-clips" target="_self">4 Creative Ways to Use Silent Video Clips in English Class</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-videos-in-class" target="_self">4 Ways to Use Videos Effectively in Class</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>5. To boost creativity</h2>

<p>Photos and illustrations are wonderful receptive teaching tools. Having students produce their own can be equally, if not more, beneficial. This can help you check that students have understood, give an opportunity for peer learning, let them tell their own stories, and incorporate creativity into the classroom. Some students may not feel confident with drawing. In this case, remind them that drawings don&rsquo;t have to be artistic. The aim is to communicate a message, not to be Picasso! Every day scientists, architects, engineers, and teachers use simple doodles and diagrams to explain things, take notes, and help them to think. It is a useful skill for all ages.</p>

<p>Here are some ways to have students draw in the classroom:</p>

<ul>
	<li>play Pictionary</li>
	<li>draw their own flashcards or picture dictionaries</li>
	<li>take notes using simple sketches</li>
	<li>tell a story in comic style or replacing words with doodles</li>
	<li>create their own graphic organizers, using oversized doodles instead of tables</li>
	<li>use doodles in mind maps or diagrams</li>
	<li>copy the Ellii illustrations</li>
</ul>

<p>Here are some related posts on Ellii:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/sketchnoting-101-supercharged-professional-development-with-visual-notes" target="_self">Sketchnoting 101: Supercharge Professional Development with Visual Notes</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-simplify-complex-tasks-with-visual-prompts" target="_self">How to Simplify Complex Tasks with Visual Prompts</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/graphic-facilitation-101" target="_self">Graphic Facilitation 101: Teaching English through Visual Communication</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/graphic-organizers-for-language-skills-development" target="_self">Using Graphic Organizers for Language Skills Development</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-pictures-as-grammar-prompts" target="_self">How to Use Pictures as Grammar Prompts</a><br />
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>How do you use visuals in the classroom? Do you prefer photos, illustrations, or your own drawings? Share your experiences and ideas in the Comments below!&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>
</p<img>

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