The first ELT conference I ever attended was ACEIA 2016. A group of us from the academy in Cáceres where I had just started working travelled down to make a weekend of it. I remember being amazed to be surrounded by so many people so passionate about teaching English that they would give up aContinue reading “ACEIA in Sevilla”
Author Archives: Chris Richards
Change (n., vb.)
Sometimes it’s a noun and sometimes it’s a verb, the word ‘change’ is itself changeable. Wonderfully you can read about how the meaning of ‘change’ has changed over time (see etymonline) from its origins in Proto-Indo European that suggest a root meaning ‘to bend’. In Welsh, the noun meaning ‘change’ is newid and the adjectiveContinue reading “Change (n., vb.)”
A New Academic Year Begins
It’s 31st August. I woke and read with my morning coffee which is always my routine. I had a lazy breakfast while regarding my new running shoes nestled inside the shoe. But I put off their maiden run until tomorrow – today is the last day of the summer holidays, after all. I’m now sittingContinue reading “A New Academic Year Begins”
Evidence-Informed Practice
Last autumn, I undertook a course from the Chartered College of Teachers that led to my being awarded a Certificate in Evidence-Informed Practice. Like the courses I’ve taken with International House (Observation and Giving Feedback and Performance Management), this one was largely asynchronous which, naturally, fits with the schedule of a teacher working full-time. ItContinue reading “Evidence-Informed Practice”
Courage (n.)
Derived from Old French meaning ‘heart’, by the late 14th-century courage had already acquired the meaning of the ‘quality of mind which enables one to meet danger and trouble without fear’ (etymonline). Cambridge defines courage as ‘the ability to control your fear in a dangerous or difficult situation’ (Cambridge; emphasis mine). I added the emphasisContinue reading “Courage (n.)”
Performance Management
After taking the ‘Observation and Giving Feedback’ course with International House online in the autumn, their Performance Management course piqued my interest this spring. And I wasn’t disappointed. The format of the course — asynchronous, online, structured over six weeks — was the same as the previous course (which I wrote about last month). AlsoContinue reading “Performance Management”
Observation and Giving Feedback
In the last few months of 2021, I studied the International House online course on observation and giving feedback. I’ve been meaning to post my thoughts about what I learned and the course itself, but the beginning of 2022 has been a busy time. I have been observing teaching since I began my high schoolContinue reading “Observation and Giving Feedback”
Legacy
Etymonline informs us that legacy (n.) derives from the Medieval Latin ‘legacie, “body of persons sent on a mission”‘. Meanwhile, the Cambridge Dictionary defines legacy in a number of ways, including ‘something that is the result of events in the past’ and ‘something that is part of your history or remains from an earlier time’.Continue reading “Legacy”
What I think about when I think about choice
Choice (n.) ‘an act of choosing; a decision’ also ‘the right to choose; the possibility of choosing’ and ‘a person or thing that has been chosen or can be chosen’ Choice (adj.) ‘of high quality’ (Cambridge Dictionary) This month, I’ve chosen to post two separate thoughts on the idea of ‘choice(s)’: When I was inContinue reading “What I think about when I think about choice”
Fulfilment
I can normally be relied upon to delve into the etymology and meanings of the words set as themes for the #MonthlyWritingChallenge. Don’t worry, this month isn’t any different and I’m particularly excited about this one! I’ll start with modern definitions. According to the Cambridge Dictionary there are two meanings in use and the firstContinue reading “Fulfilment”
Chris Richards ELT 