TEACHING
TEENS
HERBERT PUCHTA
“We should take Secondary students seriously!”
THE TEEN BRAIN EXPLAINED How the latest in neuroscience explains adolescent behaviour
FOCUS ON RESEARCH The benefits of reading for pleasure
IDEAS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM Pull-out project and fast-finisher activities
Secondary cambridge.org/secondary
HOT OR NOT? A teacher’s guide to the latest teen trends
Letter from the Editor As a former teacher of teenagers, I know that teaching this age group holds its own unique rewards and challenges! As part of my job, I have visited schools and talked to Secondary teachers and students from all over the world. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, teachers from Mexico and Brazil to Turkey and Italy talk about similar situations in their teenage classroom. Keeping students motivated, getting them to speak English, and helping them manage their mobile phone use are all common challenges for Secondary teachers.
“teenage” behaviour. Nik Peachey’s article on helping students manage their mobile phone use (page 10) has some great ideas to use in class, or dive deep into research on reading with Dr Peter Watkins on page 18. For practical ideas, turn to page 14 for a pull-out project and page 12 for some fast-finisher activities. Or, if you just need to relax, Dr Kate Brierton has some fantastic advice on page 24 for promoting teacher wellbeing.
So it was interesting to hear from author Nicola Morgan about what is going on at this age in terms of brain development (page 7). It really helps explain typically
Annie Marriott
I hope you enjoy this issue of the Cambridge Secondary magazine. For more insights, events and advice go to the Cambridge Secondary site at cambridge.org/secondary.
Publishing Manager
CATCH UP ON THE LATEST AT CAMBRIDGE SECONDARY!
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Teaching tip videos for classroom management, speaking activities and more!
Jamie Keddie shares three activities for teacher-led storytelling.
CONTENTS
Dr Kate Brierton explores how to build teacher-student rapport in her latest webinar.
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Nicola Morgan explains the teenage brain, and what it means for teachers.
An interview with Herbert Putcha
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The teenage brain explained
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Four tips for teaching teens, from the experts
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Teen trends: what’s hot and what’s not!
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Helping students control their phone use
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Use it! Activity ideas for fast-finishers
14 16 THE JOYS (AND BENEFITS) OF READING
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Pull-out project Factfile: Learning to learn Focus on research: extensive reading Readaxation and the power of reading for pleasure Teacher-led storytelling 5 ways to relax after a long day of teaching
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The compassionate schools approach
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Life in a day, with teacher and author Dan Vincent
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“We need to take tee students seriously.” AN INTERVIEW WITH HERBERT PUCHTA
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eenage ”
Dr Herbert Puchta is a writer of course books and other ELT materials and a professional teacher trainer. For almost three decades, he has researched the practical application of cognitive psychology in EFL-teaching. Herbert has co-authored numerous textbooks and resource books including THiNK, English in Mind and MORE! How did you start working in ELT? I was a teacher of young learners first, and then a teacher of teenagers. When I started teaching in Austria, the teaching materials were not very exciting – in those days it was all grammar translation! I had this vision of producing materials that would appeal to children and teenagers while simultaneously developing their ability to communicate. So, I began collaborating with similar-minded teachers and wrote my first course for lower-Secondary students in Austria. What has been your most memorable experience of working with teenagers? I’m not sure if there’s one experience I can point to, it’s rather a special quality that is specific to teaching teens. People often say that teens are difficult to teach, but if you manage to establish a classroom culture based on trust, they learn to appreciate this feeling of solidarity in the classroom. This helps students develop into responsible human beings and this is very gratifying for a teacher; being able to contribute to the development not only of students’ language but as well as their development as people.
“WE NEED TO ESTABLISH A CLASSROOM CULTURE BASED ON TRUST.”
What’s special about teaching teenagers? What’s special is the phase they go through; suddenly they’re not children anymore! They are becoming aware of needing to fit in with society and they’re asking themselves big questions, some of which can be quite threatening, like “Will I be successful in life?”, “Will I earn enough money?” “Will I be able to find a job?”
“WE HAVE TO GO BEYOND LANGUAGE TEACHING TO GIVE OUR TEENAGE STUDENTS GUIDANCE.” But the latest research shows it’s also a time of great opportunity. It’s a time when their adult identity starts forming, when they develop visions and dreams, and when they need adult understanding and guidance. This is what is great about being a teacher of teenagers; we have the opportunity to go beyond language teaching and give them this guidance. So, based on this, how do you write coursebooks for teenagers and what types of materials should teachers be using with their teenage students? If you ask teenagers what their main interests are, they will often talk about their favourite celebrities, like pop stars and sports personalities. The problem is that if we write texts about those heroes and heroines and put them in our coursebooks then by the time the book is published, the content is already out of date! We need to look at what is behind this teen admiration of celebrities. The educational philosopher Kieran Egan says that teenagers like to look up to people. They project big human qualities onto their heroes like love, genius, creativity, and courage. An alternative way of helping students connect with these big human qualities is using texts about “ordinary” people who show these human qualities. This is much better than texts about celebrities who may or may not have those characteristics.
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“TEENAGERS BENEFIT FROM LEARNING ABOUT OTHER CULTURES.” Teens are also interested in anything that is far away from their own reality, so I like to use topics about other people, places and cultures. This helps them to gain insights into other ways of life, and understand that although people may look different, eat different food and live in different surroundings, that there is always something they can find in common. What tips have you got for getting students speaking? Students are often afraid of losing face in front of their classmates which makes them reluctant to speak in case they make a mistake. So, the first and probably most important requirement is to establish an atmosphere of trust. They need to understand that making
mistakes is part of learning. A good foreign language learner is a risk-taker - they know that what they are going to say might be grammatically wrong, but the ultimate goal is to communicate what they want to say. So, it is really important to consider how we handle students’ errors.
“A GOOD FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNER IS A RISK-TAKER.” The second thing is that we need to give them content that is interesting to talk about. Ben Goldstein once said that if teenagers are supposed to ask each other questions like “Do you like bananas?” then we can’t possibly expect them to be fully engaged. We need to take teenage students seriously and deal with topics that make them want to take part. One of the things that I have suggested to teachers is
“ WE AREN’T DOING OUR
STUDENTS A FAVOUR IF WE SPOON-FEED THEM.
“
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that we should talk to teenage students about values. Helping them develop solid value systems is critical to their future lives. This doesn’t mean telling them how to behave, it means creating an environment which allows them to explore their ideas without judgement. Ultimately, I’m a firm believer in challenging students cognitively. If what we do with them is too simple and doesn’t require thinking then they will be bored. This is true for both topics and language. James Zull, the wellknown neurobiologist, says that success is progress towards a goal, and nothing succeeds like success. Students can only notice that they are making progress if they are challenged. This might not be welcome on the surface because teens might not want to work hard, but if we make it clear what we expect, and regularly assess their progress, then they should also see the benefits. We aren’t doing our students a favour if we spoon-feed them.
The teenage brain explained
Nicola Morgan is a multi-awardwinning author and international expert on teenage brains and mental health, and the science of reading for pleasure.
by Nicola Morgan
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ll teenagers are individuals. They are also going through shared significant brain and body changes. Their individual cultures, environments, genes and personalities affect how this stage feels for them but the developmental changes must happen, to turn them from protected, dependent child to unprotected, independent adult. Details and references are in my book, Blame My Brain, and teaching materials, Brain Sticks, but here I’ve picked five main changes that directly affect the learning brains in your classrooms.
1. THE THREE NATURAL STAGES Adolescent brain changes start around 11, first with major increases in numbers of neural connections, and girls typically reaching each stage before boys. The second stage follows, with major loss or “pruning” of connections, leaving stronger networks. The third stage, usually starting around age 15/16, is “myelination”, when fatty myelin coats neural pathways, helping messages pass efficiently.
teaching, curriculum and practice but we cannot make it happen before individuals are ready. • Be less likely to have reached each stage if they are young for the class, especially if male. Such students aged 14/15 may struggle to make deep connections between ideas, see inner meanings, have a truly empathetic response to literature or history, or use complex linguistic reasoning, but may be advanced in mathematical subjects. It’s demoralising when classmates can do something you can’t, and some may give up. • Lose a physical skill, often over the long holiday. This may happen more often to boys, possibly because the cerebellum typically changes more in boys and this is crucial for
physical coordination. A natural loss of connections could affect a skill. Reassurance that connections can be rebuilt simply by practice means self-esteem and success can return.
2. UNDEVELOPED PREFRONTAL CORTEX The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) doesn’t finish developing until mid to late 20s. This “control centre” is necessary for activities such as: • Managing emotions • Controlling focus – e.g. when distracted or preoccupied
In the classroom, teenagers may: • Not have reached the same stage as peers. We can help the process by good
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• Making decisions based on predicting consequences
So, maybe they really do feel it acutely.
In the classroom, teenagers may:
In the classroom, teenagers may:
• Empathy – including ability to read facial expression
• Find it harder to answer questions or perform in public
• Suffer stress, loss of concentration, mood swings and inability to selfregulate
In the classroom, teenagers may:
• Find it harder to ignore people laughing at them
• Be less able to control behaviour as emotions take over • Focus on now, more than consequences • Find it harder than adults to concentrate when distracted, including by negative thoughts
3. RISK-TAKING INCREASES Many teenagers are not risk-takers, but statistically this is the largest risk-taking age group. Imaging shows greater brain activity in teenage reward-systems compared to adults when risk-taking is contemplated, especially when peer presence is factored in. With the PFC. less in control, students may make poor decisions, relying on impulse rather than reason.
• Find it harder to concentrate if they think people are looking or laughing at them
5. SLEEP DEPRIVATION MATTERS Teenagers need around 9¼ hours’ sleep but the sleep hormone, melatonin, doesn’t switch on till late at night, as for adults, so they won’t be sleepy earlier. Worse, melatonin levels don’t fall as early in the morning as for adults, so teenagers are still sleepy at school. Add the fact that many extend their day with use of screens and social media, and you have sleep-deprived, borderline jetlagged brains in front of you.
• Be poorly nourished, as sleep loss leads to eating too much sugar and junk food • Have poor immunity to illnesses Remember: teenagers are individuals and many sail through adolescence. In many cultures, teenagers have to “grow up” more quickly and become independent. But there are physical changes they must still go through, quickly or slowly, and these help explain the difficulties many have in conforming to rules and learning environments. If we can properly understand what’s happening inside, we can be supportive and nurturing, with expectations which are ambitious but empathetic and fair.
In the classroom, teenagers may: • Be tempted to misbehave to gain group status • Not take risks you wish they’d take – e.g. answering questions, volunteering to present to the class or audition – because of the next point
4. SOCIAL EMBARRASSMENT IS HEIGHTENED Teenagers seem to over-react to embarrassing social situations and brainscanning shows greater (and different) activity compared to average adults.
FOUR TIPS FOR TEACHING TEENS, FROM THE EXPERTS
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CERI JONES (AUTHOR, TEACHER AND TEACHER TRAINER):
HERBERT PUCHTA (AUTHOR AND TEACHER TRAINER):
“Teens love to be challenged. Challenge them to think outside the box, challenge them to come up with creative solutions to real problems, challenge them to show their maturity in real conversations about issues that matter to them. They will respect you for trusting that they can rise to your challenge.”
“We need to take teenage learners seriously. They are not superficial, as many people think. We need to give them content that inspires them and makes them think about important issues, so that they can become responsible citizens of the world.”
Teen trends:
what’s hot and what’s not! WHAT’S HOT Holidays are an excuse to spend social media.
WHAT’S NOT time on
“GOING TO COOL PLACES ON HOLIDAY TO PUT ON INSTAGRAM”, LOLA, 16, UK Trap is a sub-genre of music, with influences from hip hop, dubstep , rap and trance music.
“AMERICAN AND ENGLISH TRAP [MUSIC]” ALEX, 13, SPAIN
Even teenagers have a social med
ia limit!
“POSTING TOO MUCH ON SOCIAL MEDIA, OR NOT POSTING ENOUGH – REALLY ANNOYING OR THEY DON’T EXIST”, LOLA, 16, UK Toy trends have a short lifespan.
“FIDGET SPINNERS ARE JUST BORING.” IZZY, 13, UK
So do dance moves! Events happen in real life and on media simultaneously!
social
“SOMETHING THAT IS VERY POPULAR I MY SCHOOL IS GOING OUT WITH YOUR FRIENDS. IT CAN BE TO A TRENDY PLACE AROUND TOWN, TO A PARTY, A HOUSE, OR PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE BUT IT HAS TO BE SOMEWHERE WHERE YOU CAN TAKE PICTURES WITH THEM AND BRAG ABOUT IT ON THE INTERNET. IT’S KIND OF LIKE AN UNSPOKEN RULE THAT IF YOU GO OUT WITH SOMEONE YOU INSTANTLY POST AN INSTAGRAM STORY ABOUT IT.” PABLO, 15, GUATEMALA
“DABBING AND FLOSSING [DANCE MOVES] USED TO BE COOL. NOW THEY’RE RATHER SAD.” JUAN CARLOS, 14, MEXICO
SAMANTHA LEWIS (AUTHOR, TEACHER AND TEACHER TRAINER):
DAN VINCENT (AUTHOR, TEACHER AND TEACHER TRAINER)
“To maximise output in a speaking task: Give teens a clear, definite goal such as a set number or a minimum number of things to discuss, find, compare etc. For example, make a list of comedy films, compare lists and find at least three films that you and your partner have seen more than once.”
Set clear, achievable goals, but remember that a year is a long time in the life of a teenager and the end of the course can seem a lifetime away. Make sure those goals are short-term, frequent, and paced out throughout the year. Project work is ideal for this.
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HELPING STUDENTS CONTROL THEIR PHONE USE by Nik Peachey
Nik Peachey is a freelance teacher trainer, writer, course designer, conference speaker and learning technology consultant.
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“MANY STUDENTS FEEL THAT THEY ARE ADDICTED TO THEIR PHONES.”
W
hen a designer builds a mobile app, they do everything they can to design it so that it is engaging
So here are some suggestions for helping students get control of their mobile devices.
and it holds and reclaims your attention as regularly as possible. The designer has range of tools at their disposal to help them do this and many do it very successfully. Helping students to understand this and helping put them in control of their devices can be the first step to helping them to use them in a more productive and constructive way.
Most brands of mobile phone have a settings menu where they can find these and configure them for each app. If you or your students aren’t aware of where these can be found you can quick find and image or a video of how and where to turn them off using a search engine such as Google. You can even build an activity around this.
One of the first keys to making this happen is helping students understand how to control their notifications. Notifications are sounds and messages that appear unprompted on the person’s device. On social networking apps these could be prompted by someone from the network sending a message or interacting with the user’s content, or with other apps these could be regularly timed messages that the app has been programmed to send based around the kind of behaviour the designer of the app wants to encourage the user to adopt. Either way if your student wants to be in control of their device rather than their device controlling them, then they need to know how to silence these and switch them off.
Once the notifications are off you may need to reassure students that they aren’t actually missing anything and that they are simply taking control. You could do this by scheduling social media breaks into your lessons. These are regular breaks when you give your students time to catch up on their virtual lives and check any messages. This may help to reduce their anxiety and motivate them to work well, if you use this as a reward. You can gradually start to lengthen the time between each social media break as they get used to not constantly checking their devices. “Many students do feel that they are addicted to their phones, although there is no official diagnosis for this as a condition, so you could focus on working with students to create a balanced approach to how they use their phone through the day”.
off 30 mins before I go to bed or I will put the phone away during meal times. You could also negotiate a cell phone use contract with your students that stipulates how and when students can use their phones in the classroom. This needs to be created by the students with some input from you, but remember, this might involve you giving some ground. Here are some things you could include on the contract. Notifications will be turned off during class. We will do activities during class that include the use of your phone. During these activities you will only use the phone to complete the activity. We will schedule regular breaks during which you will have time to to check and respond to messages. You could get students to brainstorm suggestions for balanced phone use and then get them to share their ideas and see which ones each student is willing to agree to.
For a lesson plan on mobile phone use in class, go to cambridge.org/secondary
This could include things like planning times when they will and will not use the phone, for example I’ll turn the phone
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USE IT!
Activity ideas for fast-finishers
by Dan Vincent Dan Vincent is a teacher and materials writer, who has worked in the UK, Japan, Ukraine and Spain, with a teaching career spanning over 20 years. He was one of the founders of the Global English Training (GET) Program of the international NGO Peace Boat, has studied materials development for endangered languages, and is co-author of a new teens course for Cambridge University Press. He lives in Spain and works for the British Council Madrid. What are fast-finisher activities? Anyone who has taught young learners will be familiar with that all-too-common classroom cry of ‘Finished!’ Inevitably, there are always going to be students who complete activities early, especially activities which don’t require the entire class to be kept in step. Keeping these students occupied is crucial for good classroom management, especially with a mixed-ability class, but it has to be done in a meaningful way. This is where fast finisher activities come in. These are easy-to-prepare, easy-to-set activities that a teacher can give students to do while the rest of the class are still completing the main activity. What makes a good fast-finisher activity? It’s important to bear in mind that those students who finish before others often want something more challenging to get on with than simply another exercise to work through. Ideally, therefore, fast-finisher activities should be stimulating extras rather than add-ons that keep students occupied. They also need to be self-explanatory so that students can get on with them by themselves without the need for supervision. For the same reason, it’s best if they don’t require much feedback or are self-checking, otherwise you run the risk of students feeling their extra efforts have gone to waste.
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LET’S LOOK AT A FEW IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES: Fish Out Your Own Fast-Finisher This means having a set of fast finisher activities for each unit of the coursebook you are using (you don’t have to prepare every unit at once!). Each activity is written on a piece of card and the cards for each unit are kept in a bag. When a student needs something to do, they come to the front, fish out one of the cards (hence the name) and do that activity. When they’ve finished, they write their name on the back of the card so they don’t repeat the activity another day, and return it to the bag. If you use activities that are related to previous units, it’s a great opportunity for review and recycling. For example, for a unit on travel you might have a card with ten items of unit vocabulary written on it, the task being to come up with a travel story that includes all ten. Or you might have a vocabulary treasure hunt, with clues such as “Find a verb on page 57 that means to write something on a blog.” Choose the words carefully, and you can even turn this into a puzzle whereby the first letters of the words spell out another related word.
Gridgrams
English journals
This is a flexible way to practice vocabulary and spelling. You have a four-by-four grid of sixteen random letters, out of which you have to make as many words as possible in a set time. They can be set as a competition when more than one student finishes early. You can prepare word grids ahead of lessons, write one up on the board, or even have students prepare their own and then swap. In place of letters, you can also write topic vocabulary (and even include some target grammar in a few of the squares), with students then challenged to come up with as many sentences as possible that contain a set number of the items in the grid.
These are not student notebooks, but separate books that can be kept in class. When a student needs something to do, they simply write in their journal. Of course, some guidance is needed as to what they should write, but students should also be allowed some choice. Prepare a set of level-appropriate writing prompts on cards for students to choose from. These can range from simple topics such as ‘Describe a member of your family’ to fun essay titles such as ‘Reggaeton is the best music ever: discuss’ or story prompts such as ‘Write the dialogue between two objects in the classroom that are trying to escape’. Unlike other fastfinisher activities, you will need to read and comment on what the students write, even if you don’t make thorough corrections, but this doesn’t need to be done in class; journals can be read after class, or even just a few times a term.
EXAMPLE GRIDGRAM: A simple gridgram. How many words can you make from these letters in two minutes?
h
d
a
r
n
e
u
m
w
b
t
i
o
s
e
l
Well, those are some ideas for you to try out in class. See what works and what doesn’t with your own students, but most of all, the next time a student’s hand shoots up with the familiar cry of “Finished!”, make sure it’s not left waving.
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FACTFILE: LEARNING TO LEARN by Dr Roxana Herescu
Dr. Roxana Herescu is a Research Manager at Cambridge University Press where she researches key issues in ELT such as mixed-ability classrooms, critical thinking, and learner autonomy. One other important project she is working on is the Cambridge Framework for Life Competencies. Dr. Herescu was previously a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, working on a project researching a national professional development course on CLIL.
H
ow can we prepare our students to succeed in a world that is rapidly changing? We see the need to help students develop transferrable skills, to work with people from around the world, to think creatively, analyse sources critically and communicate their views effectively. How can we balance the development of these skills with the demands of the language curriculum? In response to these questions, Cambridge have developed the Cambridge Framework for Life Competencies. In this article, our Secondary Research Manager, Dr Roxana Herescu, discusses the Learning to Learn strand of the Cambridge Framework, how learning to learn benefits learner
autonomy and what teachers can do to help students develop these critical skills.
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Why is learning to learn important? Helping students become more aware of how they actually acquire language is the first step to making them more efficient learners. This awareness adds a metacognitive dimension to learning as students are encouraged to think and speak about their own learning (including in English). This helps them discover what learning strategies work best for them, thereby improving their language learning. Once students have established the strategies that work for them, they are able to learn more independently, which prepares them to continue learning throughout their school career and beyond. Teaching and supporting students to become autonomous learners allows them to be immersed in their own learning, to understand their weaknesses and to build on their strengths. They are able to make informed choices and take ownership of their learning, which encourages them to become more motivated and responsible. As students are increasingly able to manage their own learning in the classroom, teachers save time on managing their students’ learning and can focus on a more personalised style of teaching to cater for the typical mixed-ability classroom.
2 What kinds of skills are included in
the Learn to Learn strand of the Cambridge Framework? The Cambridge Framework for Life Competencies introduces three key competencies which support students in becoming autonomous learners. The first one refers to students use of practical skills for participating in learning. These begin to develop at the pre-primary level when learners develop hand-eye coordination and learn to manage basic tools like pencils. They then learn to recognise and produce letters and numbers, and develop their language skills, which become increasingly sophisticated as they
THE CAMBRIDGE FRAMEWORK FOR LIFE COMPETENCIES
Creative Thinking
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Critical Thinking
Learning to Learn
Communication
Collaboration
Social Responsibilities
progress through school and beyond. One important skill for participating in learning is making notes and storing and retrieving information. There are various techniques for taking notes, and students need to experiment and choose the one which best suits their own personal style, needs and resources. Another competency that students need to become autonomous learners is the ability to take control of their own learning. In order to be able to do this, students need to be supported to develop self-regulatory strategies, to maintain motivation and to stay focused on the task at hand in order to achieve the best results. To achieve this, learners need to be clear about their learning goals. The third competency the students need is reflecting on and evaluating their own learning success. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning in order to assess what worked for them and what did not. This reflection can lead to evaluation, which, in turn, can inform decisions like whether to persist with, or modify their approach. With this skill, students are able to identify and use learning techniques and strategies which work for them, depending on the context, the learning goal, and the learner’s individual characteristics.
3 How can teachers help students
develop these skills? Students rely largely on teacher support to develop the competencies they need to feel empowered and equipped to take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers should promote their students’ learner autonomy by helping them to identify for themselves the following: • what they need to learn (learning goals based on where they are in the learning journey)
For more information about Learning to Learn and the Cambridge Framework for Life Competencies, please visit languageresearch. cambridge.org/cflc
• how they are going to learn (the learning approaches and strategies that work best for them including organising their learning) • how to evaluate and reflect on their progress and identify the next learning goals (self-assessment techniques) Students will develop these competencies gradually and teachers should alternate teacher-directed activities with learner-directed ones to ensure that the learners are getting used to both modes of learning.
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Focus on research: exte by Dr. Peter Watkins
Dr. Peter Watkins is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and author of Teaching and Developing Reading Skills, from our Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers series.
A
s part of our research into language learning, we asked Dr Peter Watkins to write a paper on extensive reading. Here are his key findings. To download the full version, scan the QR code below.
Benefits
Extensive reading (ER) is unlike the reading that happens most of the time in most ELT classrooms. Instead of using texts that are at the limit of intelligibility for most learners, texts are relatively easy, with few unknown words.
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Although exactly how ER is implemented can vary, typically texts are much longer, often read outside class, and learners are invited to choose the texts they wish to read. Above all, ER should be a pleasurable experience.
It is probably not all that surprising that learners that engage with ER programmes – that is to say, read large quantities of text outside
THE JOYS (AND BENEFITS) OF READING
ensive reading class time – see their reading skills improve, particularly with regard to reading fluency. However, there are other benefits that come from ER that are supported by research evidence. Learners also become better at writing, and particularly spelling. They also gain motivation and confidence and several research studies have shown gains in vocabulary knowledge.
ABOVE ALL, EXTENSIVE READING SHOULD BE A PLEASURABLE EXPERIENCE. Some studies also show improvements in grammar. On top of all that, learners also learn more about the world and other cultures from their reading. With so many benefits accruing from ER, the obvious question to ask is why doesn’t every learner have access to an ER programme?
Why isn’t everyone doing ER? There are several reasons why ER is not used more. First of all, ER is quite resource intensive, with texts needing to be available on a range of topics and at
a range of levels. A basic principle of ER is that reading should be relatively easy, so that means using graded material for many learners and that can be expensive to provide. Also, in many learning contexts there is a suspicion of learner autonomy – in ER programmes learners choose what they want to read – with ‘proper’ learning being associated with traditional teacher fronted classes. Another reason is that reading development is simply not a goal of some language teaching programmes. However, perhaps the biggest single barrier to ER is the learners themselves. Most advocates of ER suggest that reading will be a pleasurable experience and a reward in itself, but many learners may not see reading as a pleasure in any language, let alone an L2.
THIS MOVES AWAY FROM A RELIANCE ON INTRINSIC MOTIVATION AND TOWARDS EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION. Teachers can also set goals for learners, stating how much they are expected to read, or for how long. Teachers can also help learners by being role models for reading – taking time to talk about their own reading habits and the joys and benefits reading brings. In the end, learners will only become good at reading if they read a lot, but ER offers plenty of benefits besides this and so is well worth experimenting with.
Putting it into practice Assuming teachers are convinced of the benefits of ER and are prepared to address the challenges, how can an ER programme be put into practice? The first and most obvious thing is to make sure that there is a variety of reading material available at a variety of levels. This can be fiction, non-fiction and also less traditional classroom reading material, such as comic books and graphic novels. Also, teachers can discuss the benefits of ER with learners, so that even those who don’t see reading as a pleasure, will see that ER brings rewards. This moves away from a reliance on intrinsic motivation and towards extrinsic motivation.
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Readaxation and the power of reading for pleasure by Nicola Morgan Nicola Morgan is a multiaward-winning author and international expert on teenage brains and mental health, and the science of reading for pleasure. Reading for pleasure is widely regarded as a good thing but is that enough? It’s enough for those of us who happen to love reading and who have time for it. But what if we had evidence that it was such a good thing that omitting it from a school curriculum or time-table was a bad thing? What if senior management teams needed evidence? What if school library funding were being cut? What if too many people were too busy to prioritise reading for pleasure? What if teenagers were avoiding it because no one was telling them how it would affect their lives, wellbeing and perhaps even exam results? It turns out that all those things are true. It turns out that reading for pleasure has a wide range of extremely important benefits, benefits which we absolutely owe our young people. I’d argue that not to promote reading for pleasure and not to create a reading culture in school is a dereliction of duty towards our students. It will make their lives poorer. Until 2015, I felt this in my heart but actual evidence was flimsy. There were many studies but some were very small or not replicated and it was hard to be able to say with any certainty what the results really showed. All that changed in 2015 when the UK’s Reading Agency published its Literature Review, a metastudy of hundreds of other studies over many years. “Reading for pleasure has a dramatic impact on life outcomes,” was the headline conclusion. The research also showed that it wasn’t just the daily act of reading but the enjoyment of it that made the difference. Hence the phrase “reading for pleasure”. So, now we know: Daily reading for pleasure positively affects mental health, self-esteem, vocabulary,
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“DAILY READING FOR PLEASURE POSITI
MENTAL HEALTH, SELF-ESTEEM, V GENERAL KNOWLEDGE, SOCIO-ECON RELATIONSHIPS, MOOD CONTROL, SELF-UNDERSTANDING AND STRE
The Joys (and Benefits) of Reading
THE JOYS (AND BENEFITS) OF READING • If we’re engaged in a book we can’t simultaneously be worrying – it gives negative thoughts a break. • Reading for pleasure allows a state of “engagement”, offered by Martin Seligman and others as an importantly positive and transformative psychological state. • It leads to increased self-worth, itself likely to reduce the stress of negative feelings. • We can choose books to create a desired emotion. If our emotional state is one we don’t like, we can change that by reading a book that will make us feel another emotion. • Reading gives us space away from the demands of other people. It gives us a break. This is especially important for introverts.
What if my school doesn’t care enough about stress and wellbeing? They should care because too much stress and poor wellbeing lower exam results. There’s also a strong link between daily reading for pleasure and improved exam results, with better overall performance at school.
How can I help my students read more? My tips for all classroom teachers are:
TIVELY AFFECTS VOCABULARY, NOMIC STATUS, , EMPATHY, ESS LEVELS.
general knowledge, socio-economic status, relationships, mood control, empathy, self-understanding and stress levels. It was that last one – stress levels – that led me to invent the concept of “readaxation”. I define this as “Reading for pleasure deliberately to lower stress levels, thus increasing wellbeing and performance.”
Why might reading for pleasure reduce stress? • Because readers believe it does. Ask any reader, “Do you think reading for pleasure would reduce stress?” and most say yes. Confirmation bias means we tend to see what we expect to see: if we expect to see stress reduction, we do.
• Don’t leave it to English teachers or librarians – this is a human activity, for all ages. • Read yourself. Talk about what you read. • Show an interest in everything your students read. Ask them for recommendations. • Never disparage their reading choices. Fiction or non-fiction – neither is “better”. • Introduce silent reading time into your practice (you must read while they’re reading). Look for schemes such as DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) and ERIC (Everyone Reads In Class.) The beginning or end of the day are great times for this; it’s settling and calming. • Support your school librarian and library
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TEACHER-LED STORYTELLING by Jamie Keddie
Jamie Keddie is a teacher trainer and storyteller. He is the founder of Lessonstream, and the author of ‘Images’, ‘Bringing online video into the classroom’ and ‘Videotelling: YouTube Stories for the Classroom’. Jamie is an affiliate trainer at Norwich institute for Language Education in the UK.
I
n teacher-led storytelling,
the teacher becomes the story manager and looks for ways to get students involved and interacting. Here are some thoughts about the what, the how and the why:
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Everyone is a storyteller. Human beings are creatures of narrative. Stories define us. We use stories to entertain, stories to strengthen bonds, stories to persuade, stories to sell, stories to understand the world, stories to communicate.
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Everyone can collect their stories. Some people write down their dreams. I would encourage everyone to collect their stories. Whenever you recall a personal story, anecdote or experience, don’t lose it. Create a story bank and choose your best stories for the classroom – the ones that will connect best to your students.
3 Your students are naturally
curious about you. One thing that fascinates human beings is other human beings. And as the teacher, your students will be naturally curious about you. You may not have realized this before, but you may be the most valuable resource in the classroom.
SHARING STORIES WI NOT MEAN TRYING Sharing stories with students does not mean trying to impress them. Often, the best stories for the classroom are the unremarkable ones – the simple everyday stories that are meaningful and worth sharing – the ones that allow use to remove our masks. After all, isn’t this what many of us expect from our students?
4 Teacher-led storytelling is not
necessary teacher centered. Images of teacher and learner centredness are vague. It is much better to judge an activity or an approach on whether or not it is learning centred.
5 Use storytelling to develop your
teacher talk. As we all know, it is important that teachers don’t talk too much. But teacher talk should not be defined in terms of quantity alone. We should pay attention to our teacher talk quality and look for ways to develop our classroom communicative skills. There are many techniques and micro skills that we can become aware of that will help to improve our teacher talk. These include: • Making good use of space (i.e. pause and silence)
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ITH STUDENTS DOES G TO IMPRESS THEM.
THE JOYS (AND BENEFITS) OF READING
• Slowing down your speech • Making use of repetition • Grading your language • Using gesture to reinforce language Teacher-led storytelling is a great way to develop your teacher talk.
6 There is never just one story.
Next time you listen to a story, ask yourself the following questions: • Did you think about somebody that you know/used to know? • Did you judge someone in the story in any way at all?
7 Prepare and reflect.
There is always more than one way to tell a story. Become aware of how stories are structured. Pay attention to details: what is relevant and what is not? Look for ways to make your stories interactive. Let your stories evolve and always ask yourself what you want your audience to take away from your story.
ALWAYS ASK YOURSELF WHAT YOU WANT YOUR AUDIENCE TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR STORY The better you can answer that question, the more developed your story will be.
• Did you bring yourself into the story? • Did you visualise? • Did you make any predictions? • Did you ask any questions? • Did the story unlock another story in you?
Catch up on Jamie’s blog about storytelling.
SCAN ME!
• Did you learn anything from the story? Each person who hears a story, watches a film, reads a book, listens to a podcast, etc. will have different answers to these questions. For any given story, we all interact with it in very different ways.
FOR ANY GIVEN STORY, WE ALL INTERACT WITH IT IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS In the classroom, this diversity is the real resource. Through storytelling, we can create a relaxed environment where individuals feel safe to express ideas or simply listen in order to learn from others.
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5 WAYS TO RELAX AFTER A LONG DAY (AS RECOMMENDED BY BUSY TEACHERS) CLEIDE OLIVEIRA I usually go swimming in a river that crosses our city. It feels like it washes all of the stress away, or I go walking in the woods...it always helps!
TILLY_MAC Yoga followed by an amazing homemade dinner.
LESCHOOLS Taking up an art is a great way to relax. Like simple sketching, a notebook and a pen/pencil, just drawing something around you.
SALDANHA.WAGNER A simple tea time with mom (she’s 90 years old).
BECKY_TEACHER Go for a quick run, have a cup of tea and watch an episode of a favourite comedy programme.
The compassionate schools approach by Dr. Kate Brierton Dr. Kate Brierton is an Independent Clinical Psychologist and School Governor with a longstanding interest in education. She is currently working with school leaders at a Cambridge school to develop a compassionate approach to wellbeing for both staff and students.
Compassion and wellbeing Human beings are social animals. A compassionate approach to emotional wellbeing suggests that we should maximize our opportunities for connection in the workplace to promote feelings of flourishing and thriving. Nowhere is this more important than our schools and colleges, where we are laying foundations for young people to go on to lead successful, fulfilling lives. However, for this blog I'm going to provide you with some practical ideas about laying the foundations for a compassionate culture.
Begin by noticing Compassion is firstly about noticing distress, both in ourselves and others around us. There is strength in having the courage to notice suffering in others so that we can then take positive action. When we are in a driven state of being, which may frequently occur in a busy school, it is easy to ignore our own distress and the distress of colleagues and students around us. We are so busy getting the job done, we forget to make time to provide care and support.
“WE ARE SO BUSY GETTING THE JOB DONE, WE FORGET TO MAKE TIME TO PROVIDE CARE AND SUPPORT.” We prioritise achievement and results over wellbeing and compassion. This can make for an emotionally unhealthy school environment. The first way to increase compassion in your school is to slow down. Make time in your day to check in emotionally with your colleagues and your students. Think of a time where this is going to be possible and set yourself a realistic goal – for example, would it be realistic to make some time to check in with your colleagues over your lunch
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hour or at the end of the day? How are they feeling? Do they need some help or support? When would it be a good time to check in with the students? Set an intention to do this every day.
Develop self-compassion Self-compassion is also vitally important. Remember to check in with yourself at various points during the day. How are you feeling today? Is there anything that you are worrying about? Anything that you are feeling frustrated about? How can you tackle these issues in a productive way? A regular meditation practice gives clarity to our emotional lives and can help us notice our own feelings. 10 to 20 minutes of daily meditation is a great way to build self-compassion.
“10 TO 20 MINUTES OF DAILY MEDITATION IS A GREAT WAY TO BUILD SELF-COMPASSION.” Many guided meditation apps are available to use with smartphone or tablet technology or you may be able to take a class in mindfulness meditation to help you learn this skill.
concerns too, without feeling weak or inferior in front of you. No-one is perfect; we have a shared humanity and we all face common difficulties every day. Facing them together will build a stronger school community.
“FACING THEM TOGETHER WILL BUILD A STRONGER SCHOOL COMMUNITY.”
Develop a shared vision and mission for your school, to give your work meaning and purpose. Encourage school leaders to provide chances for staff to connect during the school day and in extracurricular activities. Organise some social groups and outings. Discover common interests with your colleagues and celebrate them. Every journey starts with the courage to take the first step – I wish you luck as you begin your compassionate journey!
Make connections Finally, any activity which strengthens strong and supportive relationships within your school will promote compassion, creating feelings of trust, safety and a sense of belonging.
Dare to be vulnerable Another way to practice compassion is to dare to be vulnerable with your colleagues. Talk to them about your worries, frustrations and insecurities. You may find that they share some of your concerns and discussing the issues may not only provide support, but also potential solutions. There is a flow to compassion. Expressing your vulnerabilities may allow your colleagues to express their own
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Life in a day Dan Vincent is a teacher and materials writer, who has worked in the UK, Japan, Ukraine and Spain, with a teaching career spanning over 20 years. He was one of the founders of the Global English Training (GET) Program of the international NGO Peace Boat, has studied materials development for endangered languages, and is co-author of a new teens course for Cambridge University Press. He lives in Spain and works for the British Council Madrid.
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n the spirit of get-to-know-you
activities familiar to EFL teachers the world over, here are two truths about me and a lie. I’m from London, I teach at the British Council Madrid, and my favourite age group to teach are the under-fives. The last one’s the lie, as I don’t teach children that young, but other than that I do teach a really enjoyable mix of ages. This year that includes a class of very inquisitive nine-year olds, several lively groups of adults, and two fun groups of teenagers. Teaching each of these age groups poses its own set of challenges, but each one also brings its own rewards.
TEACHING EACH OF THESE AGE GROUPS POSES ITS OWN SET OF CHALLENGES, BUT EACH ONE ALSO BRINGS ITS OWN REWARDS.
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“TEACHER, THE PEN - IT’S NOT MAGIC, IT’S TECHNOLOGY.” Take the teens, for example; although it’s not always easy to build a comfortable dynamic with adolescents, I find that once you do, they often bring a lot of energy and ideas to a class, especially during class discussions and project work. This energy, for me at least, is especially welcome in the afternoons and evenings, which is when I usually teach; coffee alone is not always enough to keep me going! Teaching can of course be a serious business, but rarely does a day go by without some funny incident or other. Recently, for example, one of my adult students was supposed to be giving a presentation about problems in his neighbourhood but instead started going on about the faces of dogs, which according to him were everywhere you
looked. He was adamant they were blighting the streets, and was of the opinion that although you can’t hold dogs responsible for their own disgusting faces, the police should be fining the owners. I had to interrupt him, and keep a straight face of my own, when I realised he meant ‘faeces’. On another occasion, at the end of my first class with a group of eight-year olds, during which I had constantly referred to the interactive white board pen (in what I thought was an entertainingly whimsical manner) as ‘the magic pen’, one of the children stayed behind to inform me, in a tone of voice that made it clear just how much of a dinosaur he thought I was, “Teacher, the pen – it’s not magic, it’s technology.” When I’m not in front of my students, embarrassing myself by nicknaming digital devices, I’m at my computer, writing materials for Cambridge University Press. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been working with a team of authors and editors on a new course for teens. As a fairly new kid on the materials-writing block, one of the things I’ve found most rewarding is how hugely collaborative the whole process is, and although it can at times feel a little isolating to be working at home alone, especially in contrast to the lively atmosphere of a language classroom (especially one in Spain!), my co-authors and the editing team are only ever a supportive Skype call away. It’s also much more creative than I anticipated it would be. It’s true that there are many restrictive criteria – language level, wordcounts, and so on – but I like to think of that as akin to
writing a haiku or a sonnet, where you also have to convey meaning within very tight parameters. Writing a coursebook is clearly not the same as writing poetry, but there’s certainly an art to it that I’m enjoying getting to grips with.
WRITING A COURSEBOOK IS CLEARLY NOT THE SAME AS WRITING POETRY, BUT THERE’S CERTAINLY AN ART TO IT THAT I’M ENJOYING GETTING TO GRIPS WITH. In fact, when I’m not writing EFL materials, I actually do quite often write poems or prose for open-mic nights here in Madrid (there’s a lively openmic scene and I really enjoy reading on stage). I also do a lot of painting and drawing (not particularly well, mind you, but it’s great for the soul!) And I still love, even ten years after getting here, to explore Madrid on foot or go walking in the countryside with friends. Even then, though, I usually have a notepad with me for any writing ideas that might come to mind!
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Secondary Cambridge Secondary has all the materials that teachers need to get teenage classes excited about learning English. From cutting-edge research into teen psychology and wellbeing, to teacher tips on mixed ability classes and using technology in the classroom, we’ve got the tools and techniques to help bring every class to life.
Find all resources at cambridge.org/secondary
Cambridge  Teacher Development Inspire your teacher development with over 50 online courses
Motivating Teenage Learners
Using projects with teenagers
Teaching Secondary CLIL
Using Video
Developing le autonom
Written by experts Designed to meet your specific development needs Course lengths to suit you: 2 or 20 hours long For more about each course and a full list of courses, visit:
cambridge.org/ctd/online-courses
Teaching Mi ability class
