Category Archives: Uncategorized

Deep breath – here we go again

Posted on September 26, 2019 by sarahali

I’ve had a pretty turbulant year with one thing and another, so have been away from the chalk face (and back room) for a while. I’m now back, sort of full-time, and it does feel a little strange. To make … Continue reading →

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Encouraging reading for pleasure

Posted on November 22, 2018 by sarahali

I think we all know the importance of reading and the difference it can make in educational performance. Parents are encouraged to read to their children from as early an age as possible. In the UK all babies can claim … Continue reading →

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The Novella | Why it’s a great extensive reading resource for English Language Students | OUP — Oxford University Press

Posted on November 2, 2018 by sarahali

The benefits of extensive reading for learners of English have been well documented, and there are some informative articles easily discoverable on this blog. The Graded Reader can play a hugely important part in developing reading skills, and OUP has … Continue reading →

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Developing courses under restrictions

Posted on October 19, 2018 by sarahali

Since the start of the new term, I keep meeting my former students in the corridor and almost all of them are saying “It’s too hard”, “There are so many assessments” or “It’s so hard compared to last term”. Then … Continue reading →

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How children speak. Do they? – Michael Rosen

Posted on August 3, 2018 by sarahali

I’ve just read this article by Michael Rosen and I can’t agree more with what he says. Language doesn’t, and never has, fit in to ‘boxes’  or set patterns that apply to every situation. I watch my children communicate (aged 4 and … Continue reading →

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Keeping up with the Jones’

Posted on July 13, 2018 by sarahali

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write a post, what with one thing and another. I have been thinking about what to write and have mentally had about 15 ideas – the trouble is I don’t write … Continue reading →

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Planning – end of term review

Posted on May 18, 2016 by sarahali

In the lead up to the term I’ve just completed, I’d participated in a webinar which awoke an interest in reflecting on how I plan lessons. I decided to use the questions below to analyse the way  that I plan. … Continue reading →

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eBeam – the students’ perspective

Posted on April 22, 2016 by sarahali

At the end of the eBeam trial I asked students to (anonymously) write down what they thought of it. Here are their responses (with permission): “It’s not really neccessary, we can use it sometimes, but not each course. Sometimes it … Continue reading →

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Using eBeam tools

Posted on January 8, 2016 by sarahali

It can be gleaned from my previous eBeam post that eBeam didn’t work as I had hoped it to as a whiteboard, but I thought it wasn’t too big a deal (I’ve managed without whiteboards for years) because I could … Continue reading →

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Demotivating feedback

Posted on July 30, 2015 by sarahali

Quite recently I was approached about writing short stories for German KS3 (I had applied for another project, but I was asked to work on this one). I was really excited about the project. I relished the challenge of writing … Continue reading →

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