Keep Calm and Teach English

Infographic from Jack Milgram, in CustomWriting

How many guided learning hours are needed for a language learner to progress from one level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) to the next? For more information visit  the official website  for the  Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Online safety is an integral part of what schools need to be teaching in 2017. It encompasses a wide range of issues and affects staff, pupils, parents and the wider school community. As more and more schools embrace technology as a tool to support learning, it is important that staff and pupils alike understand how to use it safely and responsibly. Research suggests that 57 per cent of young people think that their friends engage in risky behaviours online  which demonstrates the need to address this in schools. The "Online Safety Course"  at the European Schoolnet Academy offered participants a better understanding of the current risks and challenges that young people face when they go online. They discussed strategies for supporting young people and helping them to develop safe and responsible behaviours when they go online. A wide range of resources that can be used in schools was provided, and participants were also asked to share their own experiences, chall...

Unit 1 of Think Teen 2nd Grade, Beginners  ends with a project on tribes whose ways of life are threatened by modern world. Maravelaki Fryni, an EFL teacher in Serres has an excellent webquest to accompany the book's project in her blog . Turtle Song Cycle (With Turtle) by Anthony Walker / Spirit Gallery As this was our first project work, my main aim was to keep the students' works short so that they wouldn't copy large sections from the internet without processing them. To this end  they had to answer very specific questions and gather information from a range of sites.  Before starting working on the actual project we discussed the evaluation criteria so that they were absolutely clear what was expected of them. During the presentation all the teams used the evaluation sheet in order to discuss and decide on the best project.  Below are some of the students' works:

Our eTwinning project is coming to an end. In the course of this project we exchanged postcards with our partners and learnt a lot about Wroclaw, a beautiful city in western Poland. Our final mission was to co-write a story. We chose to write a love story between one of Wroclaw's city trademark dwarfs, and our own "Daughter of Veroia", a small statuette of a young maiden, found in our city. We then  narrated and recorded the story in a joint video:

In the course of the newly initiated Theme Week in Greek Junior High Schools, I have designed the following page primarily as a way to organise the material needed for discussing gender stereotypes. photo by  GDJ Suitable for B1 or higher level students of 15 years and older.

For Safer Internet Day 2017 , 1,500 young people aged 8-17 years took part in an online survey conducted by ResearchBods and commissioned by the UK Safer Internet Centre. The aim was to explore the role of images and videos in young people’s digital lives and the influence this can have on their self-esteem, behaviour and emotions. The findings reveal how important images and videos are in young people's digital lives, demonstrating the positive role this plays as well as the risks and pressures they may face as a result. It underlines the importance of ensuring that all children have the skills, knowledge, confidence and resilience to communicate using images and videos safely, responsibly and creatively. Parents, teachers and most importantly schools in general should be able to understand the implications such surveys convey in order to guide children and teens towards better and  safer  internet use.