Late again this week, this time due to an unusually painful bout of sciatica. Suggestions from fellow-sufferers will be most welcome!

1. This one doesn’t mince its words: “The use of English as the common language of science represents a major impediment to maximising the contribution of non-native English speakers to science”.

The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3002184 PDF below.

Good word, manifold!

2. Two opportunities for the consultants among you next, one in Kazakhstan and one in Uzbekistan:

a) British Council Kazakhstan are looking for a suitably experienced and qualified consultant to lead policy-oriented work with stakeholders and provide effective guidance and support to a working group that will focus on developing a policy proposal regarding teacher continuing professional development (CPD) in Kazakhstan. More information in the PDF below.

b) British Council Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Preschool and School Education are looking for a UK education agency or university to develop CPD portfolios and Good Practice guidelines for English teachers in public schools. More info here (and links to both tender documents and interesting background reading) https://www.britishcouncil.uz/en/cpd23-24 Might be worth asking if a small team of consultants would also be eligible?

3. An opportunity for those of you who are members of an English teachers association: Hornby Trust Teacher Association Project Awards provide up to £6,000 to support ELT Teacher Associations to engage in small-scale projects, with the overall aim of enhancing English teaching in public education systems in low- and middle-income countries. More info and link to application form here https://tinyurl.com/42wva94s

4. A veritable treasure trove from Cambridge, their Cambridge papers in ELT series, all downloadable for free here https://www.cambridge.org/gb/cambridgeenglish/better-learning-insights/pedagogy

5. And, finally and elegiacally, A funeral for fish and chips: why are Britain’s chippies disappearing? https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jul/20/a-funeral-for-fish-and-chips-east-neuk-fife-anstruther-scotland

Done well, still takes an awful lot of beating!