Roy Cross's Blog

1. And, firstly, just for a change this evening, an extraordinary exercise in patience and skill https://youtu.be/_vllyHBHsRM Deeply depressingly, one of the comments on the tweet where I first saw this said, ‘Why bother?’ ….

2. I mentioned Richard Smith’s ELTJ article, A brief history of ELT Journal back in March. I’ve just discovered Richard’s short introductory talk on his article https://youtu.be/ZztOsYUWBSM

Slightly strangely, it’s the first item in this Oxford University Press YouTube playlist on Grammar and Vocabulary https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL68E0B1D3B75EC9EE

3. The sixth podcast in The Climate Connection series is out, on Global Schooling https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/climate-connection-episode-6-global-schooling

Here’s the direct link to the podcast itself https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/CC%20Ep%206_low.mp3

PDFs below of show notes and transcript.

4. And while we’re on the subject of climate, here’s The Guardian’s compilation of one month’s worth of extreme weatherhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2021/jul/29/climate-crisis-what-one-month-of-extreme-weather-looks-like-video This link works for nearly everyone, it seems, but not for me – my YouTube profile is in a tizzy over ‘restricted mode’.

1. This one’s nothing to do with English at all, as it works with the three most common modern foreign languages in the UK (French, German and Spanish), but it will I hope be of general language learning and teaching interest (and in the meantime I’ll look for one for English) – the MultiLingProfiler from the UK National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP) https://www.multilingprofiler.net/

2. I’ve included a couple of pieces on the uses of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in education recently. Here’s a blog post on the same topic from Nick Saville of Cambridge Assessment https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/blogs/education-artificial-intelligence/

Nick claims that “there is a huge opportunity to improve learning outcomes with the appropriate use of digital technology, such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) that is specifically designed for educational purposes.”

3. The next in the Queen’s University Belfast Centre for Language Education research seminar series, at 13:00 UK time next Friday, 6th August, is A primer on second language English pronunciation assessment with Dr Talia Isaacs from the University College London Institute of Education. More info and registration here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-primer-on-second-language-english-pronunciation-assessment-tickets-162302664639

4. Something a little different from the Finborough Theatre – an online performance of Masks and Faces https://youtu.be/9aTlHSECRcE which includes a cameo performance from a well-known theatre critic that suggests they made the right choice of career!

A little more info on play and production here https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/masks-and-faces-or-before-and-behind-the-curtain/

5. And, finally, two video tours of the city of Edinburgh. Subtitles instead of a commentary, which works quite well, on this first one https://youtu.be/ODmoTtNedvc

and here’s another starring two men in kilts and accents https://youtu.be/BQuNDitswRc Subtitles available!

This is the inaugural Multilingual Thursday weekly message. (I may need some help remembering, Ann!)

1. The OUP EMI & CLIL Toolkit, full of lesson ideas to raise awareness of all the languages and dialects available in almost every classroom, just arrived in my inbox. Link here and PDF below for convenience https://i.emlfiles4.com/cmpdoc/4/1/3/6/7/files/571249_emi-toolkit.pdf

2. And here’s the TeachingEnglish publication, Using multilingual approaches: moving from theory to practice – A resource book of strategies, activities and projects for the classroom. Three sections: first, some light-touch theoretical background; second, practical classroom activities; third, further resources. Link here and PDF below https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/Using_multilingual_approaches.pdf

3. The Arctic Council has just launched its Revitalising Arctic Indigenous Languages campaign https://arctic-council.org/en/news/revitalizing-arctic-indigenous-languages/ How many indigenous languages are spoken in the Arctic? 20? 50? 100? Read the piece and find out! The United Nations Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages begins next year.

4. The Welsh Government measures national well-being using a sophisticated set of 46 indicators, two of which – numbers 36 and 37 – relate to knowledge of and use of the Welsh language https://gov.wales/wellbeing-wales-national-indicators

Ask your students what a similar set of indicators to measure national well-being – happiness! – in your country might be?

5. And, finally, a survey that I’m not entirely convinced by on the best city in the world to study https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jul/28/london-remains-best-city-in-the-world-to-study-in-new-rankings

Here’s a note on methodology https://www.topuniversities.com/best-student-cities/methodology

and here’s the full list https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2022

1. Good old World Bank! The clue’s in the first three words of the title: LOUD AND CLEAR: Effective Language of Instruction Policies For Learning, which I take to mean “Let us say this loudly and clearly, so governments around the world can hear” … https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/517851626203470278/pdf/Loud-and-Clear-Effective-Language-of-Instruction-Policies-For-Learning.pdf PDFs of summary and the whole report below.

Here’s a taste of the summary: In some countries, children with three years of primary education cannot identify a single written word and may only know one letter. Without consideration of language of instruction (LoI) issues, one might erroneously conclude that teachers lack the knowledge and skills to teach, or that students are too disadvantaged to learn. An alternative, plausible consideration is that teachers are required to provide instruction in a language that students do not speak or understand. The low test scores in some instances simply reflect this near-total lack of understanding of the language used for teaching and/or testing; they do not indicate any inability to learn under the right learning conditions.

2. Two blog posts from TeachingEnglish: one on Finding the Unusual in the Usual https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/ninamk/finding-unusual-usual

and a second on Word Wall – an excellent vocabulary building technique https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/sakilandeswari/word-wall-%E2%80%93-excellent-vocabulary-building-technique-mrs-s-akilandeswari

Several more here https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/featured-blog-posts-april-june-2021

3. Here’s a recommendation from a friend in Thailand, Doug Lemov’s talk on Strategies to teach like a champion for the Open University of Catalonia https://youtu.be/Ar-31jygtAk It’s quite long but dipping in and out and watching in instalments works pretty well.

4. This year’s Booker Prize long list comprises 13 authors from 7 different countries; no translations, all written in English. Best to click on the photo of each book in ‘The Longlist’ section halfway down this page https://thebookerprizes.com/fiction/2021

Here’s a short introductory video with Maya Jasanoff, the chair of the judges this year https://youtu.be/PIrKprfwhJM

and here’s a really good introduction to all thirteen books by Eric Karl Anderson – who’s been doing this for several years now, unknown to me! https://youtu.be/Ugo8oo9bEhc

5. And, finally, today’s phobia – very common, it’s said – is one that I’ve never suffered from: mageirocophobia!

1. A wealth of pieces from The Conversation today:

bears in South Korea https://theconversation.com/south-korea-is-bringing-back-bears-in-a-country-of-52-million-people-i-went-to-find-out-how-164301

the influence of science fiction on real-world military strategy https://theconversation.com/militaries-plunder-science-fiction-for-technology-ideas-but-turn-a-blind-eye-to-the-genres-social-commentary-164978

is a ‘sugar rush’ a real thing? https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-are-sugar-rushes-real-161494

and the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan https://theconversation.com/the-taliban-what-could-its-return-to-power-mean-for-afghanistan-164531

2. The finalists for the 2021 ELTons awards have just been announced: it’s a wonderfully eclectic international mix this year! https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/eltons-innovation-awards-2021-finalists

3. A heartfelt letter from one Eritrean writer to another on the English PEN blog, Transmissions https://pentransmissions.com/2021/07/26/to-dearest-cherished-and-longed-amanuel/

4. And, finally, three bits of jazz with women in complete control: two pieces – the second a whole mellow concert – from Sunna Gunnlaugs, the Icelandic pianist https://youtu.be/QirwI8Wjnn0  & https://youtu.be/rfFxN4_MlYg and a third from the Cuban bandleader, Benny Moré https://youtu.be/eCEeR7SfLlw

Earlier than usual today, as I’m busy later on.

1. At 14:00 UK time tomorrow, Tuesday 27^th July, Is Privatisation of Education Really a Solution? In the organisers’ own words: “Through short interventions, this roundtable will share cross-cutting lessons outlined in this brief in order to offer inspiration to donors and implementing countries alike to renew their efforts for free public education and move away from the policies of the last two decades focused on private involvement and partnerships, which have shown their failure.” https://oxfamibis.dk/privatisation-education-really-solution/

2. Two events a week through till the end of August from Pearson English Assessment’s Summer Camp. The programme started last week and runs every Tuesday and Thursday until 24 August. More info and registration here https://www.english.com/blog/assessment-summer-camp/

Past session recordings are also available via the links in case anyone would like to catch up – sorry I missed this last week!

3. Why I hate you and everyone like you: Election hostility explained A short video and a blog post from Dr Sandra Obradović of the London School of Economics (LSE): video https://youtu.be/5W8XLxdKoZU article https://www.lse.ac.uk/research/research-for-the-world/politics/differences-in-opinion-growing-hostilities-and-politics-as-usual

LSE research around the 2019 general election in the UK “identified an alarming level of animosity towards both politicians and fellow voters. Negative feelings about the electoral process, the people who represent the electoral system and fellow citizens who might vote differently have important consequences for the health of a democratic system”.

For serious discussion with your more senior students?

4. And, finally, a little more on cheating online, with companies now not only offering to write essays for their customers but also to attend seminars on their behalf! (A comment below the article makes it clear that this problem is not related to only one country.) https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cheating-firms-offer-attend-chinese-students-online-courses

1. Here’s some reading for the weekend, this year’s ELT Masters dissertations ‘honours board’ https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/2020-2021-winners The outright winner was Zening Yang from the University of Bath for her dissertation entitled: Motivational Strategies in an Online Learning Environment: L2 Teacher Cognitions and Practices

Special commendations went to Shehnaz Rafiq from Manchester Metropolitan University: Perceptions of Phonics Literacy Strategies in Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) for Non Literate Learners; Laura Nayeli Mendez Perez from the University of Bristol: Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis of three Mexican national English Textbooks; Gui Afonso Henriques from St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London: A Study of CELTA Trainers’ Understanding and Operationalisation of CELTA Assessment Criterion 2g: “providing appropriate practice of language items”.

PDFs of those four dissertations below and you can download all the others commended.

2. From NESTA – EdTech usage during the pandemic: A story in four graphs https://www.nesta.org.uk/project-updates/edtech-usage-story-four-graphs/

3. Try the Oxford Placement Test for free https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/1MVU-PIJ/oxford-placement-test

4. On Tuesday, 27^th July at 14:00 UK time, you can join a Global Education Summit Side Event: Meeting the Education Needs of Displaced Children and Young People More info and registration here https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5kb7okPlSHarBcA_08L5Qg A stellar line up of speakers, led by my favourite ex-prime minister!

5. And, finally, How to Write, a podcast from the UK National Centre for Writing https://writerscentre.podbean.com/e/william-ryans-guide-to-how-to-write/ You’d prefer to translate? OK! https://writerscentre.podbean.com/e/how-to-become-a-literary-translator-deep-dive/ Many more here https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ncw-podcast/

1. I should have included this one yesterday – sorry! The Hay Festival’s free Book of the Month event for July at 19:00 UK time today, 22^nd July, is Suzanne O’Sullivan’s The Sleeping Beauties (and other stories of mystery illness) https://www.hayfestival.com/p-17963-suzanne-osullivan-talks-to-rachel-clarke.aspx

 2. This one’s not easy reading, and I should maybe have saved it for the weekend, but here it is anyway: a free-to-download collection of ten of the ‘highest impact’ articles from International Affairs https://academic.oup.com/ia/pages/top_cited_papers I’ve presumed to download Joseph Nye’s article on The rise and fall of American hegemony from Wilson to Trump and you’ll find it below. Here’s the opening paragraph to give you the flavour: Americans often describe their place in the world as ‘exceptional’. As Stanley Hoffmann once pointed out, every country likes to think of itself as unique, but two stand out in their claim that their values are universal: France and the United States. France, however, was limited by the balance of power in Europe. Only the United States ‘has tried to develop foreign policies that reflect such exceptionalism’ and has had the scope conferred by sufficient power to take an original path in the international jungle.

3. Lots of captivating videos here of classrooms around the world from the OECD. Here’s one from Colombia on Starting the Lesson with an Energising Game https://www.globalteachinginsights.org/media/Starting+the+Lesson+with+an+Energising+Game/1_09b1ymwh/187561183 and here’s another, from Japan, on Monitoring Students and Pushing them Forward https://www.globalteachinginsights.org/media/Monitoring+Students+and+Pushing+them+Forward/1_cd39iz5r/187561183 Lots more here https://www.globalteachinginsights.org/observing

4. And, finally, see what you make of this, The Sun Sets Eight Times A Day https://eightsuns.online/ Scroll down for the instructions in English – if you need to!

1. I’ve mentioned Oxford University Press ‘position papers’ before. Here’s one on The Role of the First Language in English Medium Instruction https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/elt/general_content/global/expert/oup-expert-english-medium-instruction.pdf?cc=us&selLanguage=en&mode=hub – PDF copy below – further below than I’d planned!

When I started teaching, the ‘direct method’ was at the height of its influence and the unthinking, evidence-free assumption would have been that there was absolutely no role for the learner’s first language in any foreign language classroom. But that was a while ago now …. Here’s a Wikipedia article (with ‘multiple issues’, alas!) on the Direct Method https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_method_(education)

You can find all the OUP ‘position papers’ and ‘focus papers’ here https://elt.oup.com/feature/global/expert/?cc=us&selLanguage=en

2. Here’s a short video from the REAL Centre (Research for Equitable Access and Learning) at Cambridge University on The Economics and Politics of Educational Reform https://youtu.be/DOYzIztjM6E It forms part of a book written in memory of Christopher Colclough, Reforming Education and Challenging Inequalities in Southern Contexts: Research and Policy in International Development. A Tribute to Christopher Colclough, and you can find more videos and more info on the book here https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/real/publications/reformingeducationbook/ Copy of the presentation at the book launch below

3. Admitting to anxiety is never comfortable. Here’s another piece from Cambridge, an interview with researcher Olivia Remes, who’s just written The Instant Mood Fix https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/fightinganxiety and here’s her TEDx talk on How to cope with anxiety https://youtu.be/WWloIAQpMcQ

“Imagine”, she says, “there’s someone standing next to you all the time pointing out every! single! thing! you’re doing wrong. This is what millions of anxiety sufferers feel on a daily basis, and it’s awful.”

4. The week before last, I included what I uncritically described as a ‘thoughtful article’ on Artificial Intelligence and Education from the THE. Here’s an alternative view on that article from Michael Feldstein, which begins “This is an excellent article. I don’t mean that it is insightful or well-written. While it has its moments, overall, it’s an unenlightening mess wrapped in clickbait packaging. It is not good writing or good journalism. But it is a near-perfect illustration of how the popular representations of both artificial intelligence (AI) and cheating can be harmful” https://eliterate.us/ai-cheating-and-the-future-of-work/ And here’s that THE link again, just in case https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/does-rise-ai-spell-end-education

5. This week’s phobia? Porphyrophobia – not a good one to suffer from in the UK at present with all the lavender in full bloom!

1. The Climate Connection podcast is proving very popular. Episode 5, explaining why every child should bring their own plant to school and with a report from the Hands Up project in Palestine, is now available https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/climate-connection-episode-5-greenhouse-classes PDFs of episode notes and transcript below.

2. The final event in the Teachers AHEAD project, Inclusion Beyond Borders, will take place this Saturday, 24^th July, starting at 09:30 UK time. The project seeks “to foster innovation, economic growth and progress, promote digital citizenship and draw attention to knowledge sources for skills required by new professions of tomorrow”. More info and registration here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inclusion-beyond-borders-tickets-161516172219 and here’s the Teachers AHEAD website http://iclasse.eu/ahead/

3. The next webinar in the Language and Sustainable Development webinar series will take place on the 23rd of July at 12:00 UK time, when Kate Spowage will present Prosperity and Exploitation: Language and Sociolinguistic Structure in Capitalist Rwanda. PDF of abstract below, and you can register for the webinar here https://essex-university.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtdemurTIqGNVA48IdZFUSsLr5fI-H9g_p Fair to say, I think, that this would seem to be a more than usually politically engaged event.

4. And, finally, to even things up Obama-wise after Barack Obama and Marcus Rashford last Tuesday, here’s Michelle Obama discussing Education & Self-Belief with pupils and staff from a London secondary school https://youtu.be/k6KSiZ2KA8s