Roy Cross's Blog

1. The first of two items on academic writing. Tomorrow, Friday 9^th July, at 14:00 UK time Ana Frankenberg-Garcia from Surrey University here in the UK will be talking about Academic English Collocations: from corpus data to assisted writing with reference to ColloCaid, a text editor that she and her colleagues have developed that provides users of academic English with collocation suggestions. More info and registration here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/academic-english-collocations-from-corpus-data-to-assisted-writing-tickets-162302056821

2. You’ll need to register on the THE site to read this second piece on academic writing, but that’s free and easy: a thoughtful piece on the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education that suggests the arguments need to be re-framed because AI is always going to win https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/does-rise-ai-spell-end-education

3. Thanks to Dario Banegas for bringing this to my attention: the Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT) https://spelt.org.pk/ panel discussion on Teaching and Researching English in Difficult Circumstances at 15:30 UK time on Saturday, 17^th July. More info in the poster attached below.

4. So, then, who wrote this? To look at the international system with reference only to sovereign states is to miss a key piece of the discontent puzzle: the growing dominance of private interests over public institutions, which is locking countries into policies that are not socially or environmentally sustainable and weakening societies’ ability to respond to the changes and dangers of the world around them. It warns that this dominance is so engrained that profound changes are required at every level, from the local to the global.

To my surprise, and possibly yours, it was the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in their recent report, Perspectives on Global Development 2021: From Protest to Progress? https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/405e4c32-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/405e4c32-en There’s no free download, alas – and maybe there should be, to encourage those “profound changes (that) are required at every level, from the local to the global” – but the whole report’s available online.

5. And, finally, and thanks once again to my colleague Andrew Skinner, two short videos about the film The Reason I Jump by Jerry Rothwell, based on the book of the same name by twelve-year-old Naoki Higashida: the trailer https://youtu.be/f2DoU1MzLos and an interview with the director https://youtu.be/8FF7FHEqrUY

Here’s The Guardian review of the film as well https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/09/the-reason-i-jump-behind-a-groundbreaking-film-on-autism

1. At 10:00 UK time tomorrow, Thursday 8th July, The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education https://www.obhe.org/ presents the first in a series of ‘Borderless Conversations’ with Perry Hobson from Sunway University & Mushtak Al-Atabi from the Kuala Lumpur branch of Heriot Watt University talking to Kate Cooper from the Institute of Leadership & Management about their experiences of the impact of the pandemic on blended learning at their own institutions and ‘getting the blend right’ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/borderlessconversations-with-the-obhe-1-getting-the-blend-right-tickets-160940626747?keep_tld=1

I met Mushtak a few years back and thought his total commitment to the best possible student experience and the influence his campus had on the Heriot-Watt mother ship back in Edinburgh was unusual and impressive.

2. Two posts on the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) blog from Caroline Bilton:

one on the teaching of reading https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/eef-blog-reading-comprehension-simple-and-brilliantly-complex/

and a second on maximising the impact of feedback https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/eef-blog-maximising-the-impact-of-feedback-in-literacy/

3. Gail Ellis and Tatia Gruenbaum from the PEPELT project https://pepelt21.com/ will be discussing Using picturebook video read-alouds in primary ELT next Monday, 12^th July at 12:00 UK time. More info and registration here https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/using-picturebook-video-read-alouds-primary-elt

4. In advance of England’s hour-and-a-half of destiny at 20:00 UK time this evening, here’s What all of us can learn from Gareth Southgate: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-57698821 Worth reading even if you’ve no idea who Gareth Southgate is.

5. And, finally, this week’s phobia is atychiphobia, which may be more widespread than usual this evening here in UK.

1. If you’re involved with an English Teachers’ Association (ETA), either as member or office-bearer, you might like to check out this announcement from the A S Hornby Educational Trust about funding for ETA projects https://www.hornby-trust.org.uk/projects#Projects You can learn more about previous projects and download an application form and guidance notes – copies of both below, in case that’s easier.

2. I mentioned the ELTon-winning Pearson and BBC Live Classes project back in November. The 2020/21 series has now ended and here’s a report from the perspective of the tutors on how they went https://www.english.com/blog/pearson-and-bbc-live-classes-2020-2021-trainers-highlights/ Scroll right down the page for info on how to enrol your class for the 2021/22 series.

3. An interesting new five-part series started on BBC Radio 4 yesterday: Rethink Education. Episode 1 yesterday was entitled What is education for? and today’s sought to answer the question Can school make up for what’s lacking at home? Episodes to come on exams, curriculum and technology https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000xky3 Amol Rajan is a lively and irreverent chair.

4. And, finally, it’s that time of year again – the Edinburgh International Book Festival published its programme today, with the following generous message: “The Book Festival is for everyone, whether you are in the position to pay for a ticket or not, whether you can join us in Edinburgh or from your sofa. You’ll need to book for any online events you want to watch – but don’t worry, with an unlimited capacity you won’t miss out on your favourite events!”

Plenty of time to luxuriate in the programme and make your choices before the Festival starts on 14^th August! https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/events

1. I was speaking to Steve Mann earlier today and he didn’t tell me he was newly famous. Scroll down the page for his video interview with John Shackleton on his new report on remote-delivered CPD – videos work very well for this ‘introductory’ purpose, I’m realising (more slowly than some people, I’m sure) https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/understanding-effectiveness-professional-development-opportunities-teachers-delivered

PDFs f both the full version and the summary of Steve’s report below.

2. In his interview, Steve mentions Otter – an unlikely name perhaps for conversation transcription software. Check it out here https://otter.ai/login I haven’t quite worked out yet if there’s a free version or not. If there is, I could see it working interestingly in the classroom with students recording and transcribing language tasks.

3. Two typically wacky pieces from Atlas Obscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/ One on two time zones in one city, Mumbai/Bombay https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/bombay-time and a second on a ‘ghost flight’ between Egypt and Israel that’s about to celebrate its fortieth anniversary https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/air-sinai-ghost-flight

4. And, finally, three versions of a classic British recipe, Summer Pudding, that this year, yet again, I am determined to make before the fruit season is over!

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/british/summer-pudding

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/summerpudding_90295

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/summer-pudding

1. One for the weekend? A new UNESCO report on last year’s Mobile Learning Week, Beyond disruption: technology enabled learning futures https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377753 The event focused on how technology can be used to ensure learning continuity and quality during the disruption caused by the pandemic. PDF below. If you’re pushed for time, read the Executive Summary – PDF also below!

2. Years ago, when I was reluctantly working with a reluctant class of Danish teenagers on their English pronunciation, I was challenged to pronounce the name of the Danish national dish, Rødgrød med fløde (red berry pudding with cream), to their satisfaction before they were prepared to continue with the lesson. As I remember, I was saved by the bell for break! Here’s a piece about the Danish language and the challenges it poses for its young learners https://theconversation.com/danish-children-struggle-to-learn-their-vowel-filled-language-and-this-changes-how-adult-danes-interact-161143

3. Gordon Brown’s time as UK Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010 was not a great success, most people feel, in contrast to his decade as Chancellor (Finance Minister) from 1997 to 2007. He received much praise, though, for the role he played during the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. He’s talking at the LSE at 13:00 UK time next Tuesday, 6th July on Seven Ways to Change the World – How To Fix The Most Pressing Problems We Face More info and registration here https://lse.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vW_jzph4Raybc0FdlSiEnw

4. And, finally, the Cambridge Conversations series ranges very widely, from the roles of China and India today, to sustainable food production, to matter and antimatter, to privacy. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQ5yelXopaqSusO2xldgiX0v9JJr8rRv Try David Runciman on Can our faith in democracy survive the pandemic? https://youtu.be/TiCYc_8ipfE

1. You need to register on the National Poetry Day website to be allowed to download their learning materials; it’s well worth doing so https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/education/free-education-resource-downloads/ One example of (very) many lesson plans for all levels and ages built around a single poem here https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/NPD-2021-Resource-Poetry-By-Heart-7.pdf and attached below. Eletelephony ~“Once there was an elephant/Who tried to use the telephant …”

2. Fancy an intellectual challenge? Sign up for this year’s University of Birmingham Sinclair Lecture (in memory of Professor John Sinclair) at 18:00 UK time on Thursday, 8^th July: Of wo/men and machines: an interdisciplinary take on language in use by Professor Dagmar Divjak https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/edacs/departments/englishlanguage/events/2021/sinclair-lecture-2021.aspx

Dagmar leads the Out of Our Minds project at Birmingham, which aims “to lead a step-change in research on language and language learning by capturing the linguistic knowledge adult speakers build up when they are exposed to a language in natural settings. These insights will help with the development of strategic language teaching materials to transform the way in which we teach foreign languages”.

There’s a short introductory video to the project here https://outofourminds.bham.ac.uk/ and an invitation to participate in their research here https://outofourminds.bham.ac.uk/participate/

3. I moved to Scotland in 2005, to work in our office in Edinburgh. Without any doubt, the biggest shock of my first few months was my first encounter with the strength and depth of ‘sectarian’ – Catholic vs Protestant – feeling, as expressed in very straightforward terms at a Dunfermline-Rangers football match. Here’s a piece by the eminent historian of Scotland, Sir Tom Devine, on what it means to be an Orangeman Protestant in Scotland today: https://www.scottishreview.net/TomDevine577a.html

4. And, finally, The Percussion Diaries by Bernhard Schimpelsberger, a story of rhythm and rumba drummers in Cuba, as shared by a colleague earlier today https://youtu.be/7S5C2cU1R9Y

I still blush when I remember the time my colleagues made me dance – arrhythmically – in public in Cuba …

1. Good notice of this one, as previous SHAPE events have booked out quickly: The Future of Schools, daily from 12^th to 16^th July. More info here https://shape-education.org/future-of-schools-2021 and registration here https://share.hsforms.com/1BMpkWlL6R8WM2U3uqegUUQ3iz8b Recordings and notes (and cartoons!) of past SHAPE events here https://shape-education.org/events

2. I mentioned The Teacher Trainer journal back in October, in the context of Tessa Woodward’s retirement as editor after thirty-four years. It’s now got a spanking new editor, Phil Dexter, and you can learn about his plans for the journal here (and download for free a number of recent issues) https://pilgrimsttj.com/ PDFs below of the last issue and the index to articles since 2016.

3. I spent a year teaching at Mount Herman School in Darjeeling between school and university which I often look back on as my tipping point between childhood and adulthood, and I’ve been reading about India ever since: here’s one ‘long read’, by Amartya Sen, on the British legacy in India, Illusions of Empire https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/29/british-empire-india-amartya-sen and here’s another, by William Dalrymple, on The East India Company: The original corporate raiders https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/04/east-india-company-original-corporate-raiders

4. You’ll need to explore this Bradford Literature Festival programme, to find out what’s free and what’s not https://www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk/ This morning’s Sylvia Plath event was free https://youtu.be/T4QuDF8FSbo and I’m pretty sure that tomorrow’s event on Dara McAnulty is also free https://www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk/event/dara-mcanulty-young-naturalist-wild-child/

5. This week’s phobia, courtesy of my colleague Marta, is pagotophobia. She says I clearly don’t suffer from it!

1. The mEducation Alliance is “focused on promoting the usage of good EdTech practices and improving the effectiveness of EdTech initiatives globally” https://meducationalliance.org

The mission of Learning Equality (LE) is to “enable every person in the world to realize their right to a quality education, by supporting the creation, adaptation and distribution of open educational resources, and creating supportive tools for innovative pedagogy” https://learningequality.org

Together, they’re holding an e-café meeting at 16:00 UK time tomorrow, Wednesday 30^th June – register here https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlduqvpzkvG9bp9zWGgaq9Y6TQlo-h53dQ?timezone_id=Europe%2FLondon

Here’s more info on LE’s low-cost, low-tech platform, Kolibri https://learningequality.org/kolibri/ , based in part on the notion of the ‘Sneakernet’, which Shivi Chandra and Vahid Masrour from LE will be talking about tomorrow.

2. I don’t know much about ELT Concourse https://www.eltconcourse.com/ and I can’t for the life of me remember where I learnt about it.  Its “general purpose (…) is to provide free resources for anyone working or studying in the field of English Language Teaching” – explore and let me know what you think, please!

3. Recommended by a friend in Thailand: Tomos Roberts’s ‘The Great Realisation’ https://youtu.be/Nw5KQMXDiM4 “A bed time story of how it started, and why hindsight’s 2020” …

4. And, finally, here’s a piece from The Spectator on the consequences of Japan’s punishing workplace culture, which introduced me to the notions of ‘window men’ and ‘freeters’ https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/japan-s-punishing-workplace-culture

1. Set aside your prejudices – in either direction – and sign up for this book-launch-cum-discussion at 15:00 UK time next Friday, 2^nd July: The History of Grammar in Foreign Language Teaching. More info and registration here https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkcO-srD4vHdMm4e3KOtQH7r3UTJqyRIIs The book’s editor, Simon Coffey, and four other contributors will join moderator Richard Smith to discuss “the social, moral and educational factors that have shaped the development of ‘grammar’ in foreign language education”.

2. I’d prefer to have tried this one out, but I haven’t had the software installed on my laptop yet. Cambridge English have developed English Adventures for young learners, starting at A1 level, using the Education Edition of the very popular Minecraft game. Instructions on this page https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/games-social/english-adventures/ and if you’ve got a Microsoft 365 licence, you’re good to go! You may need some help from your students, I guess, and maybe my granddaughter can help me!

3. The last episode – so far! – in the Pearson Experiences series is Critical Thinking with Christina Cavage. You’ll find a series of four webinars, a podcast and a short introductory video from Christina on this page https://www.pearson.com/english/professional-development/experiences/critical-thinking.html and you’ll find the whole Experiences series here https://www.pearson.com/english/professional-development/experiences.html

I thought I’d mentioned this series before but can’t find any evidence of having done so – sorry if this is repetition!

4. And, finally, give this a go if you have ten minutes to spare this weekend: http://exhibitions.britishcouncil.org/ I got a bit lost first time round but got there in the end and decided that this was my favourite http://exhibitions.britishcouncil.org/gallery-new.html?categories=cat4,cat2&lang=en#slide13

The whole British Council art collection can be found here http://visualarts.britishcouncil.org/collection

1. The most recent issue of ELT Journal, which is a special issue devoted to Comprehensive Sexual Education in ELT, is available for free here https://academic.oup.com/eltj/issue

If, like me, you’re not 100% sure what might constitute ‘comprehensive sexual education in ELT’, you’ll find Dario Banegas and Dimitris Evripidou’s introduction to the issue here https://academic.oup.com/eltj/article/75/2/127/6249549

This issue’s Key Concepts article by Nicholas Bremner on Learner-centredness is here https://academic.oup.com/eltj/article/75/2/213/6253155 PDFs of both pieces below.

2. The next event in the Centre for Language Education Research at Queen’s University Belfast’s seminar Series, at 12:00 next Tuesday 29^th June, is An Emerging Research Agenda for Multilingual Cities with Professor Lorna Carson from Trinity College Dublin. More info and registration here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seminar-series-research-agenda-for-multilingual-cities-prof-lorna-carson-tickets-158886815743 Professor Carson’s claim is that “there is a lack of a serious and sustained research agenda regarding the relationship between the languages spoken by citizens and the city itself”.

3. Here’s the Bell Foundation’s excellent Great Ideas feature on ‘Barrier Games’, complete with introductory video https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/eal-programme/guidance/effective-teaching-of-eal-learners/great-ideas/barrier-games/ A ‘barrier game’ is a particular type of ‘information gap activity’. Lots more great ideas in the menu bar on the right of the page!

4. And, finally, a very listenable podcast interview with (Lord) Gus O’Donnell, who was press secretary to UK prime minister John Major and cabinet secretary, head of the civil service and permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office to three other prime ministers – Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron. He sounds a surprisingly normal bloke! https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/leading-questions-podcast-civil-service-leadership/