In this episode, I’m taking pause from the regular topic of ‘The Internet as a Virtual Textbook’. I want to focus on the elephant in the room: Covid-19. The last month has been challenging time for everyone involved in the teaching English profession – me included. In my case, I’ve had to close my school and try to migrate what courses we could online. The continuing uncertainty also means we don’t know when we’ll be able to open again …
It’s been stressful, but I’ve relied on online teaching communities to help me get through this. Places like Pavilion ELT have been providing timely blogposts about things like: how to tackle anxiety in tough times, crisis management, and a range of tips on how to teach English online. They also have their new series ‘Lessons in Your Inbox’ which is free for newsletter subscribers so if you haven’t signed up to that you can do that here.
Another community I’ve leaned on heavily has been LessonStream (see below to find out more). In this episode I interview the head storyteller behind it all: Jamie Keddie! We talk Covid-19, teaching English online and the Fishbowl.
What is the ‘LessonStream’?
The LessonStream Membership is for any teacher who wants to learn how to use story and storytelling (including image and video) to engage students, get them thinking creatively and communicating in English. Members get access to the lesson plan library – with a new lesson plan added every week. They also get access to the weekly webinars, the course library, and the supportive community of over 200 teachers (= The Fishbowl).
For more information, visit: http://lessonstream.com
