Discover what's new or coming soon, including upcoming lessons and resources and product feature updates. 

Announcements

<h1>Introducing Individual Student Assignments</h1>

Great news, teachers!

As of today, you can now select which individual students receive specific assignments within any class.&nbsp;

<h3>Here&#39;s how it works:</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Click on a lesson, video, or flashcard set in your Prepping or Teaching lane within any of your classes</li>
	<li>A modal will open with your assignment preferences for that lesson&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Click the &quot;Students&quot; tab in the top navigation of the modal</li>
	<li>Switch the setting from &quot;All students&quot; to &quot;Some students&quot;</li>
	<li>Select the students you want to assign the lesson to&nbsp;and remember to hit &quot;Save&quot; inside the modal before closing it</li>
</ul>

Only the selected students will see the assignment inside their class dashboard.

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C5BgjG7wtaI?si=I4waw7z14JkLaeer" width="640"></iframe></div>

We know that a lot of you have been asking for this feature for a while now. So thanks for your patience, and we hope it&#39;s a big help!

All the best, 
Ben :)

Founder, CEO at Ellii

Introducing Individual Student Assignments

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Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

<h2>Let&#39;s start with an intention</h2>

At the beginning of my <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1990-yoga" target="_blank">yoga</a> class every Tuesday, my favorite teacher, Leanne, invites us to start with an intention. I am always amazed what a difference this can make to my practice.&nbsp;

Heading to Long Beach, California, from Windsor, Ontario,&nbsp;for TESOL this year, I felt like I needed to set myself up for success in an intentional way.&nbsp; 
 
The first thing I did was buy a book at the Detroit airport.&nbsp;Inciting Joy by Ross Gay jumped out as if to say &quot;pick me,&quot; so I did. The bookseller smiled and said, &quot;Great choice. The world needs more of this right now.&quot; Yes, I thought to myself, my TESOL 2025 intention is joy.

<blockquote>
&quot;My hunch is that joy is an ember for or precursor to wild and predictable and transgressive and unboundaried solidarity. And that solidarity might incite further joy...and...noticing what we love in common, and studying that, might help us survive.&quot; 
 
~ Ross Gay, Inciting Joy
</blockquote>

<img alt="inciting joy Detroit airport" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4466/content_TESOL-giraffe-chandelier-book-inciting-joy.png" />

I had been thinking about The Joy of TESOL after a&nbsp;sneak peek of the presidential keynote via <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes/episode/20e6a4a0/e65-the-world-comes-to-tesol-with-dr-debra-suarez" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>. In Episode 65, Debra Suarez reflects on&nbsp;walking into TESOL for the very first time&mdash;a&nbsp;sea of&nbsp;flags from all over the world taking her breath away&mdash;and how she felt she had finally found her place in the world. A place where like-minded people share a passion for teaching and language learning.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, back in Canada, Ellii&#39;s CEO, Ben Buckwold, seemed to be tuning in to the same sentiment.&nbsp;Before leaving Winnipeg, Ben picked up a box of US-Canada pins to share with any TESOL attendees who wanted to express solidarity.&nbsp;

Below are 10+ joyful highlights from my 15th year at TESOL.

<h2>Delightful sessions</h2>

Regrettably, I missed Tuesday&#39;s opening keynote about&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1467-hip-hop-rap" target="_blank">Hip-Hop</a>, so Missy Testerman&#39;s keynote on Wednesday morning was the true start of TESOL 2025 for me.&nbsp;

Missy, from Tennessee, was the&nbsp;2024 National Teacher of the Year.&nbsp;Her sunshiny voice lit up the room and her stories about her young ELs and their families were touching and uplifting, setting conference attendees&nbsp;up for an inspiring day. She talked about little Adrian (11 going on 37), who is eager to get married after learning about&nbsp;tax codes, and of her teacher&#39;s pet, Anna, who loves school so much she dreams of stealing the&nbsp;flip chart. Missy reminded us&nbsp;that English teachers often&nbsp;spark a language learning journey for&nbsp;an entire&nbsp;family, especially the moms working in the&nbsp;home.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;Teaching is the only career that guarantees every other profession.&quot;

~&nbsp;Missy Testerman, TESOL 2025
</blockquote>

It is always a joy when you attend a session full of useful tips and ideas that relate to your own work in ELT.&nbsp;This year we attended sessions on:

<ul>
	<li>CASAS eWorks</li>
	<li>teaching literacy (Google the&nbsp;&quot;flyswatter&nbsp;vocabulary&nbsp;game&quot; for some fun)</li>
	<li>inquiry-based learning&nbsp;</li>
	<li>service learning</li>
	<li>job skills of the future</li>
	<li>AI for personalized learning</li>
</ul>

One noteable session was&nbsp;a talk on Positive Education by George Kokolas. The speaker shared simple, yet powerful reminders about the impact of positivity in the classroom. If&nbsp;we don&#39;t feel positive ourselves, we can&#39;t expect our students to arrive ready and eager to learn. He focused on the importance of developing&nbsp;character strengths and suggested creating &quot;inner-strength&quot; groups to help students develop their strongest skills.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;Decide to be a positive educator and embody it. Positive education is not taught, it&#39;s caught.&quot;

&ndash; George Kokolas
</blockquote>

Another excellent session was Techniques and Materials to Teach Basic Literacy Level ESL Learners by Gretchen Bitterlin. This session was full of useful tips for using the Early Production Technique and gave us some inspiration&nbsp;for growing our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/english-basics" target="_blank">English Basics</a> section.

We learned three words in Mandarin and got a&nbsp;feel for how much repetition is needed to own a new word (an average of 20&nbsp;passes&nbsp;for recognition and 60&nbsp;for production). She recommended following this formula when introducing new vocabulary:

<ol>
	<li>nonverbal statements (Show me the pencil.)</li>
	<li>yes/no questions (Is this a pencil?)</li>
	<li>or questions (Is this a pencil or a ruler?)</li>
	<li>wh- questions (What is this?)</li>
</ol>

Gretchen also recommended focusing&nbsp;on listening, pointing to research&nbsp;suggesting that listening without oral repetition in the earliest language learning stage actually improves an EL&#39;s pronunciation over time.&nbsp;

At a session called&nbsp;AI in Materials Development, Brent Warner shared the publishing statistic that&nbsp;it takes about 6&ndash;8 years to publish a course book. He walked us through a fun way&nbsp;of using AI to generate personalized stories that started with surveying ELs about their favorite celebrities and activities.&nbsp; 
 
In an NGL session titled Future-Ready Skills for the Global Workplace, Caitlin Thomas, a dynamic speaker,&nbsp;talked about AI fluency being the new digital literacy. During the talk, I jumped over to Basecamp to share&nbsp;this thought-provoking quote with Ellii&#39;s creative Publishing team.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;AI won&#39;t replace humans, but humans who use AI will replace those who don&#39;t.&quot; 
 
~ Caitlin Thomas, National Geographic Learning 
&nbsp;
</blockquote>

Ellii&#39;s CEO, Ben Buckwold, also gave three presentations that were well attended, including a session on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a>, our FREE interactive feature. We enjoyed hearing fun stories about <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/names" target="_blank">names</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/parenting-styles" target="_blank">parenting styles</a>, and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/tipping" target="_blank">tipping</a>,&nbsp;and were thrilled to see how our interactive feature could inspire&nbsp;so much conversation with just a few questions.

<h2> 
Our happy place (the Ellii booth)</h2>

Back at the booth, the Ellii team was impressing teachers with&nbsp;ready-made, breaking-news, multilevel lessons about the NASA astronauts that had been stuck in space for nine months.&nbsp;

It was impossible not to to feel happy as our team&nbsp;handed out chocolate and T-shirts, especially to anyone who popped in to see what&#39;s new or&nbsp;who said the magic words (I Love Ellii). Ellii sponsored TESOL&#39;s Day 1 coffee hour in the Expo Hall, delivering some liquid life&nbsp;to a long line of thirsty TESOLers!&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii coffee cart TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4460/content_Ellii-tesol-coffee-cart-tshirts.png" />

As they gathered up stickers, pens, and more&nbsp;fun swag, Ellii subscribers shared what they are excited about this year,&nbsp;including:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank">our NEW CASAS practice tests</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">our Pronunciation videos</a>&nbsp;(Lise was there in person and felt like a celebrity!)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtLIzmA29Xw&amp;t=3s">AI feedback tools</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls">Ellii Polls</a></li>
	<li>Ellii&#39;s upcoming partnership with Cambridge University Press &mdash;Ventures (more info coming soon)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Lovely Long Beach&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

It was my first time in Long Beach, and even though it was slightly warmer at&nbsp;home&nbsp;in Canada,&nbsp;the sun was shining most of the week! Getting a chance to run on the beach at the crack of dawn&nbsp;with a new colleague was a joyful way to start each day.

Our team had a lovely stay at the Hyatt and enjoyed local sushi, Greek, and Thai food. Besides the orange cranberry muffins that tasted like creamsicles, the&nbsp;food that brought me the most happiness was a loaf of olive bread on the patio at Sevilla!&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

<img alt="Team Ellii at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4461/content_Ellii-team-TESOL-2025.png" />

Wendy, Ann, Lise, Ashley, and Tara from Ellii at TESOL 2025 in Long Beach, California

<h2>Exciting announcements</h2>

Just like every year, our team arrived at TESOL with some exciting announcements. 
 
On Thursday, we celebrated the release of <a href="https://www.englishapp.com/" target="_blank">English App by Ellii</a>, our new language learning app for students available in the App Store and on Google Play! After months of building, curating, and designing in preparation for this exciting launch, it was almost hard to be away from Ellii HQ that day!&nbsp; 
 
<img alt="English App released" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4462/content_Ellii-englishapp-cambridge-ventures.png" />

On Friday, Ben, Wendy, and I shared more exciting news at&nbsp;a TESOL session focused on an upcoming partnership&nbsp;between Ellii and&nbsp;Cambridge University Press.&nbsp;Over the years, we have learned that many Ellii subscribers use Ventures as their core text, and we&#39;re excited to offer some supplementary support for this popular CUP series.&nbsp;More on this development coming soon!

<h2>Real-time requests</h2>

You know what else brings me joy as the head of an agile publishing team? Requests from teachers! Last year at TESOL, attendees asked for many items that we have since checked off! Here are a few:

<ul>
	<li>an additional <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5227-how-to-cite-a-source-apa" target="_blank">How to Cite a Source</a>&nbsp;in English&nbsp;lesson that focuses on&nbsp;APA&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>higher-level <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/grammar" target="_blank">grammar</a> lessons&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>more lower-level <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me" target="_blank">That&#39;s News to Me</a> lessons&nbsp;&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>the ability for administrators to create their own <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1" target="_blank">Study Packs</a>&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>more accented voices in our audio and video&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation">test prep content</a>&nbsp;✓</li>
</ul>

This year we had a few new requests that I hope we can tackle before Salt Lake City:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/pronunciation" target="_blank">pronunciation lessons</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">videos</a> that go beyond the vowel and consant sounds (suprasegmentals)</li>
	<li>more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/phonics-stories" target="_blank">Phonics Stories</a></li>
	<li>the ability to create your own <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a></li>
	<li>lower-level, shorter Ellii Polls that can be done faster</li>
	<li>other fun activities like Ellii Polls</li>
	<li>work-related videos with real people in real-life scenarios</li>
	<li>more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading">Real-World Readings</a></li>
	<li>even more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/grammar-stories" target="_blank">Grammar Stories</a></li>
</ul>

Wherever we go these days, we always get a lot of love and requests for our videos! As one&nbsp;speaker&nbsp;mentioned, students light up when you put a video on, especially when they are in a class with a no-cellphone rule and seem to be starving for screen time.&nbsp;

<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos" target="_blank"><img alt="Ellii Videos" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4456/content_cute-kitty-video-TESOL-2025.jpg" /></a>

I&#39;m more of a giraffe chandelier gal than a cat person,&nbsp;but still, whenever this video came on at the Ellii booth, it brought me so much joy.

<h2>Friends of Ellii</h2>

Last year at TESOL, we got to meet Shey and Anna from our favorite ELT podcast,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>. This year we got to hang with&nbsp;them again and also celebrate being their podcast sponsor! We can&#39;t wait for their TESOL 2025 recap.

<img alt="Anna and Shé from the Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast with Tara Benwell and Ben Buckwold from Ellii at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4463/content_friends-of-Ellii-TESOL2025.png" />

Speaking of sponsorship, you&nbsp;may remember Diego from coffee talks with TESOL experts&nbsp;or from our very own Ellii Con coffee talk about AI (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPg8qkpwBWk&amp;t=149s" target="_blank">How Fast Is IT Moving?</a>). Ellii sponsored Diego&#39;s time at TESOL this year, and, at the booth, Diego and I did a deep dive into Ellii&#39;s new AI feedback settings. We looked at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtLIzmA29Xw&amp;t=3s" target="_blank">Ellii&#39;s new Grade Feed</a> and how Ellii Bot&nbsp;was leaving feedback for&nbsp;his students. I helped Diego switch his settings to the recommended middle ground so that he could review and adjust the AI ratings and feedback before submitting it to his students. An interested teacher passed by to listen to our conversation and instantly wanted to learn more about why teachers love Ellii. There&#39;s nothing better than live&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/tour/testimonials" target="_blank">testimonials</a> and demos by real Ellii users at the booth. Thank you, Diego!

<blockquote>
Did you attend TESOL 2025 or a recent conference or webinar? What brought you joy?
</blockquote>

Next week, we will be off to Dallas, Texas, for COABE 2025. We hope to see some of you there for a little more joy! 
 
~ Tara &amp;&nbsp;Team Ellii

<img alt="Tara Benwell in a fuzzy egg chair at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4464/content_Tara-egg-chair-tesol.png" />

Fuzzy egg chair to relax in before a presentation? Pure joy!

Inciting Joy at TESOL 2025 in Long Beach, California

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Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

Visual literacy is a key life skill. So much of the information that we see and process on a daily basis comes from visual sources such as images, pictures, symbols, signs, and diagrams. In the English language classroom, it is important for us to support our learners to develop these skills.&nbsp;

Visual literacy skills can help learners to:

<ul>
	<li>interpret the main idea of a text before reading by looking at pictures</li>
	<li>understand a complex process using a diagram</li>
	<li>navigate online platforms or learning apps using icons</li>
	<li>stay safe through decoding signs and symbols</li>
	<li>analyze meaning, think critically, and discuss their opinions with others</li>
	<li>be aware of how their responses to imagery and colors can be different from others&#39;</li>
	<li>inspire them to ask questions and explore the topic further</li>
	<li>be creative in how they communicate and convey information</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;In this blog post, I will share some creative ways to bring visual literacy into the ELT classroom.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Infographics</h2>

Infographics are a visual summary of complex information. They use icons, images, and diagrams to convey complex information in a visually engaging and quick way. Their popularity is growing as people in our fast-paced world consume information in more rapid ways.&nbsp;

When I want to find information online quickly, I will search for an infographic (or sketchnote) as a starting point. This way I can have an overview of the key aspects of a topic in seconds, without having to read dense texts.&nbsp;

In class, they are a great way to incorporate real-world reading skills into the classroom. They also support reading skills development in a fun way that reduces processing load on learners who may get overwhelmed by longer texts.&nbsp;

Here is an example infographic about <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4116-sun-protection" target="_blank">Sun Protection</a> from Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading" target="_blank">Real-World Reading</a> section.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4432/content_infographic.jpg" />

The Real-World Reading section supports learners to develop literacy and visual literacy skills in tandem. It provides texts in their authentic layout such as emails, bank statements, menus, receipts, bills, bus schedules, and maps.&nbsp;

<h2>2. Sketchnotes</h2>

Sketchnoting is a form of visual note-taking that can boost creativity, information processing, and focus. It is a fun way to bring whiteboards, notebooks, and lessons to life. Students can try it out as a way of helping them take notes, express ideas, or keep a journal.&nbsp;

You can collaboratively create a large scale sketchnote of a topic on the whiteboard and then have students copy it or take a photo of it for their records. You could also have students search online for sketchnotes of a topic (e.g., the water cycle) and have them analyze it as they would an infographic.&nbsp;

For example:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>What is the infographic/sketchnote about?</li>
	<li>What images does it use? Why?</li>
	<li>What colors does it use? Why?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What facts does it summarize?</li>
	<li>What numbers does it show?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What types of lettering style does it use? Why?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What questions do you have about the topic?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>And of course, you could have students research a topic and then create their own sketchnotes to share with the class.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

You can find out more about sketchnoting here:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/sketchnoting-101-supercharged-professional-development-with-visual-notes">Sketchnoting 101: Supercharge Professional Development with Visual Notes</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/top-digital-tools-for-visual-thinking-activities">Top Digital Tools for Visual Thinking Activities</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-an-elt-conference">How to Get the Most Out of an ELT Conference</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>3. Diagrams, charts &amp; graphs</h2>

Analyzing data in the form of diagrams, charts, graphs, and maps is crucial for navigating life, but also to prepare for academia and work. The ability to interpret with a critical eye can ensure that learners understand diagrams, charts, graphs, and maps correctly and don&rsquo;t get duped by <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/fake-news-in-the-ai-era-essential-skills-for-every-language-teacher-learner" target="_blank">fake news</a>. Learning to create their own can help them to process information, present their knowledge confidently, and study effectively. &nbsp;

This <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/academic-vocabulary" target="_blank">Academic Vocabulary</a> lesson on the <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4185-the-digestive-system" target="_blank">Digestive System</a>, for example, offers learners the opportunity to understand the human body in more detail&nbsp;and learn vocabulary using visual markers. Having a diagram like this in their notebooks serves as an engaging memory booster to help them study and retain the information.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4433/content_diagram.jpg" />

This&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3570-introduction-to-graphing " target="_blank">Introduction to Graphing</a> lesson helps students to learn the basics of understanding, using, and creating graphs.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4434/content_graph.jpg" />

<h2>4. Graphic organizers</h2>

Graphic organizers are visual tools that provide a space for learners to add their ideas, notes, and answers. They are a great way to reduce processing load by providing structured learning in visual form rather than written.&nbsp;

For example, in this lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1681-internet-entrepreneurs" target="_blank">Internet Entrepreneurs</a>, students read three texts and then complete a graphic organizer in the form of a Venn Diagram. This allows learners to think deeply about the similarities and differences between each business owner. Having a small space to write in also encourages them to take notes in as succinct a fashion as possible. It also provides a quick visual memory booster to ignite conversations later in the lesson.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4435/content_Venn-diagram.jpg" />

You can read more about graphic organizers in the English language classroom here:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/graphic-organizers-for-language-skills-development" target="_blank">Using Graphic Organizers for Language Skills Development</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/graphic-facilitation-101">Graphic Facilitation 101: Teaching English through Visual Communication</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>5. Icons, signs &amp; symbols</h2>

International iconography is everywhere&mdash;from the cursor icon on your computer screen to the emergency exit icon in buildings or public transportation vehicles. These icons are specifically designed to be recognizable in any language and can help learners of all levels communicate effectively.&nbsp;

Discussing these signs and symbols in class can make learners more aware of the international language of imagery&nbsp;and how they can use it to convey their own visual messages.&nbsp;

This lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3077-road-signs-signals">Road Signs &amp; Signals</a> is a good place to start. Students can discuss what a red triangle or a green traffic light means. On completing the lesson, you could send them off around the college (or their computer screen) to find other icons that are instantly recognizable. For example, the microphone on or off icon uses a similar circle with a cross through it as the no parking sign.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4436/content_signals.jpg" />

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4437/content_flashcard.jpg" />

You could also use symbolism like this to help learners to express their feelings towards a lesson, concept, or activity. Give them a red, amber, and green &quot;traffic light&quot;&nbsp;card. Students can show the green card if they understand and are happy with an activity or turn it to red if they are confused and need more clarification.&nbsp;

<h2>6. Flashcards</h2>

There is more to flashcards than simply teaching vocabulary. One image may have infinite interpretations. Take the <a href="https://ellii.com/search/flashcard" target="_blank">microphone</a> icon above for example. It could be used to:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>express that the sound is off</li>
	<li>ask people to turn their mobile phones to silent</li>
	<li>signal where to press to turn your sound off</li>
	<li>show that this is a quiet space</li>
</ul>

In class, it could be used to:

<ul>
	<li>represent quiet reflection time</li>
	<li>manage turn-taking (or active listening time) during conversations or debates</li>
	<li>initiate a silent role-play, skit, or presentation</li>
	<li>inspire a story or conversation about a (broken) microphone</li>
</ul>

Ellii has over 6,000 <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards" target="_blank">flashcards</a> in its library. Each can be renamed. A fun visual literacy boosting activity could be to pick a flashcard&nbsp;and have students make suggestions for different ways it could be interpreted. This is a fun way to have learners get creative, think critically, and share their differing perspectives, interpretations, and ideas of a visual.&nbsp;

Here are some other ideas for using flashcards in class:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-our-flashcards">How to Use Our Flashcards&nbsp;</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/3-tips-for-using-flashcards-no-prep-required">3 Tips for Using Flashcards&mdash;No Prep Required</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/assigning-videos-and-flashcards-to-students">Assigning Videos &amp; Flashcards to Students</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/twelve-ellii-flashcards-for-reflection">12 Ellii Flashcards Perfect for Planning &amp; Reflection</a></li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<h2>7. Emoji</h2>

Emoji&nbsp;are everywhere. They are bright and fun, and they can convey actions, feelings, and opinions. Choosing the right emoji to respond to an online message&nbsp;or to accompany a social media comment can quickly convey how someone feels about something.&nbsp;

For example: &nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>They asked me to write an article for the school magazine! 🤩🥳</li>
	<li>They asked me to write an article for the school magazine! &nbsp;😤🤦&zwj;♀️</li>
	<li>They asked me to write an article for the school magazine! 😳🫣</li>
</ul>

The first emoji&nbsp;convey delighted excitement, while the second shows annoyance and the third embarrassment and anxiety. These emojis are commonplace and generally understandable to everyone across cultures. However some may be more open to interpretation.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>For example, my friend often uses this one for a smile, but I think it looks like a grimace: 😬&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Then there are cultural differences. This one could be pray, high five, or thank you depending on the person, place, or context: 🙏</li>
	<li>This one could be &quot;okay&quot;or &quot;perfect&quot;&nbsp;in some places, but highly offensive in others: 👌</li>
</ul>

Inviting discussions on these different interpretations can raise awareness, allow students to choose which icons to use in which contexts, and when to avoid them or explain their interpretations of them.&nbsp;

Here are some other ways to use them to develop visual literacy:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/emoji-feeling-adjectives">Blog</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2381-emoji " target="_blank">Discussion Starter</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/how-are-you-feeling " target="_blank">Ellii Poll</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>8. Visual storytelling</h2>

It is often said that a picture can say a thousand words, so why not use pictures to inspire learners to use a thousand words (or ten, depending on their level).

There are many ways to do this. You could bring comics or graphic novels into class and have students read them, discuss them, rewrite the captions, and do role-plays of the panels.&nbsp;

Another idea is to have students draw their own stories&nbsp;or create them using pictures, such as cutouts from magazines or Ellii&rsquo;s flashcards. Students can then narrate or tell the story, turn it into a video story,&nbsp;or interview a character from it.&nbsp;

Here are some other ideas:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/create-your-own-adventure-teaching-english-the-wordless-way">Create Your Own Adventure: Teaching English the Wordless Way!</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-stories-we-tell">The Stories We Tell</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/simply-storytelling-inspiring-english-learners-with-story-prompts">Simply Storytelling: Inspiring English Learners with Story Prompts&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<h2>9. Photos</h2>

One of the best ways to bring natural discussion into the classroom is to have students share personal photos. Have them bring in a photo that is important to them&nbsp;or share some of their recent photos from their phone. Students can then describe the photo to others, ask questions, and find out more about the other learners in their class.&nbsp;

As a written activity, have students share images in an online group such as on a shared padlet or virtual learning environment and write a caption. Then have students comment on other learners&#39; posts, encouraging them to ask and answer questions.&nbsp;

If you prefer higher-impact photos with a more global outlook, check out Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/resources/photo-prompts " target="_blank">Photo Prompts</a> section. These digital activities are a great way to spark conversations and think critically about world topics.&nbsp;

Have learners:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>describe the photo</li>
	<li>guess what happened before the photo</li>
	<li>predict what will happen next</li>
	<li>write a caption</li>
	<li>role-play the photo</li>
	<li>consider different people&rsquo;s emotions or perspectives</li>
</ul>

Here are some ideas for how to get a whole three-hour lesson out of just one image:

<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-one-image-can-develop-visual-literacy-and-critical-thinking">What&#39;s the Story? How One Image Can Develop Visual Literacy &amp; Critical Thinking Skills</a>

<h2>10. Videos</h2>

As with photos, these are a great way to personalize lessons. Have students share their favorite online funnies or a short clip of them doing something funny or entertaining. Facilitate discussion about what they liked about the video, why it might be popular on socials, and any interesting language that it uses. Let them reflect on the impact the video had on their emotions or beliefs.

There are many ways to use videos in the English language classroom. Here are some tips and ideas for other ways to use them in class:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-videos-in-class">4 Ways to Use Videos Effectively in Class</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-ways-to-use-silent-video-clips">4 Creative Ways to Use Silent Video Clips in English Class</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/selfie-videos-ell">Teaching English with Selfie Videos&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>

These are just a few ways to incorporate visual literacy skills development in the English language classroom. Which ideas have you tried? What other ideas do you have? We would love to know.

10 Ways to Develop Visual Literacy in the ELT Classroom

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Find quick links to each episode of the Teacher Think-Aloud podcast, hosted by Shélynn Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean and sponsored by Ellii.  

Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

In the latest episode of&nbsp;The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, hosts Sh&eacute;lynn Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean sit down with&nbsp;Dr. Debra Suarez, President of TESOL International Association, to discuss what&rsquo;s in store for&nbsp;TESOL 2025&nbsp;and the evolving landscape of English language teaching (ELT).

Dr. Suarez shares insights into&nbsp;key conference themes, including the rise of AI in ELT, translanguaging, project-based learning, and the growing emphasis on teacher advocacy and well-being. She also reflects on her inspiring career journey&mdash;from classroom teaching to leadership roles in the US&nbsp;Department of Education and the White House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders&mdash;offering invaluable wisdom for educators at all stages of their careers. 
&nbsp;

<blockquote>&quot;TESOL is like a buffet. There&rsquo;s something for everyone because we all contribute to the table.&quot; 
&mdash;Dr. Debra Suarez,&nbsp;President of TESOL International Association</blockquote>

 
But what truly sets this conversation apart is her deeply personal take on&nbsp;&ldquo;The Joy of TESOL,&rdquo;&nbsp;the theme of her upcoming keynote. Dr. Suarez explores how joy sustains educators through the challenges of the profession, beyond passion and mission alone. 
&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XNfDw-YJ19A?si=gYSe7e7AIc5fkZ_p" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

<h2> 
Listen to Episode 65: The World Comes to TESOL!</h2>

Don&rsquo;t miss this dynamic and inspiring conversation that will&nbsp;get you excited for TESOL 2025&nbsp;and provide&nbsp;practical guidance on making the most of the event.

<h2>Listen now on your favorite platform:</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1OdOXKen4987GDL9Gb8fw8" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e-64-soft-skills-strong-impact-supporting-multilingual/id1629819608?i=1000685309083" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Follow&nbsp;The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast&nbsp;on social media for more updates:</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/teacherthinkaloud" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CzGrcVFBuEH/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://twitter.com/thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">X</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thinkaloudpod.bsky.social" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Planning to attend&nbsp;TESOL 2025? Join the conversation in the comments!

<blockquote>
What are you most looking forward to at the conference?
</blockquote>

The World Comes to TESOL! An Inside Look at the 2025 Convention with Dr. Debra Suarez

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Since the launch of OpenAI tools such as ChatGPT in late 2022, teachers and learners around the world have been both amazed and concerned. The tools are infinitely useful in generating language explanations, examples, feedback, and lesson ideas. However, they are not without their challenges.&nbsp;

There are concerns that students may use the tools to cheat and that they may reduce critical thinking and ideation skills. Some are worried that they could lead to mass unemployment as bots replace the need for human language instruction.&nbsp;

The use of AI tools also increases the&nbsp;risk of misinformation spreading. In this blog post, I explore why AI poses a threat to factual information and how to help learners to develop their fact-checking and fake news detection skills.&nbsp;

Why does AI increase misinformation?&nbsp;

Generative AI tools are still learning how to process and compile information. They trawl open-access content on the internet to create their responses. This means they don&#39;t always have access to the truly factual content that may be behind paywalls. It also means that they may be generating meaning from advertisements, forums, blogs, and other unregulated content. So far, generative AI tools haven&#39;t learned to identify which of this information may be biased&nbsp;or based on opinion&nbsp;rather than facts.&nbsp;

What else may cause fake news?&nbsp;

Fake news is not a new challenge. Myths, legends, and hoaxes have been shared for centuries. One particularly famous example&nbsp;involves a mystery&nbsp;from Scotland. Photos of the legendary&nbsp;Loch Ness Monster were faked by Marmaduke Wetherell in 1933. Since then, there have been various other counterfeit claims to the existence of the mythical creature. In reality, it is probably just a clever way to boost tourism to the Scottish Highlands!

In 2024, Pew Research found that <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/28490/news-consumption-on-social-media/" target="_blank">54% of people from the USA got their news from social media.</a>&nbsp;What is particularly concerning about this statistic is that this source of information is unregulated and, therefore, can be rife for misinformation. On social media, entertaining, shocking, or polarizing content can rapidly go viral. Influencers and people with large followings can also command alarming power over what people deem to be true and false.&nbsp;

The recent release of the Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar has highlighted one of the most famous&nbsp;examples of this.&nbsp;Belle Gibson gained over 200,000 followers and duped them into believing that she was curing her terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet and clean living. She has become known as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35655983-the-woman-who-fooled-the-world">The Woman Who Fooled the World</a>, as titled by journalists&nbsp;Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, who wrote a book unveiling her lies. She also&nbsp;managed to trick Apple, Google, and Penguin Random House into&nbsp;publishing her Whole Pantry app&nbsp;and book. In today&#39;s world, even some of the greatest minds can&#39;t identify fake news!

How can I avoid fake news?&nbsp;

I am not entirely convinced it is&nbsp;possible to avoid fake news, as the story above demonstrates. Moreover, every piece of news&nbsp;is told from a different perspective, no&nbsp;matter how well researched it is. Even large-scale, respected newspapers write articles that show subtle biases in their opinions. It is therefore essential to think critically about every piece of information we encounter and&nbsp;read the same story from multiple sources&mdash;and teach our students how to do this too.&nbsp;

How can I help learners to identify false information?&nbsp;

Here are some key skills and activities to help learners to think critically about their news sources and stories and to decide what to believe.&nbsp;

1. Check the source

The most important thing to check with news is who or where the information started. A news story is more likely to be reputable if it is written by an experienced journalist for a respected organization rather than a social media influencer who shares no evidence sources.&nbsp;

Have students think about which news providers they would consider to be trustworthy. For example, Al Jazeera, BBC News, CNN, National Geographic, and Reuters take fact-checking very seriously. Share news articles on the same topic with them and have students&nbsp;identify any differences in writing styles. You can also have them identify any biases, opinions, or aspects of the article they would like to investigate further.&nbsp;

2. Check website&nbsp;URLs

Fake news may be spread by fake websites, set up to share extreme or emotionally enticing content. It is important to check the website address. For example, the domain for an official site might end in&nbsp;.org, .com,&nbsp;or .co.uk, while a fake one might use .co or something similar.

They may also have spelling mistakes, duplicate words or letters, or use numbers: Eellii.co, ElliiESL.live, and E11ii.info could be examples.&nbsp;

3. Question everything

Cynicism isn&#39;t always seen as an attractive quality, but when it comes to 21st-century news, it is&nbsp;essential. Approaching every story with a critical eye can help us and our learners to consider its source and validity. If something looks too good to be true&nbsp;or too wildly outrageous, then it probably is. Though who can really tell? We live on&nbsp;a pretty outrageous planet!

4. Double-check

Reading information from at least two news sources can help us and our learners to understand the world more, gain differing perspectives, and check facts. It also allows students additional language practice. It could even give them the chance to compare how the news is reported in their language and in English.&nbsp;As well as reading news from other sources, it is also advisable to dig a little deeper by looking at published (and peer-reviewed) research.&nbsp;

5. Question images&nbsp;&amp; videos

More than ever, my &quot;suggested videos&quot;&nbsp;on socials are becoming very obviously AI-generated clickbait. I suspect the algorithm may have noticed that&nbsp;my curious brain hovers over them a little too long. I have resisted the urge to click&nbsp;for fear of them entering my feed, but there is a&nbsp;strange fascination about snakes crawling over a polar bear&nbsp;or a laughing baby playing with a two-headed pig!&nbsp;

Sometimes AI-generated&nbsp;audiovisual content is easy to spot. It tends to be fantastical in nature or the characters will have extra fingers, toes, and teeth. However, some are eerily lifelike. AI can generate realistic talking-head videos and replicate people and voices.&nbsp;

There are various tools that may&nbsp;identify AI-generated content such as Google Reverse Image search. However, when I tried this with an image I had generated with Canva Dream Lab, all I got was that there was no source or record of this image online. When I tried again with one of my doodles and then an image of me teaching, I got the same results. I also tried AI or Not, and it told me that the same AI-generated image was &quot;likely human.&quot;&nbsp;

I&#39;m not convinced that AI-generated audiovisual content is identifiable, but we can support our learners to at least question it. Share some obvious and less obvious artifically created videos or images with them. Have them discuss their purpose and whether the messages they convey are misleading or ethically sound.&nbsp;

6. Share &amp; discuss examples

To raise awareness of the pursuit of authenticity, a fun activity is to investigate potentially fake news with learners. You could share examples that are trending online or&nbsp;have students share&nbsp;some they&#39;ve seen recently. Give them time to discuss what makes it appealing (e.g., emotional response, captivating headline, engaging images). You could also have&nbsp;students create their own by themselves or using AI. As an added challenge, have some students communicate&nbsp;real news as others develop&nbsp;fakes, and then see if they can spot the difference.&nbsp;

7. Focus on the language

There are some linguistic features of information checking that all learners need to know. Articles that haven&#39;t been&nbsp;properly fact-checked may use vague or sensational language. For example:&nbsp;

Modal verbs: Can, Could, May, Might&nbsp;

Sensational headings: This will SHOCK you! / Everyone NEEDS this!&nbsp;

Generalized sources: Experts say...&nbsp; (Who exactly?) / Research shows... (What research?)

8. Ask a trusted friend (or friends)

If you are still not sure if something is worthy of belief, ask someone else for their opinion. Often other people can share new knowledge of the topic with you. Make sure it is someone who you feel will know the subject well or ask a few different people for their perspectives. This can be eye-opening in itself and can help you formulate your own opinions. It is also a great excuse to perhaps practice English in a more authentic way with others.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Here are some other lessons and posts on the topic of misinformation, media literacy, and identifying fake news:&nbsp;

<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/introducing-media-literacy-in-the-english-language-classroom">Introducing Media Literacy in the English Language Classroom</a>

<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2348-fake-news">Fake News</a> (Discussion Starters&nbsp;lesson)

<a href="https://ellii.com/video/trump-assassination-attempt">Misinformation Fills Internet after Trump Assassination Attempt</a>

Have you encountered any fake news recently? Or have your learners been duped? How do you spot deep fakes and support your learners to think critically about the content they are consuming. We would love to know your experiences, thoughts, and ideas.&nbsp;

Fake News in the AI Era: Essential Skills for Every Language Teacher & Learner

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You may be hearing more people talking about inquiry-based learning at the moment. It seems to have become a bit of a <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elt-trends-to-watch-in-2025" target="_blank">trend in ELT</a> and education in general.&nbsp;

In this post, I&rsquo;ll give a short introduction to what inquiry-based learning is, its advantages, and ways to use it effectively in class.&nbsp;

<h2>What is inquiry-based learning?&nbsp;</h2>

IBL is a learner-centered educational approach that encourages learners to ask and answer questions on a topic of their choice. Similar to project- or task-based learning, students explore a theme in depth by carrying out research.&nbsp;

In short, learners are inspired to get inquisitive and make their own inquiries to learn more about a subject that interests them or to solve a complex problem.&nbsp;

It could be said that IBL is a &quot;bottom-up&quot;&nbsp;learning approach. It gives students a subject to investigate and supports them to share their findings. This allows learners more autonomy and opportunity to develop life skills than a &quot;top-down&quot;&nbsp;approach in which the teacher shares their knowledge with the class.&nbsp;

<h2>What are the benefits of IBL for English language learners?</h2>

There are many benefits to taking an inquiry-based approach in your classroom. Here are some:&nbsp;

<h3>1. It boosts motivation.&nbsp;</h3>

Inquiry-based learning lets learners choose what questions they want to answer and what topics they&rsquo;d like to explore. When students get to choose something that interests them, they are immediately motivated to learn.&nbsp;

<h3>2. It allows space for organic language practice.&nbsp;</h3>

Learners learn through practicing and using their language skills. In the real world, they need to think spontaneously about their grammar and vocabulary choices. IBL creates a safe space to do this. The inquiry will naturally allow them to ask questions, consider responses, share opinions, give advice, and benefit from a whole manner of other organic language practice opportunities.&nbsp;

<h3>3. It is a chance to develop multiple skills.&nbsp;</h3>

An inquiry-based approach allows learners to watch videos, listen to podcasts, read texts, write down ideas, and share their thoughts. This allows them to practice all of their language skills at the same time&nbsp;in a natural and engaging way. It also provides an opportunity to develop 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.&nbsp;

<h3>4. It is inclusive.&nbsp;</h3>

IBL is a flexible approach that allows learners to pick what they want to learn more about. It also allows them to choose how they want to carry out their research, present their learning, and interact with other learners. Small adaptations like these can make classrooms more accessible and welcoming for everyone.&nbsp;

<h3>5. It creates a need to use the language.&nbsp;</h3>

One of the main aims of English language teaching is to create a need for learners to use the language. An inquiry-based approach creates this necessity by posing a problem to be solved or a question to be answered. Learners&nbsp;then have to use their language skills to solve it or explore the topic more.&nbsp;

<h2>How can I use IBL in class?&nbsp;</h2>

There are four steps to inquiry-based learning:

<h3>1. Inspire curiosity that generates questions</h3>

Have you ever read or watched something that got you instantly hooked on the subject and desperate to learn more? That is the feeling we want to give learners in this stage of IBL process.&nbsp;

To do this, we could:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos" target="_blank">watch a video</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me" target="_blank">read a text</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/photo-prompts" target="_blank">look at a picture</a></li>
</ul>

Then give students time to think, talk together, and make notes of questions that this input has inspired them to ask.&nbsp;

<h3>2. Research the topic</h3>

Now that students have questions they&rsquo;d like to answer, we can help them to find those answers. In this stage, it is important to teach them research skills and how to identify reliable sources.&nbsp;

In particular, it is essential that students understand that AI tools and Wikipedia pages are good starting points, but that the information within them must be fact-checked. AI tools search the internet for all sources, but haven&rsquo;t yet learned how to distinguish facts from opinions, or reliable from unreliable sources. In a similar way, Wikipedia can be updated by anyone, so the information may not always be correct there either.&nbsp;

As a research guide, you can help learners to evaluate sources by encouraging them to find information in books, magazines, research papers, and reputable newspapers. You may wish to have learners compare the information represented in each, as different publications might slant their information for political or economic purposes.&nbsp;

For websites, have students think critically about the purpose of each one. Sources such as the World Health Organization, UNESCO, or National Geographic are likely to be well researched and reliable. Other sites may be trying to sell them something and could be manipulating data for their own gains.&nbsp;

<h3>3. Share findings</h3>

In this stage, learners can present their findings to the rest of the class. They could do this by:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>delivering a presentation</li>
	<li>creating a poster</li>
	<li>writing a blog post</li>
	<li>recording a video or podcast</li>
	<li>doodling a sketchnote</li>
	<li>making an infographic</li>
	<li>building a web page</li>
</ul>

This is an excellent opportunity to encourage more inquiries and curiosity by inviting learners to ask further questions and explore the topics even further.&nbsp;

<h3>4. Reflect&nbsp;</h3>

The final stage of IBL is to reflect on the learning process. This gives them a chance to explore what aspects of the process they enjoyed, what was challenging, what they discovered about how they like to learn, and what they might do differently in the future.&nbsp;

<h2>Further reading</h2>

If you&rsquo;d like to know more about inquiry-based learning, here are some sites where you can carry out your own inquiry:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://michelleworgan.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Michelle Worgan</a> is a fantastic inquiry-based learning expert in ELT who offers IBL-themed training, courses, and resources.</li>
	<li><a href="https://edutopia.org/article/blog-what-heck-inquiry-based-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Edutopia</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.education.gov.au/australian-curriculum/national-stem-education-resources-toolkit/i-want-know-about-stem-education/what-works-best-when-teaching-stem/inquiry-based-learning" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Australian Government Department of Education</a></li>
</ul>

You may also be interested in the following blog posts from Ellii:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://ellii.com/blog/task-based-learning" target="_blank">Task-Based Learning: An Introductory Guide</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://ellii.com/blog/takeaways-from-tesol-2022-project-based-learning" target="_blank">Project-Based Learning</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elt-trends-to-watch-in-2025" target="_blank">ELT Trends to Watch in 2025</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
Have you tried inquiry-based learning? Would you like to give it a try? Let us know in the comments.
</blockquote>

Inquiry-Based Learning: A Quick Guide for ELT Professionals

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Feedback is an essential part of the language learning process. It helps learners to see their progress and identify areas for development. However, when and how to give feedback can be a challenge.&nbsp;

In this blog post, I&rsquo;ll explore some minimal-prep, creative ways to give feedback that boosts student confidence and helps learners reach their goals.

<h2>1. Reframe negative feedback</h2>

Giving students the confidence to speak is absolutely crucial for successful language learning. Feedback framed in a negative way or that is overly harsh can be highly de-motivating and can even result in learners becoming disengaged or dropping out of learning entirely.&nbsp;

For this reason, it is good to start with things the student does well&nbsp;by praising their achievements and giving recognition for their hard work. Little phrases such as &quot;Well done!&quot; and &quot;You studied a lot!&quot;&nbsp;can be very motivating.&nbsp;

Every learner will have things that they are &quot;good&quot;&nbsp;and &quot;bad&quot;&nbsp;at, but no one likes to hear that they are &quot;bad&quot;&nbsp;at something. Instead, reframe things students lack confidence in as &quot;areas for development.&quot;&nbsp;This way, they have tangible areas to focus on&nbsp;and their weaknesses are perceived as skills that they haven&rsquo;t quite mastered yet.&nbsp;

This graphic organizer from Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/functional-business/materials"target="_blank">Functional Business</a>&nbsp;lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3824-giving-feedback" target="_blank">Giving Feedback</a> is a good example of this practice in action. It can be used by learners to help them&nbsp;give each other feedback as well as&nbsp;by teachers.&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii giving feedback chart" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4281/content_Ellii-giving-feedback-chart.png" />

<h2>2. Encourage self-reflection</h2>

Training students to take learning into their own hands has many benefits. Autonomous learners can set their own goals, find new ways to learn, and develop their skills more rapidly overall.&nbsp;

In terms of self-reflection, supporting learners to be aware of their progress and to identify their goals and areas for improvement can be game changing. Encourage them to seek a greater understanding of their own abilities by:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>demonstrating tools such as spelling and grammar checkers</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/developing-learner-autonomy-with-ai" target="_blank">teaching them to use AI tools responsibly</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-with-voice-assistants" target="_blank">using voice-recognition tools to practice speaking</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools" target="_blank">encouraging them to self-assess their skills</a></li>
	<li>embracing peer feedback</li>
	<li>allocating time at the end of class to review and reflect</li>
</ul>

<h2>3. Show progress</h2>

Progression is powerful. As humans, our inner trolls often default to how little we&rsquo;ve achieved or how much we still need to do. However, looking back can be a huge boost to our confidence. Reflecting on distance traveled over a period of time can help us realize how much we have changed and grown.&nbsp;

Having students review written or spoken work they created at the beginning of a course and comparing it to work they completed towards the end of the course can have a huge impact on confidence.&nbsp;

So too can making a list of all the things they have achieved over a certain period of time. To do this, you could give them the Ellii <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/music-hobbies-entertainment/outdoor-recreation?flashcard=2786" target="_blank">trail map</a> flashcard and have them plot key milestones along the way, or have them simply draw their own map or plot their accomplishments&nbsp;on a line on a piece of paper.&nbsp;

<img alt="trail map Ellii flashcard" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4278/content_trail-map-ellii.png" />

<h2>4. Use technology &amp; AI tools</h2>

Ellii offers a new way for you to leave students feedback.&nbsp;The <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/267-how-to-use-the-grade-feed" target="_blank">Grade Feed</a> is now powered by AI and you can choose manual, suggested, or automatic feedback modes. If you choose to let AI suggest student grades and add a comment, all you need to do is review and accept or edit the suggestions. You can even leave them a voice note!

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rtLIzmA29Xw?si=uIllZexALtGvYviZ" width="640"></iframe></div>

<img alt="Ellii Grade Feed voice note" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4280/content_grade-feed-ellii.png" />

<h2>5. Focus on specifics</h2>

Giving feedback that helps learners to develop means identifying precise subskills to study and practice. Vague feedback, such as &quot;You need to work on your writing,&quot;&nbsp;will give students an idea of what they need to improve, but isn&rsquo;t specific enough to let them know how to get better at writing.&nbsp;

To get specific, review a piece of the student&rsquo;s writing together. Have them identify aspects of the text that could be improved&nbsp;or show them one or two errors that they consistently make. Try to focus on the subskills that will make the biggest difference.&nbsp;

For example, perhaps a learner often forgets to put a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence. Have them focus on that in their next text.

You could refer to a list of skills tracked to their language level or an assessment they are preparing for (e.g., CAE, IELTS). Alternatively, work with the whole class to create a list of subskills for their level.

Think carefully about how many areas for development to give your learners. Too many could be overwhelming and de-motivating for some, while too few might not be challenging enough for others. The best way to make this decision is with your learner&nbsp;based on their learning preferences and goals.&nbsp;

Here are some related Ellii resources and blogs that we think you&rsquo;ll love.&nbsp;

Resources:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2126-self-evaluation-form" target="_blank">Self-Evaluation Form</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2127-my-language-goals" target="_blank">My Language Goals</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2370-weekly-reflection" target="_blank">Weekly Reflection</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2875-the-language-of-feedback" target="_blank">The Language of Feedback</a></li>
</ul>

Blogs:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-importance-of-growth-mindset-for-learning-teaching" target="_blank">The Importance of a Growth Mindset for Learning &amp; Teaching</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/twelve-ellii-flashcards-for-reflection" target="_blank">12 Ellii Flashcards Perfect for Planning &amp; Reflection</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
How do you give feedback? Any top tips or teaching ideas? We&rsquo;d love to hear them.
</blockquote>

Low-Prep, High-Impact Feedback Strategies 

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In the latest episode of <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>, hosts Sh&eacute;lynn Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean sit down with Shweta Ramkumar, an educator specializing in coaching multilingual healthcare professionals.

<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes/episode/31c8171f/e-64-soft-skills-strong-impact-supporting-multilingual-healthcare-professionals-with-shweta-ramkumar" target="_blank">Episode 64</a> explores the transformative power of soft skills and intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) contexts. Shweta highlights how skills like empathy, adaptability, and effective communication are crucial for navigating the complexities of today&rsquo;s globalized workplaces, especially in healthcare, where cultural and linguistic diversity among patients and professionals continues to grow.

Shweta shares actionable strategies for teaching these skills, including reflective exercises, role-playing, and culturally sensitive communication techniques. Her approach emphasizes real-world application, empowering healthcare professionals to build trust and rapport with their patients while navigating cultural nuances. For ESP educators, this episode provides valuable insights into tailoring instruction to meet industry-specific needs and fostering meaningful connections in diverse environments.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qO5pEsJHJBg?si=7uFQYGVGQ2PB0bTQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

🎧 Listen to Episode 64 to explore how soft skills and ICC can transform professional success in specialized contexts:

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes/episode/31c8171f/e-64-soft-skills-strong-impact-supporting-multilingual-healthcare-professionals-with-shweta-ramkumar" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO5pEsJHJBg" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1OdOXKen4987GDL9Gb8fw8" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/e-64-soft-skills-strong-impact-supporting-multilingual/id1629819608?i=1000685309083" target="_blank">Apple</a></li>
</ul>

Follow The&nbsp;Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast on your favorite social account:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/teacherthinkaloud" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CzGrcVFBuEH/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://twitter.com/thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">X</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/thinkaloudpod.bsky.social" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thinkaloud_pod" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a></li>
</ul>

Bridging Cultures & Skills in ESP with The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

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I am writing this blog post a year and a day after I started my first adventure as a digital nomad. Packing my life into two small bags has been one of the best decisions of my life. It has taught me that creating memories and making new friends enrich my life more than accumulating objects. I hope to continue this lifestyle for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;

For the last year, my husband and I have been meandering around Latin America. We&rsquo;ve scaled volcanoes in Chile, toured wineries by bike in Argentina, visited the <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/boiling-rivers-burning-forests-why-teaching-conservation-topics-is-so-important" target="_self">Boiling River in Peru</a>, snorkeled on Colombia&rsquo;s Caribbean coast, and seen sloths chilling in the trees of parks in Panama.&nbsp;

I&rsquo;ve also managed to write three books, edit one, develop two resource packs, write 12 blog posts for Ellii, create countless sketchnotes, and deliver who knows how many webinars. When I left, I wasn&rsquo;t sure how I was going to feel about working while away, but it has given me a sense of purpose, the opportunity to stay places for longer and get to know them better, and the time to just enjoy sitting still and taking in the view.&nbsp;

In this post, I&rsquo;ll share some of my top tips for working remotely as an ELT professional.&nbsp;

<h2>Be financially prepared</h2>

It&rsquo;s always good to have a safety net before embarking on any travel adventure. Take a look at accommodation prices in the places you plan to visit, plus transportation and average food costs.&nbsp;

Have enough savings to at least&nbsp;survive for the first few months and get you home in an emergency. If you&rsquo;re working, you might never need to use these funds, but it&rsquo;s good to have them just in case. It&rsquo;s also good to have more than you think you need, as there are a lot of tempting unexpected adventures to be had.&nbsp;

<h2>Get insured</h2>

Travel insurance and health insurance are essential. My best friend used to work in an international hospital. He has told me many horror stories of uninsured travelers. You really don&rsquo;t want to get sick without the right insurance papers. Make sure to read the small print and get the coverage you need.&nbsp;

<h2>Find a remote ELT job</h2>

It goes without saying that to work remotely while traveling, you need a job you can do anywhere! Thankfully, English language teaching has tons of opportunities. You could:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>teach online</li>
	<li>develop ELT materials</li>
	<li>write blog posts</li>
	<li>deliver teacher development webinars</li>
	<li>manage projects</li>
	<li>create your own business</li>
</ul>

Here are some blog posts that you might find useful:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/5-ways-to-make-passive-income-as-a-teacher" target="_self">5 Ways to Earn &quot;Passive&quot; Income as a Teacher</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/teacherpreneur" target="_self">How to Be a Teacherpreneur</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/beyond-teaching-elt-careers-to-keep-you-motivated" target="_self">Beyond Teaching: ELT Careers to Keep You Motivated</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>Pack light &amp; carefully</h2>

Packing has been a logistical challenge but one I&rsquo;ve found enjoyable. For me, everything has to be superlight, be extremely small, or have multiple purposes.&nbsp;

What you take will depend on where you are going. Since we planned to travel at different altitudes, seasons, and climates, we had to pack for all weathers. I love my squashable down jacket as it&rsquo;s cozy and tiny, my lightweight waterproof jacket, and my packable 20l backpack, which scrunches into the ball of my hand.&nbsp;

In terms of shoes, I only have one pair of trail running shoes, which I carefully selected as they look passable in restaurants as well as outdoors. I also have a pair of flips-flops&nbsp;and a tiny pair of ballet pumps that I use for conferences.&nbsp;

<img alt="ballet shoes" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4246/content_ballet-shoes.jpg" />

One thing I wish I had done was pack lighter. My bag was full, meaning that there was no space for anything I hadn&rsquo;t realized I would need. Plus, I had way too many tops and an unnecessary travel changing robe! Over time, I found new homes for things I didn&rsquo;t use to make space for real essentials like a bag of herbs and spices and my trusty coffee filter.

<img alt="coffee filter" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4247/content_coffee-filter.jpg" />

<h2>Network &amp; meet fellow ELTers</h2>

One of the things I&rsquo;ve enjoyed most about traveling while working is connecting with fellow ELTers. It has given me the chance to get to know people I had only met online, extend my network, and cultivate new friendships.&nbsp;

Going to conferences, like <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/perutesol-2024-reflections-and-take-aways" target="_self">Peru TESOL</a> in Arequipa and Anglo in Montevideo, gave me the opportunity&nbsp;to learn more about the Latin American ELT market. I also made new friends&nbsp;who&nbsp;invited me to speak at other conferences, to team teach with them, and even to enjoy dinner at their houses. ELTers truly are a lovely bunch of humans!&nbsp;

<h2>Travel slowly</h2>

Working while traveling really means that you need to slow down. You&rsquo;re not going to see much&nbsp;or get much work done if you just stay somewhere for a couple of nights. Plus, accommodation is often cheaper if you can make use of longer-term discounts. You also save a lot on transportation costs.&nbsp;

Depending on where we are, accommodation costs, and where we need to be, my husband and I tend to stay a minimum of a week wherever we are. However, I think a month or more is ideal. Whenever we have stayed for a month or longer in the same place, we have made more friends, been more productive, and really gotten&nbsp;to know the area well.&nbsp;

<h2>Be aware of privilege</h2>

This trip has really made me aware of passport privilege&nbsp;and how lucky I am to be traveling on a UK salary. Having taught students from refugee backgrounds for years, I have heard their stories of crossing borders in refrigerated vans, hanging onto the undercarriage of trucks,&nbsp;and hiking for days in the dead of night.&nbsp;

I also saw firsthand many people preparing to cross the infamous Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama. They carried small tents and the bare&nbsp;essentials, and in many cases they weren&rsquo;t dressed for three days of hiking through dense forest during the rainy season. Meanwhile, all I needed to do was buy a boat ticket and get my passport stamped.&nbsp;

As I travel, I often ponder how to redress this equality gap. I am very lucky to be able to have the opportunity to choose this lifestyle. In some places, digital nomads are pricing locals out of accommodation, so my presence could impact people&#39;s quality of life. I try my best to choose places that aren&rsquo;t super touristy and do simple things like being kind and respectful, taking an interest in the local culture, donating to local charities, and leaving generous tips.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Be flexible</h2>

I used to have the luxury of a desktop PC, two huge screens, a giant whiteboard, a visualizer, a top-notch microphone, and a ring light as my work setup. Now, I have a laptop, a drawing tablet I use as a second screen, a portable lavalier mic, and a head torch! I&rsquo;ve had to get creative with my workspace. I even worked from an ironing board once when the place we rented didn&rsquo;t have a table!&nbsp;

<img alt="ironing board desk" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4248/content_ironing-board-desk.jpg" />

<h2>Have a plan B</h2>

Traveling while working can throw lots of challenges at you. Meetings, webinars, and events need to be planned carefully to make sure you have Wi-Fi and a suitable workspace. This means that travel days need to be planned around workdays. Some weeks your day off might be spent entirely on a bus.&nbsp;

You may also need to find last-minute solutions to unexpected problems. Recently, I got stuck for two extra days in a remote town due to tropical storms. The only feasible way out was by boat. This delay meant that I wasn&rsquo;t going to be able to deliver two scheduled webinars. I managed to postpone one, but the other was for a conference that had to go ahead on that day. So I pre-recorded the video. Thankfully, the conference organizers, World Education, and Ellii were happy with this solution, but I will forever have FOMO of not getting to e-meet everyone on the day.&nbsp;

You can watch the recordings here:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVcE9TdIY/UVNbUNqJGyUXxOKPanjBlA/watch" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lightning Talk</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVcD82ZTs/ktshmSZMIFJHyUS1olNIRA/watch" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Breakout Room Tech Demonstrations</a></li>
</ul>

For more remote-working inspiration, you&rsquo;ll love this post by Ellii&rsquo;s videographer, Lucia Padilla:&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/traveling-with-ellii" target="_blank">Working Remotely: Traveling with Ellii</a>

Here are some related lessons&nbsp;that you might want to try with your students:

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4328-digital-nomads" target="_self">Digital Nomads</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3877-portugal-protects-remote-workers" target="_self">Portugal Protects Remote Workers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/travel-english/materials" target="_self">Travel English</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
Have you tried out remote working while&nbsp;traveling? Would you like to? Share your thoughts, tips, and experiences in the comments!
</blockquote>

 
&nbsp;

How to Be an ELT Nomad

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<h2>Happy New Year!</h2>

This year, Ellii will be sponsoring&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>! As&nbsp;founding fans of this #ELT podcast&nbsp;and&nbsp;firm believers in the power of reflection, we are confident this will be a great fit for Ellii.&nbsp;

In addition to enjoying&nbsp;many&nbsp;episodes and meeting up with this friendly podcast duo in person at the TESOL convention in 2024,&nbsp;Ben and I made an appearance on The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast last year for <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-talks-materials-writing-teacher-think-aloud-podcast" target="_blank">Episode 60</a>. We loved talking about materials writing and sharing Ellii&#39;s (formerly ESL Library&#39;s) origin story with Shey and Anna.&nbsp; 
 
If you are unfamiliar with this podcast and are looking to start the year with some fresh and friendly professional development, we encourage you to browse past episodes of The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast. If you like what you hear, be&nbsp;sure to subscribe so you don&#39;t miss all of the new shows.

In their<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes/episode/26cb7c6b/e63-2024-end-of-year-reflection" target="_blank"> 2024 End-of-Year Reflection</a> episode, Shey and Anna discussed&nbsp;some of the themes they are considering for&nbsp;2025:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Ready-to-use teaching tips</li>
	<li>Career advice</li>
	<li>Broader TESOL trends</li>
	<li>Emerging ELT topics</li>
	<li>The intersection of personal and professional lives (finding balance in&nbsp;both worlds)</li>
</ul>

Find The Teacher Think-Aloud podcast in all of your favorite places:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">www.teacherthinkaloud.com</a>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2zv5mVNpSqkDNiNbQlnm7B" target="_blank">Spotify</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thinkaloud_pod" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e60-from-teaching-to-materials-writing-a-chat-with/id1629819608?i=1000670852097" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a></li>
</ul>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tBD4sc4TzB0" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4207/content_Ellii-Think-aloud-podcast-2025.png" /></a> 
Happy listening!

New Year, New Reflections & a Partnership with The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

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Learn tips on how to teach grammar and usage from our editors and grammar experts. 

Grammar & Usage

The habitual past is a grammar structure that allows us to talk about actions that happened regularly or repeatedly in the past but no longer occur. We can also use it to&nbsp;describe states of being that were once a reality but aren&#39;t true anymore.

The habitual past is perfect for reminiscing about our childhood or describing how life used to be. It is quite easy to form, and English speakers often use it to talk about past routines and habits.

<h2>How to form the habitual past</h2>

In the habitual past, either &quot;used to&quot; or &quot;would&quot; is&nbsp;followed by the base form of the main verb.

1. used to + base verb

<ul>
	<li>Elizabeth used to be very thin, but she has recently gained a lot of weight.</li>
</ul>

2. would + base verb

<ul>
	<li>Before my husband and I&nbsp;had children, we would sleep in on the weekends.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Used to</h2>

&quot;Used to&quot; is a versatile phrase for the habitual past. It works with both actions and states.

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>Action: She used to ride her bike to school every day.</li>
	<li>State: We used to live in a small village.</li>
</ul>

<div class="white-box">
<h2>Note</h2>

The negative form of &quot;used to&quot; is &quot;did not&nbsp;use to&quot; or &quot;never used to.&quot; The question form is &quot;Did (you) use to...?&quot;

Examples:

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>Negative: I didn&rsquo;t use to like vegetables when I was a kid. / I never used to bring my own bag to the grocery store.</li>
	<li>Question: Did you use to have a pet?</li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Would</h2>

&quot;Would&quot; is&nbsp;often paired with specific time markers and is used to describe repeated actions in the past. However, unlike &quot;used to,&quot; it is never used&nbsp;with states of being.&nbsp;

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>On Sundays, my grandfather would tell us stories by the fire.</li>
	<li>Every winter, we would build a snowman in the backyard.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Common mistakes to avoid</h2>

1. Mixing &quot;used to&quot; and present habits:&nbsp; &quot;Used to&quot; is only used for the past. To describe present habits,&nbsp;words like &quot;usually&quot; or &quot;tend to&quot; are more appropriate.

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="incorrect">I used to go jogging every morning.&nbsp;(if it&rsquo;s still happening now)</li>
	<li class="correct">I usually go jogging every morning.</li>
</ul>

2. Overusing &quot;would&quot;:&nbsp;As mentioned earlier, &quot;would&quot; cannot describe states.

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="incorrect">She would own a bakery in her hometown.</li>
	<li class="correct">She used to own a bakery in her hometown.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Why is the habitual past important?</h2>

Understanding and using the habitual past allows speakers to:

1. Tell engaging stories:&nbsp;It helps listeners imagine repeated events or routines.

<ul data-spread="true">
	<li>When we were teenagers, we used to stay up all night talking about our dreams.</li>
	<li>Every evening, we would sit on the porch and watch the sunset.</li>
</ul>

2. Show contrast: It emphasizes how life has changed over time.

<ul>
	<li>I used to have so much free time before I started this job.</li>
	<li>This neighborhood used to be dangerous at night, but the city installed street lights last year and crime has decreased significantly.</li>
</ul>

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1620-past-modals" target="_self">Past Modals</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1565-what-did-you-use-to-do" target="_self">What Did You Use to Do?</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2830-used-to-get-used-to-be-used-to" target="_self">Used To, Get Used To &amp; Be Used To</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/used-to-get-used-to-and-be-used-to" target="_parent">Used To, Get Used To &amp; Be Used To</a></li>
</ul>

The Habitual Past: Used To & Would

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As a resident blogger for Ellii, my annual &quot;trends to watch&quot; has become a bit of an end-of-year event. This is the third time I&#39;m sitting down to write it, and in many ways, the process has become harder.&nbsp;

Firstly, I am not a fortune teller. I have taught the future tense for predictions countless times, and yet I still haven&rsquo;t accurately guessed what ELT themes will be popular in the coming year. This was abundantly clear in 2023&nbsp;when I wrote my post shortly before AI took the world by storm.&nbsp;

Secondly, writing these posts has&nbsp;helped me reflect on the differences between a trending topic and a core element of being an ELT professional. My post this year will focus more on identifying and discussing these differences.&nbsp;

These were my trends to watch in 2023:

💚 Green ELT 
🫂 DEIB &ndash;&nbsp;Diversity, Equity, Inclusion &amp; Belonging 
🕹️ Virtual Reality 
💬🗨️ Mediation 
🤹 Life Skills 
🔍 Task Based Teaching, Learning &amp; Assesssment

These were my trends to watch in 2024:

🤖 Artificial Intelligence 
💞 Well-Being 
🫂 DEIB &ndash;&nbsp;Diversity, Equity, Inclusion &amp; Belonging 
💚 Green ELT 
💬🌍 EFL&nbsp;Pron (e.g., global English and equity for &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speaker teachers) 
🧗🏿ELT Careers (e.g., Teacherpreneurship + Working Rights)

In making these predictions, I enlisted the help of my English-language-teaching peers for suggestions, plus I looked&nbsp;around the web for social posts, blogs, videos, and webinars for trending topics.&nbsp;

You&rsquo;ll notice the following crossovers in 2023&ndash;2024: &nbsp;

🫂 DEIB &ndash;&nbsp;Diversity, Equity, Inclusion &amp; Belonging 
💚 Green ELT

In hindsight, these aren&rsquo;t necessarily trends&nbsp;but elements that have become central to language teaching. Learner-centered teaching means devoting time to accessible learning and inclusion. Inspiring learners with real-world topics that make the world a better place means incorporating environmental themes.&nbsp;

You&rsquo;ll notice that the following ELT themes didn&rsquo;t make it into either of my trends posts:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Grammar</li>
	<li>Vocabulary</li>
	<li>Pronunciation</li>
	<li>4-Skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening)</li>
	<li>Communicative Language Teaching</li>
	<li>Limiting teacher talking time</li>
</ul>

That is because they are simply the core elements of language teaching. These are things we learn in our initial teacher training. In many ways, trends are topics that get teachers to experiment and try new ways of working. Trends are things we probably should be doing, so we need to discuss them and share ideas.&nbsp;

For example, when I first attended IATEFL (probably around 2009), &quot;Teaching with Technology&quot; was the hot topic. Now it is just part of our daily teaching lives.&nbsp;

In 2020, as the pandemic pushed us all online, teaching with Zoom or Teams was the webinar session everyone wanted to deliver and attend. This is also now part of our standard practice.

So what will be the trends&nbsp;and new core elements&nbsp;to watch for in 2025?&nbsp;

Although I cannot look into a crystal ball, I can use my expertise, research skills, and network of skilled English-language-teaching peers to make some educated guesses as to what might be popular in teaching next year:&nbsp;

<h2>1. Artificial Intelligence</h2>

This is still a hot topic. As educators, we are still finding ways to use this effectively in class, ensure learners are using it responsibly, and get to know new AI tools to support learning. I believe this will continue to trend&nbsp;until one day soon it will become a core&nbsp;element.&nbsp;

Although we are all gaining confidence with this, it is still quite shiny and new&mdash;and perhaps a little scary. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_cwm_Hyc-8&amp;t=6s" target="_blank">Dr. Amin Davoodi</a> recommends that we see artificial intelligence as a &quot;resource&quot; and not as a &quot;competition.&quot;&nbsp;

<img alt="Dr. Davoodi AI sketchnote Elliicon" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4200/content_sketchnote.png" />

Ellii has&nbsp;been working hard to develop new ways to make teachers&rsquo; lives simpler with AI while maintaining the teacher&#39;s critical role and human touch in a student&#39;s language-learning journey.&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/ai">Ellii Bot</a> can be used to grade student tasks and give personalised feedback. Ellii also uses AI to provide recommendations for lessons based on learners&rsquo; age, level, and goals.&nbsp;

<h2>2. Global Englishes &amp; Equity for &quot;Native&quot; Speaker Teachers</h2>

Sadly, this hasn&rsquo;t become part of our core&nbsp;yet, though it should have many years ago. Last week, a trainee teacher in Indonesia asked if they could chat to me as part of a university assignment. The task was to interview a &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speaker teacher. I agreed, but said that it would be on the grounds that I was a &quot;proficient&quot; language user and that I felt the use of &quot;native&quot; was discriminatory. The perception of how well someone can speak or teach English shouldn&rsquo;t be based on which country they are from.&nbsp;

English is global and 80% of its users are so-called &quot;non-native&quot;&nbsp;speakers. The majority of conversations that take place in English are between people whose first language isn&rsquo;t English. It is a means of communication for travel, education, and business. Around the world, there are millions of confident and proficient language users. Furthermore, there are many different, unique, and beautiful Englishes used to effectively communicate across languages. English is spoken everywhere and belongs to everyone.&nbsp;

Yet&nbsp;some language schools still market themselves as having &quot;native&quot;&nbsp;speaker teachers and actively recruit accordingly. More frustratingly, some countries only give work visas to teachers from certain countries. There is a huge perception and legislation shift needed to ensure that all proficient language users have the same access to opportunities.&nbsp;

Until this changes, we need to keep pushing for change. I&rsquo;m keeping this as a trend&nbsp;until our industry becomes equitable and it finally becomes a core element.

<h2>3. Visual Thinking</h2>

Visuals have long been a core part of language teaching. One picture, doodle, or diagram can aid understanding more effectively than using infinite words.&nbsp;

In recent months I&rsquo;m noticing more blogs, posts, and videos appearing on developing visual literacy, using graphic novels, interpreting infographics, discussing photos, sketchnoting, and using simple doodles in class.&nbsp;

It could be that AI-generated infographics, comics, and visual tools are making this more accessible. Here&rsquo;s a post on Bluesky from AI guru, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/joszoke.bsky.social/post/3lc3fbdvcic24 " target="_blank">Joanna Szoke</a>.

<img alt="jo szoke bluesky" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4201/content_napkin-ai.png" />

It&nbsp;could also be that some teachers are looking for a more &quot;back-to-basics&quot;&nbsp;approach&nbsp;utilising just whiteboards and markers. For example, in this LinkedIn post by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ricardocezarpro_elt-tefl-tesol-activity-7270457801364185088-09GC?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop" target="_blank">Ricardo Cezar</a>, he shares a low-tech teaching idea using simple drawings.&nbsp;

<img alt="visuals simple whiteboard" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4205/content_Ricardo-cezar.png" />

Or it could just be what Ellii has always known&mdash;that using visuals in class is simply a fantastic way to teach.

Here are some Ellii lessons and resources&nbsp;with a visual theme:

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/story-prompts" target="_blank">Story Prompts</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/visual-learning" target="_blank">Visual Learning</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards" target="_blank">Flashcards</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos" target="_blank">Videos</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>4. Teacherpreneurship</h2>

Whenever I write these posts about trends, I&rsquo;m always a little wary of things that may be trending for me but perhaps not for other ELT professionals. It could be that this topic trends on my socials because it stops me while I&#39;m scrolling, so&nbsp;my algorithm knows my interests more than I do. Or perhaps it is trending on many ELTers&#39; feeds as they aspire to more flexible work schedules and higher pay.&nbsp;

Either way, there are more ELT professionals setting up their own online courses, starting podcasts, building YouTube channels, and offering coaching services. Software and AI development have made digital content creation and marketing simpler.&nbsp;

Here are some trends to expect in<a href="https://copythat-copywriting.co.uk/9-language-education-marketing-trends-for-2025/ " target="_blank"> ELT Marketing in 2025</a>&nbsp;from language education copywriter Lauren Martin, and from <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dan-shepherd-76694788_linkedin-i-need-your-help-im-planning-activity-7275089015253463040-fHHo?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop" target="_blank">Dan Shepherd at Hubbub Labs</a>.

You may also be interested in these posts:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/5-ways-to-make-passive-income-as-a-teacher" target="_blank">5 Ways to Earn &quot;Passive&quot; Income as a Teacher</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/teacherpreneur" target="_blank">How to Be a Teacherpreneur</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>5. Inquiry-Based Learning</h2>

This is a learner-centered approach to teaching that is based on curiosity, active questioning techniques, and exploring real-world topics. It is an excellent way to build life skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking.&nbsp;

Similar to project-based or task-based learning, IBL focuses more on exploration and investigation processes than project or task completion. Students may choose a topic that interests them, ask questions, and find out more in order to answer those questions.&nbsp;

Inquiry-based learning featured highly in the British Council ELTons nominations this year. You can read more about the trends based on the ELTons in Chia Suan Chong&rsquo;s blog post:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/ten-trends-and-innovations-english-language-teaching-2024" target="_blank">Ten Trends and Innovations in English Language Teaching in 2024</a>&nbsp;

Michelle Worgan is one of the leading ELT experts in this field. You can also explore this topic more on her site and through her <a href="https://michelleworgan.com/ ">course</a>.&nbsp;

<h3>Other Trends</h3>

We will, of course, continue to see mediation, life skills, well-being, social-emotional learning, sustainable development goals, teacherpreneurship, and EFL Pron feature highly in web conferences and events. They are popular for a reason and a pretty staple part of our core,&nbsp;after all.

<blockquote>
What would you predict as a trend for 2025? What do you feel is a core part of ELT? What should be?
</blockquote>

ELT Trends to Watch in 2025

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2615/Emily_ELT-Trends-to-Watch-in-2025_Banner.png

Using visuals and visual thinking strategies in class has a multitude of benefits. It can support understanding, aid memory, enhance learner engagement, and make lessons accessible to all.

Visual thinking strategies include:

<ul>
	<li>mind maps</li>
	<li>graphic organizers</li>
	<li>sketchnotes</li>
	<li>diagrams</li>
	<li>images</li>
	<li>visual storytelling</li>
</ul>

You can use these techniques to simplify complex information, guide conversations, activate schemata, and help students to understand and process their learning.

If you&rsquo;re looking for examples, I&rsquo;ve written loads of blog posts for Ellii sharing super simple, minimal preparation visual thinking activities. You can check them out on the <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/emily-bryson" target="_parent">Ellii blog</a> here.&nbsp;

In this post, I would like to share some of my favorite digital tools for visual thinking activities. These can be used in various ways in both online and face-to-face classes.&nbsp;

<h3>Canva, Miro &amp; Mural</h3>

I can&rsquo;t tell you how much I love <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a>. It is a free design tool, but if you upgrade to a paid plan, you&#39;ll get more access to its bank of stock images, icons, videos, and audio. &nbsp;

You can use it to:

<ul>
	<li>create and deliver presentations</li>
	<li>develop resources</li>
	<li>edit videos</li>
	<li>make social posts such as Instagram reels</li>
	<li>use mind maps and graphic organizers</li>
</ul>

The tool I love most on Canva is the whiteboard. Like many teachers, I was devastated when Google announced the end of Jamboard. It was fantastic for creating visual and interactive activities for online classes.

After the announcement, I looked around for other tools. <a href="https://miro.com/signup/" target="_blank">Miro</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mural.co/&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1734457704526561&amp;usg=AOvVaw1rlyZKkymVKa5_sFIfHV6H" target="_blank">Mural</a> are fantastic online whiteboards. As with Canva, they let you share access to the whiteboard via Weblink. This allows you collaborate with learners in real time or gives them access to class content whenever they need it.&nbsp;

Miro, Mural, and Canva also let you:

<ul>
	<li>draw</li>
	<li>use their pre-made templates</li>
	<li>create your own mind maps, graphic organizers, and visual stories</li>
	<li>use virtual &quot;sticky notes&quot;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>add text, images, icons, videos, etc.</li>
	<li>upload your own images, PDFs, and audiovisual files</li>
</ul>

For me, Canva whiteboard wins because it can do all the extra things like create videos, social posts, and PDF resource packs.

<h3>Annotation tools in Zoom</h3>

Annotation tools in Zoom are so much fun and can bring any online class or webinar to life. They are a great way to engage learners and course participants.

If you share your screen in Zoom, your learners will see a green bar saying &quot;You are viewing [your name]&rsquo;s screen.&quot; They&rsquo;ll see a drop-down menu. If they click it, they will be able to add text, icons, and doodles directly onto the zoom screen.

<img alt="annotate on Zoom" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4189/content_Ellii-zoom-annotate-option-Emily-Bryson.png" />

I love doing this with visual templates, images, tables, or graphic organizers. It&rsquo;s a great way to have students share their ideas, give feedback, or cast their votes.

Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/resources/photo-prompts" target="_blank">Photo Prompts</a> are perfect for some interactive annotation fun. Share your screen to display the image and then have students add text to:

<ul>
	<li>brainstorm useful vocabulary</li>
	<li>suggest what people are thinking</li>
	<li>write a caption</li>
</ul>

<img alt="Photo Prompts on Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4190/content_Ellii-photo-prompt.png" />

These tools can be more interactive and engaging than simply using the chat function. However, if learners are unfamiliar with Zoom, you might want to get them confident with simple features such as chat before teaching them to use annotation tools.&nbsp;

<h3>CamScanner</h3>

People often ask me how I digitize my paper-based drawings and sketchnotes to make them so white and shiny. My secret is <a href="https://www.camscanner.com/" target="_blank">CamScanner</a>&nbsp;and its Magic Color&nbsp;function.&nbsp;

Here is a sketchnote I did on a paper notepad and then&nbsp;took a photo. You&rsquo;ll notice there are shadows and it is a bit gray.

<img alt="sketchnote Emily Bryson" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4191/content_Ellii-sketchnote_Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" /> 
 
Here is a sketchnote I did on paper and then&nbsp;used CamScanner&#39;s Magic Color&nbsp;function. You&rsquo;ll see it is much cleaner, brighter, and whiter.

<img alt="sketchnote Emily Bryson" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4192/content_Ellii-camscanner-sketchnote_Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" />

CamScanner is a free app, though it does have lots of advertisements until you upgrade to a paid plan. I find the ads quite tolerable though. You can save and share files as JPEGs or PDFs.

It is perfect for taking photos of your doodles&nbsp;or hand-drawn infographics. You can also use it to capture students&rsquo; work, such as their posters, mind maps, sketchnotes, graphic organizers, or writing.

<h3>Adobe Fresco</h3>

If you want a superclean look for your sketchnotes, doodles, or hand-drawn visual thinking activities, <a href="https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/fresco.html" target="_blank">Adobe Fresco</a> is a good place to start. It is a much simpler digital drawing tool to use than Illustrator or Photoshop. For Apple users, I&rsquo;ve heard Procreate is great, though I&rsquo;ve never used it.&nbsp;

Here&rsquo;s a sketchnote I created in Fresco for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ" target="_blank">ElliiCon 2023</a>. You&rsquo;ll notice it is super shiny and bright:

<img alt="sketchnote Emily Bryson" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4193/content_Ellii-sketchnote-teaching-humanity_Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" />

<h3>Visualizers</h3>

A visualizer is essentially a 21st-century overhead projector! It acts like a webcam that can be pointed at various objects to stream to your computer.

<img alt="visualizer" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4194/content_Ellii-visualizer-Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" />

Visualizers are brilliant for online classes as they turn your desktop and notepad into a whiteboard. I love using them to draw and tell visual stories.

In this story, &quot;Stan&rsquo;s Lunch,&quot; I doodle words with simple phonics sounds: SATPIN. You can view it <a href="http://www.emilybrysonelt.com/freebies/ " target="_blank">here</a>.

<img alt="doodling with Emily Bryson and phonics sounds" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4195/content_Ellii-Stans-lunch-Emily-Bryson-ELT.png" />

For a more detailed demonstration on how to use these tools, check out these <a href="https://emilybrysonelt-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/p/emily/ElHU_Gdmo8lPiMP7JX_lIfYBsofbCBHHnypEeOimrCoCKQ?e=t58zi5 " target="_blank">videos</a>.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
What are your favorite digital tools? Have you tried any of these? We&rsquo;d love to know.&nbsp;
</blockquote>

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