NCTE 2021

We all know the importance of teaching the ‘bones’ of English – the skeleton of vocabulary, grammar and functions upon which the language is based. Our syllabi are constructed around them, and we are often given tick lists of structures and lexical sets to mark our students’ progress.
However, our choice of topics, and the way that we set tasks, respond to students, and encourage them to develop, give us the opportunity not only to teach these items, but also to develop our students’ less quantifiable skills and abilities. In today’s classroom – whether online or in person, we should be aiming not just to help our students improve their English, but also to nurture their feelings of independence and confidence and to prepare them for these unprecedented times. As the world around us all is changing rapidly, in ways that no-one could have predicted even a year ago, we need now, more than ever, to focus on teaching the whole student, not just the language learner. Through activities that foster critical skills, collaborative activities, thoughtfulness, and self-direction, we can and should use our English lessons to prepare our students for the challenges that lie ahead.
From healthy eating to safe surfing, from netiquette to negotiating, from goal setting to fact checking, I will share practical ideas and relevant topics that can be used both in the classroom and online and will suggest ways that, even remotely, we can form real and lasting connections with our students. Finally, I will challenge teachers to create and share their own activities which will help to nurture their students' confidence, well-being, and social skills.