Thrive in ELT

What resources do you have to teach your ESL/EFL students online? Are they providing you with everything you need right when you need it most?

In the world of ELT, resources are your support system. They can help you introduce an idea, extend upon previous lessons, or reinforce a specific skill. Using resources to help you teach in person is probably second nature to you. But what happens when the materials you were using in person no longer work -- or at least as easily -- online?

In today's episode I share with you the essential resources you need for teaching online: physical and digital materials, the systems you use, and the people around you.

As you continue navigating the world of online teaching, be sure to check out the free 12 Meaningful ESL/EFL Resources for Adult Instruction. You can get the free resource by visiting my website or going to this link: https://12resources.eltresourceroom.com

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What procedures do you have in place for your online teaching? Are they helping both you and your students succeed?

While our situations aren't exactly the same, I would bet that we have more in common than we might think.

Today I'll be talking about my key takeaways from teaching online in the 2020-2021 academic year. The three strategies that I'll be sharing with you -- establishing routines, building rapport, and creating activities that allow students the opportunity to interact with materials -- made my online life more manageable and ultimately more successful than if I hadn't put them into action.

My goal for you in this episode is twofold. I want you to be able to:

1. gain strategies that you can immediately apply to your unique teaching situation and
2. begin to evaluate your current strategies for their effectiveness.

Teaching online takes a great amount of time and effort to do well. Over time it also takes a mental toll.

If you have a specific question or issue you're struggling with, you can always schedule a one-on-one coaching call on my website. I would love to help you get to a more energized and encouraging place.

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Schedule a 1:1 Coaching Call:

https://hello.dubsado.com/public/appointment-scheduler/60f8878ee24d901560842292/schedule?isIframe=true

Are you providing online instruction again this academic year?

By now it's been a year and a half of teaching classes online for many in the ELT profession. We've certainly learned a lot, but there are still challenges that cause overwhelm and frustration.

Probably like you, I spent much of last year teaching online. While things did get better, it wasn't always easy.

In this episode, I talk about how to make online teaching work for you. I don't propose a one-size-fits-all solution, but instead provide questions to ponder and strategies to consider to help you decide what's best for you and your students in your unique circumstance.

There are three major aspects to examine when making decisions in regards to online instruction in ELT:

1. your expectations,
2. technology, and
3. things in your control.

Obstacles and burdens abound in online teaching, especially when it's new or you're still figuring things out. However, there are steps you can take to make the experience manageable and viable.

As you continue navigating the world of online teaching, be sure to check out the free 12 Meaningful ESL/EFL Resources for Adult Instruction. You can get the free resource by visiting my website or going to this link: https://12resources.eltresourceroom.com

Connect with Heather:

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How often do you reflect on your teaching and students' learning? Do you ever unfairly critique yourself? When was the last time you celebrated your ELT life?

Each of these questions relates to the third phase in the Plan, Do, Thrive Process, which I'm talking about in this episode.

We often think of thriving as being successful. While success is definitely part of it, thriving doesn't necessarily mean everything is perfect or that an end goal has been met. Thriving means you're in the act of growing and developing.

Here are the three actions you need to take to thrive:

1. reflect,
2. forgive yourself, and
3. celebrate the wins.

There are many different ways to reflect, each one taking a different amount of time and having a specific purpose; all of them are valuable. You should choose the methods that fit your schedule and match your personality and goal.

If you find yourself critiquing what you said or did in class -- or what you didn't say or do -- you're not alone. And if you ever feel guilty for not meeting your own expectations for serving your students, I know of many other instructors, including myself, who deal with that feeling right alongside you. Making the effort to forgive yourself is one step toward thriving.

And while you may think you're too busy to stop and have a party, celebrating your wins is just as important as the first two actions!

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What do materials, sequencing, and timing all have in common? They're the components we use every day to create quality, engaging lessons and courses for our students.

There are many things that may come to mind when you think about instruction -- giving information, asking and answering questions, or providing students with time to practice, think and discover rules and ideas on their own.

You most likely spend a lot of time planning, so the Do phase is when you honor yourself by following through with your intentional, realistic, committed, and timely effort. This doesn't mean you can't and shouldn't be flexible and make changes when needed, but it does mean you recognize what's better for your students -- sticking to your original plan or modifying if necessary.

In the Do phase there are three main elements to keep you focused on your instruction:

• being aware of your plan,
• following your plan, and
• believing in your plan.

I invite you to download the free resource I have for you that will help you as you plan and do in the coming days. In the 12 Meaningful ESL/EFL Resources for Adult Instruction, I identify appropriate skill and level designations, explain why each resource is so meaningful, and provide you with direct links to the sources as well as several ready-to-use activities I've used myself. You can get the free resource by visiting my website or going to this link: https://12resources.eltresourceroom.com

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Do you have everything you need to provide quality instruction to your students throughout the term? Is there anything in your course or lesson that requires students to know how to do before they can practice what they've learned? How many days prior to the start of a course or lesson do you usually begin planning?

These are just some of the many reflective questions I'll be posing to you in today's episode where I go deeper into the first phase of the Plan, Do, Thrive Process.

Planning is the foundational phase. It's where you set your expectations for your course or lesson and determine what is best to help your students succeed. It's also the place where you set yourself up for success in the subsequent phases.

In the Plan phase there are four main components we'll explore:

• being intentional,
• being realistic,
• being committed, and
• being timely.

Asking yourself the questions for each component will guide you in your thinking and evaluation of your own planning. I encourage you to block out some time to really sit with these questions and answer as thoroughly as you can.

Download the free reflective questions from the episode by going to today's show notes on my website at eltresourceroom.com/podcast/3-the-why-how-and-when-of-planning

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Do you ever feel like you're not as focused as you'd like to be when it comes to planning, instruction, and reflection? The ELT profession requires an ability and willingness to adapt to a variety of changes. What doesn't change, though, is the need to support our students and ourselves so we can continue moving forward.

A focused process is necessary to get you through all of the weeks, months, and years you will serve your students in the classroom.

In this episode, I'm going to share with you the three-phase process I realized I had created that helps me stay focused at each step on my ELT journey. I believe it can help you, too, by concentrating on intentional, tangible actions at each stage.

Get ready to Plan, Do, Thrive!

You can see a visual illustration of this process by going to today's show notes on my website at eltresourceroom.com/podcast/2-three-phase-process-for-focused-elt

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Welcome to the Thrive in ELT Podcast! If you’re an ESL/EFL instructor of adults who wants to serve your students well and grow professionally, this podcast is for you. 

We both know that this profession is a demanding one and that the challenges can be quite overwhelming and frustrating at times. I’ve been in the ELT field for 17 years myself, so I understand how important it is to be reinvigorated and encouraged to keep moving forward. I believe it is possible to thrive through intention and relationship, and that's why I’ve started this podcast for you.

In today’s episode I’ll talk about:

• some of those challenges I've heard from instructors like you,
• my own ELT journey,
• the purpose of this podcast, and
• what to expect in future episodes.

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The Thrive in ELT podcast is coming soon!