ELT NEWS: March 2021

ELTNEWS NO 362/ MARCH 2021

THE GREEK MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR EFL

TEFL EXAMS

STUDENTS AND PROCRASTINATION HOW CAN I MOTIVATE THEM?

B2

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

IN SEARCH OF DIGITAL PROFESSIONALISM

AND CERTIFICATES IN GREECE EMPOWER YOUR STUDENTS! TEACHING IN THE NEW ERA

MYTHS & TRUTHS ABOUT B2 LEVEL IN EFL

THE POWER OF PLAYING IN THE EFL CLASSROOM

CONTENTS Issue Features

4

EDITORIAL

B2 LEVEL: LANGUAGE LEARNING AND LANGUAGE READINESS

ANASTASIA SPYROPOULOU

7

EDUCATION

STUDENTS AND PROCRASTINATION: HOW CAN I MOTIVATE THEM?

KATHERINE REILLY

10 ΓIA THN ΞENOΓΛΩΣΣH

EDUCATION 14

ΔHMHTPHΣ ΣΠYPOΠOYΛOΣ

154 51 N. Ψυχικό - Aθήνα

EDUCATION 20

THE INESCAPABLE INTERPLAY BETWEEN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND SELF-CONFIDENCE

MARINA SISKOU

 2106712991 - 2106722647 e-mail: info@eltnews.gr Εκτύπωση:

I PLAY, YOU PLAY... THE POWER OF PLAYING IN THE EFL CLASSROOM

TANYA LIVARDA

Iδιοκτήτης:

Aγ. Γεωργίου 74

ONLINE COURSES DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CLOUD WITH A SILVER LINING

SOPHIA MOUKA

MHNIAIΟ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΙΚΟ EKΠAIΔEYΣH

EDUCATION

24

Θ. Φιλιππούσης

INTERVIEW GEORGE ATHANASOPOULOS OUP’S NEW START IN GREECE

ANASTASIA SPYROPOULOU

Πραξιτέλους 3, Ταύρος 2103450853

31

FEATURE

B2: WHAT CAN YOU DO?

MARIA DAVOU

Oι απόψεις των ειδικών συνεργατών που φιλοξενούνται στην ELT NEWS είναι καθαρά προσωπικές και δεν απηχούν υποχρεωτικά τις θέσεις του περιοδικού.

ELT NEWS is a monthly edition published TEN times a year.

34

FEATURE EMPOWER YOUR STUDENTS! TEACHING IN THE NEW ERA

DR MICHAEL KENTERIS

36

FEATURE

B2 FIRST FOR SCHOOLS: WHAT IT MEANS FOR TEENS

NIKI NIKA

Ag. Georgiou 74 154 51 N. Psychico Athens - Greece Tel: 2106712991 - 2106722647

38

FEATURE LOWER IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE LOWER

GEORGE RAPTOPOULOS

e-mail: info@eltnews.gr Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of

41

EDUCATION

TEFL EXAMS AND CERTIFICATES IN GREECE: THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY…

DIMITRIS KOUNIAKIS

ELT NEWS.

42

EDUCATION

MYTHS & TRUTHS ABOUT B2 LEVEL IN EFL

DR DIMITRIS MAROULIS

B Burlington Books

Burlington

The

PUBLI SHER that CARES

New for A-C classes

with

FREcEtive

intera ooks webb

B Burlington Books

www.BurlingtonBooks.com

Thessaloniki Tel: 2310 477 150 email: thess@BurlingtonBooks.com

Crete Tel: 28310 35 885 email: crete@BurlingtonBooks.com

Athens Tel: 210 976 7888 email: greece@BurlingtonBooks.com

Patra Tel: 2610 314 514 email: patra@BurlingtonBooks.com

Cyprus Tel: 25 353698 email: cyprus@BurlingtonBooks.com

EDITORIAL

B2 LEVEL: Language learning and language readiness

A

couple of months ago, I was having lunch with some friends. After lunch I was approached by the host’s daughter, a beautiful teenage girl. She would sit for a B2 exam in May and she was not sure which one to take. She needed advice. I asked her if she had ever heard of the Common European Framework. She hadn’t.

4

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

n ANASTASIA SPYROPOULOU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF anastasia@eltnews.gr

FOLLOW US: EXCITE | EXPLORE | EXCEL www.expresspublishing.co.uk

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

www.expressdigibooks.com

elt@expresspublishing.gr

5

210 21 20 800

I agree with Maria Davou (read her article in the Feature Section) that very few teachers check the ‘Can Do’ statements before deciding to enter candidates for a B2 or any other level exam.

We went to her room, turned on her computer and we looked through, one by one, the ‘Can Do’ statements in all language skills for the B2 level.

‘Can you do this?’

‘I am not sure.’

‘Can you do that?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Then you are not ready yet. Wait till next year.’

‘But I don’t have time…’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Next September I’ll start preparation for the university entrance exams.’

‘Can’t you take the B2 level exam later, as a university student?’

Unthinkable ‘But all my classmates take the B2 level this year…and my parents want me to ‘finish’ English now…’

Does it sound familiar? You can’t swim against the stream.

We all know that B2 level corresponds to a more advanced, more independent level than the previous ones. At B2 users can communicate easily and spontaneously in a clear and detailed manner. They are not yet experienced speakers, but they are able to understand and be understood in most situations.

They can express themselves naturally, easily and effectively and take the initiative to speak. But they are also able to understand and correct their own mistakes, foresee what they will say and how they will say it.

Level B2 is the fourth level of English in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), a definition of different language levels written by the Council of Europe. In everyday speech, this level might be called “confident”, as in “I am a confident English speaker”.

The official level descriptor is “upper

6

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

n At B2 users can communicate easily and spontaneously in a clear and detailed manner. They are not yet experienced speakers, but they are able to understand and be understood in most situations. They can express themselves naturally, easily and effectively and take the initiative to speak.

But they are also able to understand and correct their own mistakes, foresee what they will say and how they will say it. intermediate”. At this level, students can function independently in a variety of academic and professional environments in English, although with a limited range of nuance and precision.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A B2 LEVEL IN ENGLISH? A B2 level would allow you to function in the workplace in English, and indeed, many non-native English speakers in international workplaces have this level. A person working in English at a B2 level will, however, lack nuance particularly outside his/her own field. S/ he may also miss some of the subtleties and implied meanings in conversation.

According to the official CEFR guidelines, someone at the B2 level in English: 1. Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.

2. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.

3. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

While a user with a B2 CEFR level is quite good, many times there is no connection between what businesses and individuals expect of a language

assessment test.

There are two main reasons why an individual language test taker may have not achieved a B2 level: language learning and language readiness. Both are neither congruent nor strong enough.

This can often come from language teachers who place more significance on rote learning.

Language readiness means that learners are able to perform well in the five “C” goal areas (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities). That is to interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions; to understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics. To present information, concepts, and ideas; to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers. Learners are able to use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the concept of culture through comparisons of the culture studied and their own.

How many holders of a B2 certificate can apply these skills and competences in the real world beyond the instructional setting?

Reciting irregular verbs in your sleep is very different to booking a rental car on the phone.

•

EDUCATION

Students and Procrastination

How can I motivate them?

P

rocrastination is a trait most people are familiar with. How many times have you been faced with a challenge you would inadvertently or purposely delay because you couldn’t find the energy or desire to accomplish it? Lack of motivation is usually the cause and this is a concern most teachers aspire to rectify by implementing different approaches with various degrees of success.

TEXT BY

KATHERINE REILLY TEACHER TRAINER AND AUTHOR

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

7

Motivation is not merely a means that can be used to inspire your students to work hard. If viewed as an ‘educational approach’, then you will most likely fail in doing so.

What educators should focus on instead, are various factors which will bring about the desired result, not only in class, but in students’ everyday lives. We tend to forget that students look up to us for guidance and our presence will in most cases, leave an everlasting effect on them.

But the question remains… “How can I motivate my students?” The simplest answer to this question is to put yourself in their shoes and realize that motivation can be achieved by adhering to a few strategies which are more or less familiar to most educators.

ESTABLISH A LEARNING COMMUNITY IN YOUR CLASSROOM. Is the classroom environment ‘safe’? How do my students feel? Are they willing to participate or is something holding them back? It is essential to build said community as a leader of the classroom. The two factors one should bear in mind are ‘respect’ and ‘love’. Respect, goes two ways as it is up to the educator to inspire confidence in class. Love, is something that will eventually flourish out of respect and will establish a friendly and inspiring environment. Being wary of our students’ well-being is something we should always strive to achieve, not out of obligation, but due to genuine concern for them.

BUILD A FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR STUDENTS. This factor in itself would require an article of its own. However, two elements an educator should be concerned with, have to do with the nature of this relationship. As mentioned before, respect should be the foundation, as it would be easy to cross the line and have things get out of hand in class. Being too friendly will lead to lack of respect. Likewise, promoting a ‘forced’ friendship is anything but.

An educator’s profession is a privilege. Shaping a child’s future, inspiring him to surpass his own limits and offering guidance in times of need is something we should not take in vain. It is both an honor and a huge responsibility to care of your children. Learning about their activities, hobbies and of course supporting them when ill, injured, concerned or in any other respect, is essential.

The secret is, to do this out of love, not as a mandatory action.

SUPPORT AND CULTIVATE STUDENTS’ ABILITIES AND TALENTS. It would be foolish to say that abilities and talents can’t be cul-

8

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

tivated or improved through hard work. Praise your students’ efforts, even if they fail. Failing is a part of life, as this is also a lesson that must be learnt. If a child is reprimanded or if the educator fails to commend the student for his efforts, motivation will dwindle. Self-esteem will diminish. Confidence in his abilities will fade away, and all sense of making an effort will naturally be gone.

Educators should focus and dedicate their efforts to inspiring their students and praising them for their accomplishments, no matter how insignificant they may seem. A child’s mental health and stability is mostly dependent on his interactions with his teacher, who will undoubtedly play the most crucial role in inspiring him throughout the rest of his life.

SHARE YOUR SUCCESSES WITH YOUR STUDENTS. Inspiration leads to motivation. An inspirational educator will instill confidence in his students and motivate them to do the same. Besides our parents, teachers are looked upon as inspirational figures. Sharing your stories of success as well as those of failure, will help them realize that no one is perfect, however, sacrifices, motivation and determination can help them overcome obstacles and realize plans they have for the future.

Success stories such as giving a speech, becoming a parent, winning in a competition, anything we consider a success in our lives, our students can and will relate to, while establishing respect in the process.

Motivating your class can admittedly take some time, but is quite feasible as long as you put your heart to it and realize that you too once needed the proper motivation to flourish and achieve your goals in life.

•

1

st

2021T TFEORSMAT

choice FOR

Practice

Tests!

Request a link and an activation code from your local sales consultant.

Availawble no

mple a s a t s e Requ mail e r o e n o by ph

2021 TEST FO RMAT

www.hamiltonhousepublishers.gr http://eshop.hamiltonhousepublishers.gr Tel: 210-9626166

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

9

EDUCATION

ONLINE COURSES DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A Cloud with a Silver Lining

T

he coronavirus pandemic has spurred the adoption of distance learning at all education levels all around the world. According to the World Economic Forum “the COVID-19 has resulted in schools shut all across the world leaving 1.2 billion children out of the classroom” and thus making the mass transition to online education the only choice.

Although the deepest results of this option are left to the future to show, some consequences are already obvious to anyone willing to see them.

10

Q

TEXT BY SOPHIA MOUKA TEACHER, FLS OWNER

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

A

New Format Michigan ECCE & ECPE 2021 New ECPE

2021 New ECCE

l Extra

Activities available online

l Exam

Tips & Strategies

l Writing

Tutor with Model Compositions

l Speaking

Tutor with Sample answers for the Speaking section l QR Codes for the Listening section l Justifications of the answers for Reading, Grammar and Listening l Companion

with the Vocabulary words & extra activities

Succeed ECPE Speak Out! ● The most complete Preparation book for the ECPE Speaking exam! ● 12 Speaking ECPE Tests (based on the same

Downloadable Speaking Supplement Speaking Tutor & Model answers

Speaking Tests of the Succeed ECPE book)

Model Answers, Exam Tips,Useful Vocabulary, Extra questions for Stage 5 ●

Succeed in LanguageCert GLOBAL ELT

Succeed in

New 2021

LanguageCert Test of English

LTE Listening & Reading

LTE

CEFR

A1 - C2

with 2 extra Online Tests Total: 8 Tests

Key Features: l

l

l

l

Andrew Betsis Linda Lethem

Student’s Book

QR Codes for the Listening Tasks for audio streaming

GLOBAL ELT

l

6 Listening and 6 Reading Practice Tests covering the whole range of CEFR levels, focusing on A2 to C2.

The ideal Preparation & Practice book for individual candidates and those preparing in an exam preparation class.

Practice Tests of graded difficulty, they follow the exact format of the LTE test.

Piloted in UK and EU with real candidates preparing for similar exam style and level.

QR Codes for the recordings for all the Listening tasks, for easy audio streaming in smartphones and tablets.

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

11

ANDREW BETSIS ELT tel: 210 4920871, 2104900735 fax: 2104933661 email: orders@andrewbetsiselt.gr

More and more young students report feeling lonely away from their schools and their classmates while teenagers seem to be seriously stressed and anxious due to the coronavirus. Even though there are parents who try to keep their kids in touch with their closest friends, bringing them to each other’s homes against the governments advice, it is the whole school environment that cannot be replaced. As far as the teenagers are concerned, it is the lack of their independence outside the home that they are missing the most.

to online classes has had a serious impact on assessment and evaluation. Although technology has been used to support teaching and learning, the assessment aspect is still under-developed. Therefore the exams are put on hold and the students who are attending exams preparation classes do not see the point of following a strict curriculum when the exam date remains blare. And even younger learners seem to miss their target when they do not have a specific evaluation process which would give an extra meaning to

Now that the pandemic has forced them to stay longer in their homes, they turn their backs to their family and close even deeper to themselves, having their favourite online games or the social media as the sole window to the outside world.

attending their lessons and completing their homework.

There are massive difficulties which have proven unbeatable; rating on top of all, the unreliable internet access and outdated digital devices most students have that force them to struggle to keep up with a good pace of studying. It is a sad fact that not only in remote rural areas but also in major cities, there is still a big percentage of families who lack the chance of using the appropriate technology which can provide learners with an effective means of connection with their class.

The transition from face-to-face teaching

12

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

Together with the technical problems of online classes, students who come from a place with high levels of coronavirus instances are facing discrimination and isolation from their peers. Not only youngsters but also adults tend to alienate fearing that they are potential SARS-CoV-2 carriers. This situation can lead to mental health problems, such as denial, stress, anxiety and fear. Hence we urgently need to address the mental health needs of kids who come from a background with reported COVID-19 incidents.

What is more, for as long as students are kept away from their classes, they feel even deeper the fear towards the disease.

Students these days are living with the fear that their loved ones are susceptible

and at risk of infection with severe, acute respiratory problems. They watch the TV to get the latest COVID-19 information which will determine whether they will be allowed to get in close contact with their grandparents or not and whether their schools will open or will have to continue having online lessons.

On the positive side, it is worth mentioning that today is a good time for technology and education. Online programs offer tech-

nology-based instructional environments that expand learning opportunities and can provide top quality education through a variety of formats and modalities. In order for an online program to be successful, the curriculum, the facilitators, the technology and the students must be carefully considered and balanced.

Concluding, although online courses are generally not as effective as in-person classes, they are definitely better than no courses at all. Right now, virtual courses are allowing students of all ages to access lessons and interact with their teachers in ways that would have been impossible if an epidemic had closed schools even a decade or two earlier. Therefore, even if we are skeptical of online learning, it is also

•

time for us to embrace and improve it.

B Burlington Books The

PUBLISHER that CARES

REVISED

ECPE

HONORS

The best preparation course for the new 2021 ECPE exam!

in

R E E oks F h t i w bo b e w e v te r a c t i

B Burlington Books

www.BurlingtonBooks.com

Thessaloniki Tel: 2310 477 150 email: thess@BurlingtonBooks.com

Crete Tel: 28310 35 885 email: crete@BurlingtonBooks.com

Athens Tel: 210 976 7888 email: greece@BurlingtonBooks.com

Patra Tel: 2610 314 514 email: patra@BurlingtonBooks.com

Cyprus Tel: 25 353698 E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21 13 email: cyprus@BurlingtonBooks.com

EDUCATION

TEXT BY TANYA LIVARDA BA/ MA IN TESOL, CELTA) EFL TEACHER, ORAL EXAMINER

I PLAY, YOU PLAY...

THE POWER OF PLAYING IN THE EFL CLASSROOM

H

ave you ever thought about why we were so happy as kids? Have you also considered the differences between being an adult and being a child? Well, the main difference is that we (at least most of us) have stopped playing.

14

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

NEW for the 2021 exam

Reduce exam day stress through simulation testing!

Build up your students’ exam skills and give them a confidence boost with the YORK Exam Skills for ECCE! ★ Five topic-based units ★ Diagnostic self-assessment tests ★ Extra Vocabulary and Grammar activities ★ Five complete practice tests that mirror the actual exam ★ Full guidance with strategies to score high ★ Extra Writing section with writing plans

ALSO AVAILABLE All York Practice Tests include: ■

Five complete practice tests in test simulation format

■

Extra Writing section with plans and samples

■

Exam overview and tips per section

Let’s talk!

It makes a difference.

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

210 93 73 170

info@york-press.gr

15

1

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY As it has been acknowledged and recognised by the United Nations Committee for Human Rights, play is incredibly important for a child (Article 31 of the Convention on the rights of the child). Furthermore, pediatricians and other caregivers note that play is essential to a child’s development, something that has also been supported by research (Murphy, 2016; Lewis, 2016). It is even more important during the crisis we are now going through. But why?

PLAY IS IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN’S SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. A well-known philosopher, Aristotle, once said that man is by nature a political animal who must live among other people and communicate with them. In any other case they are considered to be a wild animal (“θηρίο”). I am still not quite sure about this, but when we play with other people we share our ideas on how to play or we learn different ways of playing the same game. We also see something from another perspective. We explain, we negotiate and we step back, if we have made a mistake. Even when we play on our own we have the chance to learn and develop ourselves socially, especially during pretend play.

TEST…NOT WORKING….TEST…NOT WORKING… TEST…IT WORKS! Play is the best way of failing -without being judged- and trying again and then failing again and then trying again until you have reached the expected outcome.

And this is how we learn. Learning is not being told how to do something correctly.

It takes a few hours, days or even years to make progress and play offers that to a great extent. Does this ring a bell to all of us?

CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION FLOURISH… We are aware of the fact that children are super creative. Just give your students a piece of paper, assign them a task and they will do wonders. The reason behind this is because they play. During

16

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

play children are allowed to use their creativity and imagination to explore and interact with the world around them.

There are different stages of playing which depend on the age. During early childhood, infants and toddlers imitate their parents or the people they see every day. For example, we all know a kid who has taken their fake phone and pretend to be their mother talking with their best friend. During childhood, play can take different dimensions as children share their games with other children and pretend play is wider. Play, on the other hand, is a means for self-expression for children who do not express their views or feelings easily.

PLAY IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF HEALTHY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. Brain is the most complex organ in our body. We feel, we think, we touch, we see, we smell and we perform so many other things just by using it. Play forces children to use their motor skills (walk, run, write, assemble) and their senses (see, smell, taste, touch and hear). When all these happen the brain creates new connections, especially in the frontal lobe

When we are talking about playing, we are talking about free play which is child driven.

It does not have to be organised or structured by an adult. It may take longer, it may include lots of failures but this is the way of learning and coping with challenges.

(i.e. regulates our emotions and attention, it is linked with high order thinking as well as with movement, reason and metacognition). These connections also help children to use past experiences to cope with the problems they are facing in the present. They also develop self-control, self-discipline and children that play are considered to be great problem-solvers.

Therefore, an environment enriched with various experiences creates better brains (Zadina, 2014).

EMPATHY (OR EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT/ INTELLIGENCE) Empathy is the ability to understand and feel what another person is feeling or thinking; i.e. to walk in someone else’s shoes. It is also the ability to understand and manage our own emotions. Play and especially pretend play or role play encourage children to identify what their characters would think about or feel.

Children often take a situation that has already happened to them and transfer it to their play. There, they have the opportunity to compare their emotions, change the story and finally understand their own emotions. This is rather beneficial not only during childhood but also during adulthood. Embracing our emotions can lead to better collaboration, self-discipline and self-awareness and, to motivation.

IT IS CHILD-CENTRED. NO ENTRY TO ADULTS (?)

When we are talking about playing, we are talking about free play which is child driven. It does not have to be organised or structured by an adult. It may take longer, it may include lots of failures but this is the way of learning and coping with challenges. When such a play is allowed, children develop all the above mentioned skills plus the ability to discover what they are truly interested in. On the other hand, adults, of course, should support their children by not instructing them or boosting their abilities (e.g. Look at how good I am!) and setting rules but just by playing with their kids or observing them.

As a consequence, parents and other caregivers have the opportunity to learn

from children by being in a child’s world.

LET’S EXERCISE! Play improves the physical state. As stated before, children use their whole body to play, not only their brain. Therefore, they become actively engaged as all their muscles are moving.

WE ALL LOVE PLAYING! Playing is fun, engaging and motivating.

We can be whoever we want to be and wherever we want to be. We enjoy our time while we are playing. We have a good time!

And this is the greatest message that our brain can receive.

2

BUT WHY ARE WE POINTING OUT THE OBVIOUS NOW? Our reality, before COVID-19, was like a movie on fast-forward. A

typical family included two parents working 24/7, kids that were going from one extracurricular activity to another- without having time to feel bored- and somewhere among these activities children had to study for school. On the other side, there were parents that forced children to be excellent, teenagers that did not like school and felt that there was no point studying and kids that wanted it all and wanted it now and a vicious circle had started.

On top of that, we are now in the middle or the end (who knows!) of the pandemic.

We are tested, literally and metaphorically every day. Our main goal is to stay healthy and sane. However, unfortunately, I come across people from different ages and backgrounds telling me that they are bored, they have nothing to do and that the only thing they want is to play in front of a screen (the younger ones), eat and sleep (the older ones) and perhaps visit their friends.

A quick conclusion for this reality is that people are not resilient anymore, they are emotionally and physically tired and they do not like living in a continuously chang-

ing environment. I can fully understand why this is true for an adult. But this is not how a child acts.

However, children at any age have a powerful tool in their hands; their ability to play.

This free, child-centred play without rules, deaths or guns. Even good video games offer this. But do we guide our children to this heathy play or do we just put them in front of the screen without knowing what they are playing? Are we involved as adults (in the way described above) or do we watch the news and blame our own fate? Children tend to imitate our behavior and when adults show their children that they are stressed when a difficulty appears in their lives, then you may guess that the children will also be stressed during a difficult situation (e.g. before an exam). Therefore, we teach them through our behavior how to cope better in our life and how to be mentally healthy even when we struggle.

Play can offer this well-being or mental health to both children and adults. Play encompasses all the skills needed for someone to be physically and psychologically well. This is how you build resilience (Wright & Masten, 2005), patience, healthy behaviours, critical thinking and decision making.

3

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM OR IN OUR HOUSE Now that we have seen the importance and the benefits of play in our lives, it is equally important to see how to transfer those skills into our classrooms.

So, let’s play.

• Role play.

• Puppetry.

• Physics (cause and effect, floating or sinking, hot and cold).

• Creating figures from Playdough and then act.

• Read a book by using different sounds.

• Dramatised a book or a situation (with older classes).

• Use blocks or bricks.

• Use a piece of classical music to create figures with your body or to ask your students to react.

• Create a change cloud, emotions wheel

(Youth First) : write down the change that has occurred and the feeling that this has caused you.

• Create and do puzzles.

• Make faces for various emotions, then freeze and let children think what might have happened for the child to have made this emotion.

• What is missing from my home, classroom or pencil case?

• Create paper airplanes and then create a story.

• Describe an object to someone while the other is creating it or drawing it. Are they the same? Or not?

• Use applications and online learning platforms (eg quizlet, quizizz, quizalize, wordwall, edpuzzle, gimkit, tubequizard etc).

And the list goes on.

Finally, the following list consists of some websites that I have found useful for practicing play in the classroom. You will find lots of valuable resources that will help you incorporate play in your lessons. https://playlist.legofoundation.com/ https://www.wellbeingbc.ca/topics/kernels-of-sel-practice https://www.beyondblue.org.au/healthy-places/secondary-schools-and-tertiary/senseability/download-sensibility https://ggie.berkeley.edu/student-well-being/sel-kernels/#tab__1

4

CONCLUSION Play is an integral part of childhood and - why not adulthood? - which develops ourselves cognitively,

socially and emotionally. We need to play more during this time. Life is unpredictable and it is continuously changing. It is difficult to plan and organize our lives. We are at this moment in our life that we must use our knowledge and our experiences to create new things and moments.

So.. keep learning, stay healthy and don’t forget to play!

•

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

17

EDUCATION

ECC

PRACT TESTS

8 complete prac for students abo the Michigan EC The tests have b carefully graded designed to fam students with th format and cont

iRead -

The main aim o however, is to in students’ skills a confidence in ea of the exam: Wr Listening, Gram Vocabulary, Rea Speaking.

INTERACTIVE AND PERSONALISED

Glossary include

EBOOKS FOR LEARNING TO READ ecce_COVER.indd 1

W

e all learnt to read in English in more or less the same way. Typically we have used paper books containing activities and exercises given as practice material.

One characteristic of this approach to developing reading is that the books themselves are of a static nature in many aspects. No matter how many times the readers go over the book they always see the same material. Usually the only feedback provided by the book for an erroneous response by a reader is just the correct answer with no clues on what went wrong. Finally, the learning material is limited in size; learners may need to practice more but no more activities are available.

Besides the above limitations and having decided to use a paper-based resource to develop reading, we face a more serious question: “what should the learner read/ what is the best content?”. The answer to this question requires “to know” the intended learner as a reader – their preferences and reading habits.

From the above, it is obvious that to move from the classical paper activitybooks that are static and non-personal

18

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

to interactive and personalized reading may constitute an improved reading experience for learners.

The British Council is part of the iRead project working to develop new personalised technology that supports children to become confident and skilled readers.

The iRead project is an EU Horizon 2020 project recruiting 1,000 students across the UK and Greece for our online pilot study throughout the period of 2019-2021.

In the iRead project, children use the Amigo Reader to work with a series of personalised texts to develop their awareness of speech sounds (phonology), spelling patterns (orthography), word meaning (semantics), grammar (syntax) and patterns of word formation (morphology), that provide a necessary platform for fluency and comprehension. iRead offers the additional functionality of the Navigo game app. which then allows readers to develop their competency in specific aspects of reading through exciting and challenging game formats.

Apart from the added audio, interactive tasks and built-in dictionaries, the great benefit of e-books is that learners can select then read and complete the associated activities at their own pace allowing them to focus on individual learning.

reader history over time will offer learners a rich resource of reading materials relevant to their age, ability and interests and track their response to the text.

This then allows the eReader to refine the range of future materials presented to the learner by for example ensuring that a grammatical form the reader found challenging is recycled in future texts.

ESB

Fast Forward to ESB level B2, consists of material and 8 practice t English Speaking Board examinations. This volume is aimed at candida sit the exam. The material and topics for the eight practice tests conta have been carefully chosen and written to reflect the age, experience an level of candidates intending to sit the exam.

A set of warm-up exercises, or TRACKS, focus on the following exam •

Group Words

•

Prepositions

•

Verb expressions

•

Phrasal Verbs

•

Grammar

•

Syntax & Meaning

•

Parts of Speech

Interactive and personalised ebooks then offer flexibility in the classroom and in learning. They can be used to teach text features, vocabulary, and research skills, while each reader can read the title that they find the most interesting.

Extra material •

Glossary

•

Model Compositions

•

Model Speaking Answers

•

Transcripts with Answers

To find out more about this project and how you can participate, visit https:// iread-project.eu/ and subscribe to our newsletter or contact Vangelis Kravvaritis at Vangelis.Kravvaritis@britishcouncil.gr.

FURTHER READING https://www.britishcouncil.org/voicesmagazine/how-english-teachers-useebooks-in-classroom https://iread-project.eu/ https://iread-project.eu/amigo-reader/ https://iread-project.eu/game/

#Instagrammar is a new modern book that adopts an innovative and uniquely practical approach to teaching grammar through examples. It is at once a self-contained grammar and practice book, the necessary complement to any B2 exam preparation course. It provides detailed analysis of all grammatical structures frequently targeted in the B2 exams while at the same time it revises and consolidates grammar and vocabulary through directed, exam-style exercises.

A 4-year EC Funded project (Jan 2017Dec 2020). This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 innovation programme under grant agreement No 731724.

•

archereditions.com

Adaptive eBooks which record individual

Fast Forward to

# ISBN 978-9963-728-77-0

archer_editions new PRACTICE TESTS

ECCE

PRACTICE TESTS

format

MICHIGAN

Adapted to the 2021 format,

these tests are especially designed to familiarize students with the exam content and to increase their skills and confidence.

Glossary included/Interactive Material available (Teacher’s Key & Speaking /Writing models/ Transcripts)

8 complete practice tests for students about to take the Michigan ECCE. The tests have been carefully graded and designed to familiarize students with the exam format and content.

The main aim of this book, however, is to increase students’ skills and confidence in each section of the exam: Writing, Listening, Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading and Speaking.

Glossary included

exof-GRADEDstudents.pdf

1

6/8/2015

1:45:03 µµ

CAMBRIDGE

8/21/20 3:11 PM

This practice test book has been adapted to reflect students’ acquisition of language and comprehension as the examination approaches.

Glossary included/Interactive Material available (Teacher’s Key & Speaking /Writing models/ Transcripts) C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Fast

Forward to

Forward

ESB

Fast Forward to

to

ESB

ESB Level

B2, consists of material and 8 practice tests for the minations. This volume is aimed at candidates about to nd topics for the eight practice tests contained here in nd written to reflect the age, experience and language g to sit the exam.

B2

, or TRACKS, focus on the following exam items: Prepositions

•

Phrasal Verbs

•

Syntax & Meaning

•

Model Compositions

•

Transcripts with Answers

Ce l i a B o u k o u va l a s

•

Level

8 pra B2 tests ctice

ESB

This volume provides preparatory exercises (Grammar, Vocabulary & Syntax) and 8 complete practice tests for the English Speaking Board examinations.

Glossary included/Interactive Material available (Teacher’s Key & Speaking /Writing models/ Transcripts) EXOFILLO.pdf

2

19/10/2017

1:36:39 µµ

B2 LEVEL

B2 LEVEL

EXAM

6 complete practice examination tests for the NOCN level B2

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

• teacher's book with glossary • student's book with glossary • audio cds

• model compositions

• model speaking answers

NOCN B2 LEVEL

EXAM

6 COMPLETE PRACTICE TESTS

This book consists of 6 complete practice tests and aims at giving students the necessary preparation prior to the examination.

Glossary included/with extra writing material & layouts/ Interactive Material available (Teacher’s Key & Speaking /Writing models/ Transcripts)

EXAM

NOCN

NOCN

NOCN

Celia Boukouvalas

Instagrammar

Instagrammar

t adopts an innovative and uniquely practical examples. It is at once a self-contained y complement to any B2 exam preparation rammatical structures frequently targeted in it revises and consolidates grammar and xercises.

Β2 level

Β2 level

# # ISBN 978-9963-728-77-0

E n g li s h g ra m m a r

gh

throu

le s examp

Celia Boukouvalas

Colin Forsyth

• listening transcripts

GRAMMAR for all

6 COMPLETE PRACTICE TESTS Celia Boukouvalas

Instagrammar is a modern book that adopts an innovative and uniquely practical approach to teaching grammar through exam item examples.

A detailed analysis of all structures frequently targeted in all B2 exams as well as revision tests & consolidation exercises are included.

(Interactive Material available)

Colin Forsyth

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

19

EDUCATION

THE INESCAPABLE INTERPLAY BETWEEN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND SELF-CONFIDENCE

C

an high-quality lesson content reinforce L2 learners’ selfconfidence? Can demanding subject matter contribute to learners’ long-term establishing of selfesteem? Solid language foundation is a long-term development and so is the quality of self-belief, at least for a respectable number of second language learners.

20

TEXT BY MARINA SISKOU, EFL TEACHER

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

B2E

EXAM TIME

B2

COURSE BOOK MAXIMIZER

PRACTICE TESTS SKILLS BUILDER

GRAMMAR BOOK PRACTICE

Cambridge B2 exam based Course Book, Grammar and Practice!

PRACTICE TESTS

Sevron 3, Peristeri - Athens, Greece Tel.: +30 210 5740892 - Fax: +30 210 5740701 www.aheadbooks.com - www.timetravellergames.com info@aheadbooks.com

B2EXAMS.indd 3

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

21

08/02/2021 12:08:50

Solid language foundation is a longterm development and so is the quality of self-belief, at least for a respectable number of second language learners.

(maybe resorting to overreliance on external aids, realia and props) instead of genuinely placing trust on the learners’ potential?

The two entities are inherently interlaced.

What would an earnest decision involve?

Offering challenging educative content can drive to the realization that the learning process is brimming with difficulties, mental toil, misunderstandings -even subversions along the way.

Do teachers oftentimes step on eggshells in the face of discouraging the learning endeavor, rather than choosing to familiarize their students with every challenging aspect that the English grammar customarily takes?

Therefore, learners are to be accordingly armoured in the linguistic (i.e. grammar/ syntactic, phonetic, semantic, pragmatic) and content area.

Interestingly, Leslie (2012) introduces the idea of “ease of use” which an artist should constantly be escaping in order to remain creative.

During the teaching practice, are there times wherein you feel compelled to compromise the linguistic challenges in fear of cracking your students’ confidence and halting their momentum?

In the event of a positive nodding of your head, rest assured, as this is a legitimate and prudent thought for the educator during the decision-making process. This is also substantiated by Tunçel (2015), who informs that “at least, due to low self-confidence, the student will not be able to make a good start in foreign language learning, because low self-confidence affects students’ learning motivation (Bong, 2008; Pajares and Miller 1994). An individual who lacks in self-confidence will most probably have a negative bias towards the course and the classroom […]”.

According to Tunçel, the negative consequences of low self-confidence might culminate in “the foreign language learning abilities of students lacking self-confidence [not being] revealed”.

The most meaningful practice would be to leverage second language content and material towards learners’ confidence-building.

Do you ever strive to adjust and fragment the layout and content of the lesson

22

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

Acknowledging the real value of the present difficulty might offer a vent this dilemma.

The learners of today, will eventually (whether as an outcome of a future career path or a life choice) encounter their share of inexplicable linguistic discourse.

What feelings would that future difficulty stir to your past students- who by then would probably be beyond your physical reach?

Would they reflect that “my teacher

was proactive enough to ferment me with pretty challenging language content?”

Because the definition of self-confidence does envelop the element of trusting one’s own strengths and abilities to meet the challenging occasion.

Alternatively, the present learners, in a future difficulty would think: “My teacher has never introduced me to this target language perplexity. There seems to be an unrealistic distance between English learnt at school and meaningful English”.

The core meaning of self-confidence explicitly includes the element of difficulty (followed by its successful overcoming).

Difficulty and challenges should come in manageable doses and they are integral part of steadfast confidence-building and language development.

Courtesy, uncompromised acceptance and genuine respect to each learner are qualities to permeate the language setting.

Those are ingrained alongside the language development through challenges.

There is an odd satisfaction in fending for oneself and there is a touch of magic in comprehending what originally seemed beyond understanding: a divine feel of epiphany- all learners should be entitled to.

Feels of discomfort before the plentitude of intricacies that English language has to present can be addressed; embarrassment might arise, and its recognition and acceptance is best to be transparent and honest.

Welcome all negative reactions.

On the flipside of the present challenge, learners should be always reminded that on the other end of the challenge lies personal growth and well-rounded language development.

The mental, cognitive labor that is exercised in order to reach the understanding and knowledge, is complementary to the obtaining of an unflinching sense of confidence.

The kind of confidence that derives from the self and the personal

achievements, rather than from external, provisional sources: appraisal and teacher validation.

Surprising as it might strike at first, the heart of the matter is that learners welcome challenges and are not discouraged by difficulties. What might act repulsively to them is the sentiments surrounding challenges and difficulties-pessimism, high expectations followed by disappointment, disproportionate teacher-and parents’ reaction to occasional poor or below-the-bar performance.

As Leslie (2012) informs, “our brains respond better in difficulty than we imagine”. In schools, teachers and pupils alike often assume that, if a concept has been easy to learn, the lesson has been successful. But numerous studies have now found that when classroom material is made harder to absorb, pupils retain more of it over the long term, and understand it on a deeper level.

Is there a golden ratio that ensures that challenging content will not damage, but would rather enhance learners’ confidence?

It is suggested that there is no absolutist response to this question-as it is a perpetual balance-retaining tightrope.

One strategy is to present the difficulties and resolve them in attainable proportions each time.

conclusion is cited only to highlight the pedagogical significance of a desirable extent of difficulty.

There is an odd satisfaction in fending for oneself and there is a touch of magic in comprehending what originally seemed beyond understanding: a divine feel of epiphany- all learners should be entitled to.

•

Robert Bjork, of the University of California, coined the phrase “desirable difficulties” to describe the counter-intuitive notion that learning should be made harder by, for instance, spacing sessions further apart so that students have to make more effort to recall what they learnt last time.

References

Psychologists at Princeton found that “students remembered reading material better when it was printed in an ugly font” (Leslie, 2012).

Leslie, I. (2012). The Uses of Difficulty.

The Economist, 1843. https://www.1843magazine.com/content/ideas/ ian-leslie/uses-difficulty [accessed: 23-05-2020].

The afore-mentioned psychological

Tunçel, H. (2015). The Relationship Between Self-Confidence and Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language.

Academic Journals https://files.eric. ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1078234.pdf [accessed: 23-05-2020].

Certify your success.

Prove your skills to employers and universities, and open the door to a better future.

Awarded by Edexcel.

Previously PTE General

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

23

INTERVIEW

GEORGE

ATHANASOPOULOS OUP’s new start in Greece

G n ANASTASIA SPYROPOULOU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF anastasia@eltnews.gr

24

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

eorge Athanasopoulos has been active in the ELT scene for twenty five years teaching English to all age groups. During the last ten years he’s been teaching Business English and ESP. He has also developed the e-learning programmes in Business, Legal and Paralegal English of the University of Athens. He joined OUP in 2018 and he aspires to lead the company to new heights after its restructure and the new management.

FOLLOW US: www.expresspublishing.co.uk inquiries@expresspublishing.co.ukE L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

EXCITE | EXPLORE | EXCEL

25

Oxford University Press has a rich history which can be traced back to the earliest days of printing. The ELT sector of OUP has also a rich history producing books on pedagogy and didactics for teachers and college students, as well as coursebooks, grammar books and supplementary materials for learners of all ages and levels. In the Greek ELT scene, OUP used to be a dominant player for decades.

There is not a single FLS in Greece that has not used at least one of the many popular OUP books.

All of a sudden (?) OUP almost disappeared from the Greek ELT market.

The representation was minimal. What were the reasons? Poor management?

Poor communication between Athens and Oxford? Change of priorities?

Restructuring?

You are right. It is true that the transition period to the new scheme caused a gap of communication with the Greek ELT market; and that was a mistake. But, we need to understand that new people, new structure, new operational scheme, all these need some time for tuning and adjustment. However, it is also true that OUP never really disappeared from Greece; the representation may not have been the ideal but the office was fully functional and most importantly there was never any problem with the supply of OUP books in Greece.

A couple of years ago new promotional and distribution channels were established. Does this mean a ‘come back’?

n

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

How easy is it now for OUP to gain its own piece of the ELT market in Greece taking into account various factors and challenges?

At difficult times, we normally turn to the essence of things rather than the surface. We focus on what matters. So I think, that schools which promote quality and professionalism will stand out.

Teachers who get trained will stand out.

Materials that are well-researched and that put forward modern pedagogies and methodologies will stand out.

I wouldn’t say exactly a ‘come back’, since we never left. But, I would definitely say a ‘restart’, a new beginning. Our goal is to build a new relationship with the Greek ELT market, the school owners and teachers and remind them that Oxford is here to support their work with the quality of our materials and the quality of our services. Our true power lies in the high quality and efficiency of our books, digital material, educational support and teacher training, and that’s what the Greek ELT market needs to be aware of. I’m sure that every school has used Oxford books at one time or another and I can see in my daily contact with them that the Oxford brand name is still strong and respected. So, they need not only to rediscover the reasons for using Oxford books in the past, but also to know why they can trust that Oxford can get the job done; that is help them be the teachers they want and can be and together create speakers of the English language. To do that, we need to combine what

26

we have always represented, excellence in ELT with the fact that OUP has a modern, innovative and fully adjusted to the demands of our times approach. And all this needs to be communicated. That’s why we have put together a very comprehensive plan of activities for 2021 including a series of webinars (Web Gatherings 2021), events and a couple of surprises that are to be announced in due time.

Nothing is easy, especially these days.

The challenges of the times, with COVID-19 being the most serious and unexpected one, has caused a lot of uncertainty in ELT, as in every other sector of the business activity. This uncertainty makes changes difficult and unlikely. Most market sectors have entered a survival mode, and so has ELT. So, making a turn to Oxford books is something that won’t come easy. However, we strongly believe that every difficulty, every challenge is also an opportunity. It is time to measure ourselves and see how strong we are.

We aim at gaining ELT people’s trust first, and that can only happen with sincerity and consistency. And sincerity and consistency become more important during times of crisis. To put it in a nutshell, what we are looking for with our restart is, as I said before, to build new relationships with more people based on sincerity and consistency, the quality of our books and materials and the respect for the teachers and their work. Only by forging relationships of this kind can we overcome the difficulties and obstacles and regain our place in the ELT market.

What’s the most valuable asset of OUP at the moment?

The most valuable asset of Oxford at the moment is forging business relationships and partnerships with the most distinguished and influential members of the Greek ELT community. And at this point I’m very proud to announce that since January this year Ms. Maria Davou (the accomplished ELT teacher, teacher trainer, researcher and school owner) has been a member of the OUP/Lexis team as an Academic Consultant. We are confident that Maria will add academic, scientific and business value to our team and efforts. Together, we have planned great things for 2021, some of which you already know and oth-

ers that will come out soon. So, Maria, welcome aboard. Maria comes to join a group of experienced people in the field of ELT, Oxford/Lexis staff whose professionalism and eagerness will change the game for Oxford.

Apart from Maria’s addition to the team, we should also stress the fact that Oxford comes out with a variety of options for all levels and ages with modern methodology based on the inquiry-based approach, CLIL and 21st and global skills, and a fully-equipped state-of-the-art digital arsenal (online platforms: Classroom Presentation Tools, online practice, Oxford Apps, Oxford Teacher’s Club, teachers’ and parents’ specialized websites etc.).

What impact will the current crisis have on the ELT industry in the coming years?

That’s a good question but in reality, no one really knows the answer. We

will definitely see more of blended, hybrid and online classes. But I believe, we will also see a shift to quality. At difficult times, we normally turn to the essence of things rather than the surface. We focus on what matters.

So I think, that schools which promote quality and professionalism will stand out. Teachers who get trained will stand out. Materials that are well-researched and that put forward modern pedagogies and methodologies will stand out. This is the only thing I can predict with some certainty.

What are OUP plans in the near future for the Greek market? How do you see your place in post-COVID era?

Our plans for the future are many and all in the same direction, providing the highest quality books with the highest quality services. So, for 2021 we have announced a series of webinars, called Web Gatherings 2021 until June 2021; the first one has already taken place with

great success. There are more webinars planned that will be announced soon.

We have also planned an online event for August 2021. Our aim is our teaching training program to be enriched and become a permanent addition to every ELT professional’s calendar.

We are also planning something that has never happened in the Greek market before, can’t tell you more at this point but it’s something that will make an impression at least. We are planning more about our presence on the social media a Linkedin OUP/Lexis page, our own YouTube channel with presentations of our books but also with model lessons, teacher training seminars etc. and we have already created our own OUP/Lexis website, 4myschool.gr, where one can find articles, online resources and materials, even an e-shop. As you can see, we are very optimistic about the future.

Oxford Quality will shine again.

•

“ Be an Oxford University Press/Lexis awarded school

”

Contact us to learn how tel.: 2108055330

e-mail: info@oup.gr

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

27

L

ast year ELT NEWS took the initiative to introduce the annual ELT Awards of Excellence aiming at celebrating the best ELT learning experiences and practices offered by Private, State and Foreign Language Schools in Greece and Cyprus.

The Awards (gold, silver and bronze) are determined by five judges, all experts in their field.

Unfortunately the Awards ceremony wasn’t materialized last year due to COVID-19 measures. However winners enjoyed publicity in ELT NEWS. The readers had the chance to see what FLS, state schools and individual teachers do in their daily teaching practice, what projects they carry out, and how they motivate their students to become life-long learners.

In the current issue we are presenting two more of last year’s award winners: Maria-Rose Babou from Kozani and Tina Konstantopoulou from Kalamata.

28

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

Maria-Rose Babou (Silver Award) has designed and administers a platform (the Rose Platform) which provides a plethora of material for language teaching and learning: animated videos, flashcards for presenting new vocabulary and grammar, spelling and pronunciation exercises and quizzes, multiple choice and comprehension questions and lots more. Learners practice all four language skills and are provided with immediate feedback. The Rose Platform identifies students’ weak areas and gives additional content for improvement. The platform can be used by everyone who is involved in English language teaching. It is also suitable for students with special educational needs.

Tina Konstantopoulou (Bronze Award) has her own tuition centre (Infusion/Diffusion) in Kalamata and teaches English to Special Educational Needs students. She is particularly interested in the inclusion of these students in mainstream language classrooms, and in raising colleagues' awareness on effective inclusive pedagogy.

Learning disabilities impact the way children process and understand information; they are neurological disorders that might manifest themselves as difficulty in listening, thinking,

writing, speaking, spelling, or doing mathematical calculations.

Tina uses a variety of methods and approaches such as: blended learning, computer-assisted learning, game-based learning, etc. The sitting arrangement is flexible, students can move around freely and do many kinesthetic activities.

The majority of her students are placed in mainstream classes after a while. Learners’ progress is systematically recorded and parents are informed about their children’s performance.

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

29

FEATURE SECTION

B2 EXAMS 30

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

FEATURE SECTION

B2

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

“

Weighing the pig won’t make it fatter. Feeding it will. ”

TEXT BY

MARIA DAVOU FLS OWNER, RESEARCHER

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

31

In Greece we’ve been experiencing this dystopic, unprecedented situation, where teenage (or even younger) students collect “degrees” in foreign languages. We’ve got special names for them, unique to us, with the ‘Lower’ being the most prevalent among them. Parents and teachers’ pride and joy is to share the news with their entourage: ‘we got the Lower’.

Mind you, it’s always ‘we’, not ‘s/ he’. We, together. This long-coveted and sought-after social recognition (a B2 language certificate) is a joint (parent-teacher-learner) achievement.

But let’s see what these “degrees” are, how useful they are in the end (apart from their ubiquitous use as wall ornaments and as self-realization moments for the Greek parent).

1. DEGREE?!

A degree, of course, is not a degree at all. It is a certification (certificate) of the level that one has achieved at a given time in a given language. We call degree a university, college or higher education certificate that signifies the completion of your studies at a tertiary level. A language certificate is not a degree. So, for starters, let’s stop calling them “degrees” (=πτυχία) and let’s stick to calling them what they are: certificates (πιστοποιητικά)

2. RECOGNITION? For B2 level (the well-known “Lower”) there are currently about 25 (or is it 27? the list seems never-ending) certificates recognized by ASEP. Yes, 25!

Are they equally valid? For ASEP, yes.

For the job market, no. For academics, no. For linguists, no. Of course, it is not an easy task to scientifically tell which foreign language exam is really at B2 level and which isn’t. Not all exams that claim this or that level are actually “mapped” to the CEFR. But the CEFR itself is not entirely clear either.

Which certificates are actually recognized depends on the purpose for which you need them. To get “points

32

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

in the public sector”, everything is fine.

If you want to work in the corporate world or in a start-up, 1–2 certificates are considered reliable but again, no one really cares about your language certificate. Your level of English (and the kind of English) will be evaluated in the job interview and finally in the job itself.

If you want to study abroad, it depends!

On what? ONLY on the university’s admission requirements. For some universities, you are OK with this or that B2 certificate. For others, you must have obtained your certificate pretty recently. For others, it does not really matter, you have to take an Academic English test anyway.

There is no general rule.

3. KNOWLEDGE? Does exam preparation help you learn a foreign language better? Again, the answer is by no means a straight forward one. Many pass exams and certify their level just fine. Yet holding a certificate does not necessarily mean true knowledge of the language.

And yes, even the “good” ones do not necessarily mean that you can do everything you are supposed to be doing at this level. As we said before, a certificate shows the level that you have achieved at a given time (and we all have bad or good hair days).

Eventually, do I learn? Yes, maybe, no.

The language tested is not necessarily the language used in real life. Exam language is almost an idiolect. It’s great that students learn all these idioms, proverbs and expressions by heart. But are we sure they understand when and how to use them? What self-image do they communicate?

Language does not exist in a vacuum.

It is socially charged, it exists only in social contexts and as a social tool.

Are we sure this old-fashioned idiom suits us or them? Are we sure we know the register of this phrasal verb we just used in the transformation exercise? Are we sure we understand how rarely and for what (almost political)

Forget about practice tests as teaching material. Yes, use a couple of practice tests to familiarize your learners with the format of the exam, to help them with time and stress management. A practice test does not teach. We need to teach the language. Teach the level. Teach the individual.

reasons we use passive voice? Are we sure we use the right intonation as a politeness device? Do we teach all these things for the ‘lower’ exam?

4. YES OR NO? Let’s start from what matters: we need to teach the language because our learners need to use it to be who they are in the English language as well. How should we teach for the B2 exam? Through exposure to authentic material, and authentic speech.

We watch movies, series, we listen to music. We speak, communicate, think, exist in the foreign language.

We write poems, we tell stories, we reflect, we analyze, we summarize, we discuss, we explore the world in English.

Should our students take the ‘lower’? Yes! But take the B2 exam BECAUSE they learned the language, and not TO learn it.

As teachers, we study what CEFR B2 means. We do not look at the exam, we look at the can-do statements. We check if our learners can actually do these things. We are not on the lookout for errors (“oh how many times do I have to tell you the difference between Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Progressive?”) but we focus on achievements (this is the meaning of ‘can do’)!

Forget about practice tests as teaching material. Yes, use a couple of practice

tests to familiarize your learners with the format of the exam, to help them with time and stress management. A practice test does not teach. We need to teach the language. Teach the level.

Teach the individual.

Should our students take the ‘lower’?

Yes! But take the B2 exam BECAUSE they learned the language, and not TO learn it. Exams can act as an incentive, become an opportunity for repetition, for concentration. Exams can serve as a personal map of our language

development, and this can give a sense of achievement. Now, which exams and for which certificate? This is up to you. If you know the language, you prefer the ones with the highest recognition in the job market. If you do not know the language, go for the easiest.

But let’s not forget: just because you got that certificate, you did not necessarily learn the language.

The real exam is real life.

•

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

33

FEATURE SECTION

BY DR MICHAEL KENTERIS M.ENG, .SC, PHD

EMPOWER YOUR

STUDENTS! TEACHING IN THE NEW

O

ERA

ne of the significant challenges educators face in their writing classes today is motivating students to write compositions for high stakes exams when the reason they write is unclear or is lacking in interest. What if we could take this so-called tedious and mundane task and turn it around just enough to stir up some curiosity and meaning?

Being an avid supporter of the Flipped Learning approach, I am always trying to find ways to flip my student’s learning and have them attend class ready to do the high order thinking in class, after going over the lower order thinking at home. These days, flirting with the pragmatics of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) I aspire to find ways to offer multiple learning paths to

34

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

develop conceptual understanding in student individual space.

Accordingly, students are assigned alternative activities on how to investigate a writing topic on their own given concepts like writing genre and register, and awareness of the rubric for assessment before coming to class in the group space ready to actively engage in small group or individual activities while

being observed, and coached. All this when they are struggling the most.

task like a quiz to it for accountability.

Sometimes I make my own, as I have been told, students enjoy following my videos

In reality, unless you conscientiously plan for this to work, it is not so easily implemented.

When it comes to planning, designing activities or lessons I propose thinking backwards; tapping into ‘Backward design’ planning.

This educational planning approach was originally brought to us by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe with Understanding by design. Planning is started backwards by thinking about the end result of my class.

What is it I want my students to understand and learn? I try to keep this initial thought to the ‘one big idea’, I want my students to get from this activity. I then think of the essential questions that I would like my students to think about. I tend to write these questions in the first person to help them start thinking about the answers. Next, I think about assessment. What does a successful understanding look like? How will a writing piece be acceptable? This one is easy, I connect it to the rubric assessment criteria of the examination body I am currently considering. Finally, I will look at the steps needed to get my students where I want them to be - successful writers.

Hence, in the case of writing, what do I do?

How can I reach every student and have them write an exceptional writing masterpiece?

How can they voice their opinions? For starters, you do not need to look too far, the first and foremost choice most students still have in EFL classrooms is their coursebook.

Full of ideas and plans on how to write can be found in those guides. How about setting one of those simple tasks of analysing a plan and a model essay at home than take up a long time in? Really? This is an innovative idea? Evidently, some students do prefer it.

Here is a suggestion: not only have them go over the simple instructions of planning and doing a few exercises, but also have them draw, write or even sketch note their summaries which later could be presented in class as pair work or small group work.

Other alternatives to convey basic writing concepts are setting videos to be viewed at home connecting a formative assessment

best, other times I curate readily available ones. An interesting alternative task is to have students find (having guided their search criteria) video clips on their own and share them with the rest of the group along with a comment to why they found them interesting. The outcome always surprises me. In this case, many more videos, more interesting and relevant are watched and shared between students. Not to mention saving me time too for more challenging group activities.

Having prepared for writing before class, in class, while I become a guide, students take centre stage and share their findings, plan and write their own masterpiece. I prefer old-fashioned pen and paper, but if it is an online class, I sometimes use online document word processors which allows me to observe my students’ writing in real-time. In another session, I use self and peer assessment activities that guide them through assessment criteria prompting them for a grad. Occasionally, I also try to offer personal feedback to each student. I record myself giving feedback and suggestions for improvement and then send the link to be watched in student own time. Students appreciate the personal connection we have when this happens. Finally, we post our work for all to see. Keeping writing authentic gives it a purpose. When students know that others will read their blog post,

An interesting alternative task is to have students find (having guided their search criteria) video clips on their own and have them share them with the rest of the group along with a comment to why they found them interesting. The outcome always surprises me. In this case, many more videos, more interesting and relevant are watched and shared between students.

they do try a little bit more to improve their final draft. At our school, we showcase all our writing and it is there for others to read,

R

get ideas or comment on.

Just a final thought, I am always being asked, “What about the students that don’t prepare for class?” This is a choice students also have. I counter approach this by having them do the homework in class while missing out on the group space activities, which are usually a lot more interesting, not to mention meaningful.

•

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

35

B2

FIRST FOR SCHOOLS: WHAT IT MEANS FOR TEENS

O

ver the last decade B2 First for Schools has become a household name in Greece amongst ambitious secondary-school students and parents alike. It’s the most popular Cambridge English Qualification in the country, as it’s set at B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the level that thousands of Greek teenagers aspire to and for many this is the first step on the road to higher level qualifications.

36

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

BY NIKI NIKA, CAMBRIDGE ASSESSMENT ENGLISH Stay in touch! Would you like to find out more about B2 First for Schools?

Please contact me at nika.n@cambridgeenglish.org.

Although the last twelve months have been like no other for the sector, the enthusiasm and motivation f rom Greek teenagers taking B2 First for Schools has not dropped. A question I’m often asked is: what does taking a B2 First for Schools actually mean in practice for teenagers?

The qualification gives teenagers, or more specifically in Greece 13-16-yearold students, the English language skills they need to communicate in an English-speaking environment. To understand what this means in more detail, it’s important to look at the values that go into the development of the Cambridge English Qualifications. Our experts in Cambridge have a focus on developing qualifications and other learning solutions that cover the English language skills that people need for the real world.

They’re backed by world-class research f rom a team of experts who have developed rigorous validation and quality systems to ensure the exams are truly fit for purpose.

We also believe that learning English should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience and we instil these values into B2 First for Schools and every other qualification we develop. With this in mind, people taking B2 First for Schools gain the skills they need to confidently follow a conversation, write emails and talk about a range of subjects. It also gives students the skills to confidently express themselves and justify their own views and opinions.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR TEENS IN PRACTICE? Understanding what this actually means for teenagers in practice, is something we did last year for a successful campaign across Greece.

The message was that with a good level of English such as B2, teenagers

A HEALTHY CHALLENGE!

There are lots of universities and employers that ask for B2 First as a minimum requirement including National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Piraeus, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, BCA, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, Unilever and many more organisations.

will be in a position to get even more enjoyment out of their favourite pasttimes and hobbies. We drew up a list of popular activities that teenagers could relate to and highlight that they would be able to do these more confidently with B2 First for Schools skills. The list included being able to watch movies without the English subtitles. Also on the list was being able to listen to popular songs with English lyrics, without needing to go away and research what the words actually mean. We also included the ability to enjoy gaming, the ability to use the right hashtags in social media posts and last but not least – the ability to have a good old fashioned chat in English without having to research the meaning of the words! We came up with the following straplines for the social media campaign which sum this up nicely: Enjoy Movies - no need to read the subtitles; Enjoy songs - no need to find the lyrics; Enjoy chatting - no need to get lost in translation; Enjoy moments - #useyourownquotes and Enjoy Gaming - no need to lose connection. Game on. You can find out more about the campaign visiting the page we set up for learners here www.b2first.gr.

B2 First for Schools also means a healthy challenge for teens! Preparing and taking any exam is never an easy task and good teaching and preparation is key. That is why we develop a range of practice materials and official preparation books from Cambridge University Press to really help ensure that students are ready for exam day. We also offer a raft of support for school owners and teachers preparing students for the qualification, along with resources for parents and teenagers. This includes social media support, apps, additional sample papers, videos, posters and other guidance and resources. For example our ‘B2 First for Schools Top Tips’ seminars for learners have also been really popular and for the last three years have been offered online to reach candidates from different areas around the country.

IT GIVES TEENS OPPORTUNITY B2 First also gives teenagers opportunities. There are lots of universities and employers that ask for B2 First as a minimum requirement including National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Piraeus, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, BCA, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, Unilever and many more organisations.

More widely the Cambridge English exams are recognised by more than 25,000 organisations around the world. B2 First for Schools also acts as a stepping stone to higher level Cambridge English Qualif ications such as C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency.

AND FINALLY To come back to my first question of what B2 First for Schools means for teens? I think there are four parts to this answer which are skills, confidence, challenges and opportunities.

•

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

37

O

nce upon a time in the past, when yours truly was a teenager attending English as a Foreign language at an established Foreign Languages private institution, he first heard the magic word "LOWER". In that immemorial era, the word and its ramifications had an enormous impact on the foreign language learner's mind, psyche, personal and even professional life, and on one's status in the Greek society as a whole. To an extent, it still has; lately, a mother claimed in defense of the good reputation of her son: "He's a decent boy, he has the Lower (and the Proficiency) "

And indeed, at that time at least, this certificate proved one’s status of being a competent user of English. It even allowed one to actually teach the language to others, albeit at the beginner and elementary levels.

And there were, in Greece, only two institutions that granted this certificate at that time, after exams, of course, exams that involved reading texts in English (even an extract from the Third Man (and yes there is an anecdote concerning this text and its role in the particular exam) and answering multiple choice questions about it, doing the same after listening to dialogues and monologues in English, writing a letter and an essay, plus speaking to an examiner in the language.

FEATURE SECTION

38

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

TEXT BY GEORGE RAPTOPOULOS, TEACHER, TEACHER TRAINER

But times change, and they changed fast. The aforementioned adolescent grew up, studied and became AN ENGLISH TEACHER. And he was, early in their teaching career, to teach a LOWER exam class. And he managed. He studied, he corrected essay after essay, he conversed in English with his learners and eventually they were successful, they PASSED THE LOWER. And he has been doing this since then, along with more and more exams or higher of lower levels.

And he has witnessed many a change in the LOWER in the changing times .The LOWER became a First Certificate, a B2, then a First for Schools. More and more names appeared, depending on the examining bodies that prepared and administered the relevant exams. More and more such examining bodies appeared (and some appeared then disappeared). Changes in the exams also came and went, no more just multiple choice but also error correction, gap filling, multiple matching and so on and so forth. What remains, however, is the exam itself, its standing and its importance. B1 certificates may have become the first to prove one's ability in using English (according to ASEP-the Supreme Council for Staff Selection in Greece), but to the Greek mind the LOWER remains the one that proves this ability, to the state and private sector alike.

Indeed, this certificate proves that one is COMPETENT in English. It proves that one CAN (and this is from the European Framework for Languages) converse in English to the extent that they can easily survive in an English language environment, CAN read and understand enough to do the same in such environs, listen and understand enough for the above mentioned goals, write and let, through writing, communicate - clearly enough -to others, their ideas, opinions and wishes, in English.

All in all then, the not lowly at all LOWER (under any name) is still very much alive and kicking, and very much likely to remain so long after the once teenager has retired and stopped actively teaching, although still remaining a teacher at heart.

•

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

39

TEFL EXAMS AND CERTIFICATES IN GREECE THE STORY - BEHIND THE STORY… FEATURE SECTION

BY DIMITRIS KOUNIAKIS

FLS OWNER, DoS MELLON SCHOOL

40

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

Teaching English as a Foreign Language as it is most commonly known is one of the biggest service providing industries in Greece. Going as far back as post world war in Greece, there was a great demand for English teachers and a very short supply As a result, the British Council set up its offices in Athens in 1939. Its original aim being stated as: “The Council’s aim is to create in a country overseas a basis of friendly knowledge and understanding of the people of this country, of their philosophy and way of life, which will lead to a sympathetic appreciation of British foreign policy, whatever for the moment that policy may be and from whatever political conviction it may spring. While in times of danger this friendly knowledge and understanding becomes vital to the successful prosecution of war (that is the Council’s place in the war effort), in times of peace it is not less valuable”.

Teaching and learning the English language and culture was the ultimate aim.

The need for English teachers led to a law being voted somewhere in the mid1940s that Cambridge CPE and later on Michigan University Proficiency Certificate holders could actually get a work permit and teach English as a Foreign Language in order to facilitate the growing need for English teachers in Greece and meet the very short supply.

For almost 40 years the only language assessment examinations were those administered by Cambridge ESOL and Michigan University.

However, times changed in Greece and the National Independent Qualifications Assessment Board called ASEP came into place in 1994. The state being the main employer at the time with a workforce of over 500,000 civil servants.

In order for somebody to get employed by the state, a certification of at least B2 level

in English based on the CEFR criteria was set in place and officially recognized as a qualification by the National Independent Qualifications Assessment Board (ASEP).

The grounds, incentive and motivation for the ELT world to change from teaching communicational English to exam oriented English had been set.

Since the incentive was only certificate acquisition, parents and ELT schools started pushing to attaing a certificate as early as possible so that the students could focus on getting the next certificate, anything that would enable them to collect points in order to make it easier to get a job in the public sector.

The frenzy was on. Acquiring as many certificates as possible at whatever cost.

Knowledge could wait or was no longer the issue.

One of the talking points of this trend is that Greece has the youngest age average for students sitting the B2 & C2 level exams worldwide.

Another result of this approach to language learning was of course for other exam boards to seek ASEP recognition and now the Greek ELT market boasts being the world record holder of over 27 exams and certificates for B2 level and over 17 for C2 level.

Bear in mind, some of these B2 exams only assess Reading & Listening skills, yet are equally recognised with exams that assess Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking skills.

The variation in the format of exams has rendered them in the categories of “easy” and “difficult” exams as the main aim is the acquisition of the certificate and not that of mastering the language.

The message needs to be clear. Certificate acquisition and Language acquisition are two different things and do not necessarily go hand in hand.

All somebody has to do is to take a look at the European Proficiency Index (E.P.I) https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/ to see that near native language acquisition has been achieved by countries that have no

EFL exams in place and Greece finds itself staggering in the 21st place.

Certificate acquisition became the Greek ELT schools’ new marking tool. The rat race was on, ELT schools competing among themselves and against private lessons on who could get students to certificate acquisition faster.

However, nobody had anticipated the forthcoming economic crisis and when the crisis hit Greece the knowledge deficit and the malpractices of ELT schools became obvious as those who had followed that path simply found themselves holding certificates without the ability to speak or write basic English. Many found themselves both unemployed and unemployable.

The Greek ELT schools now face a huge challenge….The difficulty of adopting curriculum design to market needs. In other words, to display their ability to adapt and comprehend change. There are many who defended their school identity and culture.

These ELT schools offer knowledge, skill sets and maintain a high level of English Teaching and Learning.

Yet, there are still many who have not realised the shift in market needs and are trying to attract customers by offering low price tuition fees and 100% pass rate in their exams as a last resort to attracting customers.

This is the story behind the story of ELT in Greece, a story that finds itself in the making of the final chapter. Knowledge is a commodity, English language acquisition in Greece was treated as a non-standard product that could be customized, offered and sold on the face value of a certificate.

The 21st century market needs and the digital era, let alone the pandemic, caught the Greek ELT market off guard and by surprise. No new economy can function without knowledge and knowledge acquisition takes time.

The only unmaking of this homemade Greek tragedy lies in adopting a much-needed mind shift in education that many, still refuse to or are too afraid of change, to make.

•

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

41

FEATURE SECTION

MYTHS & TRUTHS ABOUT B2 LEVEL IN EFL

I

n 1939, Cambridge University introduced the “Lower Certificate in English”. This certificate has become the inspiration for what is known as B2 level in language learning (CEFR, 2001), reflecting the language skills an independent user in any foreign language is supposed to possess. 82 years after its introduction from Cambridge University, and 20 years after the introduction of CEFR, it is time for us to investigate the impact of B2 level in EFL. The most interesting way to do this investigation is to try to dispel popular myths that B2 level is teemed with.

TEXT BY DR DIMITRIS MAROULIS AdvDipEd – MEd – EdDoctorate

42

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

MYTH 1: LANGUAGE COMMAND IN B2 IS DIFFICULT TO BE REACHED IN ANY FOREIGN LANGUAGE. Truth: B2 level is the prerequisite for any language learner to climb up to the proficient user.

adaptive Standardized English Test, available free of charge to anyone anywhere in the world who wishes to test his or her proficiency in English. The data are collected and analysed and then the index is compiled. There are in fact two separate indices. One refers to adults (https://bit. ly/2Nu9xC8) and one to students (https://bit.ly/3bxe5zD).

Both documents, available free from their website, provide a wealth of information and statistics on the use of English all over the world. The most interesting is that it also provides an index with the countries with the highest scores listing them according to the test takers scores and proficiency.

The bands of this index are as follows:

The table clearly indicates that all over Europe, the vast majority of people speak foreign languages and do so basically in B2 level (Good command) with few exceptions, of course. B2 level seems to be the threshold of using a foreign language. This table places emphasis on the importance of B2 level. In other words, B2 is well-established as the main level of language learning.

Unfortunately, this truth does not refer to the English language English Proficiency Index. Well, we have one!

It is an index by Education First (https://www.ef.co.uk/).

Education First (EF) is an organization which offers courses and cultural programmes, among other things, that target those who wish to learn a foreign language, most notably, English. It was founded by Bertil Hult back in the 60’s. EF published its first index in 2011 after developing a fully

CEFR

EF EPI Score

Pre-A1

1-199

A1

200-299

A2

300-399

B1

400-499

B2

500-599

C1

600-699

C2

700-800

According to the scores then, Very High Proficiency is considered performance from 600-800, High and Moderate Proficiency from 400-599, Low Proficiency from 400-499, and Very Low Proficiency from 200-399. Greece, then, is in 21st place with an average of 578, whereas the top three countries are: Netherlands (652), Denmark (632), and, Finland (631). The whole list is available in the downloadable document. Let us use this index then to continue with B2 level myths and truths.

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

43

MYTH 2: GREEKS HAVE A MANIA WITH EXAMS AND CERTIFICATES, ESPECIALLY THE HIGH-STAKE ONES. Truth: All over the world learners’ goal is to perfect their language skills.

The table proves that students all over the world from young age try to gain vital language qualifications to prepare themselves for the competitive job market. Especially nowadays with the emphasis on the gig economy, there are more reasons young people to try harder to equip themselves with higher rank certificates in English.

There are also two extra reasons why they are very determined to succeed.

The first has got to do with another popular myth.

MYTH 3: B2 LEVEL IN ENGLISH IS JUST THE BASIC QUALIFICATION.

MYTH 4: B2 IS NOT ENOUGH FOR A COMPETITIVE JOB MARKET

Truth: B2 level certificate provides a whole-personality language and cultural advantage

Truth: B2 level is a powerful qualification for the job market and makes the holders more ambitious for the next level.

Definitely, the higher your English certificate the more the chances to combine it with other higher order personality traits but it is clear that B2 level provides the threshold for such an advancement. Moreover:

44

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

Comparing the salary ranges, B2 holders enjoy an average one (15,528$), whereas C1 and C2 ones are the well-paid (43,372$). The main advantage of B2 holders is the prospect of making the next step, improving their income considerably. Additionally, there is a strong correlation between the quality of the studies and the time that should be invested.

MYTH 5: B2 LEVEL CAN BE ACQUIRED IN A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME OR YOU CAN TAKE A SHORTCUT Truth: Acquisition is different from certification; B2 needs over 1,000 hours of studying

COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK GUIDED LEARNING HOURS (FROM BEGINNER LEVEL) CEFR LEVEL

CAMBRIDGER ENGLISH EXAM

NUMBER OF HOURS (APPROXIMATE)

C2

C2 Proficiency - previously known as Cambrisge English: Proficiency (CPE)

1000-1200

C1

C1 Advanced - previously known as Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)

700-800

B2

B2 First - previously known as Cambridge English: First (FCE)

500-600

B1

B1 Preliminary - previously known as Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET)

350-400

A2

A2 Key - previously known as Cambridge English: Key (KET)

180-200

A1

A1 Starters/Movers - previously known as Cambridge English Starters/Movers (YLE)

90-100

Education First estimates that an adult needs 1,200 hours of instruction to acquire B2 level in English. According to Cambridge Assessment English any level needs about 200 hours of formal instruction.

Note that this table refers to the “guided learning hours”, in other words the “in-classroom” instruction. In average, learners need one hour of practice for two hours in classroom which practically raises the amount of time to 900 hours. If you imagine courses of 150 hours per academic year (20 hours per month for about 8 months) then you need about 6 years of language instruction to reach B2 level.

LIMITATIONS OF THE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY INDEX Education First admits there is sampling bias in the way data are collected. The Standardized English Test (SET) is attempted by people interested in studying English or confirming their proficiency in English and this population is unstable and not controlled. Apart from this, another bias is the content one. The SET tests the receptive skills of reading and listening and not the productive ones: writing and speaking. As a result, the scores reflect part of the users’ language competence. However, EF claims that its test correlates with TOEFL and IELTS reading and listening papers and this gives it some sort of reliability.

THE IMPACT OF B2 LEVEL IN EFL It is obvious that B2 level has played an important role in the development of English language learning, on language courses, their syllabi and certification. It correlates

with several personality characteristics and is associated with the socio-economic status of its holders. Above all, it is the threshold that allows English language users to self-motivate and regulate themselves for the completion of their language learning career.

•

Bio Dimitris Maroulis – Master & Doctorate in Education & Learning from the Open University, UK - is an EFL teacher and school owner (for the last 28 years) and a strong believer in lifelong learning.

He has just completed his second Master degree, MSc in Applied Neuroscience with King’s College London, and his Post Graduate Diploma in Neuroscience from the same university.

He has attended a number of seminars and short courses from various providers among them: the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and UC San Diego. He has been a frequent presenter at TESOL, Greece (member since 1994) and ELT News Forum. He is also member of the Education Leadership Association. He also belongs to the Cambridge Assessment English presenters’ team.

He is the author of: “Language Learning Strategies in EFL”, Faculty of Education & Language Studies, OU, UK; “Reading Guide for B1 & B2: Strategies for the development of Reading Skills”, “Excellent: language learning assessment tool”, both from Lefki Selida. He has also written two books of poetry (‘Spelling Life” & “The Exodus of Alonso Kihana”) from Gavriilidis books.

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

45

RECOMMENDED

BOOKS Books worth considering!

ARCHER EDITIONS ECCE PRACTICE TESTS

BURLINGTON BOOKS BURLINGTON MINDSET B2

8 complete practice tests, adapted to the 2021 format, for students about to take the Michigan ECCE examination.

Burlington Mindset B2 is the ideal choice for mixed ability exam preparation classes.

Informed by the theory of ‘Growth Mindset’, the course has been carefully designed to reinforce the mindset that all students can make progress, no matter how talented they are. With engaging ‘Growth Mindset’ discussion questions, ‘Stretch your Mind’ activities, and up-to-date topics, the course not only teaches the language and skills students need for whatever B2-level examination they are taking, it also helps students become confident learners of English.

Burlington Mindset B2 is enriched with documentary-style videos that have been specifically created for the course. Each video is accompanied by a video worksheet that provides a ready-made lesson plan to promote active viewing.

Students using Mindset B2 can do their homework online with their Interactive Workbook and get extra vocabulary practice with Burlington Interactive Practice. Teachers can follow their students’ progress and send them individual feedback via the Burlington Learning Management System. Burlington Mindset B1 and Burlington Mindset B1+ are also available.

The tests have been carefully designed to familiarize students with the exam format and content.

The main aim of this book, however, is to increase students’ skills and confidence in all sections of the exam: Writing, Listening, Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading and Speaking.

• Glossary included • Teacher's Key • Speaking models • Writing models • Transcripts with Key • Interactive Material available

46

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

EXPRESS PUBLIHSING NEW STARS & STRIPES FOR THE MICHIGAN ECCE/ECPE FOR THE REVISED 2021 EXAM Stars & Stripes is intended for upper-intermediate and proficient learners taking the ECCE and ECPE Michigan exams.

• Lexical exercises practicing and activating vocabulary, as well as collocations, prepositions and phrasal verbs • A variety of listening tasks reinforcing skills needed for the exam • Speaking sections reinforcing skills needed for the exam and simulated model interviews modeling closely the format of the speaking part of the exam • Grammar sections covering all major grammatical areas, plus a Grammar Reference section • Exam Practice sections, serving to practice vocabulary and grammar throughout the book • Detailed composition analysis and models for all types of ECCE & ECPE Michigan exam writing tasks, including step-by-step guidance in brainstorming techniques • The Express DigiBooks platform for the Coursebook and Skills Builder

HAMILTON HOUSE PUBLISHERS HAMILTON HOUSE MSU-CELC PRACTICE TESTS The Hamilton House MSU-CELC Practice Tests contains seven complete practice tests for the Michigan State University B2 examination 2020 updated test format.

It gives students the opportunity to: • consolidate all important language skills and sub-skills while familiarizing themselves with the actual format of the MSU-CELC • get invaluable practice by doing exam-style activities simulating all parts of the sections • review grammar concepts that frequently recur • develop and practice effective written and oral communication skills essential for the exam

PEARSON PRACTICE TESTS PLUS FOR PTE GENERAL Focused exam training and guidance Straight from the test developers, Practice Tests Plus offers teachers all the resources they need to prepare their students for the PTE General paper-based test.

• 5 complete practice tests with “ready for test” materials • Speaking, Writing and Grammar reference banks • Extra online resources on the Pearson English Portal • Vocabulary practice on the Pearson Practice English App

YORK PRESS & PEARSON GOLD EXPERIENCE (2ND EDITION) Preparing for exams prepares students for life!

The 2nd edition of the Gold Experience series continues to provide the perfect balance between preparing for exams and building 21st Century Skills for the real world, now with an up-to-date content and a fresh design.

• Media-rich material engages and challenges teenagers, while the focus on 21st Century Skills promotes critical thinking, debate and creativity.

• Authentic videos expose students to authentic language, authentic accents and real people, issues and broadcasting.

• Newly introduced B2+ and C1 levels are specifically designed for teens and take them to advanced level.

• Distance teaching gets easier with the Teacher’s Presentation Tool, Online Practice, Digital Resources and mobile App. Learn more at york-press.gr or contact us at 210 9373 170.

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

47

IN SEARCH OF DIGITAL PROFESSIONALISM

T

he impact of social media on our field cannot be denied. The internet, even before social media, opened new paths for teachers to create their PLNs, to see samples of teaching and ideas applied in classrooms the world over and enabled educator to participate in conferences which facilitate international exchange. Unfortunately, there is always a downside and perhaps in this case it is the way teachers have ended up using groups created by other teachers.

48

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

CONSULTANCY CORNER

MARIA ARAXI SACHPAZIAN TEACHER, TEACHER TRAINER

Maria Sachpazian BA education / RSA dip/tefl (hons) is the Academic and Managing Director of Input on Education a company which provides academic, business support and consultancy to Foreign Language Schools. Maria is also a parttime lecturer at CITY College, the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield and an EFL teacher at the Straight Up Markoyannopoulou schools. During summer Maria works as academic manager for International House London Young Learners Centre in Edinburgh. Since March 2016 she is also the Chairperson (currently interim controller) of TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece. inputoneducation@gmail. com

This article focuses on Facebook Groups and the questions posted on these regarding specific books to be used and issues with parents and finally questions regarding specific answers in exercise items. The point of our discussion is that what these questions say about the make up of our larger professional community and why so many of our colleagues think there is no harm in asking others to advise them on crucial matters, such as choosing course books or dealing with students and their parents. Finally, suggestions will be made as to how ELF teachers can manage their digital professional identity in a way that helps them grow further as professionals.

DIGITAL IDENTITIES AND MEDIA LITERACY In a highly digital environment, boundaries between the personal and the professional are easily blurred (Mostaghimi and Crotty 2011) which can lead to a confusion about the point where the seemingly innocuous comment starts becoming a public indicator of who people are as professionals. According to the UNESCO second law of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) (iiciis 2019) ‘’every citizen is a creator of information and knowledge and has a message’’ which they must be empowered to express. The issue is whether we realise that the questions some teachers so casually post are ‘’the message’’ they create, which becomes an indicator of how they view their own professional prowess and how they want to be perceived as professionals.

In Mostaghimi and Crotty (2011) there is an interesting analogy between the Internet and hospital elevators.

The two writers remind us that in hospitals (abroad) there are signs reminding staff not to discuss patient’s charts in lifts because, even if no names are shared, information can become easily identified and in lifts of considerable size and traffic, one never knows who is listening. The analogy is pretty clear. Isn’t the internet the ‘’new millenium’s elevator’’, an environment which might be perceived as ‘’defined’’, ‘’safe’’, and ‘’guarded’’, but in essence is open to all and once information is shared it cannot be retrieved, even if the post is deleted?

The issue of professionalism becomes an even greater one when we think of the type of questions asked. A casual runthrough any Facebook FL teachers’ group will yield quesitons of the following types.

GROUP 1 ‘’Which Course book would you suggest for a strong learner at level A2 who has just finished ‘’XXXX’’ (title of previous coursebook).’’ ‘’Between ‘’XXXX’’ (title of course book / grammar / practice test) and ‘’YYYY’’ which would you advise me to use with a student who is (characteristics of students follow). ‘’Has any of my colleagues tried ‘’XXXXX’’. What’s your opinion?

Should I use it with a student who is (characteristics of student follow).

GROUP 2 ‘’Has anyone else been asked to teach without a mask? I am about to lose a private student because his mother says I shouldn’t wear a mask as he cannot understand what I am saying.’’ ‘’How much do you charge private lessons for Junior classes and how long are your lessons?’’ ‘’ Has any of my colleagues had any parents asking to pay less for online classes? What should I tell them?’’

GROUP 3 ‘’ Why is answer A correct? Shouldn’t it be answer C?’’ ‘’ How do you explain XXXX (phenomenon follows) to B1 students’’? ‘’ What grade would you give to this essay? Level B2’’ (Photo of essay follows.)

WHY ARE THESE SIGNS OF A DEEPER PATHOLOGY IN OUR FIELD? On the face of it, it could be claimed that the problem is me. I see a problem where there is none! Perhaps I am exaggerating but there is a point behind this concern and I am sure I am not the only one concerned. There is practically a whole generation of ELF teachers who feel so unguided, unsupported and isolated (not to mention underqualified) that they resort to a faceless audience to seek crucial answers to important questions which they should be able to answer on their own, based on their experience and qualitifications, not to mention their common sense.

Regarding the questions in the first group, which concern course book choices I am awlays amazed by the sweeping generalisations made about ‘’strong’’ students ‘’weak’’ students and ‘’A2 challenging coursebooks’’. My counter questions would be ‘’Which skills is this student strong at?’’ ‘’Is this learner better at receptive or productive skills?’’ ‘’Is there a particular set of skills you would like to work on?’’ ‘’What is your teaching style?”’

Merely leafing through McGrath (2016), Tomlinson (2013) and Tomlinson and Masuhara (2018) it is easy to realise that evaluating and choosing materials for teaching is a matter of great precision and depth. It is a process which starts with a needs’ analysis (regarding the needs of the students and what the teacher feels they need to work on) and continues with the writing down of clear, unambiguous criteria that are transparent and specific enough to be answered with a Yes or a No when evaluating the materials. As breadth of choice usually limits depth of evaluation, educators are advised to engage in some external or first glance evaluation (McGrath 2016) first (based on what can be duduced based on the cover or the scope and sequence of the course book) before deciding if this particular book should be shortlisted for an in-depth evaluation. Finally, both McGrath and Tomlinson take great pains to remind us

E L T NE W S · M A R C H 20 21

49

that coursebook evaluation is a cyclical process and should be carried out through the time of teaching the coursebook by taking notes on its effectiveness and ought to close with the post-use evaluation.

sional is and invite others, whose professional experience and

Only after we have examined the idea of this cyclical process of in-depth analysis and evaluation of teaching material can we understand the gross miscomprehensions that lie behind such questions as the ones in Group 1. It is painfully clear that all B1 learners are not at the same B1 level. All ‘’challenging’’ or ‘’demanding’’ coursebooks are not challenging or demadning in the same way and what has become apparent in the meantime is the gap in the teacher’s professional knowledge. It could be argued that parents are not members in these groups, but school owners, DoS and various other stakeholders and the fact that any teacher thinks ‘’a group’’ can ‘’advise’’ him/her on what teaching material s/he can choose better than his/ her educational experience and knowledge, frankly scares me. This goes beyond any open, professional exchange, which is encouraged and considered an advantage of our digital culture.

that creating content is not done simply by providing answers.

This is asking others to run our classes. It does not share any similarities with getting updates or information about current books one may not have seen yet. There is plenty of room for that in all the exhibitions (and there are quite of few of them twice a year in all major cities) where there are representatives of publishers who are trained to guide teachers make such choices.

Whether or not all or most teachers attend those exhibitions also speaks volumes about their commitment and professionalism. At the end of the day, would any of us trust a doctor who uses a Facebook group to check with his/her colleagues about which antibiotics to prescribe? Isn’t that physician a different type of ‘’professional’’ from those who attend conferences to get updates on current pharmaceutical developments and hold regular meetings with reps of companies who sell medicines?

their own gaps in knowledge as well as their inability to access

qualifications they ignore, to suggest how they should manage their educational choices, their finances or how to deal with and handle the parents of their learners. Teachers need to remember The questions professionals pose determine the extent of their professionalism and the reverberate long after the post has been posted, answered or deleted. Therefore, any sort of choice affecting teaching should be done in private or at least offline and should be discussed with other professionals who actually have a face and are trained for this.

Before posting any question on any group, teachers should anticipate how this question will make them be perceived as professionals by their own community and whether they can answer their own question if they use their common sense (e.g. your health is above any kind of financial gain, so, no you should not teach without a mask). Finally, when posting questions related with grammar or vocabulary, teachers need to consider the right professional tools (such as specific grammar books for teachers or dictionaries) to find out why C is the right anwer indeed. Once they do that they also need to decide if they are truly equipped to teach these levels or if they should first engage in some teacher training which will give them a lot more than a simple answer: the professional confidence to be the ones who not only give the answers but also pose meaningful questions.

REFERENCES iiciis.,(©2019). Institute for Information Competence and Information Infrastructure. [Viewed 29th December 2020]. Available from: https://iiciis.org/international/

The questions in the second and third group open the huge topic of whether or not it is fair to our students to share online, in an environment only perceived as safe, what goes on between us and their parents and whether it is wise to share online the details of financial transactions, which 9 times out of 10 are black and ‘’under the table’’. Once again, the sweeping generalisations and the lack of common sense are the two most upsetting factors.

The internet is ‘’open’’ by nature (Mostaghimi and Crotty 2011) and our digital footprint is still visible even after we change ideas, progress in the field or delete certain posts. Just because we cannot see it, it does not mean that it doesn’t exist.

McGrath, I., (2016). Materials Evaluation and Design for Language

HOW CAN TEACHERS MANAGE THEIR PROFESSIONAL, DIGITAL IDENTITY?

Tomlinson, B. ed., (2013). Developing Materials for Language

Facebook groups are ideal as agents of networking or as PLNs which enable educators to share teaching ideas, activities and materials. Problems start when teachers forget who the profes-

Tomlinson, B. and Masuhara, H., (2018). The Complete Guide to

50

ELT NEWS · M A R C H 2 0 2 1

Teaching. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Mostaghimi, A., and Crotty, H.B.,(2011). Professionalism in the digital age in Annals of International Medicine. [online]. 154 (8), 560-562. [Viewed on 29th December 2020] Available from http://www.rlillo.educsalud.cl/Capac_Etica_BecadosFOREAPS/Profesionalismo%20en%20la%20era%20digital.pdf

Teaching. 2nd ed. London: Bloomsbury.

the Theory and Practice of Materials Development for Language Learning. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons Inc.