In April 2025, we are thrilled to spotlight Abebe Tilahun as our member of the month! A leader in SEELPA, he promotes professional development through training, writing projects, and digital tools, engaging teachers across Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Abebe Tilahun Mogesse is an Assistant Professor of English at Hawassa University and a PhD candidate in English Language Teaching (ELT). With over two decades of experience in English language education, he has been actively engaged in teaching, teacher training, curriculum development, academic leadership, and ELT-focused research in Ethiopia.
He has contributed to numerous regional and national ELT initiatives, developed instructional materials, participated in writing projects, and trained English language teachers and teacher educators at all levels. As a founding member, Vice President, and Executive Committee member of the Smart Edge English Language Professionals' Association (SEELPA), Abebe plays a key role in promoting professional development through both face-to-face and virtual training programs. These focus on the use of digital tools for professional growth and other ELT-related topics such as formative assessment, techniques for teaching writing, and teacher professional development. He also participates in SEELPA-led writing projects and serves as a facilitator and leader of bi-weekly Telegram discussions and monthly webinars, engaging member teachers from three regions in Ethiopia and beyond.
In addition, Abebe served as Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for the 2024–25 English Connects project, contributing to quality assurance and impact tracking. He is an active member of several ELT networks, including the English Connects Community of Practice for teachers, Africa ELTA, and TESOL.
As part of his engagement in English Connects community, he recently led a Telegram discussion titled Understanding and Addressing Learning Style Differences in the English Language Classroom, facilitating meaningful dialogue among teachers across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Practical Tips for Addressing Learning Style Differences in the English Language Classroom
Based on his recent Telegram discussion, Abebe shared the following insights and tips for fellow teachers:
In today’s diverse classrooms, understanding how students learn is key to effective teaching.
- First, it’s important to diagnose, not divide. We can explore students’ learning styles through observation, feedback, and tools like the VARK questionnaire, but we should avoid labeling or boxing learners into fixed categories. Instead, we should teach with variety by using a balanced mix of visual aids, storytelling, reading and writing tasks, and hands-on activities so that every student can connect with the lesson in their own way.
- At the same time, we need to encourage flexibility by helping students experiment with different strategies—not just their preferred ones—to build confidence and develop metacognitive awareness. Effective teachers strive to be inclusive, not exclusive by planning lessons that support all learning styles simultaneously. This doesn’t mean preparing different lessons for each learner; rather, it’s about blending diverse approaches in creative and practical ways.
- It’s also essential to reflect and adapt regularly. By evaluating what works and adjusting based on student feedback and engagement, we can continually refine our teaching practices.
- Lastly, we should aim to empower learners by helping them understand how they learn best. When students gain this kind of self-awareness, they become more independent and more effective in their learning. As Tomlinson (2001) wisely puts it, “Learning styles are like spices in a recipe—don’t cook with just one.” By blending our instructional methods, we can ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive.