As part of English Connects, the Teaching English Africa website was launched on 5 October 2021. This mobile-based website provides teachers of English across Africa with professional development opportunities and access to content directly relevant to their teaching needs and interests. Teachers can access teaching tips, recorded webinars, lesson ideas, and research publications.
In this practically-focused session, the editor of the British Council’s new website for teachers, Teaching English Africa, will explain how it works, and how it can help you and your colleagues become more effective classroom practitioners. Initially, Chris Will talk you through each of the three main sections and their contents, namely:
- Developing teaching skills (teaching tips/webinars / educating other teachers);
- Teaching English in the classroom (activities / grammar / pronunciation);
- Understanding English in action (publications).
Chris will go through a number of the articles, explaining the inductive, student-centred pedagogy and methodology which underpins them. Participants will also have the opportunity to do several of the activities in order to see and understand them from the learners’ perspective.
Finally, participants will be invited to give their feedback and share their thoughts about how the website could be developed in the future.
About the speaker
Chris Sowton has been working in the field of English Language Teaching for 25 years. He has worked for a range of institutions, including Cambridge University Press and the British Council, and taught at institutions including Cambridge University and King’s College London (University of London). He has written extensively in the field, as author or co-author on more than 20 ELT books, including CUP’s Unlock series and the recently published Teaching in Challenging Circumstances. He has conducted teacher training and educational research in many countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, India, Somaliland, China and Indonesia. Most recently, he was the host and co-creator of the British Council’s podcast The Climate Connection, which explores language education and the climate crisis.