The English teachers voice

  This year, with hundreds of thousands of teachers all around the world moving from the physical to the virtual classroom in order to educate their students, one thing that I believe has been overlooked by many is how online classes and the consequences of associated sedentary behavior affects the health of teachers and students who live, every day, with diabetes. Firstly, let me explain that I am neither a doctor nor an expert on diabetes, but what I am is a diabetic teacher, who for many years, has successfully controlled my glucose levels, a reality that started to change during online classes, therefore requiring a new approach. Prior to quarantine, and the months of inactivity due to long days connected to my laptop, I spent my days in our school running up and down stairs and corridors, visiting classes, watching presentations, reading to students, accompanying students on field trips and generally being very physically active. Due to this constant physical activity...

  In 2020, it is estimated by the United Nations that approximately 1.3 billion students in the world were forced to study in virtual classes due to the COVID-19 virus. There was no preparation time, there was no handbook explaining how to make this move smooth or successful, there were no pre-virus workshops to prepare teachers, Directors or administrators. It just happened, unplanned, unprepared, and without any form of professional direction, This has been a difficult adaptation, I believe, for every educational institution in the world, each having to overcome their own individual difficulties. In our normal classes, when we are in the physical classroom, every teacher will testify to the fact that it's often a challenge to keep students engaged for an entire class. This is a situation that teachers face every day, day in, day out. No matter if the students are young or old, there are always those who have a tendency to naturally “switch off”, especially when the teacher fails ...

  Everyone, man, woman, child or adult loves playing games in their English classes? Whether you use them to practice vocabulary or to simply get the ball rolling with your students on the first day of class, games always make English classes more fun and interactive.  Below is a list of 11 ESL games for teaching online that you can play with your students that require virtually little to no teacher preparation. 1. Let`s find a… This ESL game for teaching kids online is great for practicing students’ listening and thinking skills, and for reviewing vocabulary. Playing Rules Ask the online student to look around his or her room and find something of a certain color. For example, you can ask the student to find something that is pink. Give the student a minute or two to look around the room for an object that’s pink such as a hair bow or a marker. Alternatively, you can ask the student to look for something that begins with a specific letter. For instance, he or she can fin...

Today, during the era of COVID-19 online classes, many teachers, even after several months of experience, are still trying to find ways to make their classes as effective as if they were still in the physical classroom.  When talking to teachers about their experiences, and their opinions of their achievements during this time, there is one topic that keeps raising its head, that of students speaking in the classroom. Yes, our students constantly speak, yes, they show their teachers their pets, their bedrooms, and talk a bit about their lives, but, most of this is in their mother tongue and is rarely in English or a part of a structured activity. Most  school  students , primary or secondary,   love to talk, so it isn't normally a problem when you ask a question that you will have a lot of hands go up into the air. However, most activities in a school classroom are initiated by the teacher, which means that they do most of the talking.  While this traditional me...