What are the English expressions that annoy you the most? Why do they annoy you so much? Are you like me and get all prickly when literally and like are liberally sprinkled throughout conversation? And how do you deal with teaching annoying language in the ESOL classroom?[1] The word ‘annoying’ points to something that is … Read more …
What our Learners think of the British
Have you ever wondered what our learners from overseas make of the British? What adjectives do you think they would use to describe us? Helpful, polite, smiley, reserved, private, prefer doing their own thing. Just some of the responses canvassed from ESOL[1] learners about their impressions of British people they have met – including probably … Read more …
Resistant Groups & the Classroom: Persevering in Skills and Faith
Resistance: The act or power of resisting, opposing, or withstanding.[1] Having spent years teaching EFL[2] abroad with little positive response to Jesus,[3] I totally get that I’m planting and watering,[4] removing the rocks even, as a veteran worker reminded me.[5] Only God makes things grow and what a privilege to be in his service as … Read more …
Maras, Church & Learning English: From El Salvador to Manchester
Imagine thousands of tattooed prisoners, heads shaved, kneeling low, with heavily armed guards standing over them ready. Now picture a prison built to hold a whopping 40,000 prisoners.[1] Inmates are crammed in together – mainly from two rival gangs – Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. Violent maras (street gangs) have contributed to El Salvador[2], … Read more …
Can you read?
We may take it for granted, but the ability to read everyday texts, including this newsletter, is not possible for everyone. According to UNESCO, there are nearly 1 billion adults around the world who cannot read and write, and illiteracy is a problem in both developing and developed countries. 16.4% of adults in England, or … Read more …
Navigating the Art of Error Correction…’Christianly’
‘No Ahmed, that’s wrong, sorry. You keep mixing up your past simple with the past continuous. The way we say it is …..’ Sounds painful yet familiar? Error correction is a challenging and joyful artform with lots of pitfalls! However, there can also be a certain magic about error correction that can prise open the … Read more …
Some thoughts on Jesus, Gospel, and Shame
Shame (noun/verb): the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonourable, improper, ridiculous, done by oneself or another (dictionary.com) When was the last time you felt shame? Was it getting your teaching all muddled up while being observed? Finding out that the food you brought for ‘bring and share’ lunch at church had gone … Read more …
New Day Opportunities
All the material in this article was inspired by listening to ‘Rob’, who lived among the Kurds of Northern Iraq for 11 years with his family, before returning to the UK to carry on similar ministry.[1] Doesn’t winter drag on some days, especially when the cold and damp seem to linger in your bones? Solomon … Read more …
Thinking through ESOL Materials ‘Christianly’
What ESOL curriculum do you use?[1] Do you use textbooks from Oxford or Cambridge perhaps – supplemented by a handful of go-to websites, self-created and downloaded handouts, games, and activities? We continually analyse and assess materials through an ESOL lens but is there really a way of thinking about materials ‘Christianly’? Apart from the linguistic … Read more …
Engaging with Shop and Restaurant Communities
The Plan behind the Pain After eleven years in the Middle East fruitfully serving the gospel, immersed in the local language and culture, we had to leave quite suddenly. It was a severe blow, and yet part of the recovery process has been a joyful discovery of the many shopkeepers in our city who’ve welcomed … Read more …
Challenges and Opportunities from the Land of the Eagles: Albanians in the UK
Eagle: large, soaring bird of prey noted for size, strength, and power of flight and vision (dictionary.com) In the last two years, there have been extraordinary movements of people to the UK from specific countries: Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Ukraine, and now Albania. Although we should be cautious about how and why the media bring such … Read more …
The Bible Society’s New Projects
Recently, 2:19 has been in discussion with the Bible Society and highly recommends taking a look at what they are doing. Our very own Maura Baldwin was chatting to Harry about some recent projects that are really engaging with and helping people bring change in extremely difficult circumstances. Harry shares with us on ‘Navigating Trauma’ … Read more …