David & Jonathan discuss some of our resources:
Top tips for establishing an international café
These ideas are based on the experiences of an international café run by Christians from various churches in Reading who wanted to set up a café in a neutral venue, away from church buildings. We recognise this is just one model and there are other successful international cafes run in different ways. It has been … Read more …
Top tips for teaching beginners
Teaching beginners has been one of the great joys of my life. Walking alongside a new reader, a new speaker is an enormous privilege, watching the world expand, opportunities appear and confidence grow. One student, feeling emotional one day, said, “You have changed my life.” And I realised in this instance, it was not an … Read more …
10 steps to building and using a vision statement
Do you ever feel that as a team you’re not always exactly on the same page? Do you sometimes feel that your motivation is lacking and you forget why you’re doing what you’re doing in your English classes? Do you or your team have a habit of getting distracted and wonder if you’re ‘on track’? … Read more …
Encouraging interaction
Interaction (noun) /ˌɪntərˈækʃən/: A situation where two or more people or things communicate with each other or react to each other. Think about your day. How many times have you used language to interact with another human being? Family, postman, work colleagues, text messages, GP receptionist, social media, adverts, emails, teachers, shop assistant in supermarket, … Read more …
What’s your story? Using storytelling in ESL teaching and ministry
The following blog post is based on the seminar given by Rachel Thake at the English Teaching and Outreach Forum 2018 and is available to download here. A man came to Jesus and asked him, “Who is my neighbour?” If he had asked you, how would you have responded? Most likely, as an English … Read more …
Teaching mixed-ability classes
One of the challenges that many of us face in teaching conversational English is how to manage a class of mixed abilities. How do we ensure that everyone is learning in such an environment? (Even if your class isn’t labelled as ‘mixed ability’, there is bound to be a range of abilities, backgrounds, learning experiences … Read more …
So to Speak
So you teach English to migrants? Firstly, your skills are invaluable and in great demand! Only this year, the government released a report which looked at the impact of community-based English language provision, and concluded that what you’re doing ‘increases English language ability and encourages wider social integration’. As teachers, we are already aware of … Read more …
Teaching Pronunciation – Top Tips
Why Bother with Pronunciation? If you’re not convinced about the merits of spending time on pronunciation, here are some reasons to start thinking about it… * It’s fun! It can be a moment of light relief in a lesson as students all have a go at making sounds which don’t come easily to them. * … Read more …
Resilience in ESL Ministry – Top Tips
Sow to reap (Galatians 6:7-8). Sowing was a thankless task because only a fraction of the grain you tossed on the ground would produce fruit, and even then not for many months. Paul used this picture to describe Christian ministry. Like the farmer, the only way to endure is to focus on the harvest to come. Are … Read more …
Multicultural Worship – Top Tips
Music is a regular and integral part of our Christian lives. Yet, when it comes to local cross-cultural ministry and mission, the role of music is often neglected. What if we could shape our music so that it enhances and serves our mission better? And what if, in doing so, it enriches the local body … Read more …
Top Tips on Involving Families
Living in the West, it’s easy to be individualistic in our approach to our students, forgetting that for many of them, especially those from Eastern parts, their whole identity is bound up with the family to whom they belong. How important, then, to make sure we make every effort to engage with their families. Below … Read more …