I used to hate planning lessons. It was my least favorite part of my TESL certification program. My instructors wanted so much detail. Every single moment of the lesson had to be accounted for and justified. Why are you doing this? Why at this point in the lesson? What is this…
You may not have a lot of control over the physical structures in your classroom - the desks, the whiteboard, the tech (or lack thereof!). You may not be able to have your students sit in groups and do group projects due to Covid-19 precautions. You may not be able to…
I remember getting the impression that one of my elementary school teachers hated children. I think I was about 11 or 12 years old when it happened. I was paired with a younger student for a reading buddy program, and I saw the difference in how this teacher treated their own…
This week we are going to take a look at a very interesting paper written by Zoltán Dörnyei and Kata Csizér. It’s called “Ten Commandments for motivating Language Learners” and while we will be focusing on the contents published on page 215, do take a look at the abstract: The question…
Hello everyone! My name is Chelanna and I am kind of new around here. I've recently joined the ALTTO team as the Curator of ALT-Focused Wisdom - AKA blog editor, graphic designer, and digital marketer. The job title makes me feel a little bit like a wizard, maybe with an awesome…
Hi everyone, this is Nick from ALTTO. You’re reading this because at some level you want to get better at what you do. Great teachers aren’t born; this profession (like most others) takes constant reflection and listening to others about what they’re doing. ALTTO delivers all of this as you know…
The Tao originated in China in the 6th century BCE and has since become familiar to both eastern and western audiences. According to Tao philosophy, Yin and Yang are the two governing forces that are opposite yet interdependent, in constant flux but ultimately give balance to the universe. If we view…
ALT Agorà is the first national professional development event for ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) looking to improve their skills. ALT Agorà is a collective of ALTs coming from different backgrounds gathering together every month to exchange experiences, learn from each other and build a professional network. The Ancient Agorà of Athens…
School-based Teacher Education Model in Professional Graduate School For the past 13 years, the M.Ed program at the Graduate School of Professional Development of Teachers at the University of Fukui has been working on cultivating an organizational learning community of teachers. Our aims are clear: to enhance the professional development of…
Englipedia had been the go-to place for ALTs. A storehouse of seemingly limitless activities for every page of every textbook used in Japanese public schools. ALTs would simply click on the page number of the book they use, download the activity, make some photocopies, and head to class. And all was…