Talking English E-newsletter

February 2011

Blogathon 2012

Teachers from all over Russia are invited to take part in Blogathon 2012 - blogging marathon where teachers from Russia are 'running' for the first time! Support your colleagues, leave comments and share with others. There will be a prize for the most helpful comments! Find out more here.

We need your opinion!

British Council Russia is conducting a long term research into the use of new technologies in English language teaching. If you haven't completed our survey yet, we will be very grateful for your views. We would also be very grateful if you could encourage your learners to complete the questionnaire too. All questionnaires are completely anonymous. We aim to help teachers use the new technologies in the most effective way and will share the results in April.

Questionnaire for teachers

Questionnaire for learners

"Babies Music" project
British Council Russia and Matthew Herbert are announcing the call for recordings of sounds by Russian babies up to 1 year old to contribute to a music experiment that will result in a performance by UK and Russian musicians at Trafalgar Square in July 2012.

News from our partners:

Cambridge University Press and Cambridge ESOL are running an online competition for school students, grades 5-9. Answer the questions and get a chance to win iPod touch or Cambridge exams and preparation books. More at http://www.cambridgeenglishrussia.com/

BRITLIT

Have you heard of BritLit? You can find free kits for teachers based on stories and poems that can be suitable for primary, secondary and adult learners. It's a great way to introduce literature into your English language classroom!

Fairy tales - not just for kids

What do you remember about Snow White or The Three Little Pigs? In this lesson, students talk about well-known stories. They revise story telling vocabulary and then plan and write a fairy tale. You can download a complete plan and worksheets as usual!

Vocabulary and autonomy

This article looks at ways to improve your students' abilities to both explore, store and use vocabulary. The general aim is to involve the students in a more autonomous fashion in their learning, rather than simply having them presented with word lists selected by the teacher or syllabus.

Early Language Learning in Europe

This study provides a detailed insight of the policy and implementation processes for early foreign language learning programmes in Europe, giving a rich description of learner experiences and contexts for learning. You can download the complete publication for free.

Powerpoint for teachers

If you have the right facilities in your classroom, powerpoint can be a simple but effective tool for a teacher. This video looks at some of the pros and cons of using it, and also gives some example activities you could try in your lessons.

Digital literacy

The latest in our Seminars series sees Gavin Dudeney answer the question 'What is digital literacy?' He also talks about its implications for us as teachers, and suggests - in a pdf download - lots of practical ideas for you to try out in your own classrooms.

Be always up to date with our projects and events!

The British Council is not responsible for the contents of any external sites.

If you are a learner or teacher of English, LearnEnglish has something for you.

teaching English - produced by the BBC and British Council as a resource for teachers.

ELTeCS - a professional network helping teachers work together across borders to share knowledge and improve practice in their regions.

Send your comments about this e-zine to webmaster@britishcouncil.ru

The United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland)
Our privacy and copyright statements.
Our Freedom of Information Publications Scheme.

You have received this e-mail because you registered on our website or have previously indicated an interest in British Council events. If you wish to opt out of this British Council e-mail list unsubscribe here.