Learning and Learners (FutureLearn)

Offered by British Council,
Learning and Learners (FutureLearn)

Understand learners, policy and practice with this continuing professional development course for English language teachers. Learn with English language teachers worldwide. This continued professional development course is for EFL teachers around the world who are interested in improving their understanding of their students and creating genuinely inclusive teaching practices.

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This course does not have open access anymore.
The course specifically builds four professional practices that will improve your skills and knowledge based on the British Council’s teacher development framework. It is focused on improving:
Understanding of learners
Knowledge of the subject Use of inclusive practices Learning assessment

Foster student engagement through better understanding
For the best learning outcomes, it’s important to understand what motivates your students and build rapport based on that understanding. This course allows you to watch experienced teachers interact with their students and see how they build rapport, offer praise, and encourage them to speak up in class.
Create a genuinely inclusive EFL classroom
Successful teaching offers students a way to achieve their learning outcomes using a range of processes. This shows you how you can differentiate texts, tasks, and media to support all of your students. You’ll also consider different ways to produce evidence of understanding and evaluate your own inclusive teaching practices.
Learn with EFL teachers around the world
You’ll spend a week focusing on each of these different practices. The course material is supported by video interviews with experienced teachers and classroom films from around the world. You’ll also receive downloadable teaching resources at every stage to give you the best chance of turning your learning into practice.
What topics will you cover?
Understanding Learners

  • Learner motivation
  • Building rapport
  • Getting learners talking

Subject knowledge

  • What should a teacher know?
  • Different kinds of knowledge
  • Language analysis for learners
  • Practising new language

Inclusive practices

  • What is diversity?
  • Differentiating content

-Differentiating process

  • Differentiating product

Assessing Learning

  • Why do we assess learners?
  • Types of assessment
  • Assessing speaking
  • Assessing writing

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Compare teaching approaches and experience with others from around the world.
  • Reflect on the factors involved in learner motivation and consider the implications for our teaching practice.
  • Discuss different types of knowledge and what a teacher needs to know.
  • Evaluate ways to check understanding and practice language.
  • Identify and value diversity, and apply strategies to promote inclusive education.
  • Evaluate different types of assessment and reflect on assessment criteria and activities for speaking and writing.
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