Originally Published in the TESOL Greece Newsletter - Issue 136  

-Why is empathy an important concept for today's teaching community?

JS: In your years of experience as a teacher, teacher educator and writer, how have your beliefs regarding teaching and learning changed? Has any paradigm shifted along the way?

During the pandemic, millions of students have been thrown into online versions of their classes and the results have varied. What has become clear is that following an online lesson on a screen from home can be more taxing for students and it can be more difficult for the teacher to maintain their attention. One tool that we can use to cope with this is the implementation of microbreaks: short breaks during a period of work.

Dear Foreign Language Professional,

The time for us to meet for the first time this year, the Spring ’26 Athens IPE, has come.

At an era that algorithms and platforms are designed not to show you what you want to see, but what you can’t look away from, we challenge you to interact with colleagues and friends.

We offer two free theatre plays in English for you to enjoy with your students.

We offer workshops on the importance of connection and discipline for both parents and educators.

Answer: Absolutely. A chant with movement, using a TPR (Total Physical Response) routine, which helps the children learn the chant much more easily, but at the same time, gives them the opportunity to stand up, move and stretch.

The Chant:

“Can you tell me what you are?”

I’m a bird.

I’m a star.

I’m a frog.

I’m a cat.

Can you tell me

what you are?

QUESTION:  I've been thinking that I depend a lot  on working through course material (the coursebook primarily and its components as well).  Often times on the first day of class not all teenage learners have their books with them.  I usually plan to use many of the 'Getting to Know You' activities that I have learned from your seminars.  Any other ideas?

Answer:  "An Image is Worth Hundreds of Words" is an imagination exercise designed to help learners express themselves through images as an initial step to brainstorming ideas and specific topic-related vocabulary items.

INSTRUCTIONS: