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Teacher and Materials Writer

  • Year in review

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    Last blog post of 2020. Here’s how the year went… January: Handed in my notice at British Council. Started Module 2 of the PGCEi. Goaded a few people on Twitter, felt guilty, stopped using Twitter. For a day.

  • How to get a PGCEi Distinction

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    I’ve just finished a PGCEi through University of Nottingham. I got a mark of 78 for each of the three modules, which basically means ‘your writing is okay, but your stuff’s not really a contribution to the field or anything;… Read More ›

  • Materials writing conversations #7: circles

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    This is a completely imaginary conversation. No characters in the convo are based on real people – I’m just bored and imagining conversations I might have with editors… Lead-in Work with a partner. Perform a dialogue based on the following… Read More ›

  • British Council Video Zone

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    Here are some short activities I wrote for British Council Video Zone last year. They were quite fun to write, quick too. No full lessons, just springboards I guess. I hope you find something useful. Plenty more video-based resources on… Read More ›

  • Text-driven approach and K-pop

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    Came across this post on my Google Drive. I think I wrote it with someone like NALDIC in mind, but not sure they responded/I sent it. It’s not the best, but if you’re interested in Brian Tomlinson’s work it might… Read More ›

  • Twinkl in Action: Facts as a foundation

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    Year 9 Geography. The assessment task involves looking at the impact of tourism in Kenya. Some of my EAL learners are quite new to English, and their prior knowledge of Kenya is limited. They’re gonna need some support. I get… Read More ›

  • RIP LTC Eastbourne

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    I’ve heard that it’s the end of the road for LTC Eastbourne. I haven’t come across an announcement from the school itself (now a Twin Language Centre). I’m only going on contact with staff, past and present. I’m gutted.

  • Bad teaching

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    A ramble from last year. Just came across it again. Ha! When I re-read it I thought, ‘actually Pete, it was pretty bad teaching! What were you on about?!’ Meh. I don’t just post the good. Enjoy. I’m such a… Read More ›

  • Writing and full-time teaching

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    I wrote this in 2019. Just came across it again. My loose thoughts on a random post-writing, pre-COVID evening… Balancing writing alongside teaching (and other) commitments isn’t always easy. I try to be realistic about the amount of time I… Read More ›

  • Lesson idea: Apollo 11

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    I wrote this lesson last year for the anniversary of the first moon landing. Decided to post it now for a few reasons: It might still be useful to someone. It’s an interesting topic. I found it quite a useful… Read More ›