Dear HLT Readers,

Welcome to the October issue of HLT. For some the summer is over, for others winter. But hopefully for all of us there is a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the pandemic. Some will be back in class after months of online teaching. Good luck and remember you and your students may be shell shocked when again in a group. We will all need some adjusting.

At Pilgrims we have had to trim our teacher training summer, but we are already making plans for the coming months and for the next summer. For more go to Pilgrims News Update by Chaz Pugliese, Director of Education and Teacher Training, Pilgrims. 

I would like to start introducing the articles in this issue with two texts in the Golden Classics section: Teaching English Vocabulary for Elementary Students by Using Digital Flashcards by Rifdah Hana Setiawan, and Lessons Learnt Using Book Clubs to Teach English and Literature by Geoff Hardy-Gould. In the  Golden Classics series you will find texts about much loved and treasured activities, or activities that have now got a new face thanks to technology, online teaching, various apps and the social media.

Talking of teaching online there are seven texts related to these subjects: Interactivity Multimodal Learning Environments to Teach English: Best Practice in Teaching English Online, by Devia Yasinta Hariadi, ELT at Pandemic Times – Making Impossible Possible by Sujani Balasooriya, Using Quizizz as a Formative Assessment for Junior High School Students by Surati, Learning, Being Taught or Teaching Online (2), collected by Hanna Kryszewska, A Small Scale Study of Reading Aloud Enabled by Technology Use by Christopher Walker, Extensive Reading Using Online Resources: Case Study by Rasha Abdel Haliem Osman, and Getting Started with Fulldive VR and Sites in VR in the Classroom by Flora D. Floris, Evelyn Listiyani and Wina Kristian. And there is a new book coming New books from Pavilion: Live Online Teaching by Jill Hadfield and Lindsay Clandfield.

If ICT and issues related to online teaching are very topical these days, pronunciation tends to receive little attention. So I am happy that in this issue there are two articles on the subject: Fricative, ‘Plosive (Voiced and Unvoiced), Nasal, and Approximant Consonants in English Language Teaching by Robin Usher, Kyrgyzstan, and American, British, and Euro-English by Nico de Napoli.

This issue is rich in articles on various theories and approaches to teaching: A Brief Practical Guide for L2 Teachers: K-2 American Children Learn Italian by Matteo Greco, The Project Based Approach (PBA) Framework by Mija Selič, English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI): Developing Online and F2F Support Strategies at Verona University by Sharon Hartle, Geltrude Daniela Vescio, Mary Birkett and  Massimo Marzio, and Explicit Grammar Knowledge Development in EFL Adult Learners by William Godoy De La Rosa. They are all very interesting. And you will also find some more ideas on Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Waldorff schools’ approach to language teaching for YL  in Short Book Reviews by Hanna Kryszewska.

I am very happy that there are increasingly more articles on wellbeing for learners and teachers. When I think about the last IATEFL Conference in May, I recall a big numbers of talks, presentations and workshops on the subject. This is not surprising as the pandemic makes us and more about various aspects of being happy in learning/ teaching situations, and in the society in general. There are two texts on the subject of the physical aspect of  teaching and  learning: Sleep and Learning by Bahar Kızıltunalı, and The Teachers’ Voice: An Undervalued Tool? by Guzal Sultanova, and two on the social and ethical aspects: How ONE Idea Can Change the World: Grej of the Day by Lisa Ng, and Aspects of Nonkilling Literature by Balwant Bhaneja.

Of course, there are lesson ideas: two for young learners (A Summer Memory: A Story for Very Young Learners by Andreyana Tsoneva and Alexander Baychev and  For Young Readers of Fairy Tales by Rostislava Grozdeva), one on using drama (Creative Speaking and Writing Activities Using A Simple Improvisation Idea by Peter Dyer), and one on humour and language play (Fun with Visual Puns by Hanna Kryszewska)

Enjoy the October issue of HLT and remember I am always waiting for your contributions.

I look forward to hearing from you

Best
Hania Kryszewska
HLT Editor
Email: hania.kryszewska@pilgrimsteachertraining.eu