Page 17 - ELG2011 Nov Issue 473

AWARDS . SPECIAL FEATURE: YOUNG LEARNERS

Digital ELTon awards mixes high-tech with delight Why teaching children is a serious business

This year the ELTons went digital, to great success, according to Melanie Butler Whether you’re teaching English or teaching in English, you need to focus on

he 18th British Council ELTons under-16s. Melanie Butler outlines the issues on the agenda
awards ceremony, the English
Language industry’s answer to the earning English just hit top of the many years. Take the summer school Isca, run
TOscars, took place entirely online in CAROL READ / TWITTER agenda in ministries of education by the same family of linguists and language
mid-October, offering a charming mix of high around the world, with the teachers for nearly 55 years (page 27); or
tech innovation, sustainable methodology and Lannouncement that from 2024 an welfare pioneers Sidmouth International
good old-fashioned British whimsy. English test will be an optional addition to (page 22), which has been enrolling under-
The good and the grateful of the ELT world the biggest benchmark in the educational 15s year-round for most of its 44 years.
mingled digitally in the virtual corridors, world — the OECDs Programme for Welfare and safeguarding are critical with ANASTASSIYA BEZHEKENEVA / SHUTTERSTOCK
popping into ‘round table’ meetings with International Student Assessment, more this age group and, like everything else, have
finalists sitting around tables from Brazil to commonly called the Pisa tests. had to change in the time of Covid-19, when
Birmingham and trouped, digitally, into the That should put young learners at the top so much learning has gone online, as
award ceremony. of the agenda for providers of English Charlotte Aynsley explains on page 24.
The ceremony was opened by Stevie Spring, language courses and English medium But while UK EFL now takes child welfare
the Chairman (sic) of the British Council and instruction. Let’s face it, they should always and protection very seriously, the approach to
‘one of the UK’s 100 most connected women’ have been at the top of the agenda, because actually teaching under-16s in far too many of
according to her Council profile. Spring wore they have been the biggest segment of the non-specialist schools hasn’t changed
a glamourous red dress and matching red learners for at least 20 years. There are much since the 1980s — it is exactly the same
glasses though she confessed to the 2000 currently 460 million schoolchildren learning as teaching adults, but with more games and
strong audience around the globe, as she Carol Read, Gail Ellis and Janet Enever congratulate Opal Dunn (bottom right) on English in India and China alone. pictures.
poured a glass of bubbly and proposed a toast, her ELTons Outstanding Achievement Award In reality, we shouldn’t refer to under-16s as I’m not sure if things are any better in the In many non-specialist schools, teaching
that her feet were shod in comfy slippers. young learners, they are the norm. Instead, other two big under-16 destinations, Ireland children is exactly the same as teaching
Then a specially-written poem by best- with Pearson BBC Live Classes, a free Undaunted, Opal’s speech, which was deftly maybe we should refer to every student over and Malta, as they do not publish their adults, but with more games and pictures
selling British poet Sophia Thakur, and we online learning environment for secondary delivered digitally, expressed her surprise and the age of 22 as older learners. inspection results, and in Ireland
were off to a rural vicarage and our host for school learners and teachers, which received the delight at receiving the award and a clarion call accreditation has never covered students
the night, the priest, former popstar and award for Innovation in Learning Resources. for the importance of teaching young learners. under 15. But generally, they follow the same
popular radio host the Reverend Richard Unusually, the prize for Innovation in There is no other EFL model, which was designed over thirty Contents
Coles who, dog collar and all, led us through Teacher Resources went not to a company, but ELTons Judges’ Commendations area of education years ago for teaching adults.
the afternoon, prize by prize. to a community of teachers, ELT Footprint, Commendations for Equality, Diversity Teachers are mostly trained in the same
First up was the award for Digital which offers a space for teachers around the and Inclusion went to: where a 30 year-old, way: on four week courses focusing on
Innovation, which went to IT wunderkind world to exchange ideas on how to reduce the one size fits all teaching adults; where teaching practice with PISA CLIMBERS
under-16s does not count; where child
Busuu for its AI-powered English Smart negative impact of the industry on the • Dyslexia Bytes, from Martin development is not on the syllabus; and, if 18 Who will win at
Review programme, developed in the UK and environment. Bloomfield methodology… is OECD English?
Spain and received by Lead Product Manager But the highlight of the ceremony was the • I am not naughty – I really, really mean you’re lucky, you may get some basic tips on
Neil Ballantine. ELTons Outstanding Achievement Award, it! by Basirat Razaq-Shuaib, with The simply doled out phonology but no mention of phonics or YEAR-ROUND
The award for Excellence in Course which went to children’s author, and pioneer Winford Centre for Children and willy-nilly… guidance on teaching children with special YOUNGSTERS
Innovation went to New Magic Minds, and was of teaching English to very young leaners, Women, Nigeria needs.
received by Raquel Carlos of Brazil’s Learning Opal Dunn, aged 91. Tributes to Opal, who • Journey 2 Basic Skills from Klik2learn In this special feature, we are analysing the And schools are inspected in the same way, 20 Opt for the top
Factory, as her colleagues whooped with joy began reading circles for parents and children with City College Glasgow likely impact of Pisa on government demand on the same criteria, regardless of the age performers
behind her. when she lived in Japan in the 1970s, were led • Kids’ Web, from Richmond Publishing; for EFL support from international providers. group they are teaching or the reason they are
Brazil also took the prize for Local by Professor Janet Enever and flowed in from • Real Lives, a Series from ELI And we also try to answer the question: Are learning. Have you put the learning objectives SAFETY FIRST
Innovation, with Angelica Manca appearing across the world with some dozen Publishing and partners the EFL and English medium education on the board for your seven-year-olds? Did The child protection
live in a local landscape as she received the prize contributors, including the current chair of sectors up to the job? you constantly correct the pronunciation of 22 pioneers
for the Garden Project Brazilian Edition on behalf Iatefl Young Learners SIG, which she founded, • The NO Project, from The NO Project The short answer to the first question is your post graduate students? And what were
of Hoop publishing and Macmillan do Brasil. the wife of the Japanese Ambassador and the with The Rights Lab, Nottingham that our analysis of the impact on Pisa scores, the language objectives in your English SAFEGUARDING
Batting for Britain were Pearson and the BBC editor of the UK’s Nursery World. University on pages 18-19, suggests that demand will rise medium science class?
Digital Do’s and
from East Asia and the Latin language There is no other area of education where a 24 don’ts
BEC scoops school award countries, but the traditional solutions of 30 year-old, one size fits all methodology, with SUMMER
a thin evidence base and no consideration at
starting younger, running methodology
courses and hiring more native speakers are
all for age appropriacy, is simply doled out
SCHOOLS
Melanie Butler looks at this year’s PIEoneer winners BROADSTAIRS ENGLISH CENTRE very unlikely to help. willy-nilly by barely trained teachers, most of 26 Stick with the
whom have never successfully learned a
To answer the second question, we look at
the provision on offer in the UK, where we
foreign language, to anyone between the ages
roadstairs English Centre (BEC) was Centre for English Teaching were highly find English-medium education, which in of three and ninety-three. specialists
named Language Educator of the commended in the same category. Britain means the boarding schools, like The world is changing. Learning English is
th
Year in the 4 annual PIEoneer “Proud to have carried the ELT banner,” in Stonyhurst (page 29) and St Edmund’s (page high stakes, both for governments looking for BOARDING
Bawards held online in early October. these international education awards, was 30), excel. Seventy-five per cent of accredited higher Pisa rankings, and for children needing SCHOOLS
BEC, which is the top-scoring year-round Adam Salkeld, co-founder of Digital Learning boarding schools score above average and the language to access higher education and 28 UK’s most successful
school for young learners in the UK, according Associates, whose 2019 ELTon winner Ready to higher on British Council inspection, good careers. It is all about the children and sector
to the EL Gazette rankings, won the award for Run video resource was Highly Commended. compared to just a third of language schools the progress they make.
its ‘wrap around school’ approach, which sees PIEoneer of the Year award went to United which take young learners year-round (page An industry which thinks child-centred INSIDE
activity leaders, admin staff and host families World Colleges, a network of 18 not-for-profit 20), and just 30 per cent of summer schools learning means being nice to Nicolo and Li INDEPENDENTS
all trained in EFL techniques to help them schools across the world founded by German (page 26). Na, and puts student experience before
support learners. educationalist Kurt Hahn to bridge cultural The top providers tend to be organisations learner progress, may soon find itself out of 30 Experience counts
ILAC Canada and the University of Sydney and national divides. BEC’s Chris McDermott who have specialised in the age group for business and not just because of Covid-19. at St Edmund’s
16 November 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 17