Women + Teaching + Technology

What has feminism got to do with ELT and educational technologies? Anything at all? Is feminism even still a thing?

Well, in answer to the last question, indeed it is. In fact, it has undergone a bit of a revival thanks in big part to the #MeToo movement. Women all over the planet have been prompted to review episodes, events and interactions which have occurred in their lives, and to ask themselves if they were truly treated fairly. This includes women working in the field of ELT - well-represented among the ranks of teachers, but less so in the higher levels of educational management, and even more rarely in the upper echelons of the highly-profitable ELT corporations.

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What is Journaling?

A journal is a personal record of events and experiences, usually captured in a notebook or diary. Journal or diary entries tend to be self-reflective where the writer examines how he or she thinks or feels about personal, familial or societal occurrences and changes.

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The Importance of Storytelling

All cultures have stories with special resonance and meaning, passed down through the generations in order to educate, as well as entertain. They can be folk tales, such as Ashanti the Spider from the Ashanti in West Africa, which are often epic in nature and speak of legends and myths. Or they can be fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood or Snow White written by the Brothers Grimm in Europe, which are full of imaginary creatures and magic. However, no matter the content, or where they were composed, what they have in common is that they are best delivered through speech.

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Dear Diary,

I Need You…

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Setting the Context

In recent years, the politics of “race/whiteness”, the struggles of “left-behind working class people”, and the issue around “gender identities” have come more clearly to the fore....

How do issues of privilege and respect for diversity relate to ELT?

How do our struggles and intersectional identities influence our creativity/creative writing

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instagram Live Videos

I talk about what creative writing is and the benefits for language teachers and learners with @inspired_english_teaching

And I talk about what creativity is, why we need it and suggest some creative activities we can all indulge in, with @women.colab

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Think Small

We all know how important reading is for our writing. We all have a list of books we want to buy. Or better yet, we have the actual books already piled high on our bookshelves, looming over us. The novels, essays and poems call out, yearning to be opened. But they are ignored, laying cold and gathering dust.

Does that scenario sound familiar? Where does that come from?

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Black History Month Workshop

In celebration of Black History Month here in the UK, we have the pleasure of poet and writer, Nneka Edwards, leading a free workshop combining poetry and art.

The focus will be on Creole English and participants will:

• learn about Creole words commonly used in Trinidad & Tobago

• read Creole English poems and art

• discuss the ethnic influences on Creole English

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We’ve all heard about them: but what exactly defines a short story, why is it so popular and where can we get our hands out some?!

What is a short story?

Well, one major component of short fiction is the ability to read it all in one go. With a typical text length of between 1000 to 7500 words, or 10-25 pages, it is quite appealing for us time-poor workers. And by combining key story elements such as plot, characters and theme, there is plenty to admire in the craft, and even emulate, if you are looking to improve your own writing.

Does that scenario sound familiar? Where does that come from?

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Black Ink

Black Ink is a poetry-based project led by members of Newham Poetry Group for Black History Month.

The group, set up and organised by Sonia Quintero, is based in east London and meet twice a week in Stratford for readings, writing and discussion.

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Home Is…

Earlier this month I participated in a poetry workshop focused on the themes of home, belonging and identity at King’s College London. There was a big group of us and we discussed different feelings and definitions we had of Home, to what extent we felt British, and how important it is belong.

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OCB - What’s it all about?

Over time I have discovered that reading, writing and positive thinking help you share your story with confidence. So I set up SYSWC - to build and support those good habits. And the OCB, or Online Creative Boost, is an extension of that.

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So you have something to say but you don’t know how to express it.

You would like to share your story but you don’t know where to start.

Joining a community of people in the same situation is a good first step. Share Your Story With Confidence Facebook group is currently made up of my friends and even some family members, who are full of creativity but are still finding their feet in terms of sharing their stories.

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General Participation

So maybe you are new to the group, or you have been in the group for ages but are just lurking in the back, or you are just thinking about joining this FB group. But you are shy, and you keep to yourself, and think what you have to say and, more importantly, what you have to write, is not important.

And I think that we are all like that at the beginning. We are new and we are timid and we don’t want to be the centre of attention. But how to build up that inner strength? I would like to suggest some easy steps to help you get used to the SYSWC FB group and to build your confidence.

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So you may know that I woman who plays many roles.

But you may not know that one of those roles is as a Masters student!

I am pursuing an online, distance Masters in Digital Technologies for Language Teaching with the University of Nottingham.

I am interested in the L2 Creative Writer Identity. And my dissertation project will be an online creative writing course!

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Tell us a bit about you

I am Alba Jover and I am a Spanish nurse living in the United Kingdom. I am currently working in Watford, but apart from being a little freak of nursing, I enjoy so much everything related to human expression. I am concretely more into abstract art but I enjoy everything that makes me feel something.

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