What's happening in July, August and September 2025?
This page gives you an overview of all the activity happening across our TeachingEnglish channels in July, August and September.
For teachers, we'll be focusing on the theme of Assessing learning. For teacher educators, the focus is Understanding the educational context. Below you'll find free online training courses, live webinars and other online events, podcast episodes and research – all related to the three-month themes. You'll also find training and resources related to our evergreen themes throughout the year. Learn more about our themes for 2025–2026 by downloading our theme calendar.
In addition to our themed events and content, we also have hundreds of lesson plans and classroom resources. Below we've selected some lesson plans to help you engage learners with topical issues and special United Nations days in July, August and September.
Teacher pathways
Choose below from three learning pathways designed to help you take charge of your professional development and advance your career as an English teacher.
- Getting started with assessing learning
Get started with this ready-made pathway of free tools and resources to help you:
- understand and apply the principles and practices of assessment when designing tasks, planning courses or making curriculum choices and to explain the relevance of the assessment to the learners regarding their progress
- use different types of assessment (formative, summative, self-assessment, peer assessment) at different stages of the learning process and define and apply appropriate criteria for your learning context
- analyse errors and grade assessment appropriately to give constructive feedback to learners, as well as recording and using the data to reflect on the effectiveness of the assessment to improve subsequent learner outcomes.
- Going further with assessing learning
If you want to go further with your professional development, this workbook will help you take your skills to the next level. It's designed to help you create a regular learning habit and apply what you've learned in the classroom. You'll find an overview of the theme and recommended learning materials. You'll also find support to reflect on and personalise your learning. You can use the workbook in different ways – do what works for you! We hope you find it beneficial.
Teacher pathways: Going further with assessing learning- Working on assessing learning with others
This group study guide for teachers and teacher educators looks at assessing learning. It forms part of a series of group learning booklets in which teachers and teacher educators will find useful theory and practice for teaching English effectively, including short case studies and professional development activities to do with others.
Assessing learning group study guide
Online training courses
We have a range of courses running connected to the theme of Assessing learning and our evergreen themes. Live events and discussions related to these courses are hosted in our Courses for teachers community on Facebook and on YouTube. Learn more about our courses for 2025–2026 by downloading our courses calendar. Find answers to our most frequently asked questions about training courses.
Courses connected to assessing learning
- Assessing learning – enrol before 23 September
Help all your learners benefit from and get actively involved in assessment in the language classroom.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free Assessing learning workbook- Teaching English in primary – enrol before 23 September
Discover how primary children learn and apply this understanding to your classroom practice. Explore the role of assessment in the primary classroom and learn engaging, age-appropriate strategies for effective and engaging learner evaluation.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free Teaching English in primary workbook- Teaching English through literature – enrol before 23 September
Learn how to engage and develop your learners' English language skills through a range of literature-focused learning activities and related teaching approaches.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free Teaching English through literature workbook
Courses for teacher educators
- Helping teachers to learn – enrol before 23 December
Discover how to support teachers in their professional development by planning and delivering effective training. Find out how to set up and support communities of practice to facilitate collaboration, and learn how to encourage all types of self-directed learning.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free Helping teachers to learn workbook
Courses connected to evergreen themes
- Integrating digital technologies – enrol before 23 September
Learn how to use digital tools, including AI, to find, evaluate and create digital content and resources that foster inclusion and support learners' collaboration, information literacy and problem-solving skills.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free Integrating digital technologies workbook- Inclusive classrooms – enrol before 23 September
Make your classes inclusive learning spaces by identifying barriers that can affect learning and practical strategies to overcome them.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free Inclusive classrooms workbook- Gender in language education – enrol before 23 September
Learn to recognise different kinds of gender bias and stereotypes, some of the barriers learners face in gender equality and equity, and how to help overcome them in your context.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free Gender in language education workbook- How to teach speaking – enrol before 23 September
Develop your understanding of speaking skills and explore teaching techniques and activities that promote oral communication in the classroom for a range of ages and levels.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free How to teach speaking workbook- How to teach grammar – enrol before 23 September
Discover how to help your learners notice, make sense of and become more confident using grammar with engaging, meaning-focused teaching.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free How to teach grammar workbook- Teaching English to refugees and displaced learners – enrol before 24 March 2026
Make your classroom a trauma-sensitive learning environment. Help your learners to shine by working creatively with limited resources and by managing challenging behaviour positively.
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Download the free Teaching English to refugees and displaced learners workbook
Online events and webinars
See our free online events and webinars for teachers and teacher educators below. Download our webinar calendar for 2025-2026 here.
- Assessing learning: What's on in July, August and September? – live event (4 July)
Join us to find out what's happening on TeachingEnglish over the next three months as we focus on Assessing learning. We'll hear from course tutor Maria about professional development opportunities and take a look at the events, resources and discussions planned.
This is a multistreamed event. Join us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
- Human and artificial intelligence – a collaborative partnership – Teacher educator webinar (8 July)
Please note that the content of this webinar is tailored for teacher educators and teachers who are engaged in facilitating the professional development of others.
We will be discussing the key future-focused competencies Daniel Xerri describes in his paper, Beyond AI Literacy: The Future Skills to Thrive in an AIPowered World – analytical thinking, creative thinking, inquisitiveness, evidence-based thinking. With these competencies in mind, Nik Peachey will be applying some of the AI-driven techniques described in his book, The Manual of AI-Mediated Autonomous Teacher Development, to an analysis of the recent British Council publication, What’s changed in English Language Teaching. Gary Motteram and Susan Dawson, its authors, will provide comment on what Nik’s AI prompting has revealed.
12.00–13.15 (UK time)
Find out more and register for this online event.- Assessing learning – two webinars (11 July)
Join us on 11 July 2025 for two practical webinars focusing on meaningful assessment and effective feedback in language learning. You can watch the event live on Facebook or YouTube or register to join us on Zoom.
Schedule and speakers
12.30–14.45 (UK time)12.30–13.30: Assessing learning: A practical introduction (Stephen Mander and Rabia Shafi)
13.45–14.45: Giving feedback while teaching pronunciation (Ana Paula Biazon Rocha)
Find out more and register for this online event.
You can also join the events on Facebook. No registration is necessary to watch on Facebook.- Preparing new teachers for real classrooms: Challenges and solutions – Teacher educator webinar (12 August)
Please note that the content of this webinar is tailored for teacher educators and teachers who are engaged in facilitating the professional development of others.
Drawing on research from Spanish Master’s programmes, this webinar highlights the key challenges novice teachers face, including classroom management, inclusivity, and diversity. We also examine how today’s learners’ needs have changed, creating new demands for teachers.
The session offers practical ideas to help teacher educators work with trainee teachers to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Participants will leave with strategies to improve placements, make training more realistic, and support new teachers during their first teaching years, reducing the risk of early burnout.
12.00–13.15 (UK time)
Find out more and register for this online event.- Local learning, global impact: South Asia – two webinars (22 August)
Assessment is a key part of learning and teaching. In this webinar our speaker will share their expertise gained in South Asia on how to assess speaking and other skills. You will get practical tips that will help you design meaningful and effective assessments for your learners.
More information about this event coming soon.
Find out more and register for this online event.
You can also join the events on Facebook. No registration is necessary to watch on Facebook.- Inclusive assessment – three webinars (12 September)
Join us on 12 September for three practical webinars on how to make your assessments more inclusive and more creative.
Schedule and speakers
12.30–16.00 (UK time)12.30–13.30: How can assessment be inclusive? (Nashwa Aly Muhammad)
13.45–14.45: Making testing more creative and authentic (Paula Asad)
15:00–16:00: Teachers share: Our top tips for inclusive assessment (speakers to be confirmed)Find out more and register for this event online
You can also join the events on Facebook. No registration is necessary to watch on Facebook.
- What do teachers around the world say about their professional lives? – Teacher educator webinar (16 September)
Please note that the content of this webinar is tailored for teacher educators and teachers who are engaged in facilitating the professional development of others.
Find out what 260,000 teachers in 15,000 schools across 48 countries think about their professional lives. What do teachers say about their practice, about their classrooms, about the schools they work in, about the relations they have with their colleagues and their learners? What kinds of professional development opportunities do they take part in and how do they feel about the quality those opportunities? How prepared do they feel when they begin teaching, how do they feel about how their careers develop over time? So many questions...and what does this means for teacher educators and school leaders?
12.00–13.15 (UK time)
Find out more and register for this online event.- Facebook, Instagram and YouTube live events in July, August and September 2025
Join our online community of more than four million teachers worldwide. We will be hosting weekly events throughout July, August and September via our Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels.
These 30-minute 'live' sessions are a great opportunity for you to join teachers from around the world.
Engage with English language teaching experts and community members on a range of topics and themes to help you develop your teaching skills, and share ideas and questions with a vibrant global online community.
See what's happening in our community on Facebook
See what's happening in our community on Instagram
See what's happening in our community on YouTube
For the classroom
See a selection of lesson plans below that you can use to focus on United Nations special days in July, August and September in your language teaching classrooms.
- Nelson Mandela International Day (18 July)
Title of lesson plan: Mandela Day
Age group: Secondary
Level: B1 and aboveMandela Day is celebrated every year on 18 July. This integrated-skills lesson plan for upper-secondary learners looks at Nelson Mandela's life and explores some of the themes surrounding South Africa during apartheid.
- International Day of Friendship (30 July)
Title of lesson plan: Friendship
Age group: Primary
Level: A1 and aboveCelebrate friends and friendship with this lesson for primary learners.
Title of lesson plan: My grandfriend
Age group: Primary
Level: A1 and aboveUse this lesson to explore the theme of friends from an older generation in face-to-face classrooms or online teaching with your primary learners.
Title of lesson plan: Welcoming refugees
Age group: Primary
Level: A2 and aboveIn this lesson, learners develop understanding of what it might feel like to arrive in a new and unfamiliar place – away from friends, family, language and home. The lesson uses the short, heartwarming film Home by Aardman Animations to explore this theme and help learners understand the experiences of refugee children around the world. The lesson allows learners to explore different emotions and create a comic strip to show what the characters might say and how they might feel. The lesson supports learners to develop speaking, creative skills and empathy. It also celebrates fun and friendship when welcoming new classmates from different cultures.
Title of lesson plan: Starting a new school
Age group: Secondary
Level: B1 and aboveThis lesson encourages learners to develop listening comprehension skills while exploring themes of inclusion, empathy and the challenges of starting anew in different circumstances. The materials provide meaningful language practice and encourage learners to think critically and empathetically by asking them to understand the experiences of four different students and consider how schools can support new students.
Title of lesson plan: What would you ask a refugee?
Age group: Secondary
Level: B2 and aboveIn this lesson, learners will reflect on what comes to mind when they hear the word ‘refugee’. They will then focus on question forms and watch a short video where refugees in the USA answer serious and funny questions about their experiences. Learners are encouraged to reflect with empathy on the experiences shared and then think of how they could help refugees feel welcome in their own context. Learners work together to share useful information about their local area and write questions that they could ask refugees to learn more about them.
- World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (30 July)
Title of lesson plan: Is slavery a thing of the past?
Age group: Secondary learners
Level: B1 and above
Designed to raise awareness of the UN's World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, this B1 lesson begins by asking learners to consider what they know about the issue, then takes them through a process of learning more, before concluding by asking them about what they have learned and how their understanding might have changed.- World's Indigenous Peoples Day (9 August)
Title of lesson plan: Star stories
Age group: Primary
Level: B1 and above
This lesson can be used to celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on 9 August or at any time of the year. August 9 is the day we celebrate the people of the world who live in traditional ways and who speak their own languages.- International Youth Day (12 August)
Title of lesson plan: Young market traders
Age group: Secondary
Level: A2 and above
Young market traders is a complete set of teaching resources designed around interesting and unusual photographs, with activities to activate your learners' higher-level critical-thinking skills.- World Humanitarian Day (19 August)
Title of lesson plan: Kindness calendar
Age group: Primary
Level: A2 and above
This lesson looks at the theme of kindness and involves creating a 'kindness calendar'.- International Day of Charity (5 September)
Title of lesson plan: Charities
Age group: Secondary
Level: B1 and above
In this lesson learners imagine the class has a sum of money to donate to a charity. They work in groups to decide which of four charities they should give the money to.- International Literacy Day (8 September)
Title of lesson plan: International Literacy Day
Age group: Primary
Level: B1 and above
This lesson plan, which looks at ideas related to International Literacy Day on 8 September, is written by Daniel Xerri and comes from chapter five of the book Integrating global issues in the creative English language classroom: With reference to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by Alan Maley and Nik Peachey.- International Day of Peace (21 September)
Title of lesson plan: Peacemakers and peace-breakers
Age group: Primary
Level: A2 and above
Use this lesson in face-to-face or online teaching to promote the values of peace, respect and tolerance in your primary classroom.
Podcast episodes
See our podcast episode connected to the themes below.
- Teaching English podcast: How can we assess more fairly and effectively?
In episode 5 we ask the question: How can we assess more fairly and effectively? We start by discussing the ideas of validity, reliability and accessibility in assessment. Then we talk to Professor Barry O'Sullivan, Head of Assessment Research and Development at the British Council. Barry explores current issues around fair assessment and how it might change in the future. Finally, we talk with Massamba Seck, a teacher and trainer from Senegal. He explains practical ways to make assessment fair and effective and how this can help learners to succeed.
Listen to the episode and download the show notes.
Publications, research and insight
See publications related to the themes below.
- Assessment: Attitudes, practices and needs
In this research paper, Susan Sheehan and Sonia Munro explore how teachers develop their assessment practices through their own experiences. It provides key insights into language teaching, testing and assessment.
- English language teaching, learning and assessment in South Asia
This series of five reports provides an overview of how English language teaching, learning and assessment are currently situated within school-level education in South Asia. The reports provide up-to-date contextual information, exploring current policies and practices. The authors draw on policy documentation, research studies and a small number of interviews and focus groups to provide an overall picture of the current situation.
English language teaching, learning and assessment in South Asia
- Being a teacher with disabilities: Perspectives, practices and opportunities
In this report, Professor Nidhi Singal, Dr Patricia Kwok and Dr Thilanka Wijesinghe at the University of Cambridge address key questions regarding policies, experiences, strategies and recommendations for supporting teachers with disabilities. Qualitative research methods, including interviews and participatory approaches, were employed with teachers with disabilities from Brazil, Rwanda, Spain, Jordan and Sri Lanka. Twenty-five teachers with various disabilities participated in the study, offering diverse perspectives and experiences.
Being a teacher with disabilities: Perspectives, practices and opportunities- AI activities and resources for English language teachers
Designed to be practical and user-friendly, this resource pack offers clear, step-by-step guidance for 43 innovative activities, ensuring teachers can effectively use AI to enhance learning and support their professional growth. Each activity highlights the benefits AI can bring to both learners and educators, while also addressing potential challenges such as the risks of AI-generated content and learner interaction with AI tools.
- What's changed in English language teaching?
This report focuses on how the field of English language teaching has evolved over the last ten years, and explores changes in the goals, approaches and content of initial teacher preparation and in-service professional development.
- Bridging the gap between pre-service teacher education and in-service teachers' experiences in Spain
This report examines the curriculum offered to pre-service teachers in master's programmes at two universities in Spain, particularly in relation to the training and preparation required by in-service teachers for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms.
Bridging the gap between pre-service teacher education and in-service teachers' experiences in Spain.