What's happening in March 2024?
This page gives you an overview of all the activity happening across our TeachingEnglish channels in March 2024.
For teachers this month, we'll be focusing on the theme of 'Knowing the subject'. For teacher educators, the focus is 'Planning teacher learning'. Below you'll find free online training courses, live webinars and other online events, podcast episodes and research - all related to these central themes.
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 students with topical issues and special United Nations days this month.
Online training courses
Our tutored courses for the month are 'Gender in language education' and 'Helping teachers to learn'. Live events and discussions related to these courses are hosted in our Courses for teachers community on Facebook. Find out about 'Gender in language education' and 'Helping teachers to learn' and all other courses open in March below.
- Gender in language education - enrol before 21 September
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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.
In this free online course, you will learn about the following:
- Gender representation in teaching materials
- Understanding gender equality in teaching practice
- Working with gender equality in education
Find out more and enrol on this free course - Helping teachers to learn - enrol before 25 March
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This free course is for teacher educators and teachers considering becoming a teacher educator. 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.
In this free online course, you will learn about the following:
- Understanding teacher learning and training
- Facilitating collaborative learning
- Supporting teacher autonomy and self-directed learning
Find out more and enrol on this free course - TeachingEnglish: Communication skills - enrol before 24 March
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Boost your learners' communication skills with engaging, practical dialogue activities for the classroom.
In this free online course, you will learn about the following:
- Introduction to dialogue
- Dialogue and active listening
- Dialogue and speaking up
Find out more and enrol on this free course - How to teach grammar - enrol before 25 March
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Discover how to help your learners notice, make sense of, and become more confident using grammar with engaging, meaning-focused teaching. Learn about deductive and inductive approaches to grammar teaching, how to evaluate the best approach for your learners and identify contexts and tasks which encourage 'noticing'.
In this free online course, you will learn about the following:
-Understanding methods and approaches
-Engaging with grammar - noticing and restructuring
-Engaging with grammar - different approaches
Find out more and enrol on this free course - How to teach vocabulary - enrol before 24 March
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Help your learners notice, record, recycle and use new vocabulary more confidently with engaging, classroom activities.
In this free online course, you will learn about the following:
-Understanding vocabulary
-Engaging with vocabulary - recording and recycling
-Engaging with vocabulary teaching
Find out more and enrol on this free course
Online events and webinars
See our free online events and webinars for teachers and teacher educators below.
- Pronunciation in our classrooms - mini-event (22 March)
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This event on Friday March 22, 2024 will feature three webinars with expert ELT teachers from around the world. All webinars help English teachers think about how they teach pronunciation in the classroom. The webinars are for teachers of primary, secondary and adult English language learners.
Schedule and speakers
11am - 14.30pm (UK time)
11 - 12: Variation not deviation: Encouraging tolerance of English diversity in ELT (Gemma Archer, UK)
12.15 - 13.15: It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it (Kris Kirby, Hong Kong)
13.30 - 14.30: Honing your pronunciation teaching skills (Ana Paula Biazon Rocha, UK)
Find out more and register for this online event. - Teacher educator webinar series review 2023-2024 (20 March)
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Please note the content of this webinar is not aimed at teachers, and is specifically for teacher educators who have a role in supporting the professional development of English language teachers.
Join us for an interactive review of the themes and key messages from series two of our monthly webinar programme. We are welcoming back our presenters to facilitate discussion and reflection on some of the most important current issues in teacher education – artificial intelligence, collaborative learning, engaging with research, observation for learning, principles in planning CPD.
12 - 13.30pm (UK time)
Find out more and register for this online event - Facebook and Instagram Live events in March 2024
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Join our online community of more than 4 million teachers worldwide. We will be hosting weekly events throughout March via our Facebook and Instagram 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
For the classroom
See a selection of lesson plans below that you can use to focus on United Nation Special Days in March in your language teaching classrooms.
- World Wildlife Day (3 March)
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Title of lesson plan: My sea creature
Age group: Primary
Level: A2 and above
Use this lesson in face-to-face or online teaching to explore life under the sea with your primary learners.Title of lesson plan: A new logo for the World Wildlife Fund
Age group: Primary
Level: A2 and above
Use this lesson plan with your primary learners to consider the importance of safeguarding all kinds of animals. - International Women's Day (8 March)
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Title of lesson plan: She's a policeman
Age group: Primary
Level: A2 and above
This lesson asks primary learners to consider their perceptions of gender roles in jobs.Title of lesson plan: Taking liberties
Age group: Secondary
Level: B1 and above
This lesson plan for aged 13-17 and adult students looks at the theme of gender stereotypes and equality.Title of lesson plan: Unsung heroes
Age group: Secondary
Level: B1 and above
This lesson plan for aged 13-17 and adult students looks at the theme of gender stereotypes and equality. - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March)
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Title of lesson plan: Tusk Tusk
Age group: Primary
Level: A1 and above
This lesson plan for A1 level primary learners aged 9 to 10 years old explores racism, prejudice and tolerance.Title of lesson plan: The school that tried to end racism
Age group: Secondary
Level: B2 and above
Use this lesson to explore race equality and unconscious bias with your secondary and adult learners at CEFR B2 and above. - World Water Day (22 March)
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Title of lesson plan: Water for all
Age group: Secondary
Level: B1 and above
Use this lesson with secondary learners to look at the global water crisis. - World Meteorological Day (23 March)
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Title of lesson plan: Green is great
Age group: Secondary
Level: B1 and above
This lesson plan for teachers of secondary students is about sustainability and the environment. Students will participate in a jigsaw reading task.
Podcast episodes
See all our podcast episodes connected to March's themes below.
- TeachingEnglish podcast: How can we achieve gender equity in the classroom?
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In this special episode for International Women's Day, We'am and Chris talk to guests Aisling O'Boyle, Araceli Salas and Grazzia Mendoza about how we can achieve gender equity in the classroom.
Listen to the episode and download the show notes
Publications, research, and insight
See all of our publications related to March's themes below.
- Knowing the subject self-study booklet
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This self-study guide for teachers and teacher educators looks at knowing the subject. It forms part of a series of self-study 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 individually and with colleagues.
Knowing the subject self-study booklet - Report: Why won't they speak English?
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This report investigates children's anxiety and autonomy during English lessons through the lens of Self Determination Theory and suggests ways to improve learning experiences.
Report: Why won't they speak English? - Gender-ing English language classes across the globe: Practical lessons for teachers
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This book contains 40 lessons which show how English language teachers have included a range of gender topics in their pedagogical practice. Examples of such topics include gender and the workplace, gender and education, gender stereotypes and gender (in)equality. Collectively, they showcase how teachers working in different environments have taken the time to embed a social agenda in their pedagogical practice.
Gender-ing English language classes across the globe: Practical lessons for teachers - Gender equality in English language teaching practice: A resource book for teacher education
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The book contains 30 reflective essays written by future or current English language teachers, who discuss whether their ELT practice should contribute to gender equality.
Gender equality in English language teaching practice: A resource book for teacher education - ACCESS to gender balance - a toolkit for teachers
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The ACCESS to gender balance toolkit is designed for educators who would like to improve their awareness of issues connected to gender bias and gender representation in English language learning materials. It explains some key concepts and then demonstrates problems where gender bias and gender representation might appear.
ACCESS to gender balance - a toolkit for teachers