Originally Published in the TESOL Greece Newsletter - Issue 136  

-Why is empathy an important concept for today's teaching community?

JS: In your years of experience as a teacher, teacher educator and writer, how have your beliefs regarding teaching and learning changed? Has any paradigm shifted along the way?

During the pandemic, millions of students have been thrown into online versions of their classes and the results have varied. What has become clear is that following an online lesson on a screen from home can be more taxing for students and it can be more difficult for the teacher to maintain their attention. One tool that we can use to cope with this is the implementation of microbreaks: short breaks during a period of work.

Dear Foreign Language Professional,

The time for us to meet for the first time this year, the Spring ’26 Athens IPE, has come.

At an era that algorithms and platforms are designed not to show you what you want to see, but what you can’t look away from, we challenge you to interact with colleagues and friends.

We offer two free theatre plays in English for you to enjoy with your students.

We offer workshops on the importance of connection and discipline for both parents and educators.

I was chatting to a neighbour the other day, or rather, she was chatting to me. I don’t see much of her and her family, as happens in a typically modern suburb community, and I’ve always known – as one does – that we’d never be more than neighbours. After our chat the other day, I am definitely going to keep her at a distance.

ANSWER:  We suggest you try “The Writing-Go-Round”, a group writing activity which works well in  Exam-Preparation classes to help ease the tension and make writing fun!

PREPARATION:  The teacher prints out strips, each with writing task instructions.  Sources for these tasks can be coursebooks or past exam papers.  Here are three examples of B1-level writing task instructions:

Strip A: "Write an essay about a celebration in a country you know. Remember to:

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Μέχρι εχθές η καλή εξυπηρέτηση του πελάτη, όπως και αν ορίζεται αυτή από την εκάστοτε επιχείρηση, αποτελούσε σημείο αναφοράς για την αύξηση του τζίρου της. Τα χρόνια πέρασαν, οι εποχές άλλαξαν, το ίδιο και οι ανάγκες των πελατών αλλά και των επιχειρήσεων. Σήμερα το να προσφέρεις το προϊόν που πραγματικά χρειάζεται ο πελάτης, λέγεται εξυπηρέτηση και δυστυχώς στις μέρες δεν είναι αρκετό.

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