Industry Insights (ELT News)

People often intuit what is correct in their first language simply by whether or not it sounds natural, but how can you develop this same intuition in a second language? How can students know if a phrase is formal or informal? How can they choose the right synonym? One shortcut teachers and students can utilize are corpora – large bodies of text – to analyze language and find patterns in order to correct vocabulary and grammatical errors. Join us for a discussion and demonstration of using corpora from English-Corpora.org to correct your students’ errors and help their language sound more natural.

Join Bridge and senior leadership from IATEFL and TESOL International Association for updates on members’ experiences from the past 20 months as these organizations responded to the unprecedented circumstances of the global pandemic. How have these organizations, their respective members, and other constituents been impacted? What can they expect in the year to come?

The discussion will focus on four major themes, and there will be time for questions from the audience as well:

Technology in ELT and the threats and opportunities its dependence presents for these two professional communities

Sustainability: how the organizations are adjusting to these challenging times while maintaining a focus on issues like environmentalism Access in ELT, such as questions of equity and inclusion within the profession

Quality standards for programs that train and develop ELT professionals

Want to read more before we sit down with these leaders? Check out these recent BridgeUniverse articles: IATEFL and TESOL: The Two Titans of ELT (Part One) (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/iatefl-and-tesol-titans-of-elt-part-one/) and “The Titans of ELT (Part Two): Defining Diversity and Inclusion Within IATEFL and TESOL.” (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/titans-of-elt-part-two-defining-diversity-inclusion-iatefl-tesol/)

The future is bright for the English language learning market. Identify the ELT job markets with the greatest potential and learn how to qualify for these growing job segments. Whether you’re a new teacher or an experienced one looking to the future, knowing which jobs are predicted to grow will put you on track for career growth as well. Join our panel of industry experts as they discuss ELT job trends, important qualifications that will meet job requirements, and upskilling ideas that will help you stand out from the crowd.

Investing in continuing professional development (CPD) increases your job prospects, leads to raises and promotions, improves your teaching skills – which means happier and more successful students! – provides you with a support system of fellow educators, and helps motivate and inspire you throughout your EFL career. Despite the vast benefits of CPD, many teachers struggle to find professional development opportunities that are affordable and accessible and that meet their unique career needs. Join us to find out how you can overcome these challenges, where to find valuable CPD opportunities, and how to create a professional development plan that takes into account your personal teaching context and goals so that you can take charge of your teaching career!

How are MA TESOL programs emerging from the pandemic? Are they providing enhanced/hybrid learning environments for students while keeping the degree relevant for an evolving job market? Join a panel of university admissions professionals and moderator Ian Wright, Director of BridgeUniverse, to discuss the challenges and prospects MA TESOL students and graduates face in a post-pandemic world. Our discussion will be followed by at least 20 minutes of questions and comments from our global audience.

This live panel builds on the BridgeUniverse article: Is Getting a Master’s in TESOL Worth It? (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/masters-tesol-worth-it/)

Dramatic changes in Chinese law regarding education have resulted in hiring freezes and even closures of some big-name online English tutoring companies, including GoGoKid and Magic Ears. Considering China hires the bulk of online teachers globally – as many as 500,000 by some estimates – these new regulations are causing a significant disruption within the ELT industry.

BridgeUniverse brings online teachers and representatives from top English tutoring companies together to discuss how changes in Chinese law are impacting the current job market and to explore new options for teachers, such as working with companies in other regions or teaching English as a freelancer.

Resources:
bridge.edu/tefl/blog/ebooks-teach-english-online/
bridge.edu/tefl/blog/quakes-in-chinas-english-language-education/

In a previous BridgeUniverse webinar, we discussed how dramatic changes in China’s education policies are affecting current and prospective English language teachers. In particular, we examined the effect of this disruption on teaching English online, which makes up a large portion of the Chinese education market (as many as 500,000 teachers, by some estimates).

Now, we’ll take a closer look. What were the reasons behind these drastic changes? What has the immediate impact of these policies been and what outcomes will we likely see in the future? Will the ripple effects be felt mostly on international student mobility to the West or on the EdTech unicorns in China?

Join our expert panel as we probe these contextual issues, delving deeper into the big business of Chinese ed tech–fueled by families’ drive to learn English – and discuss the greater implications of this shake-up for the global ELT industry.

Read more on this topic in our BridgeUniverse article: Quakes in the Landscape of China’s English Language Education System (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/quakes-in-chinas-english-language-education/)

English proficiency testing has long been a high-stakes rite of passage for those looking to secure admissions to a top school abroad, get an international job, or land a promotion to the global C-suite. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made traditional, in-person testing impossible, thereby pushing online, technology-based assessment to the forefront and sparking discussion around whether the conventional paradigm is, in fact, as accessible or accurate as once perceived.

Join Bridge Education Group CEO Jean-Marc Alberola and senior representatives from five key companies in the testing field as they provide updates on changes they’ve implemented in the past year and discuss what to expect in the year to come. In addition to a focus on how they continue to adapt to an online world, including offering in-person and hybrid test formats, we’ll dive deeper into concerns around security, accessibility, equity, availability, and validity, and explore how technology (especially AI and machine learning) continues to provide solutions and challenges to the many issues around testing.

This webinar builds on the themes in BridgeUniverse’s January 2021 article, English Test Providers Jockey for Position as Pandemic Accelerates Online Trend (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/pandemic-accelerates-trend-for-online-english-language-tests/)

The global network of English language teachers has incredible talent. Join our Expert Series webinar to learn about the many ways educators can share their expertise, providing fresh insights and knowledge that benefit the community and their students. Whether presenting for a large conference event or hosting a small webinar, each contribution provides accessible professional development opportunities. Learn how to maximize your content to provide the greatest benefits for the global ELT community while also continuously growing your own skills and knowledge.

Founders of top online language-learning platforms discuss their journey from concept to start-up and where they see the ELT sector headed in 2022 – and beyond.

The ELT community hails from all over the world, with many teachers speaking English as a second – or even third–language. The benefit to having global representation in the language classroom allows learners to be exposed to new cultures, traditions, and diverse uses of the English language from around the world. Join us as we explore the concept of being a Global English Teacher and learn about practical strategies such as conscientious materials selection and cultural coaching that can help you teach responsibly and embrace the concept of English as a lingua franca.  

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From simple skills practice such as vocabulary flashcards to collaborative study and problem-solving, we look at how language apps are being used in teacher-led Business English courses to improve learner outcomes and build the skills students need in today’s global businesses. Our expert panel will explore the strategic ways language app resources can be used in Business English courses. Join us to learn more about how Business English courses are combining teacher-powered learning with language app technologies to maximize students’ learning potential.

With so many opportunities to teach English independently online, many teachers are looking for eLearning platforms to host their classes and manage admin tasks like scheduling and invoices. Join our panel of experts as they discuss how learning platforms have evolved and the criteria to consider when choosing a platform. Gain the knowledge you need to find the right platform for you and your students!

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