Peter Fenton
@peterfenton.bsky.social
IELTS and EAP teacher. Interested in extensive reading and more communicative approaches to language teaching such as TBLT and Dogme.
Like turkeys voting for Christmas: www.theguardian.com/education/20...
‘We could have asked ChatGPT’: students fight back over course taught by AI
Staffordshire students say signs material was AI-generated included suspicious file names and rogue voiceover accent
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Like turkeys voting for Christmas: www.theguardian.com/education/20...
'But the eight-month stoppage – and the abandonment of previous research – reveals the chilling effect that pressure from the Chinese authorities can have on UK universities.' www.theguardian.com/education/20...
UK university halted human rights research after pressure from China
Exclusive: Leading professor at Sheffield Hallam was told to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China after demands from authorities
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:31 AM
'But the eight-month stoppage – and the abandonment of previous research – reveals the chilling effect that pressure from the Chinese authorities can have on UK universities.' www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Open access: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Communicative and task-based language teaching: where are we now?
Published in The Language Learning Journal (Ahead of Print, 2025)
www.tandfonline.com
October 26, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Open access: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Given the political climate in the UK right now, it's funny how the whole of the UK political establishment are falling over themselves to allow a group of violent racist foreigners into the country just to watch a football match 🤷♂️
October 17, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Given the political climate in the UK right now, it's funny how the whole of the UK political establishment are falling over themselves to allow a group of violent racist foreigners into the country just to watch a football match 🤷♂️
Not the most surprising news: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Pupils fear AI is eroding their ability to study, research finds
One in four students say AI ‘makes it too easy’ for them to find answers
www.theguardian.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Not the most surprising news: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Peter Fenton
#Strike ballots are now arriving to our members at EC London!
Let them know you've got their back by donating to the EC Fighting Fund! #solidarity
www.gofundme.com/f/s...
Let them know you've got their back by donating to the EC Fighting Fund! #solidarity
www.gofundme.com/f/s...
Donate to Support EC London teachers' fight for pay restoration, organized by Joe Hill
Help us make history in the TEFL sector
Teachers at EC London are c… Joe Hill needs your support for Support EC London teachers' fight for pay restoration
www.gofundme.com
June 20, 2025 at 2:40 PM
#Strike ballots are now arriving to our members at EC London!
Let them know you've got their back by donating to the EC Fighting Fund! #solidarity
www.gofundme.com/f/s...
Let them know you've got their back by donating to the EC Fighting Fund! #solidarity
www.gofundme.com/f/s...
Reposted by Peter Fenton
📣📣Big news📣📣
Teachers at EC London are being balloted to #strike to secure return to pre-pandemic pay, paid admin, and #union recognition.
This.
Is.
Big.
teflworkersunion.org...
Teachers at EC London are being balloted to #strike to secure return to pre-pandemic pay, paid admin, and #union recognition.
This.
Is.
Big.
teflworkersunion.org...
EC London teachers ballot to strike in historic first for English language sector
English teachers at EC London are voting on strike action in an unprecedented move for the TEFL industry. This the first time private sector English language teachers in the UK have balloted to s
teflworkersunion.org
June 18, 2025 at 7:00 AM
📣📣Big news📣📣
Teachers at EC London are being balloted to #strike to secure return to pre-pandemic pay, paid admin, and #union recognition.
This.
Is.
Big.
teflworkersunion.org...
Teachers at EC London are being balloted to #strike to secure return to pre-pandemic pay, paid admin, and #union recognition.
This.
Is.
Big.
teflworkersunion.org...
Freely available for all to read, this article helps to deal with an important issue in TBLT - the difference between a task and an exercise: shorturl.at/jn5rh
It is a task, not an exercise: What is the difference?
Some classroom studies (e.g., Chan, 2012; Magharabi, 2019) and researchers (e.g., Ellis, 2015; Ellis et al., 2020) have warned that the construct of t…
www.sciencedirect.com
May 17, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Freely available for all to read, this article helps to deal with an important issue in TBLT - the difference between a task and an exercise: shorturl.at/jn5rh
Reposted by Peter Fenton
Big Lies of Education: Growth Mindset and Grit radicalscholarship.com/2025/05/05/r...
Big Lies of Education: Growth Mindset and Grit
Currently, US education is under one of the most intense eras of criticism—although there has never been a moment over the past century and a half absent cries of education “crisis.” No…
radicalscholarship.com
May 13, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Big Lies of Education: Growth Mindset and Grit radicalscholarship.com/2025/05/05/r...
Reposted by Peter Fenton
Shocking stuff from @bristoluni.bsky.social
We may work in a different part of #ELT, but we know what #solidarity means. Show your support for #EAP teachers and their #union, @ucu.org.uk
✍️📄⬇️
speakout.web.ucu.org...
We may work in a different part of #ELT, but we know what #solidarity means. Show your support for #EAP teachers and their #union, @ucu.org.uk
✍️📄⬇️
speakout.web.ucu.org...
Save our staff at University of Bristol's Centre for Academic Language and Development (CALD)
Dear Evelyn Welch (Vice-Chancellor)
cc Judith Squires (Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost)
Staff at University of Bristol have been told that devastating job cuts are planned at the Centre for Academic Language and Development (CALD).
We do not believe that these redundancies are justified, a
speakout.web.ucu.org.uk
April 1, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Shocking stuff from @bristoluni.bsky.social
We may work in a different part of #ELT, but we know what #solidarity means. Show your support for #EAP teachers and their #union, @ucu.org.uk
✍️📄⬇️
speakout.web.ucu.org...
We may work in a different part of #ELT, but we know what #solidarity means. Show your support for #EAP teachers and their #union, @ucu.org.uk
✍️📄⬇️
speakout.web.ucu.org...
Quite a thought-provoking read. 'There’s a thin line between necessary scaffolding and excessive cueing where we risk cultivating performers rather than autonomous thinkers.' carlhendrick.substack.com/p/cognitive-...
Cognitive Ventriloquism: Why Students Give the Right Answers for the Wrong Reasons
The Clever Hans Conundrum: Performance Without Understanding
carlhendrick.substack.com
April 1, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Quite a thought-provoking read. 'There’s a thin line between necessary scaffolding and excessive cueing where we risk cultivating performers rather than autonomous thinkers.' carlhendrick.substack.com/p/cognitive-...
Conference plenaries from IATBLT Conference this week to be live streamed on YouTube: www.facebook.com/share/p/1BA9...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
March 31, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Conference plenaries from IATBLT Conference this week to be live streamed on YouTube: www.facebook.com/share/p/1BA9...
This is pretty pathetic, but completely unsurprising given the way the BC seems to be run nowadays.
Here’s a fun one: the BritishCouncil with all their talk of “British values” and “freedom” have blocked our open letter on all staff servers globally. 🤣🤣🤣
Come on @scott-mcd-1.bsky.social: put your money where your mouth is and end this petty censorship.
bcteachers.online/
Come on @scott-mcd-1.bsky.social: put your money where your mouth is and end this petty censorship.
bcteachers.online/
BC Teachers Online
Visit the post for more.
bcteachers.online
March 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
This is pretty pathetic, but completely unsurprising given the way the BC seems to be run nowadays.
Reposted by Peter Fenton
By now you've read about the terrible working conditions and the abuse suffered by online teachers at the BritishCouncil. If you want to join us in holding the BC and @McDonaldScott_ to account, please sign and share our public petition. ✍️
🔗 actionnetwork.org/pe...
🔗 actionnetwork.org/pe...
March 19, 2025 at 1:51 PM
By now you've read about the terrible working conditions and the abuse suffered by online teachers at the BritishCouncil. If you want to join us in holding the BC and @McDonaldScott_ to account, please sign and share our public petition. ✍️
🔗 actionnetwork.org/pe...
🔗 actionnetwork.org/pe...
Reposted by Peter Fenton
March 16, 2025 at 9:58 AM
“This Uberfication of teaching needs to stop.” www.theguardian.com/business/202...
British Council accused of forcing gig economy teachers into ‘feeding frenzy’ for work
With regular teaching hours unavailable, agency tutors must compete for lessons
www.theguardian.com
March 15, 2025 at 2:27 PM
“This Uberfication of teaching needs to stop.” www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Today is the last day this resource is available for free: www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Teaching Second Language Academic Writing
Cambridge Core - Applied Linguistics - Teaching Second Language Academic Writing
www.cambridge.org
March 6, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Today is the last day this resource is available for free: www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Reposted by Peter Fenton
From: Henshaw, F. G., & Hawkins, M. D. (2022). Common ground: Second language acquisition theory goes to the classroom. Focus, an imprint of Hackett Publishing Company. hackettpublishing.com/new-forthcom...
February 2, 2025 at 8:12 PM
From: Henshaw, F. G., & Hawkins, M. D. (2022). Common ground: Second language acquisition theory goes to the classroom. Focus, an imprint of Hackett Publishing Company. hackettpublishing.com/new-forthcom...
As it happens, yesterday I reread another article about lesson design by Scott Thornbury on the same topic. It might be an old one, but still a very good read: www.researchgate.net/publication/...
January 10, 2025 at 3:27 AM
As it happens, yesterday I reread another article about lesson design by Scott Thornbury on the same topic. It might be an old one, but still a very good read: www.researchgate.net/publication/...