Life Teacher Training Videos

There are seven videos available to view here. They cover the following:

1. Bring Life to your classroom This video is a basic introduction to how the authors approached turning National Geographic content into language teaching materials. It addresses the three characteristics of National Geographic and how these influenced and were incorporated into the Life series. The key points the video covers are:

• Images (photograph and video) to appeal to 21st century visual learners
• Information-rich texts for learners who want to learn about something as well as learn English
• Global and cross-cultural topics for learners who will need to operate internationally in the future

2. Exploring a unit of Life This video talks through an entire unit and explores how each unit is structured, how the structure will help students learn English and some personal implementation tips from John as both a teacher and an author

3. Images and visual literacy in Life This video looks at how images are used in Life and how a teacher can exploit those images. The main takeaway is that images help with:

• Constructed meaning (what does the image mean)
• Communicated meaning (why did the photographer take it? What’s the message?)
• Combined meanings (what happens when you relate the images in the book to students' own knowledge and creativity, for example in terms of speaking and writing)

4. Using the Life video lessons This video discusses the many learning benefits of using video in the classroom and how it draws on students’ natural interest in the moving image, how it’s motivating, and how it’s easy to encourage students to watch videos in English at home

5. Developing Critical Thinking Skills using Life This video looks at the critical thinking strand of Life and how students’ critical thinking skills are developed alongside language learning

6. Developing Speaking Skills using Life This video focuses on the D Lesson and how Life helps students to develop their speaking skills. The video focusses on:

• The structure of the D Page
• Use of the listening to introduce functional language
• The types of role plays that help students to practise the language

7. Real Life Questions In this video John Hughes answers some common questions which teachers from around the world have asked about the Life series