The ‘zone of proximal development’ (ZPD) is Vygotsky’s term to describe the area of potential learning in which a child can perform an action or task, provided that a more skilled or knowle...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/z-is-for-zone-of-proximal-development/
Young learners is a catch-all term for students who are not yet adults. The term swept into fashion at the beginning of the nineties reflecting the trend to lower the starting age and broaden the...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/y-is-for-young-learners/
Xenophobia is an emotive word which means ‘a strong fear and dislike of people from other countries and cultures’. So what has xenophobia got to do with teaching English as a foreign language...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/x-is-for-xenophobia/
Writing is a difficult skill and, as most of us would readily agree, not only for children. The development of children’s writing takes place gradually over time. In order to achieve the most e...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/w-is-for-writing/
The development of vocabulary is one of the most conspicuous gains in early foreign language learning and children themselves often perceive what they know in terms of learning “lots of words�...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/v-is-for-vocabulary/
A quick look at a dictionary tells us that understanding is ‘knowing what someone or something means’. This seems straightforward enough. However, understanding is a complex concept, which is...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/u-is-for-understanding/
The term ‘digital native’ is often used to refer to someone who has grown up with digital technology and can use it easily and intuitively. The term ‘digital immigrant’ is used to refer t...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/t-is-for-technology/
How often do you start the day at work exchanging stories with colleagues about, for example, why the bus was late, the film you saw last night, or who you met by chance on the way home? When we ...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/s-is-for-storytelling/
The letter ‘R’ is a bumper letter for this ABC and it’s tempting for me to write about the 7 ‘R’s. I originally developed the 7 ‘R’s to use on primary teacher education courses in o...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/r-is-for-relationships/
It’s easy to fall into the trap of asking children lots of questions during lessons in a way which is automatic, unreflective and often not very purposeful or productive. It takes awareness, sk...
https://carolread.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/q-is-for-questioning-techniques/