Language Issues Blog
Exploring ideas, sharing perspectives, and giving ESOL professionals a platform to develop their voice and inspire debate.
About our blog
Language Issues Blog is NATECLA's space for ideas, reflection, and debate across the ESOL sector. It provides a platform for contributors to the Language Issues journal, as well as a welcoming place for new writers to develop their voice, share their experiences, and explore emerging ideas before committing to a more formal publication.
We encourage thought-provoking contributions that reflect the diversity of perspectives within our profession. The views expressed in blog posts are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NATECLA or the Language Issues Editorial Team. Our aim is to stimulate discussion, encourage critical thinking, and foster constructive dialogue across the sector.
Interested in contributing? We'd love to hear from you. To submit a blog post, please complete our submission form.
We also welcome discussion in the comments section. If you feel that a discussion has crossed a personal line or have concerns about any content, please contact NATECLA and we'll be happy to help.
Blog articles
ESOL for refugees: a toolkit for commissioners and practitioners
Back in pre-pandemic days, Migration Yorkshire staff spent early 2020 touring England, asking stakeholders in each region about good practice in commissioning and delivering ESOL for refugees.
Online ESOL Provision – lessons from lockdown
St. Augustine’s Centre is a community centre based in Park Ward, Halifax. In addition to offering a range of support services to anyone in the local community, we are Calderdale’s specialist charity working with people seeking asylum, refugees and migrants throughout the borough.
ESOL Students during Covid-19 #InspiredByESOL
Seima reflects here on how she, her colleagues, and the ESOL students at her college adapted to the sudden change to online learning earlier this year.
Grassroots policy-making in ESOL: Learning English Yorkshire & the Humber
James Simpson, Chair of Trustees, MESH, writes about the work of MESH and the development of the Learning English (Yorkshire & the Humber) online resource
Lockdown Experience: Connection and Community
A reflection on lockdown by Isla Flood: ESOL teacher, co-ordinator and teaching and learning coach.
‘Come Online with Me’ Food, Connection and ESOL during COVID19 lockdown in the UK - the highs and the lows, and recommendations for others
Heart & Parcel was founded in 2015 by Clare Courtney and Karolina. Two friends with an interest in English language teaching, community work and food.
COVID-19- Reflections on teaching and learning through remote teaching
Last week I attended the first of the NATECLA webinars to support ESOL teachers during this period of online teaching.
The NATECLA #ESOLchat
The first #ESOLchat on Twitter took place at the end of March after lockdown was underway. Teachers (and students) were suddenly having to adapt to huge changes very quickly with little time to plan and often few resources.
Be inspired offline: life-skills projects to stay physically distanced but socially together
Never before have we experienced such an unprecedented time when we had to move the teaching delivery online so suddenly.
Reflections on "The Play's The Thing" Nick Bilbrough's Keynote @ NATECLA National Conference
I admit it, my tank of motivation and ideas was running on empty, my engine was spluttering towards the summer holidays. I thought I needed a break, I was wrong. What I needed was Nick Bilbrough’s Key Note speech about the ‘Hands Up’ project, that he founded.
NATECLA National Conference Teachmeet
Or "shamelessly sharing other people's ideas". The theme of this year's teachmeet at the NATECLA National Conference is around differentiation, and no names, just in case, but credit where it's due none if these are my ideas!
Northern Ireland’s Violence Is Not About Refugees. It Is About Inequality, Insecurity and a Politics of Scapegoating
The recent anti-immigrant violence witnessed in parts of Northern Ireland has been widely presented as a response to concerns about asylum seekers, refugees, and immigration. Yet such explanations misunderstand both the nature of the unrest and the deeper social conditions that make these narratives attractive.
Small Steps Create Big Shifts
Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome.
Research, Evidence and What it Means for Teachers.
One of the key features, and purposes of Language Issues is bridging the gap that can sometimes occur between the research community and teaching practitioners.