Learning and Learners (FutureLearn)

Offered by British Council,
Learning and Learners (FutureLearn)

Understand learners, policy and practice with this continuing professional development course for English language teachers. Learn with English language teachers worldwide. This continued professional development course is for EFL teachers around the world who are interested in improving their understanding of their students and creating genuinely inclusive teaching practices.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

This course does not have open access anymore.
The course specifically builds four professional practices that will improve your skills and knowledge based on the British Council’s teacher development framework. It is focused on improving:
Understanding of learners
Knowledge of the subject Use of inclusive practices Learning assessment

Foster student engagement through better understanding
For the best learning outcomes, it’s important to understand what motivates your students and build rapport based on that understanding. This course allows you to watch experienced teachers interact with their students and see how they build rapport, offer praise, and encourage them to speak up in class.
Create a genuinely inclusive EFL classroom
Successful teaching offers students a way to achieve their learning outcomes using a range of processes. This shows you how you can differentiate texts, tasks, and media to support all of your students. You’ll also consider different ways to produce evidence of understanding and evaluate your own inclusive teaching practices.
Learn with EFL teachers around the world
You’ll spend a week focusing on each of these different practices. The course material is supported by video interviews with experienced teachers and classroom films from around the world. You’ll also receive downloadable teaching resources at every stage to give you the best chance of turning your learning into practice.
What topics will you cover?
Understanding Learners

  • Learner motivation
  • Building rapport
  • Getting learners talking

Subject knowledge

  • What should a teacher know?
  • Different kinds of knowledge
  • Language analysis for learners
  • Practising new language

Inclusive practices

  • What is diversity?
  • Differentiating content

-Differentiating process

  • Differentiating product

Assessing Learning

  • Why do we assess learners?
  • Types of assessment
  • Assessing speaking
  • Assessing writing

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Compare teaching approaches and experience with others from around the world.
  • Reflect on the factors involved in learner motivation and consider the implications for our teaching practice.
  • Discuss different types of knowledge and what a teacher needs to know.
  • Evaluate ways to check understanding and practice language.
  • Identify and value diversity, and apply strategies to promote inclusive education.
  • Evaluate different types of assessment and reflect on assessment criteria and activities for speaking and writing.
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

English for Academic Study (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Coventry University

English for Academic Study (FutureLearn)

Prepare to study at university, explore the qualities of a successful student, and learn key vocabulary in an academic context. Increase your knowledge of English for academic study. If you are preparing to study at a university where the first language is English, either on campus or online, this course aims to help you understand what is expected, and develop skills to help you learn independently and build your confidence.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Teaching English Online (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Cambridge Assessment English

Teaching English Online (FutureLearn)

Learn how to transfer your teaching skills to an online context and start teaching English online. Become an expert online English teacher. Is it time for a new online direction in your teaching career? Join our 4-week course to learn how to adapt your face-to-face teaching skills to an online environment. Teaching English online is now becoming increasingly important all over the world, giving learners and teachers flexibility to work and learn wherever they want in the world.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Innovative Teaching: Engaging Adult Learners with Active Learning (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Padova

Innovative Teaching: Engaging Adult Learners with Active Learning (FutureLearn)

Discover the power of active participation in adult learning, encouraging teamwork and collaboration among students. Explore the power of teaching and how interactive learning can aid the classroom. Active learning is the leading innovative teaching approach in education today. It encourages teachers to foster a more student-centred, interactive and participatory approach to learning.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Professional Development for Early Career Teachers (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Professional Development for Early Career Teachers (FutureLearn)

Find out how to develop and improve your teaching abilities as you start your career as a teacher. Improve your teaching practice and learn to manage your workload. The early stages of a career in teaching can be daunting. You’re regularly faced with new responsibilities and challenges. On this course you will get advice and support on improving your teaching skills as well as juggling your workload so you’re able to handle these challenges.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
English as a Medium of Instruction for Academics (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Southampton

English as a Medium of Instruction for Academics (FutureLearn)

Equip yourself to teach in international contexts by increasing your English language skills and intercultural knowledge. As universities work to become globally competitive courses taught in English are expanding. Those working in Higher Education are often thrown into producing academic work in English – either as teachers or researchers – without training in English language or intercultural skills.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Teaching Entrepreneurial Thinking (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Queensland University of Technology

Teaching Entrepreneurial Thinking (FutureLearn)

Get an introduction to what entrepreneurial thinking is, and how and why we should teach it. We live in an uncertain and complex world, where the big problems of today and tomorrow are yet to be identified. Teaching young people the skills and resilience to live and thrive in such a world is the purpose of entrepreneurial thinking. This course will introduce you to what entrepreneurial thinking is, and why it’s an important skill for young people to learn.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Transforming Education in Challenging Environments (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London,Centre for Lebanese Studies

Transforming Education in Challenging Environments (FutureLearn)

Discover practical ways teachers can transform the education of children and young people living in conflict-affected contexts. Build the knowledge needed to teach children affected by difficult contexts. Teachers play an important role in supporting vulnerable children affected by mass displacement, crisis, and conflict. Refugee children may also be victims of violence and other issues that impact their emotional wellbeing and ability to learn. Teachers need to be prepared to deal with these difficulties.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Education Research that Matters: Doing Research in Your Learning Community (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Birmingham,Chartered College of Teaching

Education Research that Matters: Doing Research in Your Learning Community (FutureLearn)

Build the tools and knowledge to perform your own education research and establish yourself as a teacher-researcher. Learn how to analyse research data and communicate your research findings. Many teachers want to learn new knowledge and methods to improve their teaching, but it can be hard for someone outside of research communities to perform research of their own. On this course, you will learn how to do your own education research and build supported communities of education research practice.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
English Pronunciation in a Global World (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

English Pronunciation in a Global World (FutureLearn)

In this course you will improve your English pronunciation skills and learn about speaking English in today's globalised world. Develop your ability to understand and speak English. A huge range of people need to be able to speak English in today’s globalised world. This means that you’ll need to understand, and be understandable to, other non-native speakers. But diversity in spoken English should also be appreciated.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Academic Writing in English for ESL Learners (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London

Academic Writing in English for ESL Learners (FutureLearn)

Develop your academic writing skills in English as a second language (ESL) learner and advance your English writing at university. Improve your academic writing skills for essay writing in English. This course will equip you with the skills to write good persuasive essays in English at university level, as well as improve your critical thinking skills, argument reasoning, and use of external sources for writing in English.

Self Paced
3 Weeks