Academic English Framework: A Teacher-friendly Version
Academic English Framework: A Teacher-friendly Version
Happy New Year Everyone!
How do you start your new year? With resolutions? Or perhaps in denial that another year has passed?
I tend to begin with reflection—considering what went well, what didn’t, and what to do moving forward. This year, my resolutions centre around two key themes: maintaining confidence and committing to continuous learning.
With that in mind, I thought I’d share something that might interest anyone working on or researching language in the classroom.
A few years ago, I participated in Jared Horvath’s Science of Learning course. It was absolutely fascinating, if somewhat challenging for my exhausted-after-a-day-of-teaching brain! I highly recommend checking out his YouTube channel – you’ll find loads of interesting content in short, digestible chunks, including resources designed specifically for students.
One of the course tasks was to ‘translate’ (or break down) an academic paper to make it accessible for other teachers. I worked on Robin Scarcella’s UC Berkeley Technical Report: Academic English: A Conceptual Framework, and the process really opened my eyes to how dense academic language can be – even for educators! Here’s my translation if you’re interested (the link to the original article can be found in the translation).
The articles linked above are quite dense – even in translation – but if you take away just a couple of key points, they may serve you well.
Wishing you all the best for 2026, may the year be filled with confidence and learning!
What are your thoughts on starting the new year with intention? I’d love to hear how you approach your own resolutions and learning journey. Contact me here.
Louise is Metis’s founder. She has taught from primary to university level both in Europe and Asia, and has worked as a coach, coach trainer and assessor, primarily in educational settings. She currently lives in Sunny South Africa, with her husband and dog, Bailey, and consults for an online education platform as well as leading Metis.