Hi Sapna, You run a successful educational blog, called THE TEACHING COVE. What makes it different from the other blogs?
The Teaching Cove is unique in that it connects English teachers and educators to three types of free resources- teaching resources, organizational hacks and motivational tips. My free printables library is updated monthly with resources I have blogged about. Also, I email out a downloadable Motivational Monday poster every week, which I make with travel photography I ' ve taken and my favourite quotes. Rather than simply provide downloadable resources like many English teaching websites, I run a blog that helps teachers understand how to use my resources to best benefit their students. You can sign up for my free printables library at www. teachingcove. com. I ' d love to have you as part of my community!
What tips would you give to new educational bloggers?
Be yourself- make sure your unique voice shines through so readers understand who you are. Also, be sure to research the business side of running a blog. I have degrees in business, teaching and applied linguistics, so this comes naturally to me, but there are a lot of educators who miss this when trying to monetize their blogs.
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Image Credit: Sapna Sehgal
In fact, I ' m planning to create a video course in the near future to help teachers and educators learn marketing principles to help them grow their businesses and websites. I ' m also working on a course to help teachers learn to run a profitable tutoring business as a side job, since many English teachers around the world have part-time jobs and / or wish to supplement their income.
Tell us about the e-books you are working on at the moment.
I ' m working on two e-books at the moment. The first one will feature 25 TED Talks and Documentaries your students will love- with complete lesson plans, follow up activities and instructions on how to run the classes.
My second e-book will be more of a lesson planning package. It will include my trusty spreadsheets and planning documents to make it easy for English teachers to manage their classroom or individual tutoring planning. Of course, I ' ll include a guide on how to adapt my resources to best suit your students ' levels.
This issue of INSPIRATION- AL ENGLISH explores the different aspects of LOVE. What do you love about teaching English?
I love helping people reach their goals. It ' s so motivating to see my students go from one level to the next- and pass difficult exams like the Cambridge Advanced or First Certificate, so they can better their careers. Often, I see native English speakers who struggle with essay writing, too. Soon, they are able to write incredible essays, which makes me happy! I ' m also quite creative, so I like being able to use that skill to make learning fun.
You believe that“ we can reach our goals”. How do you encourage your students to reach theirs?
Well, first of all, we set goals together. My Goal Setting printables are in The Teaching Cove’ s free resource library, so you can all use it, too! Next, we make sure goals are SMART- specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. Then, we monitor progress together throughout the semester.
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