English Classes For The Masses: An FAQ
Who are we? It’s time to find out…
Welcome to English Classes For the Masses.
This site is inspired by several ideas…
- English is poetic. English is elegant. English is sometimes very funny…
- English has also been used to whilst doing many terrible things in this World.
- English, therefore, owes a debt to politics and progressive thought. It owes a debt to reason and to empathy. It’s more than just a vehicle for business and finance.
Does this sound like the kind of English language publication you can support? If it isn’t then good luck!
But perhaps you won’t find the most useful lessons and study ideas here!
What do we want to do at English Classes for the Masses?
- We aim to teach people how to think and feel new things. We plan to use English for this task.
- We want to empower students and teachers and provide functional language for difficult situations.
- We intend to give teachers and students lessons that aren’t dry and aren’t rooted in profit margins and annual income reports.
Are our lessons free?
Many will be, but to ensure the continuation of the publication some articles will have to be placed on the Medium Partner’s Programme. However, many Youtube videos (coming soon!) will be totally free resources. Stay tuned.
Can I easily access content?
You can read up to 3 free Medium articles a month. However, Medium access issues will obviously affect paid lessons. It may be best to print or screenshot useful parts that you may want to teach or use again.
What kind of content can I expect?
Lessons with character and relatable figures, Listicles with an edge, radical and unusual teaching ideas, gamified English, and alternative approaches to learning.
What English levels will lessons be set at?
There should be a broad range available on the site. However, the focus will be on students A2 and above. To make things easy to understand, all lessons will be listed as “beginner,” “intermediate” or “advanced.” In the future, we hope to include clearer CEFR guidelines.
Can I, as a teacher, submit lessons?
Yes, you can. Please mail an accessible link of the article to: englishclassesforthemasses@gmail.com
Are there any writing guidelines?
Yes. Please consider these things before submitting…
- What is my lesson trying to do? Is it trying to promote progressive values? Is it discussing unusual or marginalised subjects and their perspectives?
- At the moment, we are only accepting lessons to the “15 Minute English” section of the publication. You can make these pay-walled if you wish but bear in mind that the publication is relatively new, and submitting some free lesson plans at first will help it grow and gain followers.
- Include at least one image in the lesson. Please credit any images to the creator and include “alt text” describing the image.
- If you want to post a lesson, then consider backlinking (connecting with embeds in the text) to your own website or resources. This is, after all, a shared resource. Once published, it will be shared on our Twitter page.
- Please layout your articles like so, with a clear level, duration, theme or themes, tasks, and teacher/student answers listed. Include some line breaks between exercises. Make sure you include a link, preferably Google Docs, to an answers sheet:
