Before we dive into the lesson materials, it is worth noting where this brilliant concept began.  The Human Library (or Menneskebiblioteket ) originated in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2000 during the Roskilde Festival. It was created by Ronni Abergel and his colleagues as a way to challenge prejudices and bridge social divides through open, honest dialogue. Instead of a physical book, you "borrow" a human being to hear their lived experience- a perfect fit for the IB’s focus on international-mindedness. Why Use the Human Library for HL Students? For our IB DP English B Higher Level (HL) students, reaching a C1 level requires more than just vocabulary; it requires spontaneous interaction and cultural agility . This activity, adapted from the Culture of Learning blog, provides a structured yet flexible framework for students to explore the themes of Experiences , Identities , and Human Ingenuity . How the Activity Works: The process is designed to mimic a real library experienc...

Kicking off the new year with resolutions can feel cliché, but it is also a perfect opportunity to push IB English B HL students into richer, more intentional language use.  This 10-sentence challenge turns the familiar “New Year’s resolution” into a playful stylistic workout, asking students to experiment with advanced grammar and rhetorical devices within a short, manageable text. It works especially well as a bridge back into academic writing after the holidays and as a low-stakes way to revisit features that support higher achievement in Paper 1. Have a look at the handout idea below: Student Handout: The IB English B HL Stylistic Resolution Challenge New Year, New Text: The 10-Sentence Manifesto Challenge Task: Write one coherent paragraph of exactly 10 sentences titled Manifesto for the Year Ahead. Each sentence must follow the “move” described below. Think of each move as a “power-up” you must collect. The Sentences:  1. The Dramatic Entrance (Negative Inv...

  POV: You’re Teaching the Present Perfect, They’re Speaking "Skibidi" The dictionaries have spoken: "Rage bait" is officially the Oxford Word of the Year for 2025. But if you're standing in front of a classroom of teenagers today, you know that "rage bait" is just the tip of the linguistic iceberg. For Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), the struggle is unique. We spend years mastering the nuances of phrasal verbs and inverted conditionals, only to walk into a classroom where the students are speaking a dialect that doesn't appear in any Cambridge or Pearson textbook. If you’ve recently found yourself nodding along to a student’s sentence while secretly making a mental note to Google the key adjectives later, you are not alone. The 85% Club According to a recent British Council survey, 85% of teachers admit they have to look up the slang words their students use. This isn't just about feeling old; it's a professional hazard. I...

Every year, the same film plays on repeat. Black Friday hits, and people who swore they were “cutting back this year” are suddenly refreshing carts at midnight, chasing countdown timers and “only 3 left!” banners. This was the starting point for my minimalism lesson: if students are already swimming in Black Friday ads and Christmas wish lists, why not turn that chaos into something reflective and language‑rich?  The heart of the plan is a “Less Is More” advent calendar that runs parallel to the shopping season. While the outside world shouts “Buy! Hurry! More!”, students open a different kind of window each day: deleting unused apps, clearing one surface, designing an experience gift instead of buying another object. Each task comes with a guided question and a pair of chunky expressions to use in a short English reflection, so language development and behaviour change grow together. In  this handout  Black Friday and Christmas haven’t disappeared, but the spell is weake...

  There is a book, fb page, lots of articles, videos, interviews, lesson ideas on HONY- Humans of New York, and now there is also my extensive lesson plan-... Never heard of it? Humans of New York (HONY) is a popular photography project and storytelling  blog created in 2010 by Brandon Stanton. It started as a simple goal to photograph  10,000 people living in New York City, but evolved into a powerful collection of  portraits and personal stories. Each photo is paired with a short interview or quote  that reveals intimate, honest, and often surprising details about the subject's life. Over time, the project expanded beyond New York to include stories from many countries, covering diverse experiences and social issues. HONY offers a unique window into the lives of everyday people, encouraging empathy and understanding through storytelling. Interested? Check out  this handout    for reading, listening, writing and speaking ideas. Just a side note, ...

AI, prompting, iterating, cocreating…. All these are not easy skills to master, but done right can help you be more efficient and still think independently. The picture above shows a selection of ‘critical thinking prompts’ (I am afraid I don’t know the source, a colleague just resent it for me) that I took the liberty of expanding into prompts that promote  critical thinking and help us plan for lessons and teach them:)  Hope you like them!  First-Principles Thinking "Break down a target grammar or vocabulary topic to its core elements. Suggest activities that build from the absolute basics upward, reconstructing knowledge step by step for clarity." Assumption Audit "List assumptions I might have about students’ prior knowledge or skills regarding this curriculum point. For each, explain how to check if my assumption is true and suggest backup activities for weaker students." Socratic Deep Dive "Simulate a Socratic dialogue that explores the deeper reasons beh...

Hello everyone, and welcome back after the summer break! First, a quick apology for not sharing new content sooner- ah, September, the month when everything feels like a whirlwind of new beginnings, schedules, and plans. But here we are, ready to dive back into learning with something special to kick off the school year. This time, I’m excited to share a comprehensive   worksheet focused on strengthening critical thinking by exploring logical fallacies and cognitive biases . These are common traps in reasoning that can cloud judgment- and they’re everywhere! From media messages to everyday conversations and even our own thinking patterns. What’s Inside? A warm-up activity inviting reflection on everyday thinking habits Clear definitions and examples of 20 common fallacies and biases A reflective exercise connecting these concepts to real life An engaging identification task to practice spotting errors in reasoning A lively, interactive role-play debate activity designed for IB DP E...