Innovating Teachers Academy - ENG

14/10/2026

🇸🇮 Just spent two wonderful days in Ljubljana, co-facilitating an ECML (European Centre for Modern Languages) workshop with Letizia Cinganotto and a fantastic group of educators!

On the first day, we explored how to make subject content accessible without reducing cognitive challenge, scaffolding students' language from vocabulary to increasingly complex sentences and paragraphs, while supporting their thinking and awareness of different cultural perspectives.
We also put ourselves in the learners' shoes, experiencing what it feels like to learn unfamiliar content through a language we don't fully understand!

On the second day, we focused on Pluriliteracies and Deeper Learning, exploring how to help students develop deeper conceptual understanding and learn to think, reason and communicate like subject specialists.

Throughout both days, one question guided our discussions:

HOW CAN WE CHALLENGE STUDENTS COGNITIVELY WHILE GIVING THEM THE LANGUAGE AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED?

For me, professional learning is about much more than sharing strategies. It's about experiencing, questioning, exchanging ideas and reflecting together.

This is exactly what we believe in at Innovating Teachers Academy (InTA): professional learning that is practical, collaborative and grounded in the realities of teaching.

A big thank you to ECML for this opportunity, to Letizia Cinganotto for the wonderful collaboration, and to all the participants for their curiosity, enthusiasm and willingness to engage and reflect.

I'm curious: What's your biggest challenge when helping students understand complex content and express their thinking?

Chamberlain Dunja

08/10/2026

WHO CAN I ASK WHEN I’M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH ONE OF MY STUDENTS?

I remember this feeling very well.
You have a student in front of you and something just isn’t working.
You’ve tried what normally works.
You’ve changed your approach.
You’ve given them more time.

And you’re still thinking:
“What else could I try?”

When I was teaching, some of the most useful ideas didn’t come from a book or a training course.
They came from another teacher.
A conversation in the corridor.
Someone saying, “I had exactly the same problem…”
A colleague suggesting something I simply hadn’t thought of.

And sometimes, just hearing “Yes, I’ve experienced that too” made a difference.
That’s exactly the kind of space I want the InTA Community to be.

A place where you can come with a real question about one of your students, your class or your teaching and ask other teachers:
💬 What would you do?
💬 Has anyone else experienced this?
💬 What worked for you?

You don’t have to have the answer before you join the conversation.
Bring the question.
There may be another teacher in our community who has faced something very similar, and their experience might give you the idea you need.

Joining the Innovating Teachers Academy Community is free.
Come and join us. And next time you find yourself thinking, “I’m not sure what to try next,” bring the question to the community.

✍And right now, is there one question about one of your students that you’d love to ask another teacher? Tell us below.

07/10/2026

HOW CAN I HELP MY STUDENTS WHEN THEY FEEL ANXIOUS ABOUT THE FUTURE?

Climate change. AI. Conflict. Uncertainty about jobs and the world they’ll inherit.
Our students are growing up surrounded by big, complex issues, and sometimes those issues can leave them feeling worried, overwhelmed or powerless.

SO WHAT CAN WE DO AS TEACHERS?
▫️How can we acknowledge those feelings without adding to the anxiety?
▫️And, importantly, how can we help our students move from “There’s nothing I can do” to “Maybe I can make a difference”?

That’s exactly what we’ll be exploring today with our expert Elaine France in our free InTA masterclass:

FROM ANXIETY TO AGENCY

This isn’t about pretending everything is fine.
It’s about helping students develop the confidence to imagine possibilities, see choices and recognise that they can have agency in shaping the future.

If you’ve heard your students express worry about the future, or if you’re wondering how to approach these conversations in your classroom, come and join us.

💻 via Zoom
📅 Today, 7 October at 5pm (CET)
👉 Save your free place and join us today: https://www.innovating-teachers-academy.com/landing-pages/from-anxiety-to-agency

✍WHAT WORRIES ABOUT THE FUTURE ARE YOU HEARING FROM YOUR STUDENTS? Share with us in the comments.

06/10/2026

TEACHERS, WE NEED YOUR INPUT!

We’re planning our next InTA sessions and, rather than guessing, I’d prefer to ask you directly what works best for you!

📅 Which day works best?
⏰ What time?
💬 Which format do you prefer? Masterclasses, webinars or interactive forums?

It will only take 10 seconds: check the options on the visual and simply share your 3 choices in the comments.
Mine is: Wednesday / 4–6 pm / Forums

OVER TO YOU! WHAT ARE YOUR 3 CHOICES?
Your answers will help us plan sessions you genuinely want to attend, at times that work for you.

05/10/2026

As teachers, we sometimes forget just how much our students are watching us, not only how we teach, but how we treat people, how we react when things don’t go as planned, and how we speak to each other.

We can talk about kindness, respect and responsibility all day long, but ultimately, our students learn from who we are with them.

Sometimes the simplest lessons are the most powerful ones. ❤️

Thank you Edutopia

04/10/2026

Every teacher has a story, and we rarely know the whole of it.

Behind every classroom door is a person balancing teaching with everything else life brings.

At InTA, we believe supporting educators starts with seeing the person behind the profession.

- Teachers, what’s one thing you wish others understood about what you’re carrying alongside your teaching?

Teach English

That’s indeed true

03/10/2026

A great reminder that scaffolding isn’t about making learning easier. It is about giving students the right support to access the learning and gradually become more independent.

Thank you Edutopia

27/09/2026

WHAT IF YOU HAD A PLACE TO SIMPLY TALK TO OTHER TEACHERS ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO YOU?

This week, I had lunch with Shona, one of our InTA members, and she said something that stayed with me.

Wouldn’t it be useful if teachers could simply meet regularly and talk to other teachers about what’s happening in their classrooms and schools?

No presentation.
No expert at the front telling us what to do.
Just teachers talking to teachers.

And I thought: yes, we should do this.

So we’re launching something new for the InTA community:

InTA LIVE FORUMS — “LET’S DISCUSS IT”

Each Forum will focus on one topic chosen by the community.

Maybe one teacher shares something that works in their classroom. Another has a completely different approach. Someone brings a challenge they’re struggling with. Others share what they’ve tried or their success.

We talk. We listen. We ask questions. We learn from each other.

And the Live Forums will be free for everyone in the InTA community.
If you’re already a member, head over to our Discussion Group and tell us:

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE OUR FIRST LIVE FORUM TO BE ABOUT?

And if you’re not part of InTA yet, this is a good time to join us.
Come into the community, meet educators from around the world, and help shape the conversations you want to be part of.

👉 Join InTA and have your say in our first Live Forum.
What would you like to discuss with other teachers?

24/09/2026

IT’S TONIGHT AT 5 PM (CET). A REAL LESSON. CHATGPT OPEN. AND ALL MY THINKING, LIVE.
AI FOR REAL CLASSROOMS
Free Masterclass

It’s today! 😊
At 5 PM (CET), we’ll finally be meeting.

I’ll share my screen, open a real lesson, and show you how I actually work with ChatGPT to respond to different students’ needs.

You’ll see the whole process.
The context.
The first prompt.
How the prompts evolve.
Until we get to something that is genuinely useful.

And most importantly, you’ll see the pedagogical thinking that guides the whole process.

If you’re already registered, check your inbox and make sure 5 PM (CET) is in your calendar.

I’m really looking forward to seeing you there.
And if you’ve only just discovered the masterclass, there’s still time to join us.
Write JOIN in the comments and I’ll send you the link.

23/09/2026

IT’S TOMORROW! 🎉

Tomorrow, I’ll be opening a real lesson, sharing my screen and showing you exactly how I use ChatGPT to differentiate it for different learners.

Not just the final result.

You’ll see what I ask.
What ChatGPT suggests.
What I change.
What I keep.
And what I decide not to use.

Because the goal isn’t to let AI make the pedagogical decisions.
It’s to use AI to help us put our pedagogical decisions into practice.

📅 Thursday, 24 September
⏰ 5 PM (CET)
💻 Online via Zoom
🎁 Free

NOT REGISTERED YET?
There’s still time. Reserve your place today — the registration link is in the comments.

ALREADY REGISTERED?
Make sure Thursday at 5 PM (CET) is in your calendar — and I’ll see you tomorrow!