As part of our school’s Erasmus+ dissemination activities and commitment to innovative teaching practices, a webinar titled “Let’s Be Real” was organised on 28 November 2024 for English language teachers working in Lyceum settings.

The session was delivered free of charge by Nicola McNab, an experienced teacher trainer and academic, as a generous contribution to our school and participating colleagues. The webinar focused on authenticity in the language classroom — how we define it, how textbooks represent it, and how teachers can adapt course materials to be more relevant, engaging, and realistic for their learners.

The training took place online via Microsoft Teams and included interactive group work in breakout rooms, hands-on activities, and discussions based on actual materials from textbooks currently in use in Cypriot schools. Teachers exchanged ideas, reflected on their own practices, and co-created classroom activities.

Below you can access the PowerPoint presentation and the handout used during the session:

• presentation

• handout 

1. Understanding Authenticity in ELT

The webinar began by exploring the concept of authenticity in language teaching — a term often used but not always clearly defined. Through discussion and theory, participants examined:

• What makes a text, task, or topic “authentic”

• Definitions of authenticity from key scholars

• The trainer’s own perspective on how authenticity should be learner-centred and context-sensitive
  
  

2. Authentic Tasks

Teachers were presented with a series of classroom tasks and worked in groups to discuss:

• Whether the tasks felt authentic to their own students

• Whether they would teach or adapt the tasks — and how
  This section prompted reflection on personal relevance and how to make classroom activities more meaningful and purposeful.
  
  

3. Authentic Texts

The session examined how “real-world” texts (e.g. blog posts, social media content, news articles) can motivate learners. Participants explored:

• The benefits and challenges of using authentic texts

• When and how to adapt them for different student levels

• Examples taken from current English textbooks used in Cyprus and how they could be reworked
  
  

4. Authentic Topics and Language

While acknowledging the constraints of exam preparation, the webinar encouraged teachers to:

• Bring textbook topics to life in more relatable ways

• Allow students to engage creatively, such as through role-play, critical debates, or even TikTok video projects

• Ensure classroom language remains real, dynamic, and reflective of students’ lives
  
  

5. Workshop Activities

The webinar was highly interactive, with breakout room activities including:

• Adapting textbook extracts for authenticity

• Evaluating task and text relevance

• Group reflections on past classroom experiences with inauthentic or demotivating material

At the end of the session, participants shared their adapted materials and teaching ideas with the whole group.

We warmly thank Nicola McNab for generously offering this webinar to our school and participating teachers. Her time, insight, and energy were greatly appreciated and left a lasting impact on everyone who attended.