Awesome Alumni: Catherine Lindsay

Awesome Alumni: Catherine Lindsay

The more courses and webinars on Graphic Facilitation for ELT professionals that I run, the more awesome alumni I have.

I’ve decided to start a series of blog posts featuring my AWESOME ALUMNI.

First up is Catherine Lindsay. She is an ESOL Lecturer at the Clement James Centre.

When I launched my first group programme, she was the very first person to sign up and make me feel it could be a winner!

Here are her reflections on the course and some great teaching ideas she’d like to share with you.

How has your professional practice changed since my course?

I now have a new tool-kit of ‘ready-to-draw’ images, which enables me to foster spontaneity in my ESOL classes. I can also help my students to express themselves using drawings, and so encourage creativity in classes.

How are the students responding to your simple drawings and graphic facilitation tools?

Students have remarked that they really enjoy my sketches and they bring joy into the classroom. When one student left at the end of a course just before Christmas 2021, she said she would miss my drawings!

Can you describe a couple of ways you’ve used your skills in class?

Emily taught us a variety of simple ways to draw people. I felt that each could show a different emotion, so I was inspired to draw them on the whiteboard at the beginning of class when I wanted to check in with how they felt. I left ‘C’ blank to allow students to add their own. This worked really well, as students were free to express themselves and could say more than they would with words alone.

In one female class, the Muslim women responded by drawing their hairstyles! It was a lovely moment as the students connected with each other in a new way.

Catherine Lindsay Graphic Facilitation for ELT Emotions

Using simple drawings has also been helpful for clarifying language points and pronunciation. For example, students were confused between ‘quilt’ and ‘kilt’. It took me only a minute to quickly draw each on the whiteboard; they could then copy the drawing into their notes because it was easy to copy. The students enjoyed it because it was fun and spontaneous!

What attracted you to my course?

I was inspired to use simple drawings on the whiteboard when I first started teaching ESOL in 2014. Jim Scrivener’s book ‘Teaching English Grammar’ was a go-to in those early days (and would be one of the first books I’d pack if I knew I was teaching ESOL overseas!), and he always presents grammar/fresh topics with simple drawings. I was attracted to Emily’s course, as I wanted to refresh my drawing skills and see what else I could learn!

Have you used graphic facilitation for any other aspects of your life?

That’s an interesting question. Yes, I found myself adding small drawings when we were helping my father to move from his house and I needed to leave notes for my sister. It gave me a lift during quite a stressful and busy time.

What would you say to anyone thinking about doing my course?

Go for it! You won’t be disappointed! It was a delight to be drawing whilst on a webinar and to share ideas and inspiration with others.

Anything else?

I am blocking out time to return to Emily’s resources from the course, as we have to record ongoing CPD activities to show to our manager. This means I can continue to build my own ‘drawing toolkit’! The fun part of drawing is that you start to find your own style, which perhaps you didn’t know about.

The final thing to say is a massive THANK YOU to Emily for her inspiring teaching and training! It’s a real joy and privilege to learn from her.

Isn’t Catherine awesome? I love all of her incredible work.

If this post left you feeling inspired, why not join one of my courses? I always have something exciting on the go! Click the link to find out more!

https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/all-courses/