12 from ’12: The best of your posts from this year (blog challenge)

TweetLast year I had a post called 11 from ’11: The best of your posts from this year (blog challenge) which people seemed to really like and got a lot of tweets and received many responses. Being a bit of a lazy blogger these days, I’ve decided to replicate this post and have simply changed the number ’11′ with ’12′. Given that the announcement has just been made about the opening of this year’s EduBlog awards, it seems like a perfect time to do this again. Here’s how I laid down the challenge one year ago…

‘This just seems like a great chance to reflect back on a year of blogging, with the hope that others will also do the same. Right then, down to business: some of you are trying hard to drum up support for your blog in the upcoming EduBlog awards. Good luck to you. The thing is, to get those votes you’re going to have to show people why you’re so wonderful. What better way to do that than by showcasing your eleven – go on, I’ll use the ‘B’ word – best posts of the year. What’s more, you can pretend you’re not blatantly canvassing for votes by making out that you’re just fulfilling a blog challenge set by one of your wonderful PLN. Everyone’s a winner baby, that’s the truth…’

So, here are the highlights of my blogging year:

1) The Tragic Case of the Riyadh Bar Brawl

A fight breaks out between two English teachers in an underground drinking den in Riyadh. The results are tragic, leading to a mad – unsuccessful – dash to escape the authorities. Read on…

2) #Dogme ELT: The first 1,000 years, or How I Integrated Dogme ELT into my teaching

What are the roots of my teaching philosophy? Where are their origins? How does what I do in class shape up to contemporary theories. I thought this post might bring in the Dogme crowd: it didn’t. This post took me eighteen months to complete, so please give it a read.

3) Dealing with the physical aspects of the classroom: prologue

This is the introduction to my current blog series which is investigating how the physical constraints of the rooms we teach in can and should influence how we teach.

4) The power of the poster

I’m a big fan of posters for many reasons. Here are those reasons.

5) A plan for the 2012-13 Academic year: Setting goals

If you don’t plan what you are going to do and what you want to achieve you’re never going to get anywhere in your teaching career. Trust me: I have many years of experience not planning what I was going to do and what I wanted to achieve.

6) Why are some teachers always late?

A like having a grizzle from time to time, but have to be careful because a lot of my colleagues actually read my blog and don’t understand that I make a point of never writing about them. This is me in full bitching mode.

7) A day in the life of an ELT conference presenter (version 2.0)

Being a conference presenter with a full-time teaching commitment is really difficult sometimes. This is a video diary of one of those times.

8) A tale of two conferences (part one)

I had an incredible year in 2011-12 and the conferences I presented at were a huge part of the success. This is part one of my ‘March madness’ and details my experiences at TESOL Arabia.

9) A tale of two conferences (part two)

Just to reiterate, I had an incredible year in 2011-12 and the conferences I presented at were a huge part of the success. This is part two of my ‘March madness’ and details my experiences at IATEFL Glasgow.

10) My Blogathon adventure in full

The reason I was able to go to IATEFL Glasgow just ten days after TESOL Arabia was due to the fact that I received the gold medal in the British Council’s Blogathon contest. Believe me, I had to work darn hard for this honor! Read all about how I did it.

11) The #TPaCK model: An introduction

TPaCK is going to feature heavily in my blog posts in the coming year. This post would be a good place to start for all those who haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about.

2) The five most important trends in ELT

Complete nonsense that was only intended to bring attention to my blog; a lot of fun nonetheless, especially the great comments that this post received.

Bring on your twelve

What have you blogged about this year? Let the rest of us know by taking up this shamelessly self promoting blog challenge.

Remember to leave a comment and link below if/when you choose your 12 so I can add them to the list. If you don’t have twelve, just make a post about your best of the year and leave a link in the comments!

Here are people who’ve taken up the 12 from ’12 challenge so far:

• Aybike Oğuz – Why I jumped on a plane to Bali
• Tony Gurr – My 12-from-12…(NOT the #eddies12 – promise)!
• Brad Patterson – 12 from 12 Blog challenge
• Yeşim Çakır – Reflections of this year and goals for next year
• Vicky Loras – My Favourite Posts for 2012: A Response to @yearinthelifeof’s Challenge
• Carol Goodey – 12 from ’12 for my 12th
• Tyson Seburn – 12 posts from 2012 I love
• Mike Griffin – 12 posts before the end of ’12
• Sandy Millin – 12 from ’12
• Leo Selivan – Top blog posts of 2012
• Ann Loseva – 12 from ’12: A variation

Please link to your post in the comments section so I can add it to the list.