Sam Schelberger
Sam already had many years of teaching experience and was working with emergent language in her lessons.
But after attending one of my workshops in July 2025, she became interested in finding more effective ways to capture and react to the language that emerges in the classroom.
She also saw the Toolkit course as an opportunity to reflect on her own teaching and refine the way she worked.
“It’s definitely improved the structure in my lessons and the toolkit is so much fun to use. It’s also saved me a lot of preparation time.”
Sam’s journey
“Do I really need this after so many years of teaching?”
There was some hesitation before joining. Like many experienced teachers, Sam wondered whether she really needed another course and whether the time and investment would be worthwhile.
“I was thinking, can I fit this into my schedule? Should I be paying for something that I could maybe teach myself? Do I really need this after so many years of teaching anyway?”
Those doubts quickly disappeared.
“I’m so glad I took part, Lewis. It’s been a real eye-opener for me.”
The combination of new practical ideas and opportunities to reflect on her existing practice gave Sam new ways of approaching something she was already doing.
Capturing and exploiting emergent language more effective
One of the biggest changes was becoming more conscious of what happens to emergent language after it appears in a lesson. It wasn’t just about simply capturing it, but finding ways to exploit it more effectively and sustainably.
“I’ve become more aware of how to capture and exploit emergent language sustainably and more effectively.”
The course also gave Sam a bank of new techniques that she could take directly into her teaching.
The live sessions became a source of ideas and renewed enthusiasm:
“After our live sessions my mind was buzzing with ideas, which just made me more enthusiastic to implement them in my lessons.”
More structure and less preparation
Perhaps most importantly, the Toolkit didn’t mean adding more work to an already busy teaching schedule. Instead, it helped Sam bring greater structure to her lessons while reducing the amount of preparation she needed to do.
“It’s definitely improved the structure in my lessons and the Toolkit is so much fun to use. It’s also saved me a lot of preparation time.”
That combination – more structure, more responsiveness and less preparation – has helped Sam enhance her lessons without losing the spontaneity that makes working with emergent language so valuable.
Learning from other experienced teachers
The transformation wasn’t only about the tools themselves. Working alongside other trainers provided another source of ideas, reflection and professional development.
“I really enjoyed the interaction with the other trainers, bouncing ideas off each other, exchanging tips and experiences. It was great fun.”
And despite her initial concern about finding the time, the course fitted comfortably around her existing workload:
“It’s easy to fit into a busy schedule and the Toolkit itself is gold!”
Who would Sam recommend the Toolkit to?
Sam’s recommendation is particularly relevant to experienced teachers who already work with emergent language in some way but feel they could do it more confidently, systematically or sustainably:
“I would highly recommend this course to teachers and trainers out there who already work with emergent language but want to become more confident in capturing and exploiting it sustainably.”
