Unlock Teacher Orientation: Free Course

About this course

Understand how the Unlock teaching materials fit together before planning your lessons. This short free video course provides Cambridge’s three-part orientation to Unlock Third Edition: the coursebook, its components and its methodology. It is teacher training about using the materials; the books, software access and digital packs are not included with the public videos.

Course at a glance

What you’ll learn

• Identify the purpose of the three orientation videos and use them to map the main parts of the Unlock teaching materials.
• Connect a coursebook unit with supporting teacher and learner resources, subject to the access available to you.
• Consider how a methodological principle should influence a practical planning decision.
• Prepare a short plan for using the materials in your own teaching context and record questions that need further investigation.

Skills you’ll gain

• Course orientation
• Teaching resource planning
• Academic English methodology
• Unit planning
• Teacher preparation

Course Overview

The orientation begins with the coursebook, then considers the supporting components and the methodological approach. This sequence helps a teacher connect a unit’s learning purpose with the resources available for teaching and practice. Cambridge’s current teacher documentation describes the online training as a way to understand how Unlock works, what it includes and the principles behind the course. These three public videos offer a focused starting point. They do not replace studying the actual units or evaluating what your own learners need, and they are distinct from the eight-tip playlists for the different book levels.

How the course develops

• Video 1 introduces the coursebook. Use it to understand the shape of the material and what you should inspect when choosing a unit.
• Video 2 examines the components. Record the resources you can actually access and the purpose each might serve in a lesson or independent study.
• Video 3 addresses methodology. Connect the explanation with a concrete teaching choice instead of treating it only as background information.

Use the searchable lesson list to revisit an explanation while planning or practising. Keep a short note of the idea you want to apply and return to it after trying it in your own context.

Who is this for?

This course suits teachers beginning to use Unlock Third Edition, teacher trainees exploring academic English materials and coordinators supporting a new coursebook adoption. It provides an orientation to one specific series, so it is most useful when you can connect the explanations to a book or teaching plan. It does not provide a complete English course for learners.

Before you start

No prior experience with Unlock is required. A basic understanding of English lesson planning is helpful. Watch the public videos freely and use a notebook to record questions. Applying the guidance to the actual resources may require access to the relevant coursebook and teacher materials.

Put the lessons into practice

Create a one-page resource map for a unit you plan to teach. List the learning aim, the main coursebook activity, any supporting resource and the evidence you would use to judge learning. Distinguish resources you already have from those you would need to obtain separately. After the components video, remove any resource that does not serve a clear purpose in the plan. After the methodology video, revise one planning decision and explain why. Finish with three questions you would raise with a colleague or coordinator before teaching the unit. The result should be a practical preparation note that supports a real lesson.

This optional activity is provided by WikiFree for independent study. It is not a graded assignment from the instructor. Keep your working notes and separate evidence from assumptions so that you can review your reasoning as you progress.

Certificate / Assessment

The public video training is free to watch. Completing this WikiFree course does not include a Cambridge English exam, a qualification, academic credit or instructor assessment.

Use your notes and the optional practice to reflect on how you would apply the ideas. Completion tracking records study progress; it is not a marked assessment.

Frequently asked questions

Provider: Cambridge English. Videos play from the English with Cambridge channel on YouTube.