The Rule of Three in ELT with Stephanie Ashford, 27th June 2026
A review by our member Daphne Klimmek
The Rule of Three in ELT was a great way to re-ignite Eltas in style.
On a seriously hot Saturday, 18 participants braved the heat, some travelling for more than two hours, to connect in person, collaborate, learn and laugh again.
Air conditioning and the engaging presence and our speaker Stephanie Ashford (accompanied by Tom Smith), contributed to an atmosphere that was relaxed, curious and at times playful.
The number 3 featured all afternoon, beginning with the way we introduced ourselves before moving on to “snap, crackle, pop”; “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” and “See it, say it, sorted”.
We explored the significance of 3: it’s the smallest pattern our brains latch onto, we remember things more easily in 3s, and we’re surprisingly open to persuasion when ideas are packaged in 3s. We have triads in religion and storytelling, advertising slogans, the rule of thirds in art and photography …. you get the idea!
From there, Stephanie applied “3s” to lesson design and implementation, feedback sandwiches, and conversations, to mention just a few. After a networking break we engaged in 3 linked activities, which can be adapted to use with learners, and concluded by sharing 3 insights, 3 takeaways and 3 next steps. More than 3 of us stayed on for cool drinks and delicious Italian food in a hot location! Make of that what you will.
By far the hottest of the “3 Hot Topics in ELT” was, of course, AI. Views ranged from scepticism and cautious curiosity to an enthusiastic “bring it on”. In the same spirit, I am happy to admit that this account was written with some help from AI, a small wink to the sceptics among us.
