In the classroom, then, aim to create more dialogue between and with your learners about language. Notice opportunities to discuss the language that you hear students using. Consider:
- Asking learners to teach you words and phrases that you hear them using. These might be new and trendy, or they might be standard phrases that other learners in the class would benefit from learning about. What do they mean? What are people aiming for when they use these words and phrases?
- Getting learners to explore different identities in their speaking and writing. How might a text change if they write it as if they were you? How does a presentation differ if they deliver it to a group of parents vs. a group of friends?
The objective is not to speak like your learners – to do so would be inauthentic – nor is it to judge language as good or bad, but to model curiosity. Show them how words can be a window to a world they don’t yet know, and demonstrate that learners’ thoughts, feelings and voices are valued and valid.
Making classroom time count
The second way in which we can draw a lesson from parasocial is to look at the word itself. As parasocial relationships take on greater importance for many people, the classroom takes on new value as a place to develop the skills needed to form more meaningful, reciprocal relationships. More than ever, learners need to master the hidden curriculum of interpersonal skills, as well as the content curriculum, in order to leave school with the capacity to make a positive impact in their communities.
Teachers can support the development of interpersonal skills by:
- Incorporating pair and group work as a routine part of lessons. This kind of interaction might involve complete tasks, or it can take place on a more granular level, such as inviting learners to check their answers with a partner before whole-class feedback.
- Teaching learners the skills they need to successfully work together in pairs or groups. Although this is often left to chance, all learners can benefit from structured guidance on how to work together, listen to one another, and reach collective agreement.
- Setting guidelines for classroom interaction. Beyond the obvious expectations of respect and active listening, guidelines might include encouragement to invite more reticent learners for their thoughts, so that there is a classroom culture of openness and participation.
For more information on supporting learners with classroom interaction, visit oracycambridge.org
Ultimately, working with contemporary words and phrases is about more than vocabulary – it’s about developing an awareness of language, and through language, an awareness of culture. It helps learners see that, like all languages, English is not a fixed code to be mastered but a living system that changes with society. For educators, staying curious about new language trends can reinvigorate our own practice and connect us more closely with our students’ worlds.
Read more about the Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year here: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/news/view/parasocial-is-cambridge-dictionarys-word-of-the-year-2025/.