About English Current


English Current was launched in March, 2011. The site's focus originally was providing free lesson plans based on breaking news stories for ESL students. The focus has since expanded to include a variety of ESL-related materials such as worksheets and grammar tips.

The site has been designed for teachers who need topic-based lesson plans or other ESL materials for classroom use and students who want to study and test their English online.

As of May 2022, EnglishCurrent asks that teachers and institutions pay a small $15 USD annual fee for access to our lesson bank of over 130 lesson plans. Visit here for membership information.

Englishcurrent is constantly evolving in content and layout. If you'd like to get in touch, please send Matthew an email. Note that the site does not accept paid posts.

Thank you for visiting.

English Current 

A photograph of the creator of EnglishCurrent, Matthew Barton

About the Author

Matthew Barton has been working in the ESL industry for approximately 15 years. As a teacher, he has taught private, group, elementary school, and college classes to students of all levels in Canada, Japan, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. Matthew lives in Vancouver, Canada.

As a writer, Matthew has been doing part-time freelance test item development for several companies since November 2006. He holds a Master in Philosophy (MA) from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. He completed his BA degree in Japanese and Philosophy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

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