For EFL/ESL teachers, fostering strong speaking skills in students is a key priority. However, effective speaking practice should balance two essential components: accuracy and fluency. While accuracy focuses on correct grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary use, fluency emphasizes ease of communication, confidence, and the ability to express ideas smoothly. Striking the right balance between these two […]
Placement interviews are a brief yet powerful tool in helping us understand our students—not just in terms of grammar and vocabulary, but in how they communicate, think, and learn. In a typical 5- to 10-minute interview, we have the opportunity to evaluate a range of competencies that will determine how well students can thrive in […]
When designing an effective EFL/ESL course, teachers must consider multiple aspects of competence beyond just linguistic skills. While linguistic competence is naturally a primary focus, recognizing and fostering other types of competence is crucial for helping learners become confident, effective communicators. Communicative success depends on a range of abilities that work together to help learners […]
Many EFL students enter university believing that the “Academic IELTS essay” they practiced is exactly what higher education expects. In reality, IELTS tasks are designed for test-taking—emphasizing speed, opinion, and a formulaic structure—whereas university essays require a more rigorous, research-driven approach. This post outlines the key differences between Academic IELTS essays and true academic essays, […]
Hagrid’s speech in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone may confuse students but can offer an engaging way for students to explore dialects, pronunciation variations, and the role of language in character identity. This post outlines key teaching points and interactive activities to help students analyze Hagrid’s unique way of speaking.
Using Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as the basis for vocabulary instruction offers a rich, engaging context for your students—especially those at B1 level and upward. This post provides research-backed insights, practical strategies, checklists and templates to help you navigate the complexities of vocabulary teaching in a literary context.
I often receive requests for guidance on how to create a syllabus from scratch, particularly for literature-based courses. Most of my courses are tailored to specific contexts—for business students or individual learners—but designing syllabi centered around literature is especially rewarding. The complex worlds that novels offer open up endless opportunities for exploration, making the learning […]
Harry Potter is a great book to study as there are films, audiobooks, games and other adaptations to complement the reading and maximise student engagement. Not only does this cater to different learning styles, but it also provides opportunities for students to engage with the text in new and dynamic ways.
Literature opens the door to entirely new worlds, allowing students to experience life from different perspectives. Harry Potter offers so many creative and purposeful writing activities: descriptive writing, persuasive essays, scripts and newspaper articles, reports etc. Below are 10 example writing activities based on Harry Potter. Each activity is designed to help students strengthen specific […]
Many of my students come to me specifically to improve their speaking skills, for fluency, pronunciation, confidence, or for particular scenarios. I particularly like working with literature as students can speak about characters and events outside their own experience, this helps many students who lack confidence in speaking about themselves.