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 experience far more engaging. Read more
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. Read more
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 skills while sparking their imagination and enthusiasm for writing in English. Read more
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. Read more
Reading aloud in class is a topic that sparks plenty of debate among language teachers. While some see it as a cornerstone of developing fluency, others view it as unnecessary or even counterproductive for many learners. Personally, I believe reading aloud can be a valuable tool when used purposefully and with the right students, particularly those who will need to speak or present publicly in English. For other learners, while occasional practice can still be beneficial, it may not always be a central focus of your lessons. Here’s a closer look at the pros and cons of reading aloud, along with suggestions for how to use it effectively in your classroom. Read more
For B1-level students, the challenge lies in striking the right balance: ensuring the vocabulary is accessible but still engaging and new. Vocabulary activities should help students make connections between the text and their own language use, while also deepening their understanding of the story. Here are some ideas I’ve used to build vocabulary activities for B1 learners in my Harry Potter course. Read more
My students are all private clients with busy lives, so I prefer to make homework optional. This way, when it is completed, it’s a pleasant surprise. For this course, since students are already tasked with reading chapters and occasionally writing summaries, it’s even more important to keep additional homework optional. Read more
When studying a text, it can be challenging to decide which grammatical structures to focus on. This often depends on the level of the course. Some teachers I’ve spoken to feel it’s reductionist to tackle grammar in texts, arguing for a more ‘Language Arts’ approach. I disagree. The beauty of using texts with students lies in studying language in context—all aspects of language, including grammar. Also, it’s important to work with students’ (and parents) expectations. Read more