Developing “learner autonomy” has been a crucial element of TEFL for at least as long as I’ve been teaching, so it’s interesting to see what seems to be a growing interest in study strategies from students, on social media and in classes. Read more
When you’re hosting homestay students, it can be difficult to engage the whole household in conversation, especially if your students are lower levels, particularly in the first few days. I tend to find there’s some dead time after dinner, rainy days and long journeys when everyone is gathered together and conversation can be difficult.
Here are some games we’ve used. The title of each game links to instructions. The language areas specified give an indication of lexical and grammatical areas practiced in the games, but these aren’t classes – the aim should be communication and fun, rather than accuracy. Read more
One of the topics I’m really interested in at the moment is tutorials, not just in EAP but in any class that is not one-to-one. In one-to-one classes, which are created to address an individual student’s needs, discussing progress, addressing areas of difficulty, talking about goals and aspirations, and finding methods that work for a particular student are all interwoven within each class. After teaching one-to-ones for a while, you begin to appreciate the difficulties involved in bringing that individual attention to each student in larger classes (although, larger classes offer many other benefits for students, and teachers). If organised well, tutorials should offer students in larger classes some of the one-to-one attention lacking. Read more
As ESL/EFL teachers, providing constructive feedback is crucial for our students’ language development. One common, effective way to offer feedback is through the use of marking symbols. This not only pinpoints areas for improvement but also encourages learner autonomy and self-correction. Read more
“AI won’t take your job. It’s somebody using AI that will take your job” Richard Baldwin, Economist. Read more
I’d never heard of a Cert PT before finding this course. It is the Trinity Certificate for Practising Teachers. It’s a level 6 qualification, which places it between the CELTA (level 5) and DELTA (level 7). As I understand it, it is possible to take a Cert PT in different specialisations e.g. Young Learners, Online Teaching, Business English etc. However, I am told that the certificates awarded don’t actually name the specialism, which seems odd. Read more
These are short self-study courses, made up of three modules plus an introductory module which you only need do once. I’m not sure how much time they suggest for each course but a whole course can be completed in 2 – 3 hours. Read more
This is a (slowly growing) list of useful online resources for teachers & students, in no particular order. If you have any favourite sites, please let me know. Read more
As I’ve spent the last month or so listing songs for learning English grammar, it seems to make sense to finish with a list of songs for topics to introduce or revise vocabulary. This list will grow as I remember/discover more, or people get in touch with suggestions. Read more