Pronunciation is often neglected by teachers of English language. Sometimes it is not taught at all and, when it is, it is often relegated to the status of an optional extra. Certainly, the time devoted to pronunciation work is insignificant when compared to the time spent on grammar, vocabulary-building and communication activities.
When I work with English teachers, I’m often asked for book recommendations. Sometimes people want follow-up reading related to the training we’ve been doing, or to their professional development. However, I’m just as often asked whether there are any books I can recommend for their personal enjoyment.
This blog provides a review of the new book An Introduction to Evidence-Based Teaching in the English Language Classroom: Theory and Practice by Carol Lethaby, Russell Mayne and Patricia Harries. The book provides an overview of the existing evidence relating to the effectiveness of various common practices in English Language Teaching.
Lesson planning is an important part of teaching, but there are so many options when writing one that it can become overwhelming. In this blog we discuss why we write lesson plans, who we might write them for and what they should include. There is also a FREE lesson plan template and sample for you to download and edit.
A listening exam assesses your students’ ability to listen to, and to understand, an audio in English. It is an imperative part of many exams and can often seem quite daunting. We’ve prepared a few tips to help you prepare them and send them into the exam feeling more confident.
There are plenty of online resources and videos which give students advice on how to prepare for oral English exams and I have written a summary of the top ten tips. However, the main part of this post will be focused on how we as teachers can ensure that our students are prepared for, and are confident in, the skills needed to negotiate presentations and oral exams.
With exam season coming up, we take a look at how you can help your students prepare for reading exams. From knowing the exam basics, developing their reading skills and strategies, to ensuring they have some targeted exam practise. All this gives your students the best chance to perform well in their next reading exam.
When we are looking at the effectiveness of our teaching, we often get tied up in the minutiae of classroom practice. However, sometimes it’s useful to take a bit of a step back and examine what we are doing more broadly. Here we take a look at some of the different options we have as teachers in the hope it allows you to contextualise your own practice.
With the Euros starting and England's first game just around the corner, we couldn't miss the opportunity to offer a passionate insight into the history of the game from a fan's perspective, coupled with some ideas on how to incorporate the buzz of the Euros into your TEFL classroom!
Debates are a good way to practice English speaking skills and develop argumentative language in the TEFL classroom. They also encourage English learners to listen carefully to the counterpoints made by their opponents. In addition, reading skills can be improved during any research undertaken for a debate.
In this article, we have tried to bring together and explain some of the more common concepts and terminology used in the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. We hope it will be a useful reference for teachers but is also intended for anyone coming to the field for the first time - whether they are considering a career in TEFL, are new to the industry, or work with TEFL teachers or organisations in an associated or support role.
TEFL is a very rewarding profession but that doesn’t mean it comes without challenges. Sometimes it’s useful to have a bit of help and advice along the way, so we’ve picked some common issues, and here are our top tips and approaches for teaching English as a second language (ESL).
