Whatever you might think about using course books in class, most teachers in most teaching contexts are obliged – or strongly encouraged – to use them. In fact, I imagine most of you have succumbed to the temptation of starting a class by saying: Your learners may well be comfortable with this approach. However, after…
Tag: English teaching
5 things to do before starting your TEFL course
So, you’ve been accepted onto a TEFL course. How are you feeling? Relaxed because you are a fluent English speaker with a good educational background. Perhaps you feel a little trepidation as one of your friends took the course and said it was one of the toughest months of her life. Maybe you’re worried that…
Can non-native speakers of English become good TEFL teachers?
This is a source of constant debate in the TEFL world. Here in Spain, many Spaniards (employers and students) request native speaker teachers. They hold beliefs, or prejudices, such as: British speak proper English not like Americans My German / Dutch /Spanish teacher of English knows grammar but speaks with a terrible accent I want…
Reasons why 3 is the magic number in ELT
Throughout human history, the number three has been seen as something magical. Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end Presentations and essays have an introduction, the main body, and a conclusion. Even humour uses the rule of three structure: I’ve met a woman. She’s beautiful, she’s intelligent and her name is James. (Sorry…
Teaching One-to-One: Stop teaching, start coaching!
Do you find one-to-one teaching frustrating? Do you find it hard to keep your students interested and motivated? Do you get the feeling that they are not really satisfied with your classes? Do you and they feel they are not making progress? If your answer to any of the above questions is YES, maybe you…