Why write things on the board for the students to write in their notebooks when you can dictate them? Dictation gives your students a clear model of pronunciation and allows them to practise their listening and writing skills. Here’s an example: Imagine you have a few topic questions you want your students to discuss. You…
Tag: TEFL
10 ways to use course books and encourage learner autonomy
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…
The Only 3 Things Teachers Must Do
Think of a teacher who had a positive effect on you. Maybe this teacher made you think that teaching might be something you would like to try. Maybe this teacher awakened a passion for learning in you that was previously dormant. Maybe this teacher opened a window to a subject that until then had held…
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…
10 commandments of TEFL – An accidental manifesto
Somebody asked me the other day if I had a philosophy about TEFL, a manifesto if you like, perhaps a mission statement, a set of general beliefs about teaching English to speakers of other languages. I laughed and said I didn’t really believe in grand statements. Besides, I was watching a football match and didn’t…
Do you have to be from Mars to teach Astronomy?
The native versus non-native speaker debate rages on…… In a previous post, I discussed native speaker English teachers (NS teachers) and non-native English teachers (NNS). The title of the post ‘Can non-native speakers of English become good TEFL teachers?’ was, as some people pointed out, potentially insulting towards non-native speakers . My reason for choosing…
10 Things you shouldn’t say in an interview for a TEFL job
Over the years, I’ve interviewed about 50 TEFL teachers. Some people walked through the door and I automatically knew they weren’t appropriate for the job: stinking of alcohol, 3 hours late with no explanation, tattoos all over their face when they were applying for an in-company position…..little things like that. Other applicants seemed fairly normal…
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…
Am I the right age or nationality to get into TEFL?
I’ve worked with and trained recent graduates who were able to manage classes without raising their voices and middle-aged former project managers who went blank in front of a group of expectant students. Most TEFL training courses will not accept trainees younger than 18 but there is no upper age limit. However, the demands of…