“During my lessons I tend to look at the clock frequently, as I want to stick to the timing of my lesson plan. Will students just interpret this as me just wanting to get the lesson over and done with?” There is nothing more discouraging for students than seeing their Read more…
“I find that I start a course with the best intentions and then my level of motivation tails off. How can I keep myself energized and creative?” I have carried out various surveys of students regarding their experience with teachers (not just EFL, but also at school and university). A Read more…
“If I ask a student a language-related question on something we have just studied, how long should I give them to answer before asking another student the same question?” If you ask someone a question, give them at least 6-10 seconds to formulate their reply – they need time to Read more…
“Am I inadvertently irritating my students?” There are certain things that you may not be aware of that will aggravate your students: mispronouncing their names making fun of them in front of the class responding to their question by saying that you already answered that question earlier in the lesson Read more…
How do I best transition from a General English, PPP, exam and coursebook-based context to TBL? Let’s start with some definitions. PPP stands for presentation-practice-production and was first introduced in the late 1970s! You present a grammar/vocabulary/structure element that you want students to learn, you give them some controlled practise, Read more…
“Am I talking too much? … Or not enough? Is it OK to let students into my private life?” When I did my TEFL preparatory course at International House in London, I had two tutors who were obsessed by TTT (teacher talking time). They preached that teachers should talk the Read more…
“Should I ban phones from the classroom?” Quick answer: No! In most classroom situations, you can use phones as a learning aid. Banning them is very hard to implement. But you can set ground rules about WHEN and HOW they should be used. In today’s digital age, smartphones have become Read more…