Author Archives

Teacher and Materials Writer

• Webinar notes: What about principles for materials development? (Brian Tomlinson)

  By Pete on September 15, 2018 • ( 3 )

  

  Here is Brian Tomlinson’s recent webinar in written form: ‘What about principles for materials development?’ The session was delivered as part of the MaWSIG ‘What about…? Webinar series. It was full of take home points so this post is pretty… Read More ›

• DipTESOL review quizzes on Sporcle

  By Pete on September 10, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Apps like Quizlet are full of good study sets for the DipTESOL course. Check out what’s on offer by clicking here (including a list by Martin Cooke, who I know reads this blog). Rather than add more to this, I… Read More ›

• Dip Tip: Phonology review quiz on PlayBuzz

  By Pete on September 10, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  I’ve had a few emails from people studying the DipTESOL saying that my old review quizzes have disappeared! Turns out that Qzzr is now a ‘paid for’ site. Boooo! I’ve been working on alternatives. Here is a phonology review quiz… Read More ›

• Dip Tips: Phonology and you

  By Pete on September 1, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  I sometimes hear from DipTESOL trainees who are finding it hard to get to grips with phonology. Common problems include:

• Lesson idea: Kahoot! for word stress

  By Pete on August 27, 2018 • ( 10 )

  

  Just a quick idea for using Kahoot! here. I found I was using it for the same purposes – grammar meaning/form checking, gap fills, consolidation at end of lesson, etc. I wanted to branch out. Turns out it works well… Read More ›

• #ObserveMe

  By Pete on August 25, 2018 • ( 3 )

  

  I really like the #ObserveMe movement (see Robert Kaplinsky’s post here or the hashtag). However, I’m going to have to tweak things to make it work.

• Correcting pronunciation errors from Thai speakers of English

  By Pete on August 20, 2018 • ( 6 )

  

  There are plenty of posts online explaining typical pronunciation errors from Thai speakers of English. Most seem accurate, and are a good starting point if you don’t have a copy of Swan’s Learner English to hand.

• Lesson idea: present perfect time markers

  By Pete on August 14, 2018 • ( 2 )

  

  Here are a few fun activities for practising time markers used with the present perfect. There’s a review of these markers in a B1 level teen coursebook we’re using (Gateway, Macmillan). I found the meaning/rule activity in the book useful,… Read More ›

• Tech tips for new materials writers

  By Pete on August 6, 2018 • ( 2 )

  

  These tips may sound simple to some, but useful to others! As a new writer I reckon you’ll have to do some of the things below, so this primer could help you hit the ground running…

• Developing into a materials writer

  By Pete on August 3, 2018 • ( 4 )

  

  Here are a few general tips for skills to develop if you’d like to write for publishers or big teaching organisations. This is not a ‘How to become….’ post. You can find good tips about how to actually get into… Read More ›