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Teacher and Materials Writer

• Lesson idea: UK politics and the election

  By Pete on May 7, 2015 • ( 3 )

  

  Today I taught one of my best lessons ever.  It’s a massive day for the UK, and there was no way I was going to ignore the general election in class. I had a group of 14 year old intermediate… Read More ›

• DipTESOL Tip – Phonology based activities

  By Pete on May 4, 2015 • ( 8 )

  

  I found ‘Phonological Theory in Classroom Practice’ the most useful module on the DipTESOL. It really encourages you to try out new activities and integrate phonology into your lessons. During the final assessment for the module (which is a 30-minute… Read More ›

• Lesson idea: quick conditionals review

  By Pete on April 30, 2015 • ( 2 )

  

  Here’s a quick idea for revising some conditionals. I used this the other day and it worked well: Ask students the following: What would you do if you were the last person on earth? Encourage creativity: If I were the… Read More ›

• CELTA tip: the language skills assignment

  By Pete on April 28, 2015 • ( 16 )

  

  I think the language skills topic on the CELTA is incredibly useful. As someone who rarely uses textbooks, I’m always searching for authentic reading and listening materials to use in class. Topic 3 on the CELTA gave me a solid… Read More ›

• Lesson idea: using sports commentaries in class

  By Pete on April 24, 2015 • ( 11 )

  

  Have you ever heard of the ‘instantaneous present simple’? I hadn’t until a recent diploma module. Apparently it’s used to describe events or occurrences with some level of immediacy. You find it in newspaper headlines (like ‘Brad marries Angelina’), verbs… Read More ›

• British History Lesson: Boudica

  By Pete on April 19, 2015 • ( 1 )

  

  I recently taught a great group of upper-intermediate Italian college students. They were from a humanities college, they requested lessons in history, psychology, sociology and so on. It was International Women’s Day the weekend before, so I thought it was… Read More ›

• CELTA tip: guided discovery

  By Pete on April 16, 2015 • ( 14 )

  

  I got an A in my CELTA, but I had some teaching experience before the course. I find one of the hardest things about teaching is actually standing up and doing it. I am a really nervous person, and this… Read More ›

• What I gained from the CELTA: Lesson Frameworks

  By Pete on April 14, 2015 • ( 13 )

  

  My CELTA course was exceptional. The whole experience more than surpassed my expectations, and I came away with heaps of ideas and confidence. In fact, I gained so much from the course that I ended up passing the DipTESOL barely… Read More ›

• Lesson idea: exploring the characters in a short movie

  By Pete on April 13, 2015 • ( 0 )

  Here’s a great video to shape your own lesson around. In a previous blog I mentioned a few websites where you can find one minute long videos, which are great for a lesson starter. Here’s my favourite: Source: http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/10-fantastic-short-films-that-are-only-a-minute-long.php I think… Read More ›

• A fun lesson idea using Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking out loud’

  By Pete on April 10, 2015 • ( 2 )

  

  How do you encourage a really shy class to express themselves? It’s a question I’ve been asking all week. My latest group of single nationality pre-intermediate teenagers are a lovely bunch, but they can be so timid. I haven’t found… Read More ›