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Teacher and Materials Writer

• 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 • ( 15 )

  

  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 ›

• Using Google Doodles to revise dates

  By Pete on April 7, 2015 • ( 0 )

  

  I read a great post from Svetlana Kandybovich yesterday on using Google games in the classroom. Her comments on Google matched my experience. I used to fight against technology and hated it when students always tapped away on their smart phones… Read More ›

• DipTESOL observed practice – lesson planning

  By Pete on April 6, 2015 • ( 11 )

  Avoid my ramblings and skip to the end of this post for an example lesson plan for the DipTESOL observed practice.

• Video resource: a one minute guide to planet earth

  By Pete on April 3, 2015 • ( 3 )

  Here’s a fluency based activity to challenge those adult advanced classes. I am always on the hunt for activities that will stretch my strongest students, and get them talking about rather alien topics. After all, if you’ve mastered a language… Read More ›