Recent Posts - page 51
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It’s your move… helping students manage spoken discourse
Helping learners to deal with spoken discourse was a hot topic on my Diploma course. You might encounter the terms ‘interactional talk’ and ‘transactional talk’ when you get to modules on discourse analysis; a possible development task could be to… Read More ›
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12 ideas for reviewing vocabulary
I’ve kept a list of all the vocabulary that has come up in class during the last few weeks of summer school. It’s a fair bit – about 200 words. Here are some ideas for reviewing vocabulary in groups. For… Read More ›
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Thoughts on teaching Vietnamese learners
I’m currently working at the British Council summer school in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s been a fantastic experience so far, and it’s the first time I’ve ever taught English to Vietnamese learners. It’s also my first stint at the… Read More ›
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5 ways to make reading tasks more fun
This week a colleague at the British Council gave me FIVE different activities for my young learner classes. That means I have to share 5 ideas to even things out! There’s a theme to the ideas below – 5 ways… Read More ›
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5 ideas to expand your ELT Toolkit
I was reading the Teacher Toolkit the other day, which is a fantastic site. I took at least 5 new ideas from it, mostly relating to classroom management. It reminded me how rewarding it is to learn from others, and… Read More ›
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35 ways to introduce your lesson topic
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Little tips from CELTA training that go a long way
When you undertake a 1-month intensive CELTA course it’s near impossible to absorb all the information you’re given. You have to prioritise, and that means getting the basics right. Staging a lesson, introducing new language effectively, anticipating problems, that type… Read More ›
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Fluency practice: What do you know about Britain?
Here’s a fun way to get students sharing information, in the context of history and culture. I originally got this idea from waygook.org, which is a good source of lesson inspiration if you’re a teacher based in South Korea. Let’s… Read More ›
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Reflective practice: creating a self-development record
How do you develop as a teacher? Do you rely on observations from peers or senior staff to tell you what you need to improve on? Do you evaluate and reflect on your own lessons? If so, do you do… Read More ›
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What were the last 10 teaching books you used?
Last week my boss Martin Sketchley (eltexperiences) was sitting next to me compiling his list of recommended reading for the CELTA. It made me think about resource and reference books in general, and how I use them. I thought it… Read More ›
Featured Categories
materials writing ›
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Beyond the coursebook for tiered EAL provision (Sequence Draft 1)
September 14, 2026
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Beyond the coursebook for tiered EAL provision (Part 5: genres, tasks, language functions)
September 2, 2026
DipTESOL tips ›
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DipTESOL Independent Research Project
August 10, 2021
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Reflections on the DipTESOL
June 29, 2021
teacher development ›
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Interlude: Beyond the coursebook for tiered EAL provision
September 1, 2026
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Beyond the coursebook for tiered EAL provision (Part 4: unit overviews)
August 28, 2026
