Sometimes I think I’m far too serious to teach young learners. Maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe I just don’t ‘get’ them. Perhaps I’m getting too old. Maybe I’m just not learning how to teach them properly. I don’t… Read More ›
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Digital Breaks – James Styring
I attended a useful webinar by James Styring the other week, entitled ‘Easy and motivating ways to use digital technology in the classroom. Click here to watch a recording of the webinar. Overall, it was a very good presentation. There… Read More ›
Spelling races with mini-whiteboards
I don’t do enough spelling practice. I should develop in that area, definitely. But one fun thing I do is a simple whiteboard spelling game as a review. Give each team (about 4 students) a mini whiteboard, pen, eraser. Say… Read More ›
Disappearing dialogues, colour-coded support
On the CELTA YL course I did a story retelling task. The students had watched a Shaun the Sheep video, and I’d pre-taught some of the tough vocab. After the video I wanted them to retell the story, but they… Read More ›
Post-it note votes
A quick post-task for poster work. We’ve been doing quite a bit of post-it note voting recently, students seem to like it. Display posters around the room. In this case, we were designing environmentally friendly parks. Tell students that we will… Read More ›
Comparatives and superlatives – Top Trumps
This is a classic. I find Top Trumps are a fun way to practise comparatives (mainly) and superlatives with young learners. Here’s something I did recently… The topic was ‘Wild World’, but talk of animals like polar bears feels a… Read More ›
30 tips for developing teachers
Some teachers have clear direction when it comes to development. Others, like me, have always been a little bit lost. I found that once I finished my initial teacher training there wasn’t much support or guidance when it came to… Read More ›
Interactive whiteboards – some pros and cons
At my current school we have interactive whiteboards (IWBs) in every classroom. These are a luxury, but I do think they have their drawbacks. In ‘400 Ideas for Interactive Whiteboards’, Sharma et al (2011:10-11) list these benefits of using an… Read More ›
Using story cubes
I bought these story cubes a few months ago, and I’ve tried them out a few times this term. They are basically dice with pictures on them, so it’s really up to you how you use them. You can find… Read More ›
Distance learning for teachers – is it right for you?
It’s a pleasure to introduce this guest post from Phil Wade. He shares some useful advice for teachers thinking of undertaking distance study. I did my first TEFL course with i-to-i about 18 years ago and as a follow-up, I… Read More ›
ELT Planning 