I’ve had a really busy year. I’ve taught in four different countries since January. They’ve included a quick winter camp in Spain (which was great fun), a short stint back in England, an amazing summer in Vietnam and now Christmas… Read More ›
elt
EFL Classroom Management Techniques
I contacted Cambridge University Press last month. I said ‘If you send me a book, I’ll review it on my blog.’ To my surprise, a copy of Classroom Management Techniques by Jim Scrivener turned up in my pigeon hole at… Read More ›
Lesson idea: introducing inventions
Lessons that involve designing a new invention or product have cropped up at 5 of the 6 summer schools I’ve worked at. I came across this video the other day that gives me a new lead-in to the topic… After… Read More ›
Lesson idea: introducing dreams and ambitions
You really must check out these two sites: All at C and Vocabulary in Chunks. I’ve started to use a lot more videos in class and these have some great resources on them! Sometimes I come across resources, especially videos,… Read More ›
Lesson tip: tidy-up song
Do you use a tidy-up song at the end of class? This is mine… My primary level students start singing this with about 5 minutes of the lesson to go. They love the challenge of getting everything packed away, plus the… Read More ›
Lesson idea: activities for short videos
I use a lot of videos in class these days. There’s no shortage of inspiration for film lessons online, and a bit in print too. We received a copy of Film in Action last June, which Martin Sketchley reviewed here…. Read More ›
Lesson idea: Introducing travel
The old ones are the best! Here’s a video of a guy travelling around the world and dancing. You’ve probably seen it. I’ve used it quite a few times to generate interest in the topic of travel/geography. Actually, I think… Read More ›
Lesson idea: James Bond observation challenge
I don’t know about you, but I was quite disappointed with the latest Bond movie. I’m a big Bond fan, but I wish we could go back to the pun-filled days of Connery/Moore. Anyway, here’s a fun observation challenge based… Read More ›
Lesson tip: creative displays
The other day I did a creative writing activity with my teen class (ages 12-13). The activity was based on the teacher resources in English in Mind, and it worked well. Students had to describe the colours, sounds and smells in their… Read More ›
Lesson idea: The planets
Check out this great video – I came across it during the summer school at British Council HCMC. We did an activity where students described what was happening on each of the 12 planets. Then they created a 13th planet themselves, displayed their… Read More ›
ELT Planning 