Topic: Learning and Teaching

Ways for teacher and students to use their bodies to present and practise grammatical forms such as tenses, modal verbs and passive voice

Error correction activities that aren't a waste of class time.

The top children's books for practising typical EFL language points, with interactive classroom activities for each picture book.

A quick guide to putting someone in the right level, giving a good impression, and finding out other vital information as you do so.

Making sure that students find out the best ways to improve their English outside the classroom without needing to diverge from your class's curriculum, with many ideas for interactive classroom activities on the topic of language learning.

Games for presentation, intensive practice and freer practice of useful phrases for this most difficult and critical of Business English skills.

Stacking blocks and other things like plastic kitchen sets to practise numbers, basic maths, times, days of the week, months, dates, the alphabet, phonics, colours, basic questions and answers, shapes, prepositions of position, requests and offers.

Well-known and "new classic" multipurpose card games for teaching English to adults and children.

How to teach ESL to to students with Learning Difficulties

Starting courses for people who need to write essays and academic papers in English.

Adapting the nice ideas of needs analysis and course design to the situations we actually teach in.

Tips for getting an advantage in the very competitive field of writing about English language teaching.

Explore a comprehensive list of 70 potential topics for articles about teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), ranging from historical perspectives to practical classroom strategies and theoretical critiques.

The process by which you can go about writing and publishing articles on teaching English as a foreign language.

Reasons why everyone in TEFL should publish at least something, then how to choose what to do and to go about doing it.

Four ways of getting to the point of being paid to write for publishers of English language teaching materials, with a detailed examination of two of them.

A short guide to the why, what and how of teaching students studying or working in technical areas.

Making brainstorming more useful and fun

Ways of helping students learn by helping them learn to trust the teacher.

Tips for teaching learners who will be travelling

Here are some pointers to help you judge whether you have got the right balance of sit down and moving around activities in your classes, and then some tips on how to think about making changes.

Some tips on checking if you have got the use of warmers and fillers just right, and what you can do about it if you haven't.

What to do when the demands of the student and the person paying for the classes clash

What are the advantages and disadvantages of "blind observation"- when someone checks everything but the lesson itself?

Some ways of spotting if you have been able to draw the fine line between too much pairwork and not enough, and ways of planning lessons that include whatever you decide is the perfect amount

A checklist for English conversation schools if you're teaching kids for the first time

Factors to include and think about when planning your first pre-school English class

This article gives some tips to make sure you are prepared and are able to go into your first preschool English class with the confidence of knowing that you are really ready.

Although most people who become specialist Business English or ESP (English for Specific Purposes, such as Medical English or Financial English) teachers enjoy it and its professional benefits so much they never look back, the first time you face students

How to start the new school year when teaching very young learners

Useful phrases to end ESL classes

Useful words and phrases for using games in the ESL classroom

This list could be useful for talking or writing about classes that are shared (e.g. between an Assistant Language Teacher and the regular classroom teacher), for writing handover notes, and for job interviews and initiation periods.

A selection of ideas for using video to teach specific grammar points and language skills

Activities suitable for English through History classes, CLIL classes, as supplementary activities when there are historical topics in an EFL textbook, or as grammar practice

The advantages and disadvantages of eliciting in the EFL classroom… and how to exploit them

Why did my foolproof activity just fail with that class? … and how to make sure it works again next time.

Explore the intricacies of classroom language for English teachers, focusing on the vocabulary and actions associated with audio equipment and listening exercises.

Useful classroom language for teachers while using the board

Useful classroom language for ESL teachers for starting lessons

What you should do before teaching an EFL exam class for the first time.

Using students' first languages in the classroom

Error correction in the EFL classroom

How to use drilling when presenting or practicing new language, when preparing for an impending exam or to hammer out bad habits (including choral drills, interactive drills, substitution drills, transformation drills and drilling using flash cards)

Students are often less keen on pairwork than their teachers

A look at a common and frustrating issue

What are the advantages and disadvantages of peer observations?

Some suggestions for organising and equipping a Learning Resource Centre

Who's in charge in the classroom?

A look at why learners may find listening difficult

Some reasons why students speak their own language in English classes

Reasons for students not doing their homework, with suggestions to deal with the problem

Some tips on how you can make workshops work well

The pros and cons of setting-up a TEFL certificate course from personal experience

Personal experiences in setting up a TEFL Certificate course

How to prepare an English conversation lesson for a holistic, structural, four-skills syllabus: an article for new teachers or those unfamiliar with grammar-based syllabus or the PPP model of lesson planning (Present, Practice, Produce).

Some tips on moving into teacher training

How to get a decent reference for a position as teacher trainer

The CV for those specialising in ESL examinations

What you need to include if you are applying to teach young learners

Tips for writing a CV for a Director of Studies position

How to secure a job as a teacher trainer

What employers are looking for in a Business English teacher

Tips for handling listening activities

Tips for a CV for teaching general English to adults

A look at the options available to people wanting to publish in ESL

How an ESL teacher can get into publishing Part 2

This article is based on a workshop entitled "Testing and Reviewing New Materials" given by Alex Case at the Tokyo Expo/ Tokyo ELT Book Fair

Keeping your self-motivation up and the experience new as the years go by

How an ESL teacher can get into publishing

Are you thinking about teaching abroad? If you are, then this article might just help you out.

Explore the benefits and strategies of incorporating songs into English language teaching for young learners, including enhancing memory, engagement, and classroom management.

A study of Iranian undergraduate students' motivational orientation in English language learning

A View of Japanese Student Passivity

How Is The Design Of Curriculum For English For Medical Purposes Decided?

A lesson plan to teach young learners: How old are you? I'm a (number)

ESL students offer their opinions of good language teaching.

A look at how to write a good language test.

A look at how quotations can be used in the ESL classroom to motivate students.

Using rhymes and crafts in the ESL classroom

In what ways can conversation be regarded as a skill? How might this influence our approach to teaching it?

How is English for Specific Purposes (ESP) different from English as a Second Language (ESL), also known as general English?

A look at the importance of technical writing in the sciences.

How to develop video materials for EFL classes

What role does culture play in the foreign or second language classroom

An article on the role of English language education in Afghanistan.

A look at the role of English in India.

A look at how to secure a good salary in China.

A look at the importance of English in India and the world.

How to create an Internet-based lesson, with links to sample lessons.

Medical English should be taught from the perspective of medicine and health care first and foremost while reinforcing vocabulary acquisition, grammar and structure secondly.

A look at the traditional grammar-translation method used in Pakistan, highlighting its focus on grammar rules and translation, while neglecting speaking and listening skills.

A role-playing activity where students use a "magic wand" to grant wishes related to categories like appearance, wealth, and happiness. This interactive method aids in understanding the concept better.

Thoughts on the educational value of photography in English classes as a means to spark discussion and encourage students in producing language.

This supplementary lesson on Anne Frank teaches students about intolerance and the past tenses. It includes materials such as a world map, pictures, and Anne Frank's diary.

The physical body is a valuable tool for teaching English to young learners. By using gestures, emotions, actions, movement, voice, and eye contact, students can quickly understand and respond to language.

How and when to use realia, which consists of actual objects or items or facsimiles thereof, which are used in the classroom to illustrate and teach vocabulary or to serve as an aid to facilitate language acquisition and production.

Culture shock! Whether you like it or not it's going to happen to you or it's happening to you at this moment.

My experience and personal thoughts and feelings on the matter of xenophobia

Some colleagues had asked me for some tips on teaching elementary school children English as a Foreign Language. Here's what I said.

A recipe for humanising language teaching