Teaching Skills
Classroom craft for English teachers: lesson planning, grammar explanation, managing mixed-ability groups and keeping learners talking.
47 guides in this topic.
How Gamification Can Elevate Your TEFL Classes
31/01/2024Quick answer: Gamification elevates TEFL classes by adding game elements – points, levels,...
AI in the TEFL Classroom: How English Teachers Are Really Using It
21/12/2023Quick answer: English teachers are using AI mainly to save preparation time – drafting lesson...
6 Lesson Ideas for EFL Students with Learning Difficulties
07/03/2023Quick answer: Six lesson ideas that help EFL students with learning difficulties: multisensory...
Ten tips to help struggling English language learners
16/02/2023Quick answer: To help struggling English language learners, build on strengths and compensate for...
How to identify potential learning inhibitors in EFL students
01/02/2023Quick answer: The learning inhibitors EFL teachers most often meet are ADHD (restlessness, trouble...
Why do some ESL learners struggle more than others?
18/01/2023Quick answer: Some ESL learners struggle more than others because of special educational needs and...
Helping learners answer interview questions
05/12/2022Quick answer: To help English learners answer interview questions, work on three layers:...
What Level Is My English Learner? CEFR Levels Explained for Teachers
18/11/2022Quick answer: The quickest reliable way to find a learner’s English level is a 10-minute spoken...
Three Benefits of Testing Our English Students
02/03/2022Quick answer: Yes, we should test our English students – but through formative assessment (quick...
Are you a biased TEFL teacher?
04/02/2022Quick answer: Most TEFL teachers carry some subconscious bias – expecting certain students’...
How to Give Great Grammar Lessons in TEFL (PPP Made Simple)
28/09/2021Quick answer: To give great grammar lessons, use the classic PPP structure: Present the new...
Using video in ESL Classes - 5 top tips
21/09/2021Quick answer: To use video well in ESL classes: choose clips carefully for beginners (short beats...
20 beginner English worksheets now available
30/07/2021Quick answer: A ready-to-use, twenty-lesson PDF worksheet pack for teaching English to adult...
Take the headache out of teaching mixed ability classes
20/01/2021Quick answer: To teach mixed ability English classes without the headache, start everyone from the...
Super-charge your New Year classes 2
05/01/2021Quick answer: Three more ways to refresh your English classes for the new year: revise language and...
Super-charge your English teaching for the New Year
24/12/2020Quick answer: Kick off the new term by helping students set specific, time-bound goals, encouraging...
An easy-prep Christmas lesson
11/12/2020Quick answer: A five-step, zero-prep Christmas lesson: show a festive picture, read a short passage...
Are EFL materials sites a waste of money?
29/09/2020Quick answer: EFL materials sites are not a waste of money – but only at the right stage of your...
How to ace the first minutes with a new TESOL class
11/08/2020Quick answer: To ace the first few minutes with a new TESOL class: walk in looking more confident...
How to use our new English Online Teaching worksheets
15/05/2020Quick answer: A 3-minute video walks you through using one of our 20 ready-to-teach online English...
Perfect Recipe for Vocabulary Recycling
02/12/2019Quick answer: The simplest way to recycle vocabulary in a TEFL class is a word box: every time a...
Five essentials to remember when leading an EFL class
12/09/2019Quick answer: The five essentials when leading an EFL class are: set the scene (seating and a...
How to Select EFL Material at the Right Level
25/07/2019Quick answer: To select EFL material at the right level, first find out what your learners can...
Do I need to speak other languages to teach English?
29/05/2019Quick answer: No – you do not need to speak your students' language to teach English. TEFL...
Making the most of written correction
16/05/2019Quick answer: The best written correction identifies the type of mistake and lets students fix it...
Correcting spoken English in an EFL class
25/04/2019Quick answer: Correct spoken English based on three questions: how serious is it (a slip or a...
How to Teach IELTS Speaking Part 2
11/02/2019Quick answer: In IELTS Speaking Part 2, the candidate gets a cue card, one minute to prepare and...
How to Teach IELTS Speaking: Test Format & Lesson Ideas (Part 1)
08/02/2019Quick answer: To teach IELTS speaking well you don’t need to be an examiner – you need to know...
Is this the best free material site for English teaching?
26/11/2018Quick answer: Breaking News English is the most comprehensive free ESL materials site we know:...
Great homework ideas for ESL students
06/11/2018Quick answer: The best ESL homework is short, task-based and always followed up in the next...
Teach English to Kids or Adults
05/10/2018Quick answer: Neither is 'better' – it depends on you. Young learners bring energy, fun classes...
Using Topics to Create Great EFL Lessons for Young Learners
15/02/2018Quick answer: Topic-based lessons engage young learners better than most course books because...
Teaching English by Video Call: Techniques for Great 1-to-1 Lessons
25/01/2018Quick answer: The techniques that made Skype English lessons work – a store of ready-to-go...
How to get your students to use English out of class
23/02/2017Quick answer: Students who only use English in lessons progress slowly. Get them practising out of...
Fun Writing ideas for EFL classes
16/06/2016Quick answer: Writing tasks work in EFL classes when they are task-based: there is a real reason...
New EFL teacher? 7 Great ideas for class success
23/03/2016Quick answer: New EFL teachers succeed fastest by building seven habits: find out students' needs...
Teaching English to Beginners: Lesson Ideas & TEFL Techniques
08/09/2015Quick answer: To teach English to beginners, grade your language carefully, use pictures, realia...
10 TEFL Warmers That Work in Any Class (No-Prep)
01/10/2014Quick answer: A warmer is a short 5–10 minute activity that gets students thinking in English...
How to Teach English Grammar: Tips That Make It Stick
01/10/2014Quick answer: Teach English grammar in a meaningful context, not as isolated rules. Present a new...
Tips for TEFL Discussion Classes That Get Students Talking
01/10/2014Quick answer: TEFL discussion classes work when you break the lesson into manageable chunks:...
The Best Free TESOL and TEFL Websites for English Teachers
01/10/2014Quick answer: The best free TESOL and TEFL websites cover four jobs: graded news lessons (Breaking...
Teaching English - the tools I can't live without
25/10/2012Quick answer: TEFL veteran Jonathan Last shares his classroom essentials – flashcards for every...
Polish Your Phonetics: Phonetics and Phonology for TEFL
21/02/2012Quick answer: Phonetics is the study of how speech sounds are produced and perceived; phonology is...
5 easy ways to use technology in TEFL
13/01/2012Quick answer: The easiest ways to use technology in TEFL are still the low-prep ones: student...
TEFL lessons – 5 top tips for lesson success
06/06/2011Quick answer: Successful TEFL lessons come down to five habits: engage students in English from...
Why Is English difficult to learn?
14/01/2011Quick answer: English is difficult to learn because its spelling and pronunciation often don't...
Your First TEFL Class: How to Survive and Enjoy It
25/11/2010Quick answer: To survive and enjoy your first TEFL class, find out as much as you can about the...