This is a dilemma I often face, especially with beginner or elementary students. Do you usually teach them the form ‘have you got any brothers or sisters?’ or ‘Do you have any brothers or sisters’? [Here’s an interesting discussion I found on this topic.] The dilemma stems from the fact that students often get confused, […]
Have you got OR Do you have? Read More »
This is a follow-up to my previous post about a student who completely switched off during my first lesson with his group. I had another (the third) lesson with the group today, and here’s what I did to improve the situation. How I tweaked my lesson After the first couple of lessons, during which I “studied”
Re-engaging teenage students Read More »
I have recently started a new course with a small group of 17-18-year-olds in a school. The course is aimed at supporting the work their classroom teacher is doing, with a possible outcome being to then prepare the students for a certification. I had my first lesson last week, and as usual I prepared a
Students switching off Read More »
Lately I’ve been feeling a bit pessimistic about the state of ELT. It feels everyday more like a club we NNEST are not welcome to join. When I look around me, online and offline, I see more and more people participating in the NEST-NNEST debate, affirming that there should be no differences. That gender, colour
Does equality really exist in ELT? Read More »
A few weeks back I had to cover a lesson with a small group of young learners (6-7 boys and girls aged 10-11). It was the group’s first lesson, and while some students knew each other from the previous year, there were also some new students so I decided to devote about half the lesson
Getting to know each other activities for YLs Read More »
Yesterday I was talking about motivation with one of my students, and so I started asking myself: what makes me invest time (and sometimes money) in CDP, in writing this blog, in reading and reflecting on my teaching? I guess the main motivation for me comes from seeing students go out of my lessons smiling,
What keeps you motivated? Read More »
Today I would like to discuss a deeper aspect of my beliefs as a teacher: how I assume we learn a language, and how this affects what I consider effective teaching. What follows is a list of beliefs I gathered from observing myself and from analysing how I myself learned my second (and third) language.
My beliefs as a teacher: learning and teaching Read More »
As part of the post series on my beliefs as a teacher, today I would like to discuss the role of the learner as I see it from where I stand. I will try to make this as generic as possible, even though I believe the role of a 4-year-old child is very different from that
My beliefs as a teacher: role of the learner Read More »
As part of the post series on my beliefs as a teacher, today I would like to discuss the assumptions and principles about my role and aims as a teacher. As everything else, I am sure these ideas are in constant change, so that if I was to re-write this post in a year or even
My beliefs as a teacher: role of the teacher Read More »
