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Receptive skills for English teachers: how to teach listening and reading

‘Receptive Skills’ (also known as ‘Passive Skills’, or reading and listening) are often contrasted with productive skills (speaking and writing).  When learning a new language learners tend to develop their receptive skills first and then acquire productive capability. It’s a complex relationship between the two… All categories, How to..., Certificate courses, Diploma courses, ESL activities

How to exploit reading texts for TEFL classes

Teaching TEFL classes in Hong Kong can present a bit of a conundrum. In a culture that prioritises grammar instruction and accuracy over fluency, reading tasks are often seen as a series of questions to which the answers simply need to be copied straight from the text. However, reading comprehension texts for ESL learners create… All categories, ESL activities, How to..., Teaching skills

The importance of context for English teaching: experience, situation and surrounding language

Whenever we use language, whether we are speaking, listening, reading or writing, we do it in some kind of context. The situation we are in, the tone we want to express and the ways that others respond to us all affect the nature of the language choices that we make. Language without context lacks important reference points for meaning, and… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, How to...

English or Englishes: are varieties of English important for learners?

Over the past 200 years or so, English has grown to become the lingua franca (shared language) in a huge range of industries. The fields of media, engineering, medicine, shipping, air travel, international business and commerce all rely on English as the common language which can facilitate communication between countries anywhere in the world.… All categories, How to..., Certificate courses, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters

Teaching grammar for young learners: children learn languages differently to adults

The grammar juggernaut continues to roll on despite many of the criticisms of an overly grammar-oriented focus that we’ve discussed previously here. In spite of our criticisms, one of the confusing things to make clear is that we don’t discourage teachers from teaching grammar entirely.  Even though students may to an extent (especially in… All categories, How to..., ESL activities, Certificate courses, Diploma courses

Overcoming self-doubt as a non-native English teacher

Teachers and teacher trainers, native speakers and non-native speakers alike, although having some of the best qualifications around, still have the odd stumble and doubt their language ability. Doubts can arise with vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation. I've noticed this happens more with non-native speakers like myself. I hold a… All categories, Teaching skills, How to..., Careers in TESOL

TEFL Masterclass: finding the perfect balance with TTT

When I look back on the most common references to teacher talking time (TTT) in feedback forms and post lesson reflections, I see comments such as high TTT, my TTT was excessive, TTT unnecessarily high, TTT interupted learners thinking time, reduce my TTT. Do these sound familiar to you? How many people on your… All categories, How to..., Teaching skills

6 Valentine’s Day ESL Activities for Young Learners and Adults

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful time to delve into themes of love and friendship with your ESL / EFL classes. In my teaching experience, kids and adults alike enjoy discussing and sharing traditions and ideas about love. Here are some of English for Asia’s favourite Valentine activities to do in class. Love letters : Famous People – 8 years old… All categories, ESL activities, How to..., Certificate courses, Theme based learning

Incorporating Current Affairs into EFL classrooms

I remember shortly after the Brexit referendum, finding myself in a Chinese class trying to explain to my Mandarin teacher, why the British public were so polarised in their decision on whether to leave the EU. I struggled to express my opinion and needed to ask my teacher for topic specific vocabulary, such as ‘referendum’ and ‘European… All categories, ESL activities, How to..., Teaching skills

Finding the right TESOL approaches for your students

In the world of TESOL, more than anywhere else, there is more than one way to bake a cake. The teaching approaches and methodologies that we use are based on a huge amount of research that has been done over the years. This research has informed the evolution of many different ways of approaching the way we plan to teach different language… All categories, Teaching skills, How to..., Five ways to, ESL activities

TEFL Masterclass: how to structure brilliant PPP lessons

When planning to teach a language item, how can you ensure that your learners are getting what they need at key points in the lesson? The way in which teaching and learning activity, tasks and activities are ordered can go a long way to helping students to achieve within the limited time they have and with the content you are teaching. The … All categories, Teaching skills, How to..., ESL activities, Certificate courses

Unlocking student motivation and engagement: what makes learners tick?

In the choppy world of full-time language teaching, teachers working with several groups of learners for short periods, sometimes moving between settings with adults, kids, teens, businesspeople and tutorial students, it is easy to lose track of the individuals who are looking up to you for their development. A common symptom is when the… All categories, Teaching skills, ESL activities, How to...