When I was 5, I had a piano teacher who rapped my knuckles and told me off sternly when I didn’t practice enough. When she asked me to be a part of her annual recital, I burst into tears and shook my head, overcome with fear at failing in front of an audience. When I was 12, I had a maths...
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20th October 2016By Sharon Maloney
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19th October 2016By James Pengelley
Set context, and carry on This ought to be the mantra for all teachers, yet it is often one of the most challenging components of any language lesson: set it well, and the meaning and range of language students can use appropriately becomes suddenly more accessible; set it poorly, and you’ll... -
13th October 2016By James Pengelley
It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Right? In which case, it often makes me wonder why teaching pronunciation doesn’t take more of the focus in English language lessons. That’s not to say that teachers don’t do it – indeed, it’s a compulsory component of most teacher training... -
22nd September 2016By David Kim
By David Kim, CertTESOL Trainee, 2016 Hey, you could teach them English!? What? Really? How? As a corporate sustainability practitioner, I am responsible for managing many aspects of my company’s environmental, social, and governance performance. The social component of my work often... -
21st September 2016By James Pengelley
For many of us, our time at school is amongst the most memorable experiences we have of growing up. And for many of us, it’s not just going to school, but the teachers we had that impact us most strongly. And more often than not, it’s the memories of the teachers who motivated us to... -
13th September 2016By Sharon Maloney
My class is so loud! It’s Friday afternoon and your class of young learners (or adults!) are bouncing off the walls, not paying attention and talking away amongst themselves. What do you do? Raise your voice and try to shout over them? Many of us can attest to the fact that raising your voice... -
6th September 2016By James Pengelley
A few months ago, we shared some top tips for taking the CertTESOL from a former trainee on the course. In fact, even before deciding to take a certificate course in TESOL, many people spend a long time simply trying to figure out the difference between TESOL, TEFL, ESL and ELT courses and... -
30th August 2016By James Pengelley
A few weeks ago we introduced you to the basic principles of how to teach grammar. The key idea behind the basics of teaching grammar relies setting a clear context, introducing the target form and then providing practice and production opportunities for your students. This week we look...