One of the biggest fears of trainees embarking on the Trinity Cert TESOL (and some experienced teachers) is what I have come to describe as ‘phonolophobia’ or ‘phonemophobia’; a fear of phonology and the phonemic chart. It’s only natural to be worried about facing up to something new. By starting...
-
15th January 2019By Sean Martin
-
8th January 2019By Clare Voke
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... -
18th December 2018By Sean Martin
Many teachers at this time of the year have turned their thoughts to bringing Christmas into their classrooms with songs and vocabulary. I’ve also heard many a time on the bus, the lively teacher chit chat about when their term ends and the holiday destinations that await them… But how much do you... -
13th November 2018By Clare Voke
What exactly are 21st Century Skills? This widely used term has become popular across many fields of the education sector and refers to a set of highly transferable skills, that are considered vital for any workplace or academic setting in today’s world. As English maintains its dominance (for... -
23rd October 2018By Tom Garside
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... -
16th October 2018By Tom Garside
What do you do if your coursebook isn’t giving students what they need? If you are going to take things into your own hands and adapt or redesign teaching material, make sure that you make the most of the tasks you make. Material design is a bit of an art, but by following these simple steps, you... -
8th October 2018By Tom Garside
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... -
29th May 2018By Tom Garside
China has grown into a fascinating, diverse, challenging and ultimately rewarding place to be an English teacher (though of course this depends on the situation where you find yourself when you get to the school you are working with). The range of education groups, schools, kindergartens,...