In the classroom (page 2)
Lesson plans, grammar and vocabulary activities, and rescuing a bad lesson.
The Class Heckler
I recently experienced a student heckler – fortunately this was in a class I was covering, and so I don’t need to deal with this left-side driver regularly. What is a student heckler?
ESL Empathy
Do I have to have had your experience to be able to empathize with you? I came across this totally unrelated article in the International Herald Tribune and almost immediately connected it – of…
Elementary Level E-book Available At Grammarman Comic
If you’ve been lamenting the fact that you don’t live in one of the cities where Grammarman appears in the English language newspaper, and you’ve already checked out the episodes of Grammarman…
Incorporating Different Learning Styles in EFL
Do you learn by doing, hearing, seeing or smelling? Okay, I'm kidding on the last one, though it might make an interesting lesson.
How Much Of Yourself To Share
In many education situations, the structure is so formal that there is really very little question of how much a teacher should share about themselves.
"Bad Language" In Class
When did you last give a lesson on cursing? No, I’m not writing about a certain blogger’s recent lament on the lack of foul language on TEFL blogs, but about an article in the TEFL section of the…
From The Yemen Observer: Nine Myths
An article on nine myths about learning and teaching English recently jumped out at me; it’s in the Yemen Observer and by English language Professor Nafisa Bin Tayeh.
TEFL Speaking Activity: Auxiliary Police
Even in my higher level classes, the curriculum often includes a revision of auxiliary verbs – though students do tend to need at least some practice to use them naturally, the simplicity of their…
That Elusive Tapescript (Or...)
…not) That is a joke, or an attempt at irony, because the tapescript is usually anything but elusive.
Do You Bribe Your Students?
Reading about how parents are apparently starting to feel they’ve overindulged their children via bribery , I wondered - do we as EFL teachers bribe our students, even the adult ones?
Read And Comment On Student Comics: A Grammarman Webquest Update
Has anyone seen the pumpkin-headed villain lately? Or the cockroach who wants to dance like Michael Jackson?
Lower Level Learners In One To One Lessons
I’m always a little baffled when students with low levels of English opt to take one to one lessons.
A Good Picture File
How do you spell relief? P-I-C-T-U-R-E F-I-L-E. I believe access to a good picture file can be a real asset when teaching EFL. What is a picture file?
A Difficult Discussion
I’ve been giving some thought to how to deal with the topic of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech because I think it does relate to TEFL in at least a couple of ways.
Online Teaching Part 2
I received two insightful comments after posting about online teaching . Since then, I’ve also had a look at what Sue at An ELT Notebook previously posted about online learning , and I’d encourage…
The TEFL Bubble
“After you live in the UK for a year or two, you get used to driving on the left.” This was my example of “get used to doing” something – in contrast, of course, to “used to do” something, an example…
Positive Feedback At Talkfest In Taiwan
I found this letter to the Taipei Times on why students are silent to raise some interesting issues.
TEFL Tips For Teaching Lower Levels
I love teaching lower levels – I find it challenging and rewarding both. Challenging because it takes thought and planning to ensure you are communicating effectively with learners who don’t speak…
Substitute Teaching: Covering Classes
It’s bound to happen sooner or later: your colleague is sick and you have to teach his class on short notice.
Webquest At Grammarmancomic.com: Get Your EFL Students To Create Their Own Comics
Do you need a project to keep your kids’ class busy til the term ends? My own experience teaching kids is rather limited, but it’s not hard to notice that kids everywhere like drawing and cartoons.
Online EFL Resources?
Do you find and use activities online? When I started writing the TEFL Logue, I thought it was time for me to get acquainted with much of what’s available online for EFL teachers – not just other…
Dictionaries In The TEFL Classroom: Bilingual Or Monolingual?
Many EFL teachers are taught that monolingual dictionaries – which feature the English word and an English explanation – are best because they get learners to think in English and also the exact…
An Open Letter To Whoever Is Marking Up The School Copies Of Textbooks
Whoever you are, making your rounds of the English language schools of eastern Europe and, for all I know, much of Asia as well, writing the answers in the school copies of the textbook: please stop!
TEFL Confidence
One of the conclusions I’ve come to is that in connection to overall language ability or fluency, confidence plays a surprisingly large role in contrast to “absolute” ability.
One to One TEFL Students: How Much Control To Give Them?
I taught an advanced level one-to-one student who didn’t feel very confident about her English and had said she was ready for a focus more serious than conversation…yet she was not at all receptive…
How Much Time? Some Thoughts On Pronunciation In EFL
Given the time constraints that exist in many EFL classes, I often wonder if pronunciation merits a focus of its own.
TOEIC Issue In Japan, From The Linguist
The Linguist had an interesting post on TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication),specifically the situation in Japan.
The Student Who Didn't Pass
Looking back, I’ve been fortunate to have had 99% marvelous students, but the two that stick out in my mind most as difficult were…teachers themselves!
Students Will Be Students
For anyone not up to speed, I’m recovering from a nasty cold . During a group with two managers – really, two of my favorite people I’ve taught – I excused myself while they were reading a text…
Teachers' Meetings: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
Teachers meetings run the gamut from being soporific (hat tip to the GRE prep materials) to functioning as a point for sharing of ideas and practical activities. The Good Sharing ideas.
In The Classroom (Classroom Management, Tips, and Other Stuff): Table of Contents
Find links to posts on classroom management, general tips and advice for the class, and other stories here. Actual classroom activities remain in the original In The Classroom Table Of Contents .
ESL Story Telling
Once upon a time… Story telling first and foremost is a speaking activity, something which EFL students nearly everywhere want and need.
Teaching My First Class
Their level was Upper Intermediate and I can still remember about ten of their names. One became a one to one student and a good friend. They ranged in age from about 16 to 45.
Class Revision Activities
Revision. Of vocabulary, grammar, and functional language. Students need it and often want it. Teachers are told to do it but are also often told to avoid written exercises and focus on speaking.
Public Service Anouncement: Spring Forward. Maybe
Living in a foreign country, you may be slow to realize that today is the day when many countries set their clocks forward one hour.
TEFL Logue Review: An ELT Notebook
There is a celebration today at ELT Notebook , with virtual champagne on offer! I think I happened upon the site when its main author Sue left a content-rich comment or two on the TEFL Logue.
In Honor Of International Women's Day: The Advantages Of Being Female In TEFL
In honor of International Women’s Day: my thoughts on how being female can be an advantage in EFL. As learners (and just as people), women do seem to enjoy talking more, that’s for sure.
TEFL Guessing Games
Guessing games are intrinsically motivating across the board: show someone a postcard and say, where is this place? Give a few facts about a famous person and ask, who is this person?
From The Guardian: Learning From Laughter
Learning From Laughter in the Guardian points out that experienced teachers will encourage laughter in class, and note a few different ways to start – one is simply making a joke when you yourself…
Speaking Skills: The Why And The How? Paul Bresson In MET
In the October 2006 issue of Modern English Teacher , Bresson starts Speaking Skills: What Are They And How Can We Teach Them? by distinguishing between a fluent and a non-fluent speaker.
TEFL Word Game: Fun With Famous Quotes
1. The powers of a man's ____ are directly proportional to the amount of ____ he drinks. - Sir James Mackintosh, Philosopher 2. ____ is balm to the ____ and spirit. -Giuseppe Verdi, Composer 3.
TEFL Speaking Activity: The Crossword Puzzle
I heart using crossword puzzles in class; not the kind where students just read and fill in words, but the jigsaw activity variety: A has half the words, B has the other half and both have to think…
Teaching Advanced Classes
Teaching advanced classes was awful for me when I first started; you can prepare a lesson and try to anticipate questions, but if you’re a native speaker and haven’t studied the grammar in the way…
Sharing ESL Classes
Sharing classes – when two or more teachers switch off teaching the same group - has pros and cons.
Drilling With Modern English Teacher
I was once rather stumped by a supervisor’s request to utilize drilling and flash cards with an advanced group.
Emerging Trend: Split Shifts
The split shift, a phenomenon most commonly associated with waitstaff in the US, is becoming more and more common in EFL.
Student Cancelations (Or, Top 10 Ways To Kill Time)
Schools have different policies for one-to-one or small group cancellations: often if the student doesn't cancel with enough notice (that’s 24 hours in many cases), s/he is charged some portion of…
Boardwork Tips And Ideas
Visual learners are often at an advantage in most types of education because so much is written and board work is no exception.
TEFL Speaking Activity And Warmer: Who Am I?
Who Am I? "Who am I?" is a fun speaking activity and warmer, provided you put some thought into it and your students are prepared to use their respective imaginations.
Paperless Lessons
Most teachers have regular access to paper, copiers, computers and office supplies. But what about when all that stuff breaks down or you forget something?
Grammarman 2: An Uncountable Challenge
Grammarman is back, this time with an unbelieveable uncountable challenge for readers: I'm raking my mind to come up with some other fun, communicative activity for practicing countable and…
ESL Speaking Activity: Showing Interest
Think of the last time you were talking and the other person was totally silent: it’s weird. We expect to hear something to show the other person is at least following us.
Classroom Management Tip: Grading Your Language
What is it? Grading your language means adjusting your speech to the level of your learners.
What You Won't See In The EFL Classroom
If you expect TEFL to go like your high school English class, you may be in for a surprise.
Modern English Teacher On Coursebook Writing
In the July 2006 issue of Modern English Teacher , Peter Viney responds to a previously written article (called How To Write Really Rotten Material) from his own coursebook writer’s perspective in…
TEFL Humor: Reading Satire In Class
According to this Guardian article , laughter in the classroom is a good thing, and that won’t come as a great surprise to anyone in TEFL.
Sometimes You Feel Like A "Hostess", Sometimes You Don't
Many people think – generally mistakenly – that native speaker EFL teachers just go into classrooms and talk.
English Nicknames
Gdog’s recent post at the Daily Kimchi about receiving a Korean name as well as EFL Geek’s post from some time ago on the topic of nicknames together bring up an interesting topic.
What's The Draw Of Native Speaker ESL Teachers?
Why do schools want them? Partly in order to expose students to totally natural language.
One-To-One Tips For TEFLers
Many TEFL courses deal mainly with teaching groups. This is most often the most useful focus, but it means that if confronted with a one-to-one student early on, you might draw a blank.
Emerging Trend: Smile, You're On EFL Camera
A Geek in Korea , whose blog I like to follow, recently posted about an increase of cameras in his work environment – including in the teachers room, which is already surrounded by glass windows.
Online Gambling As A TEFL Conversation Topic
I was working with a group of four higher-ups at one company, three of them members or heads of different boards, one of them…not a member of a board.
TEFL Tests: "Assessment" On ESL Teacher Talk
I am a bit behind the times but I just had the chance to listen to Eric and Mark at ESL Teacher Talk discuss assessment .
Grammar On The Move, From Modern English Teacher
See if you can spot the more "modern" uses of like, how and so: 1. I’m so not ready to teach that class on adverbs. 2. He was so unprepared for his presentation. 3. How I love shoe shopping! 4.
Video Games In The Classroom?
The gist of this article - Give A Child A Video Game - And Maybe A Job - is that video games and “fun” technology are useful because they help prepare kids for the workplace where technology is…
Student Motivation
It’s hardly surprising to note that students who are motivated learn more. How can you capitalize on this to maximize learning?
Find Someone Who: Classic TEFL Speaking Activity
Ah, the old TEFL standby. A list of questions or, even better, fragments of sentences: Find Someone Who: …has eaten sushi _____ …has never flown on a plane _____ …has been to Paris _____ Students…
Fun With ESL Grammar: The Grammar Auction
Purpose: to revise or practice grammar structures of your choice in a way which ideally encourages communication, friendly competition and strategizing.
Classroom Activity: Five Things You Didn't Know About Me
For anyone who isn’t up to date, the TEFL Logue was “it” last week and tagged a few others.
Just What Kind Of Cheating Are You Talking About?
This headline – Cheat In Michigan And Go To Jail - caught my eye, and not because I like to read about infidelity… in fact I immediately assumed it was about university cheating.
ESL Vocabulary Revision For One-to-One Students
There are plenty of ways to revise vocabulary with groups, like hotseat or simply explaining and guessing in groups; unfortunately these activities don’t transfer as well to one-to-one lessons.
On Observations
What are they? Another teacher, generally a more experienced one, sits in and watches your lesson.
Concept Check Questions From "Modern English Teacher"
Paul Bress writes about concept check questions in the January 2005 issue of Modern English Teacher.
TEFL Tip: Setting Time Limits
When you give your students a task, it often makes sense to give a time limit with it.
ESL Speaking Activities: Two Fun Roleplays
ESL and EFL students often benefit from roleplays: taking on another identity can lessen people’s inhibitions, not to mention be plain old fun.
Top 10: EFL Language School Realities
Sometimes EFL teachers have the opportunity to travel to other countries on holiday and start fantasizing about working there.
On Conserving Paper
Lots of teachers try and do the right thing and conserve paper by making either double-sided copies or using scratch paper which already has something printed on one one side.
Drawing For ESL/EFL Teachers
I’m not afraid to draw in class even though, once my artistic abilities become known, students tend to start shaking their heads and laughing when I pick up a pen.
Insight On Total Physical Response From An EFL Notebook And ESL Teacher Talk
I was pleased to find an interview with Sue of An EFL Notebook at ESL Teacher Talk – not only because it’s always a bit of an interesting surprise to hear the voice of someone you’ve only had contact…
Advanced ESL/EFL Vocabulary: Euphemisms
“I’m an EFL teacher and so often find myself in a rather economically disadvantaged state, but luckily I got some short-term economic stimulus from my school and went out for a drink to celebrate.
Spelling: Does It Matter?
How do you spell “people”? Pay-oh-play. If this is how your Advanced students spell English words…spelling may just be something to work on.
Classroom Activities: Practicing Spelling Aloud
Many ESL/EFL students, sometimes even at higher levels, have problems spelling things aloud in English .
Telephone Conversations: Practicing In The Classroom
“Here you are?” “Are you Joe?” “No. Who are you?” “Katie. I want to talk to Joe.” “Wait.” (pause) “Joe here.” “I’m Katie.” “What do you want?” … “Let’s go. Agreed.
Stress In And Out Of The TEFL Classroom
My latest EFL read is the July 2006 issue of Modern English Teacher where I found an article on reducing teacher stress.
ESL And EFL: What's The Difference?
They stand for English as a Second Language and English as a Foreign Language, respectively, and generally teachers think of people who will use a given language in their everyday lives, such as…
Placement Tests For EFL Classes
One of my first tasks at my first job was conducting placement tests, including the spoken interview; it was extremely difficult at the time and looking back, I probably shouldn’t have been assigned…
TEFL Classroom Activity: Giving Directions
Here’s a unique and fun way to practice language for giving directions, especially if you have younger learners or adult students who are especially fun-loving or competitive.
Translation In The TEFL Classroom?
I encourage my students to explain (and ideally “think”) in English while in class, but am I being unrealistic?
How Should EFL Teachers Deal With Stereotypes?
I recently had a conversation that went like this: Anonymous person: I lived in such and such city for eight years. TEFL Logue (well, Katie): Oh, what did you think of it ?
Teaching Kids Again...
After my first experience teaching kids in a group, I was more than hesitant to agree to teach another group. But this one promised to be a one-time deal.
Using Dictionaries In Class
I use dictionaries if I think I will need to explain a word in detail – generally for advanced classes.
TEFL Classroom Activity: Practicing The Past Simple In Speech
I learned this fun activity for revising the past simple at a teacher’s meeting some time ago: Bring in a number of objects that can be connected with some activity or verb.
"Touchy Feely" Speaking Activities
There is an interesting thread going on in Dave’s ESL Café general discussion forum which I’ve been following. The gist of it is: do you use “touchy feely” activities in class ?
Does Teaching English Mean Teaching Culture?
In the US, even though it may not be so common to learn foreign languages well, people often acknowledge that learning a foreign language is important not only for communication but also for giving…
TEFL Classroom Activity: Modal Verb Guessing Game
You don’t have to worry about me telling you what you should do or how you could/may/might deal with modals.
Teach An EFL Teacher To Fish: Classroom Activities For Teaching Proverbs
Kill two birds..., an eye for an eye.., you can lead a horse to water.., You know how these end and what they mean; do your students?
Cool People I've Met Via TEFL: A Bosnian Businessman
I first met him on a Monday evening: the secretary general of a local consumer organization wearing a suit and tie. His level was pre-intermediate.
TEFL Classroom Activities: You Must Believe
One of the best pieces of advice I received – and honestly I think I already knew it in a sense, but hearing it helped confirm it – was “For something to work in class, you have to believe in it.” An…
A Bizarre TEFL Experience
Near the end of my first term in Sarajevo, I was getting pretty stressed out. I’d been given two or three advanced groups and was often at a loss for what to do and how to do it.
How Closely Should You Follow A Textbook?
Reasons for following the book rather closely: Textbook editors/authors, at least modern ones, are generally well-educated people who know what they are doing.