When you first start teaching, saying 'NO' will be one of the most challenging things you will have to do. There are so many situations that come to mind when I should have said no, but didn't and regretted it instantly. I also remember the very first time I stood up for myself and then needed… Continue reading Thanks, but no thanks!
Tag: teaching esl
Your year in review
Happy New Year everybody! I hope you all had a lovely winter break and enjoyed your time off work. When everyone else is planning their resolutions and different ways of achieving them, why don't we look back at 2021 and analyse it month by month. I present you with a lesson plan for adults, levels… Continue reading Your year in review
These are a few of my favourite things (2021)
The year is coming to an end! It's been a difficult year, full of changes and new beginnings. I'm happy that it also marks my six months of blogging. Over 2000 of you have entered my website, and hopefully, found in here some useful information. In this last post of 2021, I'd like to share… Continue reading These are a few of my favourite things (2021)
The Christmas Countdown
If you live and teach in one of the European countries, it's almost impossible to avoid Christmas-themed lessons. A year ago, when I worked at an academy in Alicante, I was asked to prepare a short Christmas video or project with some of my younger groups. With my Movers group (ages 7-9), we spent about… Continue reading The Christmas Countdown
Technical language vs. ESL
ESL teachers are expected to know all about the language. Of course, we have no problems explaining grammar, preparing for the exams and of course, going over the most commonly used vocabulary. What happens when you have to teach something you have no expertise on? Should ESL teachers have any other educational background to be… Continue reading Technical language vs. ESL
Where do babies come from? – question forms
The other day, I was preparing a C1 level lesson plan on question forms. It's an exam preparation group, so we follow a coursebook. As always, I started the preparation by checking the approach in the teacher's book and as always, I decided to put a spin on it. I thought of a class that… Continue reading Where do babies come from? – question forms
The oversaturated market of ESL teaching
The Internet is full of websites for potential ESL teachers. There's an ever-growing demand for English teachers, but the market is so oversaturated that it seems almost impossible to stand out from the crowd. Demand for ESL teachers in Spain is constantly growing. Unfortunately, so is the number of teachers fighting to get the students.… Continue reading The oversaturated market of ESL teaching
The problem with Halloween
It is my last post of October, and even though I had fun with all my themed lessons, a few questions stood out to me. What if I don't like teaching themed classes? What if I don't like teaching Halloween? To all those questions I say - fair enough. You shouldn't teach anything that doesn't… Continue reading The problem with Halloween
A bad date – teaching using anecdotes
Last year, for the first time ever I was given the opportunity to teach C1 level students. This year half of my students are of this level, which gives me a lot of chances of developing my way of teaching and revising advanced grammar. Even though teaching advanced students comes with many challenges, it feels… Continue reading A bad date – teaching using anecdotes
Halloween Escape Room
If you want to have a fun and relaxing class, look no further. I've got something just for you! Your teenagers will love this Halloween-themed escape room style class. All you need to do is monitor the answers and make sure that your students don't get too heated in this instalment of spooky classroom activities!… Continue reading Halloween Escape Room
