The challenges a young teacher faces and how to cope with them.
2 October, 2017
27 September, 2017
When we first start teaching it feels, in the words of the teacher educator, Rick Smith, ‘like trying to fly a plane while building it’.
27 September, 2017
The world of TEFL has developed a lot over the years and along with this so have related courses to help you develop your TEFL career from...
14 September, 2017
Welcome to September. For those in the Northern hemisphere, hey ho, let’s go; for those in the Southern hemisphere, it’ll be summer soon,...
5 September, 2017
Are you a teacher? If you are, then you’re probably a materials writer too.
1 September, 2017
Our blog topics for September and October 2017 look at the theme of 'Career and teacher development'.
31 August, 2017
“How did you do that?” This is a question I have been asked a few times in my career when using an element of technology in my lessons.
31 August, 2017
A self-reflection post about digital literacy from "darkest Perú" --- as my country includes 30 of the 32 world climates, with modern...
31 August, 2017
Our blog topics for July and August 2017 look at the theme of 'Managing resources'.
28 August, 2017
Digital literacy is a fact of life. Does this mean that everybody knows how to find the information needed?
23 August, 2017
I taught an English option course for several years.
18 August, 2017
When training people in non-formal courses for Improvement of English, I have the choice of creating my own text material. But if there is...
16 August, 2017
Teachers are faced with new challenges daily.
12 August, 2017
Every day teachers around the world have to deal with digital natives, i.e their own students. Children who were born and raised in...
9 August, 2017
I am in no position to tell you I have an answer to this question "Do we write materials OR Do we design them"
But I hope that sharing the...
25 July, 2017
The best textbook is the one you wrote yourself
28 June, 2017
Teaching the four C's and a lot more.
19 June, 2017
Speaking, listening comprehension and understanding are parts of the same process.
13 June, 2017
Have you ever been given a project to assess but couldn't? Have you ever created a rubric to assess the unassessable?
5 June, 2017
The acronym E.T does not refer to the sympathetic little alien from Steven Spielberg's movie but to the term Educational Technology, or the...
2 June, 2017
I like to use technology in class, first of all, because children always find it much more motivating than any other activities. Partly due...
2 June, 2017
Exercise caution!
29 May, 2017
Over the course of my teaching career, I’ve tried all kinds of approaches to marking writing, including, but not limited to, using...
27 May, 2017
Multi-lingual classes are a reality. For any teacher, it is a huge challenge and work in progress.
23 May, 2017
Helping our students to acquire 21st century skills is a true challenge. In this post, I will try to give some hints to develop and assess...
23 May, 2017
As a language learner myself (Spanish), I am intimately aware of the challenges involved in speaking a new language.
5 May, 2017
Our blog topics for May and June 2017 look at the themes 'multilingual approaches', 'integrating ICT' and 'assessing learning'.
5 May, 2017
Just over a year ago, I asked my friends on Facebook for some advice. I had a new job, and I needed some guidance.
1 May, 2017
Even though we live in the "mobile era", some educators are still reluctant to use mobile devices in the classroom.
30 April, 2017
Our March and April 2017 blog topics look at the theme of 'The Learner'.
Pages
2 October, 2017
The challenges a young teacher faces and how to cope with them.
27 September, 2017
When we first start teaching it feels, in the words of the teacher educator, Rick Smith, ‘like trying to fly a plane while building it’.
27 September, 2017
The world of TEFL has developed a lot over the years and along with this so have related courses to help you develop your TEFL career from...
14 September, 2017
Welcome to September. For those in the Northern hemisphere, hey ho, let’s go; for those in the Southern hemisphere, it’ll be summer soon,...
5 September, 2017
Are you a teacher? If you are, then you’re probably a materials writer too.
1 September, 2017
Our blog topics for September and October 2017 look at the theme of 'Career and teacher development'.
31 August, 2017
“How did you do that?” This is a question I have been asked a few times in my career when using an element of technology in my lessons.
31 August, 2017
A self-reflection post about digital literacy from "darkest Perú" --- as my country includes 30 of the 32 world climates, with modern...
31 August, 2017
Our blog topics for July and August 2017 look at the theme of 'Managing resources'.
28 August, 2017
Digital literacy is a fact of life. Does this mean that everybody knows how to find the information needed?
23 August, 2017
I taught an English option course for several years.
18 August, 2017
When training people in non-formal courses for Improvement of English, I have the choice of creating my own text material. But if there is...
16 August, 2017
Teachers are faced with new challenges daily.
12 August, 2017
Every day teachers around the world have to deal with digital natives, i.e their own students. Children who were born and raised in...
9 August, 2017
I am in no position to tell you I have an answer to this question "Do we write materials OR Do we design them"
But I hope that sharing the...
25 July, 2017
The best textbook is the one you wrote yourself
28 June, 2017
Teaching the four C's and a lot more.
19 June, 2017
Speaking, listening comprehension and understanding are parts of the same process.
13 June, 2017
Have you ever been given a project to assess but couldn't? Have you ever created a rubric to assess the unassessable?
5 June, 2017
The acronym E.T does not refer to the sympathetic little alien from Steven Spielberg's movie but to the term Educational Technology, or the...
2 June, 2017
I like to use technology in class, first of all, because children always find it much more motivating than any other activities. Partly due...
2 June, 2017
Exercise caution!
29 May, 2017
Over the course of my teaching career, I’ve tried all kinds of approaches to marking writing, including, but not limited to, using...
27 May, 2017
Multi-lingual classes are a reality. For any teacher, it is a huge challenge and work in progress.
23 May, 2017
Helping our students to acquire 21st century skills is a true challenge. In this post, I will try to give some hints to develop and assess...
23 May, 2017
As a language learner myself (Spanish), I am intimately aware of the challenges involved in speaking a new language.
5 May, 2017
Our blog topics for May and June 2017 look at the themes 'multilingual approaches', 'integrating ICT' and 'assessing learning'.
5 May, 2017
Just over a year ago, I asked my friends on Facebook for some advice. I had a new job, and I needed some guidance.
1 May, 2017
Even though we live in the "mobile era", some educators are still reluctant to use mobile devices in the classroom.
30 April, 2017
Our March and April 2017 blog topics look at the theme of 'The Learner'.
Pages
15 April, 2015
Recently on my MA course we have been looking at the issue of reticence in the classroom, and whether this is caused by the communicative...
14 April, 2015
When I get a new class of children or a group of adults to teach, I check the roster, and take a minute to study the last names. Russian,...
19 February, 2019
An educated person today is one who knows how and where to find the necessary information.
21 November, 2008
Language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language.
26 May, 2009
Currently I'm working on an extended paper on language teaching methodology, which will form part of an edited collection on applied...
16 May, 2010
By now you have probably realised that I’m much in favour of integrating language and content making use of the several options we can find...
11 April, 2010
In my previous post I referred to one of the challenges of integrating foreign language and curricular content learning in some contexts...
5 April, 2010
Hi everyone! In April, I'd like to reflect on the integration of language and curricular content learning in secondary education in...
18 April, 2010
This is what we do in southern Argentina!
4 June, 2010
Here I am again with another CLILish lesson for 17 year olds whose level of English is around B1 (CEF).
5 March, 2015
If you are reading this post, then the blackout has finally ended.
6 January, 2015
Just like that another year has passed and I find myself missing the deadline for festive posts not just by a day or two but having spilled...
29 September, 2014
Throughout my teaching career, I have always enjoyed a challenge – I think every ‘career teacher’ does!
29 September, 2014
Starting this academic year in a new teaching role at a new school gave me plenty of time to stop and consider that opening ‘get to know...
5 April, 2008
Michael Houten from the British Council carried out a video interview with me about my teaching career and views on ELT issues.
2 June, 2015
Many teachers will say personalisation is important, but what do we mean by a 'personalised lesson' or 'personalising the...
30 October, 2015
‘Gamification’ is a term that has indeed been around for a few years now. Yet, like many terms and buzzwords it seems to mean different...
11 May, 2015
I am currently taking the online component of the Trinity Dip TESOL course and our current focus is on Unit 1 ‘Language and Methodology’.
27 March, 2015
"If we don't adapt we will die!"
26 September, 2015
My own teaching career has taken me from Madrid to Manchester and now to Berlin. Here are some of my experiences on the road to being a...
30 April, 2014
Let me introduce you to a student.
31 March, 2015
Looking at a coursebook and not knowing what to do with it is one of the most frustrating things in teaching.
17 November, 2015
One of Gavin Dudeney’s recent articles on this site explores the ideas of digital literacies and emphasises the importance of incorporating...
28 January, 2015
At first, when I started teaching, I was afraid of grammar. I was petrified.
25 October, 2016
As many classes are now sitting down to begin a year of study that will take them off to exam success in June next year, it is worth...
28 November, 2014
I recently stopped being a mentor.
10 March, 2016
I wonder how many people reading this feel as though they have time and space for proper reflection.
19 October, 2016
PPP, TTT, TBL, Dogme - do we really follow these structures, methodologies or approaches or do our lessons grow organically from a loose...
9 June, 2015
It may seem, at first glance, that the terms autonomous and exam don’t go together very well.
10 December, 2015
Hi everyone - we're very sorry for posting the December blog topics late this month!