All things TEFL and beautiful!
So, your EFL students aren’t making any progress, you’re a good chunk of your way into the course and you’re just about ready to tear your own hair out, or theirs, in frustration. Maybe you’re even considering throwing the towel in altogether. Cutting your losses and moving to Mexico, certain that EFL teaching was never for you.
Well, hold fire with that trigger-happy resignation finger, all is not lost.
It can feel a little intimidating to have all of those new faces staring at you on the first day, and it’s always handy to have a few activities up your sleeve in case your lesson plan doesn’t quite stretch to the full hour.
We all have those days, or weeks. Maybe it’s the start or the end of the year, when there are less class options. Or maybe you have had the bad luck to land a class you hate teaching all year round.
Exam season has rolled around again! Hopefully you’re prepared for all the marking, extra hours and special planning you may be required to do in order to get your students up to scratch.
Today I am focusing a post on improving listening skills for exams. Especially the gap fill exercises that pervade official examinations these days. There is often little time available to practise listening in class, and students hate doing it at home. So how to improve their skills quickly and effectively? Well, with the simple 3 step method, with some other tips and activities included at the end!
This week’s debate topic is gun control in countries around the world. To prepare for a class on this topic, have a look at the post below, and it might also be a good idea to research the laws and restrictions that exist in the country where you teach.
Adverbs are lovely language and to be a successful English speaker, and to pass any exam, they need to be comfortable with using them. So here are some games that I use to help!
We all have those students, who are perhaps a little too optimistic about their chances of passing the exam before you think that they’re ready. Sometimes, this positive outlook is a good thing, it means confidence in one’s own abilities, but it can also hinder their progress and put you in a sticky situation.
This week’s debate topic is smoking and it’s legality in countries around the world. To prepare for a class on this topic, have a look at the post below, and it might also be a good idea to research the smoking laws and restrictions that exist in the country where you teach.
Reading is, along with listening, a receptive skill that it heavily weighted when it comes to exam time. Most recognised language qualifications require candidates to read long pieces of text and interpret their meaning.
For me, the slang that they pick up isn’t a bad thing. only a way to make your classes, and their education, more interesting. So stay with me, I’ve got a few activities to share with you!
TEFL Planet