Expand Your Horizons

Let's talk about my new favorite word: "TEFLpreneur." You've probably pieced together that it's a fun combination of "TEFL" and "entrepreneur." But what does it really MEAN to be an entrepreneur in the ELT industry? What do you need to get started, what does it take to be successful, and why attempt it in the first place? Join me for a reflection on the rise of the TEFLpreneur and some thoughts on whether you could be one, too.

In this week's episode, I'm thrilled to welcome Karen Taylor as my guest. In 1999, KAREN created an amazing teaching tool called the Color Vowel Chart when she realized there had to be a better way to help students with pronunciation. The Color Vowel Chart took off, and in 2011, she co-founded ELTS (English Language Training Solutions) in response to popular demand. Karen holds an MA in TESOL from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a BA in English Literature from Georgetown University, as well as an International Baccalaureate from the United World College (US campus). A former Fulbright TEFL Specialist, Karen was the Practitioner in Residence at American University for nine years. She received Ed Tech's 2020 Visionary Leader award for her work as Head of Education and she is now CEO at Blue Canoe Learning Inc. And if you're wondering what the name Blue Canoe has to do with teaching pronunciation, you're about to find out in this episode. On a personal note, I'm especially excited to have Karen here today because I've been meaning to interview her for quite some time. So many teachers have raved to me about the Color Vowel Chart and how it has completely transformed their ideas about teaching pronunciation. There was one instance in particular when a teacher I've worked with was telling me all about her experience with the Color Vowel Chart and how she uses it in her classroom, and I asked her if she'd be willing to join me on the podcast to introduce it to our listeners. She said, sure, but wouldn't you rather interview to Karen directly? I'll give you her email address! I was shocked that someone who has accomplished as much as Karen would be so accessible, but I reached out to her and here we are! So what you're about to hear is our first conversation (of what I hope will be many!) and I'm so grateful that Karen gave so much of her time to talk pronunciation with me in this episode. I was very much looking forward to this interview, and I have to say that it was an even more fascinating and fun conversation than I could've anticipated. So if you've ever wanted advice for how to make pronunciation easier and more fun for your students, get ready, because this is the episode for you.

In this episode, I'll walk you through engaging, student-centered ideas for presenting new vocabulary words in your lessons.

In this episode, I'm happy to welcome Brock Brady as my guest. Brock began his career in the ELT industry somewhat spontaneously, as you'll hear from our conversation. He started as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa and from there went on to earn a Master's degree in TESOL before gaining experience in positions such as English lecturer in South Korea and Language Center Director in Burkina Faso and Benin. He served as the co-director of American University's TESOL program in Washington DC and later returned to the Peace Corps – this time as an education sector specialist and the TEFL certificate program manager. Perhaps most notably, Brock served for three years as the president of the TESOL International Association. Brock's extensive experience in ELT has taken him all over the world, but there was one final frontier he just recently decided to brave: online teaching. I even had the pleasure of working with Brock when he joined my Online English Teacher program to make that final leap in adapting his in-person teaching skills to online teaching skills. In this episode, Brock and I sit down to talk about the benefits of organizations like TESOL International. We also discuss his own challenges and rewards when it comes to teaching online and why you shouldn't be afraid to start your virtual teaching career at any age.

In this episode, let's talk about what NOT to do when teaching a vocabulary lesson. I'll go through five of the most common mistakes I see teachers make when planning and teaching vocabulary lessons. We'll talk about why these aren't effective techniques... and what you can do instead.

Tune in to this week's episode to learn more about practice activities for the ESL lesson. Let's start with a quick refresher of the difference between controlled and freer practice as well as which types of lessons require "practice" to begin with. From there, you'll learn about how to find and acquire useful practice activities plus ideas for using them in your virtual or in-person classroom.

Lorenzo Sclocco is an ESL teacher and education specialist based in Toronto, Canada. He has been teaching English (General English, EAP, Business English and Exam Classes) at language schools, universities, and colleges since 2009. He also teaches Italian and German. As a language learner himself, he knows the difficulties that students encounter when learning other languages. Therefore, he uses a communicative and task-based approach in his classes. In 2018, Lorenzo was the recipient of the “Excellence in Teaching Award” at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies. He considers himself a life-long learner and he is passionate about anything that has to do with languages and pedagogy. He is particularly interested in curriculum development and syllabus design. When not teaching, Lorenzo can be found going for a stroll in High Park (a very famous park in Toronto) and eating cookies – his addiction! In this episode, Lorenzo joins me to share essential strategies for course planning and syllabus design. If you're curious about the elements of an effective course syllabus or are looking for guidance on designing a whole course as opposed to an individual lesson, this is the episode for you!

Last week, I shared my top tips for teaching reading lessons online, so this week we're talking about online listening lessons! Once again, I'll go through my five best tips for making your lesson work - this time, when there's an audio track involved.

In this episode, I'm sharing my top 5 tips for teaching reading lessons online, including how to format and share texts, making tasks visible, the benefits of pair checks, and getting the most out of whole class feedback.

This is the second time Jackie has joined me as a guest on Expand Your Horizons, and I'm very happy to welcome her back. In this episode, we're talking about strategies for maximizing student talk time, minimizing teacher talk time, and making lessons more student-centered in general.

If you're an online English teacher, you may have experienced some common issues, including tech trouble, breakout room snafus, or even lack of student motivation (how do you get them to participate??). In this episode, we'll go through practical suggestions for the most common online teaching issues.

Error correction Show NotesThis week’s episode considers common questions around error correction:Should you correct every error your students make? If not, how do you know whether to correct an error? When is the best time to correct an error? How do you correct errors most effectively?Tune in for advice on when, how, and why we can correct our students’ errors in an online class. In this EpisodeWhat you need to understand before you can think about error correction: the two possible purposes of any given activity in a lesson Why the distinction between accuracy and fluency is essential to deciding if you should correct an errorThe one key question to ask yourself to determine whether or not you should correct an errorDelayed error correction: what this is and how it worksTips for making delayed error correction time-efficientHow to make delayed error correction student-centered How to correct errors on the spotEffective error correction methods that prompt students to self-correct When and why you might not need to correct some errors at allLooking for more detailed advice about how to teach English online? Check out the Online English Teacher course!

I’m happy to welcome back a returning guest this week on Expand Your Horizons: Jessie Ebersole. Jessie joined me on the podcast in the fall of 2019, but in case you missed our previous conversation, let me briefly introduce her before we dive into our conversation. Jessie is the Director of Academic Programs at Washington English Center, which is a non-profit English language school for adult immigrants in Washington, D.C. WEC offers 14 levels of ESL classes, and they rely on volunteer teachers for all of those. Jessie started out in the TESOL field as a volunteer herself, and she later went on to complete a master’s degree in TESOL at American University. She has a lot of experience in this field, including teaching at American University’s English Language Training Academy, and working as a draft writer for parts of Intercambio’s textbook series Confidence and Connections. I’m thrilled to have Jessie back as a guest, because I have a lot of respect for the work she does and for WEC as an organization. Some of you may know that I lived in DC for about 5 years – so I’m quite familiar with WEC, and I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with Jessie and her staff from time to time – they were even kind of enough to host TEFL Horizons on site for a workshop in 2019. Clearly, a lot has changed since then, so I invited Jessie back to catch up on how the WEC is adapting to online teaching, to get her take on the current state of the ELT industry and to discuss opportunities for volunteer teaching online.

Welcome to the first Expand Your Horizons episode of 2021! In this episode, I'm sharing a few personal and professional updates, as well as summarizing a few key takeaway lessons I learned about teaching English online in the last year.

In this episode, we're discussing the key differences to consider when teaching English online vs. in a physical classroom.

Hello and welcome to this week’s episode of Expand Your Horizons. Today my guest on the podcast is Ricardo Fajardo, who is joining us to talk about teaching a specific type of English class – exam preparation.Ricardo has been a teacher of English for 24 years and a teacher trainer for the last 12 years. He is currently a CELTA tutor and assessor, which has given him the chance to travel as well as help and learn from other centers. He is also an ICELT and DELTA tutor and works as a freelancer in different projects such as writing materials for coursebooks or helping teachers remotely as an online consultant. He is an accredited IELTS examiner as well as a Cambridge KET, PET, FCE, CAE, and CPE oral examiner, so clearly he has a good deal of experience with proficiency exams and what students need to know in order to succeed on them. In our conversation today, we’re discussing tips for teaching exam preparation classes, and how we might transfer or adapt these strategies to work for online classes.

We're happy to welcome Andre Alipio to the podcast this week. André has been the DoS at GTP, Global Teaching Practice, for 10 years now, but he has been a teacher trainer since 1995, working for different institutes in Brazil, like International House Sao Paulo. As the director of studies, he is responsible for designing and delivering a range of courses for teachers of English, as well as training tutors of such courses. André is an active CELTA and DELTA trainer, and has trained on courses in Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, and other countries. He is also a local trainer for ETS products like TOEFL Junior. More recently, André has been developing ELT materials and consulting to the educational market in general. Today, he’s joining me for a conversation that is certainly relevant to anyone who works with young learners or has children who are currently learning at home. At the time of recording this, schools around the world are temporarily closed due to the covid-19 pandemic. This means that those students are currently learning from home by attending their classes online. In this episode, Andre shares practical strategies for how we, as teachers, can help train parents to support their children in online learning.

In episode 31 of Expand Your Horizons, we're pleased to welcome Eliberto Salinas as our guest. Eliberto has extensive experience as an English teacher and is also a CELTA trainer at International House Mexico, where he is based in Mexico City. Today, he’s joining me to talk about something many teachers find challenging: supporting students of different English levels in the same classroom. join us for our conversation about how to identify and cater to students’ differences in the classroom, including some practical strategies for adapting activities and presenting materials to accommodate students of varying language levels in the same group, even in an online class.

In this week's episode of Expand Your Horizons, we're talking with Andrew Watson about strategies for teaching young learners online. Andrew has great insight on working with young learners as well as extensive experience in the ELT industry. He got his first teaching job in South Korea in 1994, and since then, he’s held a variety of EFL jobs including teacher, IELTS oral examiner, young learners’ coordinator at the British Council, CELTA and ICELT teacher trainer and developer. He holds a DELTA certification and an MAEd in Applied Linguistics. In our conversation, Andrew and I discuss the key differences between working with adults and working with children in the ESL classroom, and Andrew shares a wealth of practical tips for teaching YLs both in the physical classroom and online.

We’re kicking off Season 2 of Expand Your Horizons by welcoming a returning guest, Orlando Delgado. Orlando is the Director of Teacher Training & Development Operations for IH Mexico and has been a teacher trainer and CELTA and DELTA assessor for over 10 years around the world. Orlando is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about online teaching and training in particular – and this week, we’re talking about what’s going on in the world right now and how that affects the ELT industry. We’re currently in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is impacting how we’re thinking about teaching, learning, professional development, and communication in general. In this episode, Orlando joins me for a less formal conversation in which we reflect on what all of this could mean for our industry and bring you some general insight and advice on teaching online.

"By the end of the lesson, students will be able to..." Does the phrase above look familiar? If you're a teacher, chances are you're aware of the practice of writing aims or objectives for your lesson. Maybe you learned about this in a training course, or maybe you work at a language school where your boss looks over your lesson plans. For many teachers, sitting down to write out lesson aims can feel a little like a pointless chore. If you have a sense of what you want to do in the lesson, do you really need to write it all out? Is the wording REALLY that important? In this episode, we talk all about lesson aims and why they're actually a lot more important than you might think. We'll give you some tips for making them count, tell you exactly how to determine the right main and sub aim for different types of lessons, and discuss why having a clear aim is the main thing that can make or break your lesson.

In this week's episode, we're doing an in-depth review of teaching skills lessons, starting with how they differ from systems (grammar and vocabulary) lessons. It's tempting to think that every lesson should involve teaching students new words and grammatical structures, but it's equally important to focus on developing students' skills: reading and listening comprehension and speaking and writing fluency. So we're discussing strategies for teaching skills in the classroom.

How do you approach teaching writing? Do you actually give your students writing exercises in class, or do you just assign writing tasks as homework? In this episode, we look at the benefits of working on writing in the classroom, and we go through exactly how to structure an effective writing lesson. We discuss why the writing task itself is the most important piece of the whole thing, and we describe the practical process that allows you to turn your students into better writers.

In this week's episode of Expand Your Horizons, our guest is Jackie Bolen. Jackie taught English in South Korea at private institutes and universities for over ten years. She now lives in Vancouver, Canada where she does some teaching, writing, and various online things, including running her two websites, eslactivity.org and eslspeaking.org. She is both CELTA and DELTA certified and believes in the value of communicative, interactive language learning. She’s particularly interested in using games in the ESL classroom, and she’s published several games and activities books, which you can find on Amazon. In her spare time, Jackie is usually on the hunt for the most delicious kimchi she can find, which isn't that easy in Vancouver! She joins us to discuss teaching in Korea, advice on finding a job, and to offer some great advice on how to make the ESL classroom more fun.

We know that helping students develop their speaking fluency is important, but are students really getting better at speaking EVERY time they're talking in a lesson? In this week's episode, we look at how to devote an entire lesson to speaking fluency, including specific stages, activities, and advice.

In this week's episode of Expand Your Horizons, our guest is Jessie Ebersole. Jessie is the Director of Academic Programs at Washington English Center, a non-profit English language school for adult immigrants in Washington, D.C., which relies on all volunteer teachers to teach 14 levels of classes. Jessie started out in the TESOL field as a volunteer, and later went on to complete a master’s degree in TESOL at American University. She previously taught at American University’s English Language Training Academy, and was a draft writer for parts of Intercambio’s textbook series Confidence and Connections. Jessie is the WATESOL Adult ED Special Interest Group Chair, and she always enjoys opportunities to connect with the broader TESOL community. In our conversation, we discuss how starting as a volunteer teacher kicked off her career in the field of English language teaching, and we dive into the benefits of being a volunteer teacher in general.

In this episode, we're going into even more depth on how to teach effective listening lessons. First, we talk about different ways we listen in real life and how we can apply this to our classrooms. Then we go over the different listening "sub-skills," why the distinction between them matters, and examples of how you can help students practice each one. Finally, we offer some suggestions for taking listening tasks to the next level, and answer some common questions (should you give students the transcript?) along the way.

Welcome to Episode 21 of Expand Your Horizons! This week, our guest is Orlando Delgado. Orlando has been working as the Director of Teacher Training & Development Operations for IH Mexico for 7 years now, leading the 15 IH TT Department branches in the country, and he is also a member of the executive board of directors. He has worked as a teacher trainer for over 10 years, in Mexico, the US, the UK, Ukraine, Italy, Canada, Tunisia and Argentina, and as a freelance coursebook writer for the University of Dayton. Additionally, he is a very active CELTA, ICELT and Delta Assessor, travelling in Europe, and North, Central and South America assessing other CELTA centres. He remains actively involved in professional development and reflective practice and holds a master’s degree in Teacher Education from The University of Manchester. He is currently working on his MBA through Warwick University Business School. As Director of Operations, Orlando leads and implements projects to make teacher training at IH Mexico as effective as it can be, and he also gets to work with the sales and marketing team to develop innovative new products and courses.In our interview today, we’ll be talking about his career path and how he got to where he is now, as well as what it’s like to be a non-native English speaker in the ELT (English language teaching) field, and what it’s like to teach or get certified to teach in Mexico.

In this week's episode, we're continuing our series on helping students develop their receptive skills, but today we're shifting our focus to listening! We discuss why listening comprehension needs its own targeted focus and why reading out the transcript isn't as helpful as playing an audio file. Then we walk through specific, practical tips on how to make sure your listening lessons are successful, including how to manage timing, how to deal with tech malfunctions, how to coach students through particularly challenging audio texts, and how to get the most out of feedback.

We're continuing on in our series of how to teach reading, and this week we're talking through a common issue: how do you deal with vocabulary in a reading lesson? Yes, we know the main aim of any reading lesson should be reading comprehension, but what if students start to ask questions about the vocabulary in the text? Should you offer to define unknown words for the students as you go along? How much vocab do the students really need to know in order to comprehend what they’re reading? We’ve got the answers for you in this episode.

This week, we're continuing on with the topic of how to effectively teach reading lessons. We're going into more depth on how to best help students develop their comprehension without feeling bored or overwhelmed. First we talk about three reading "sub-skills" and why the distinction between them matters. Then we go through specific tips for making your reading lesson successful, including how to manage pace, how to keep students motivated, and what to do when a debate breaks out over an answer.

We're switching things up this week; Lauren is hosting the show and Shannon is the interview guest. Tune in as Shannon, TEFL Horizon's other co-founder, describes what drew her into the TEFL industry, how her career progressed, her biggest professional development takeaways, and what she loves about teaching.

In this episode, we respond to a commonly asked question about reading lessons: should you have your students take turns reading a text out loud? Listen in as we first break down why asking students to read aloud is NOT an effective practice, then offer practical strategies for what to do instead.

This week, we welcome Stephanie Vogel as our guest on the show. Steph has had a long and successful journey through the TEFL industry. After dropping out of med school, she felt inspired to try something totally different, so she went to Istanbul to get a CELTA certification. From there, she wound up in Vietnam, where she spent six years progressing from ESL teacher to assistant academic manager to CELTA and DELTA trainer. She then moved back to the US to further advance her career, eventually becoming the director of Teaching House, the largest provider of CELTA courses in the US. Join us as we talk about how she built her career in TEFL, share insights into the world of teaching and training, and probably have a little too much fun recounting hilarious teaching disasters.

This is a special episode of Expand Your Horizons, because the interview is with one of our co-founders! Shannon interviews Lauren all about her teaching experience in Romania, how she fell in love with the TEFL industry, and that one time she was invited to do a "small training" in Brazil that ended up being a massive, nationally televised presentation! Tune in for the inside scoop on Ms. Harrington herself.

Today’s guest on Expand Your Horizons is Josh Niezgoda. After he got his CELTA, Josh spent a short time teaching at a local language school in Washington, DC to hone his skills before he headed overseas to teach English in Andorra. Tune in for our conversation about how he ended up in a tiny country many people have never heard of and what it’s like to live and teach there.

In this episode, we're sharing our best strategies for how to master classroom management in the adult ESL classroom.

In this episode, we're talking with David, who is the founder of passthecelta.com. After completing his own CELTA back in 2012 with the very difficult to achieve PASS-A grade, David realized he wanted to help other prospective teachers succeed on the CELTA course. Since then, he has helped thousands of people pass the CELTA by providing guidance on the course and creating an incredibly comprehensive CELTA learning library full of useful resources online. In this interview, we go into more depth about how to succeed on the CELTA course than we ever have before. We're talking all about teaching, professional development, and of course, how to pass CELTA with flying colors. Tune in if you’ve ever thought about doing a CELTA certification- we’re breaking down exactly what gives the course its legendary intensity and how you can get through the course with your sanity intact. And if you’ve got a CELTA already, this episode should bring back some memories for you!

In episode eight, we brought you six actionable tips for teaching grammar lessons. Now we’re taking it all the way back to the planning stage to help you structure a successful grammar lesson from the ground up. We’ve got six more of our best, most practical tips for you- this time focused exclusively around how to plan your lesson from start to finish and how to find and use the resources you need. We’re covering everything from effective lesson structure to our favorite reference books. And we share our strategies for how to look at a course book and know exactly what to keep and what to cut.

Interview with Jocelyn Pollak: tefl pros and teaching in thailand Show NotesThis week, our special guest on the podcast is Jocelyn Pollak. Jocelyn is the co-founder of TEFL Pros, which she and her business partner, Whitney, created with the mission of offering the best online teaching certification available in the industry. In this episode, we’re talking about her teaching experience in Thailand as well as what inspired her to become a TEFL entrepreneur and help other teachers achieve their goals through the certification program that she and Whitney designed. If you’ve ever been interested in teaching in Thailand or if you’re curious about the different teaching certification options out there, you’ll definitely want to tune in! In this EpisodeWhy Jocelyn left her high-paying sales job to teach abroadHow she knew teaching English was the right choice for her What she loves most about teaching now What attracted her to Thailand and why she has stayed for seven yearsThe courage it took to buy that one-way ticket Why the adjustment to the new culture wasn’t that difficult The hilarious misconception she had about dining in Thailand when she first arrived Why new teachers have no idea what they’re doing when they first start out - and why some of them don’t end up keeping their jobs What inspired her and her business partner to create TEFL ProsHow the TEFL Pros certification course is different from other online TEFL certificatesWhat the TEFL Pros graduates benefit from the most The process of creating and launching the program What she’s most proud of about TEFL Pros Why some students ask teachers if they’re “real” teachers Why she feels that education is moving online as opposed to only in-personThe type of candidate that would be a good fit for a TEFL Pros certification Why the TEFL Pros certification is actually a great step before the CELTA course What teachers who want to teach online should know Why being able to speak English is not at all the same as being able to teach English What she wishes she’d known before she started teachingThe challenging aspect of teaching that she particularly lovesHer favorite destinations and travel recommendations in ThailandWhy tourists should give Bangkok a chance - she convinces me! “People say, ‘If you find something you would do for free, then you should keep doing it.’ And for me, I really found that teaching is [like that].” try a module of the course for free “We actually unlock a module of the course for free. (…) So it gives you a feel for what we’re all about. So we want to be really, really transparent and let people know what we’re all about. And we’re not shy to show people that, and to show people what we’ve built.” Interested in learning more about TEFL Pros? Click the button below to find out more about their certification program. TEFLpros.com Note: The links in this post are affiliate links; if you access teflpros.com through our site and make a purchase, we may receive a commission. It won’t increase the price at all for you, but it will help us out! We only recommend products from companies that we’re proud to partner with. What did you think of this episode? Leave us a comment below and let us know! If you enjoyed this interview, would you do us a huge favor and share it on your favorite social media platform? It only takes a second- just click one of the “share” icons floating on your screen. And we’d love for you to subscribe here on iTunes and leave us a review. Your support means the world to us and helps keep producing valuable content. Looking for more teaching resources? Check out our blog for lesson planning guidance and activity ideas or brush up your grammar knowledge with our online grammar course. And subscribe to our newsletter to get the our top teaching tips delivered straight to your inbox every week!

We’ve been talking a lot about teaching grammar lately. Mainly because it’s the type of lesson that seems to intimidate teachers the most. There’s often so much information out there that teachers feel overwhelmed at the thought of having to break it all down and present it clearly in the classroom. As teacher trainers, not only have we taught countless grammar lessons ourselves, but we’ve also spent years observing and helping other teachers plan and execute effective grammar lessons. So today, we’re bringing you our top six tips for teaching grammar effectively.

In this episode, I’m talking to Stephanie Clark. Steph has taught ESL in Korea, the Czech Republic and Spain, and she has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia. She completed her CELTA certification in 2016, achieving the coveted PASS-A grade. Today, she’s here to talk with us about what it’s like to get started as an ESL teacher after completing a certification, adjusting to life abroad in various countries and cultures, and how she transitioned back into life and a teaching career in the States.

In this episode, we're talking to Richard Grant. Richard has extensive experience in the TEFL industry, where he's worked as an ESL teacher, a CELTA trainer and assessor, and the director of the first year writing program at his university. Today we're talking about the key differences he's noticed in how native and non-native speakers approach English, advice for anyone considering teaching abroad or taking a CELTA course, and just relishing the intricacies of the English language.

Have you ever dreamed of changing careers and running off to Vietnam to teach English? Theresa Troyer did just that. In this episode, we’re talking with Theresa about how she decided to teach and what it was like to dive into the field of TEFL. She gives us the lowdown on why she chose to get a CELTA and how intense it really was, and then tells us all about what it was like to teach locally before transitioning overseas to teach in Vietnam. If you’ve ever thought about Vietnam as a work or travel destination and you’re looking for some advice (or just a good breakdown of expectations vs. reality), then you won’t want to miss this episode!

You’ve decided to get a certification like CELTA. Great! Where do you start? What’s involved? Do you really have to interview? Why does it seem like such a process- can’t you just pay your money and start? In our last episode, we (hopefully!) convinced you that getting some solid training before you start teaching is the way to go. Now we’re looking at exactly what to do once you make that decision- from choosing the right training program and getting accepted to showing up on day 1 ready to succeed.

You speak English fluently. That’s enough of a qualification to teach ESL, isn’t it? What more do you need? Is a course like CELTA really worth the investment?While being proficient in English is definitely the place to start, there’s a lot more to being a good ESL teacher. In this episode, we discuss eight different reasons you’ll want to get some quality training before you step into the classroom.

Five Misconceptions About Teaching Grammar In this Episode…Why most native speaking English teachers start out extremely unprepared to teach grammar Some of the big mistakes we made in our first grammar lessons Why grammar books don’t always help with grammar lessons The difference between meaning and formWhat you need to know to teach a successful grammar lesson How to make sure a grammar lesson is engaging instead of boringHow to make the grammar you’re teaching relevant to your students’ experienceWhy the way teachers often study grammar is the opposite of how it should be presented to students in classWhy time for students to practice grammar in a lesson is essential How to set up effective grammar practice activities An easier way to learn grammar: our grammar course Show NotesIf you’re an ESL teacher, you might have some strong feelings about teaching grammar. Most native speakers think they know grammar…. until they start trying to teach it and realize that being able to use grammar correctly is not at all the same as knowing terminology and being able to explain and teach grammar effectively. In this episode, we’re talking about five common misconceptions that native speakers often have about teaching grammar when they first become teachers… and how to deal with each of them. We also recommend helpful grammar resources to make teaching those dreaded grammar lessons a breeze. Resources mentioned in this episode…Teaching Tenses by Rosemary AitkenUnderstanding and Using English Grammar by Betty S. AzarGrammar in Use by Raymond MurphyAbout Language by Scott ThornburyBe Your Own Grammar Guru: complete online grammar course “A lot of times teachers in training will go into it thinking that they know enough about the grammar, because they’re native speakers (. . .) and they think, ‘Oh, I’ve got this…’ but what we’ve seen over the years is that thinking that you know grammar doesn’t necessarily translate into being able to teach it. ”

Have you ever thought about teaching English as a second language? In this podcast, teacher training duo Shannon Felt and Lauren Harrington offer actionable advice and inspirational stories for current and aspiring ESL teachers. Learn how to get started teaching ESL at home or abroad, get practical teaching tips to perfect your classroom methodology, and listen in on interviews with industry experts and teachers around the world to indulge your wanderlust.

Something new is in the works!