In simple terms the aim of a lesson details the teacher’s intention for that particular lesson.  It is often the first and foremost statement of a lesson plan against which the success of the lesson w...

Five things to remember: Plan your board before the lesson. Planning is not just about making sure you have enough space to write up what has been said but also a way of ensuring that the important p...

“To correct or not correct – that is the question!” What? Whether or not correction is required depends not only on our attitude towards correction but also on the nature of the error to be correcte...

“Practice makes perfect” or so we believe but we often forget that learners can’t practise if they don’t understand what is required of them. Demonstration of the activity in hand is key to successful...

As learners ourselves, we can all remember “good” and “bad” teachers. Now try to picture those “good” teachers – what made them so successful? The chances are that it wasn’t the materials they used or...

Few of us would question that learning should be enjoyable. How a learner feels about learning will not only affect their approach to it but ultimately their chances of success later in life. What do...

Group-work is a form of classroom interaction that developed out of the need to get learners to work together and in doing so to produce more language and allow teachers to monitor this production. In...

Few language learners (if any) will achieve their full potential without studying at home. Homework provides the learner not only with the opportunity to reflect on what has just been taught without t...

Have you ever wondered how children learn?   As a teacher of young learners, parents often ask me what they can do to help their children learn. A simple question, you may think but one that often r...

  Jigsaw activities are a great way to promote group work and discussion in your class and are very easy to set up.   With jigsaw reading, for example, divide your class into groups of 4/5 learners...

  The KISS principle is the idea that classroom processes and activities should be kept as short and simple as possible so that they maintain learner interest and make effective us of classroom time....

Listening is one of four language skills along with reading, writing and speaking which learners need to develop in order to become competent language users.   Often associated with the use of audio...

A method is an approach to language teaching based on a particular principle or theory and as such is reflected in the nature of the syllabus, choice of materials and desired outcomes that underpin cl...

Few language learners (if any) will achieve their full potential without studying at home. Homework provides the learner not only with the opportunity to reflect on what has just been taught without t...

  Often associated with the teaching of ESP (English for Special Purposes e.g. English for Bankers, Report-writing, etc), needs analysis is the process of identifying and mapping a learner’s language...

  One-to-one lessons or private lessons often occur outside the language classroom at, for example, the learner’s place of work or home. Such lessons have clear advantages both for the learner and th...

 The 3 Ps (present, practise, produce) describe the ingredients of course and lesson design that are common to most EFL course books. Evidenced in a series of discrete yet linked stages, the 3 Ps draw...

Q is for Questions What is the most common question asked in the English language classroom? “Do you understand?”! And although I’ve been teaching for a good many years, I still fall into the trap o...