Author Archives: alexcase

Getting more complex language from your students Part Two

Posted on 15/11/2014 by alexcase

The follow up to this article, also published in English Teaching Professional. Given the likelihood that your students often communicate with people who have a lower level of English than they do, there is much to be said for even … Continue reading →

Posted in Functional language | Leave a comment

13 reasons why chairs with flaps are better than tables

Posted on 12/11/2014 by alexcase

1. When beating out word and sentence stress, chairs with flaps allows for more Stomp-style variations such as shaking the whole chair and flapping the flaps up and down. 2. The dropping and picking up of various classroom accoutrements helps … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching English as a Foreign Language | Tagged | 1 Comment

The single best thing about TEFL

Posted on 07/11/2014 by alexcase

To give a bit of balance after my cynical off-day thoughts, I started writing a post wondering aloud if any job in the world could actually suit me as well as TEFL. I gave that up when it turned into … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching English as a Foreign Language | 1 Comment

Stop speaking Japanese (etc)

Posted on 04/11/2014 by alexcase

… or How to React to Random English in Your Everyday Life Abroad. This was supposed to be in Tokyo’s freebie listings magazine Metropolis, but it was so badly mangled by the editor that I decided to publish the original version for free … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Japan | 3 Comments

I’m back on TEFLtastic (but I’m not sure how I feel about it)

Posted on 01/11/2014 by alexcase

A day or two ago when I was updating my worksheets pages I got a message that TEFLtastic had been suspended from WordPress because I’d “broken the Terms of Service”. I quickly hit the contact button but given how I … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching English as a Foreign Language | 7 Comments

New ELT games and other photocopiable activities October 2014

Posted on 29/10/2014 by alexcase

Actually more than a month’s supply as it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts, but with most recent top: Making Arrangements Phone Calls Game Analyse and write IELTS Speaking Part Two Tasks Past or Present? Used … Continue reading →

Posted in Photocopiable worksheets, TEFL games | 4 Comments

Mixed results from Denver court order to improve teaching of English

Posted on 27/10/2014 by alexcase

This is a genuinely interesting story, but it also made me wonder what other court orders could influence our industry: – A court orders a teacher to allow a pair of students who are flirting with each other to stay … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching English as a Foreign Language | Tagged | Leave a comment

What I think about TEFL on my most cynical days

Posted on 18/10/2014 by alexcase

“It’s really not difficult to learn a language on your own if you are motivated. And if you aren’t motivated, why waste my time and your money coming to class?”   Anyone want to convince Cynical Alex that he’s wrong, … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching English as a Foreign Language | 4 Comments

Do you really need a degree to TEFL?

Posted on 11/10/2014 by alexcase

And is that right? I really got a bit het up when I realised that someone had got a job and working visa with a degree that they had awarded to themselves , and I even thought about dobbing him … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching English Abroad, TEFL qualifications | 9 Comments

“The TEFL University” – as dodgy as it sounds?

Posted on 08/10/2014 by alexcase

The founder/ owner of “The TEFL University” seems genuinely keen to give stuff away for free or cheap (including other people’s stuff – see below), but unfortunately I still recommend giving this site and its courses a wide berth. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Online TEFL certificate | 27 Comments