Category Archives: Cultural differences/ cultural training

New EFL handouts Feb 2010 Part Two

Posted on 17/02/2010 by alexcase

Prepositions and body part mimes Comparative and superlative plus adverb Speaking Health problems mimes Writing reviews in English- Harry Potter Words often used in newspaper headlines Webquest Reading in English discussion questions

Posted in comparatives, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Discussion questions, ELT management, Materials, Medical and pharmaceutical English, Prepositions, Reading, Reviews, superlatives, Technology, TEFL, Webquest, Writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

The great teaching abroad CPD dilemma

Posted on 10/12/2009 by alexcase

With the limited reading time you have available, should you: a) read up on the culture of the students you are teaching? or b) concentrate on just improving your general TEFL knowledge and techniques? Which will help you more with your classes … Continue reading →

Posted in CPD, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Teaching English Abroad | 9 Comments

The cultural rebound

Posted on 29/11/2009 by alexcase

As this is my seventh year in a row in East Asia and I’ve never stayed anywhere more than two years before, this is the first time I’ve noticed this effect. I now have the knowledge and ability to sniff … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural differences/ cultural training, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching English in Korea | 12 Comments

On the CELTA, Japan, and very small learners

Posted on 22/11/2009 by alexcase

An interview with Charlie Richards of Learning Tree English, a private language school for 16 and unders (sometimes far unders!) in Osaka. “I first came across your school through your excellent examples of young learner lessons on YouTube. Typical lessons … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Discipline in the classroom, EFL CD ROMs, English through craftwork, Lesson planning, Phonics, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching Japanese primary school children, Teaching young learners, Technology, TEFL career planning, TEFL games, textbooks, Using songs with kids, Using storybooks | Tagged | 2 Comments

Losing my best students

Posted on 06/11/2009 by alexcase

Getting back to my paranoid fears of the last post (because a blog might be time consuming and pay nothing, but unlike seeing a therapist it’s free), there definitely does seem to be one kind of student I have lost … Continue reading →

Posted in ALT, Classroom management, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Eliciting, JET, Pairwork and groupwork, Problem students, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in China, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching English in Korea, Teaching shy students | 3 Comments

The best of Teaching English Guest Writer Articles

Posted on 21/08/2009 by alexcase

Another example of how blogging can be a good thing even if nobody reads, in this case making me read something worthwhile that I just hadn’t quite found time for month after month after month… Surprising myself slightly, my top … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, Cross cultural training in EFL, Dogme, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, Skills, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching methods and methodologies, TEFL | Leave a comment

Host family horror stories

Posted on 30/07/2009 by alexcase

Actually, this very nice article on EF and Kaplan in California  is far more fair than my scandal raking post title (note to The Guardian- real journalism on TEFL is possible!), but thought it might be a good chance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural differences/ cultural training, EF, Kaplan, links, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL chains, TESOL in the US | 1 Comment

Patriotism hits you in the strangest places

Posted on 12/07/2009 by alexcase

As an Englishman, I’ve always prided myself on my lack of nationalism (until I realised that the English going on about so much about how they aren’t patriotic is just another form of national pride), but if there ever was … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural differences/ cultural training, Teaching English Abroad | 1 Comment

New photocopiable worksheets May 2009

Posted on 25/05/2009 by alexcase

These ones on Usingenglish.com: Timetable Battleships (telling the time, Present Simple for routines and school subjects- for young learners and beginner adults) Telephoning Communication Breakdowns Roleplays (see my telephoning worksheets for more of the same) Present Simple and Continuous Taboo Topics … Continue reading →

Posted in Adjectives, Business English and ESP, Business English games, countable and uncountable nouns, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Food vocabulary, Grammar, Materials, nationality adjectives, Photocopiable worksheets, postcards, Prepositions, prepositions of position, Present simple/ continuous, Present tenses, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL games, Telephoning, TESOL, Usingenglish, Vocabulary, Writing, Writing games | Tagged | 1 Comment

Maybe British host families aren't the worst

Posted on 20/05/2009 by alexcase

This American family borrowed 1000 dollars off their Norweigan exchange student and then he got booted out of the country! Still, I still think host families in London win the prize. One Brazilian student told a hilarious story of rushing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural differences/ cultural training, EF, links, TEFL, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK | Tagged | 2 Comments