Category Archives: Pairwork and groupwork

The CELTA Ten Commandments

Posted on 12/06/2010 by alexcase

Say what you like about the Ten Commandments (unrealistic, need a scary fake God to make people pay attention, etc), I think we all must admit that we’d improve our lives and the world by keeping it in mind not to lust … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, Eliciting, Pairwork and groupwork, TEFL, TEFL certificate, Using a whiteboard | Tagged | 16 Comments

The CLT robot

Posted on 08/11/2009 by alexcase

“I suppose that in the not too distant future this sort of hopping from group to group and ‘listening in’ can be taken over by some language-surveillance computer or robot. This device would hover above the participants, the symbolic meaning … Continue reading →

Posted in links, Pairwork and groupwork | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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

New TEFL articles and teaching ideas Dec 08

Posted on 20/12/2008 by alexcase

15 ways to learn students’ names LINK UPDATED 15 more fun ways to practice the Past PerfectLINK UPDATED 15 fun ways to practice third and mixed conditionalsLINK UPDATED 15 more ways of eliciting vocabulary LINK UPDATED 15 fun ways to practice will … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom dynamics, Classroom management, Conditionals, Eliciting, Future tenses, Grammar, Grammar games, Mixed conditionals, Pairwork and groupwork, Past perfect, past tenses, Speaking games, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL games, Third conditional, Using L1 in class, Vocabulary, Will for predictions | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Alternative ELT Jargon Dictionary Part 7

Posted on 06/06/2008 by alexcase

Community Language Learning– The theory that students getting together at break time to bitch about British food and their teacher is the best way of drawing them together and increasing their motivation to learn DoS– Director of Studies. Often confused … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, Community language learning, CPD, links, Pairwork and groupwork, Peer observations, Suggestopedia, The Silent Way, Usingenglish | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The disadvantages of teaching in Japan

Posted on 18/05/2008 by alexcase

“My first two years in Japan were spent teaching English… The students… studied English- or should I say, English was taught in their presence. Nothing ever seemed to sink in. Years of classes and endless tests and still they couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in becoming a teacher trainer, British Council, Business English and ESP, Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Dave Sperling's ESL Cafe, Eikaiwa, English Teachers in Japan, Functional language, JALT, Materials, Mixed ability classes, Pairwork and groupwork, Problem students, Teacher forums, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching low levels, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL working conditions, TOEIC | 22 Comments

Putting the grammar back into Xmas

Posted on 03/12/2007 by alexcase

UPDATE: Full list of Xmas ideas and materials now here. Putting the seasonal cheer back into grammar (and putting the grammar back into Xmas) Some of you might be thinking that the problem with Xmas today is an excess of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural differences/ cultural training, Flashcard games, Grammar, Grammar games, Lesson planning, links, Listening, Modals, Modals of deduction, Pairwork and groupwork, Passives, Photocopiable worksheets, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Present simple for routines etc., Present tenses, Songs with adults, Teaching low levels, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL games, TPR, Using songs with kids | 2 Comments

PPP RIP? Part One

Posted on 23/08/2007 by alexcase

Thanks to Appy Linguist for mentioning the PPP approach while talking about the CELTA because I’ve been meaning to write about it for a while. The question is: should teachers still be trained to teach PPP and it’s offshoot (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, CELTA, Grammar, Grammar games, Lesson planning, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, Pairwork and groupwork, PPP (Presentation practice production), Speaking, Staging, Teacher training, Teaching low levels, TEFL, TEFL certificate, TEFL games, TEFL qualifications, Test teach test | 5 Comments

Why are there so many bad English teachers in Japan?

Posted on 10/08/2007 by alexcase

After training, recruiting, observing and chatting with English teachers and students in Turkey, Thailand, Spain, Italy, the UK (meaning teachers and students from everywhere) and spending 4 years in Japan, I have come to the conclusion that the average level … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom management, Learner motivation, Learner training, Pairwork and groupwork, Phonemic script, Pronunciation, Teacher training, Teaching English in Japan, TEFL, TESOL | 4 Comments

Read article + talk about article = learn a language

Posted on 07/08/2007 by alexcase

This is the one simple recipe that teachers all over Japan are using to raise the level of their students’ English: Take one copy of the Japan Times that you were going to read anyway Cut out one topical and/ or cultural article … Continue reading →

Posted in Business English and ESP, Classroom management, EFL exams, Learner motivation, Lesson planning, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, Mixed ability classes, Pairwork and groupwork, Phonemic script, Social English, Speaking, Staging, TEFL | 3 Comments