Category Archives: Listening

The best IELTS Listening practice test?

Posted on 08/04/2025 by alexcase

An IELTS Listening practice test wish list, then two candidates for the prize. The perfect IELTS Listening test would have: It would also be nice to have a flowchart in Part 3 to tie in with Writing Task 1, even … Continue reading →

Posted in IELTS, Listening | Leave a comment

Testing and teaching detailed comprehension

Posted on 15/10/2013 by alexcase

Can’t remember how I got it into my head to write an article about such a huge and complex topic, but hopefully managed a mix of a summary of well-known but frequently ignored advice plus a few of my own less conventional ideas … Continue reading →

Posted in Listening, Reading | Leave a comment

The most useless listening exercise in the whole of TEFL?

Posted on 22/07/2013 by alexcase

There’s quite a lot of competition for this prize, but the task I’m talking about is astounding not only for it being almost impossible for students to either learn language or improve their listening skills from it, but also for … Continue reading →

Posted in Listening | 3 Comments

Does reading help speaking more than listening does?

Posted on 04/05/2012 by alexcase

… because that is what I told one of my students in a one to one class the other day. I then wondered where on earth I got that idea from – as I don’t remember ever having consciously coming … Continue reading →

Posted in Listening, Reading | 6 Comments

Live Listening quotes and links

Posted on 07/03/2010 by alexcase

“Live listening is where students are listening to people in a face-to-face situation – or whom they can physically see (such as in the theatre, etc). Different from listening to RECORDED EXTRACTS.” (definition from the ELT Wiki live listening page). … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, Listening, Skills | 3 Comments

The most overrated things in TEFL Part One

Posted on 19/04/2009 by alexcase

Preteaching vocabulary The case for the prosecution: – I’ve had to train people on a “CELTA equivalent” course to teach three to five pieces of vocabulary, but if they ever asked why it couldn’t be two or zero I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Lesson planning, Listening, Pre-teaching vocabulary, Reading, Skills, Staging, TEFL, Vocabulary | 11 Comments

Listenings – why bother?

Posted on 29/03/2009 by alexcase

A guest piece by Andy Mallory “‘Doing a listening’ is a bit of TEFLese that has all but dropped out of my vocabulary of late. It’s still a staple of coursebooks, usually accompanied by a little cassette symbol (maybe a … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, ELT publishing, Listening, Materials, Technology, textbooks | Tagged | 11 Comments

New TEFL articles Feb 09

Posted on 11/02/2009 by alexcase

Feel like I should actually write something on my own blog between all these guest pieces, but am still trying to put stuff back where it was after my mother in law rearranged the flat. Instead, here is the usual … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom management, CPD, Grammar, Grammar games, links, Listening, Passives, Pronunciation, pronunciation games, sentence stress, Staging, Starting lessons, Teacher training, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL games, TEFL workshops, Using a whiteboard, Usingenglish | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Dream dictionary for TEFL teachers Part Two

Posted on 24/09/2008 by alexcase

Did you know that what you dream about can tell you what will happen in your classes? Try reading the descriptions below and in Part One to find something you have dreamed about, and then write it in the aims … Continue reading →

Posted in present continuous, Present tenses, Problem students, Songs with adults, TEFL | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The best TEFL anecdote of the century?

Posted on 16/05/2008 by alexcase

Re-reading my little story on weeping housewives (or not) who hadn’t done their homework, I must admit that it does really cut it as an anecdote- never been a talent of mine, as I find my own life incredibly dull … Continue reading →

Posted in Adapting textbooks, Classroom management, Materials, Songs with adults | Tagged | 5 Comments