Category Archives: CPD

Big Brother is teacher training you

Posted on 20/02/2009 by alexcase

‘“Gabriela, I want you to ask Kieran a question please,” [the head teacher] Benigno says into a microphone that conveys the instruction to the teacher’s earpiece. She’s noticed the boy turning round in his seat [on her monitor connected to … Continue reading →

Posted in CPD, Lesson observations, PGCE in TEFL, Teacher training, Technology | Tagged , | 1 Comment

TEFL mentors needed!

Posted on 19/02/2009 by alexcase

A thought- (and hopefully action-) provoking guest piece by Louise Lee “I sometimes think that jumping out of a plane at 15,000ft was a piece of cake compared to my intensive TEFL course followed by the first four months of … Continue reading →

Posted in CPD, links, mentoring, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL | Tagged | 5 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

The voice of the “free TEFL course” speaks

Posted on 10/01/2009 by alexcase

After my disbelieving post about the truth of claims of free TEFL training (followed by disbelieving comments by my regular readers, both of them), I got a reply from someone in the parent company and sent off some questions that … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgy TEFL courses, Global TESOL, links, Online TEFL certificate, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Korea, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL conferences, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams | Tagged , | 24 Comments

Free online TEFL training???

Posted on 23/12/2008 by alexcase

UPDATE – website now dead, so I guess they are no more So Global TESOL claims, although some of the things written there are a bit offputting- maybe deliberately so as they seem to be warning people off the need to take … Continue reading →

Posted in Global TESOL, links, MA TESOL, Online TEFL certificate, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Korea, TEFL, TEFL certificate, TEFL conferences, TEFL qualifications | Tagged | 17 Comments

An alternative way of boosting your teaching confidence

Posted on 27/10/2008 by alexcase

“She… reported that her self-esteem was raised when her [MA in TESOL] assignments were returned with comments that revealed, in her view, a degree of closed-mindedness on the part of the tutors who had marked them.” From pg 72 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge University Press, CPD, ELT management, ELT publishing, Lesson planning, Materials, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Staging, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL games, TEFL reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment

And the Certificate in Money for Nothing Teacher Training goes to…

Posted on 18/10/2008 by alexcase

… Trinity, surprisingly. Details from Guardian TEFL here Including such motivational gems as: “Once people sit down and look seriously at the time and cost that will be involved, that will focus their minds wonderfully,” “we can’t say that it … Continue reading →

Posted in CPD, Guardian TEFL, links, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL qualifications, Trinity | Tagged | 3 Comments

TEFL scabs

Posted on 05/10/2008 by alexcase

Seems that there is an interesting TEFL strike story going on right on my doorstep that I hadn’t even heard about, including loads of juicy controversy. You can see the recent open letter by the leader of the Berlitz strike … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlitz, David English House, Eikaiwa, English Teachers in Japan, JALT, Job security, links, Teacher associations, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Japan, TEFL, TEFL chains, TEFL conferences, TEFL strikes, TEFL unions, TEFL working conditions | 3 Comments

Do you want the temporary buzz of moving on and/ or up too?

Posted on 21/09/2008 by alexcase

Doesn’t last of course, especially the initial thrill of being in the chaos of a third world city or in the chaos left for you by the last person who had that DoS job, but if having some kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming a Director of Studies, becoming a teacher trainer, Business English and ESP, CPD, EFL exams, ELT management, ELT publishing, finding good TEFL jobs, getting into ELT publishing, Lesson observations, links, Materials, Peer observations, Teacher training, Teaching English in Asia, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL CV/ TESOL resume, TEFL qualifications, TEFL reviews, TEFL working conditions, TEFL workshops, TESOL, Usingenglish | Tagged | 2 Comments

Teaching English in Japan- Sources Part One

Posted on 13/08/2008 by alexcase

The books all teachers in Japan should read Part One- The best books about Japanese language and education I’m sitting here mourning over the 100 or so books about Japan that I will be leaving on the school bookshelves rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural differences/ cultural training, Delta Publishing, ELT publishing, English Teachers in Japan, False friends, links, Pearson Longman, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Teacher training, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL workshops | Leave a comment