Category Archives: TEFL qualifications

Evidence-based teaching?

Posted on 24/01/2010 by alexcase

Evidence-based medicine is all the rage at the moment. While not lacking in critics and almost certainly leading to the dismissal of some brilliant mavericks and their ideas alongside the control of crackpots and incompetents, all the evidence seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, Cambridge ESOL, TEFL Heroes- Michael Lewis, TEFL heroes- Michael Swan | 52 Comments

Interview with a Marxist TEFLer/ TEFLing Marxist

Posted on 16/01/2010 by alexcase

Interview done by email rather than talking to a Zapatista-style balaclavaed bandit in the jungle (which would’ve been nice), but the results are just as interesting as the always thought provoking Marxist TEFL Group blog, I think you’ll find: “Why define yourself as … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlitz, Cactus TEFL, Dogme, EFL exams, EL Gazette, ELT publishing, Experience of Language Teaching, Macmillan, Onestopenglish, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL blacklist, TEFL blogs, TESLA Coil | Tagged | 10 Comments

Development, blogs, books and Japan- An interview with Darren Elliott of Lives of Teachers blog

Posted on 09/01/2010 by alexcase

We all seem to be seeing your name around a lot recently. A masterplan to become the next Thornbury/ trying to keep yourself busy while your wife watches Japanese television/ sleep disorder/ other? I think it takes more than a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Critical Mass ELT, Eikaiwa, Experience of Language Teaching, first TEFL job, MA TESOL, Teacher training, Teaching English in Japan, TEFL, TEFL blogs, TEFL conferences, TEFL heroes- Rose M Senior, TEFL heroes- Scott Thornbury, TEFL qualifications, TEFL reviews, TEFL villains- Jennifer Jenkins, TEFL workshops | Tagged | 8 Comments

Your DoS’s RMCITE (aka Nick’s Scale of Awesomeness)

Posted on 05/01/2010 by alexcase

A guest piece by Nick Jaworski of Turklish TEFL blog “Do you ever wonder why your Director of Studies likes others and not you? Do you ever get the feeling you’re being measured against some unknown scale? Well, this is … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, CPD, ELT management, links, personal learning network, TEFL blogs, TEFL interview questions, TEFL workshops, Twitter | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Weekend TEFL courses- better than nothing or bringing us all down?

Posted on 01/01/2010 by alexcase

My feeling is that some people are doing weekend courses where previously they would have done a four week one, which can’t be good. Then again,the majority of people who do weekend courses now would probably just do no training if … Continue reading →

Posted in i-to-i TEFL, Teacher training, Teaching English in China, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching English in Korea, TEFL certificate, TEFL qualifications, Weekend TEFL course | 11 Comments

ELT Publishing Trendspotter 2010 Part One

Posted on 05/12/2009 by alexcase

Flicking through the 2010 Pearson Longman was quite interesting (interesting for TEFL okakus), and here is what I noticed: – More books bought off of smaller publishers by big publishers to fill a hole in their catalogue, this time off of … Continue reading →

Posted in Distance learning, ELT publishing, Pearson Longman, Technology, TEFL certificate | 6 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

The most overrated things in TEFL Part Two

Posted on 02/11/2009 by alexcase

-Explaining everything you do This a classic example of the limitations of the philosophy of Diploma-level teaching: write your lesson plan on the board (language and human interactions are unpredictable, but your lessons obviously shouldn’t be), explain why you are … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, Diploma in TESOL, Lesson planning | 11 Comments

Some new ideas about CPD in ELT

Posted on 22/07/2009 by alexcase

From July’s MET, and now here on my “CPD portfolio”* The aptly named article “CPD” by Keith Harding has some interesting ideas I hadn’t come across like a Self-SWOT Analysis and a snap-shot observation, but the really weighty matters are … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, CPD, Diploma in TESOL, ELT publishing, Lesson observations, modern english teacher magazine, Peer observations, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL qualifications, TEFL working conditions, TEFL workshops | 5 Comments

The other side of Oxford Street

Posted on 16/06/2009 by alexcase

A guest piece by “Holden Coalfield” “‘No thanks’, I said to the leafleter who offered me and everyone else a flyer for an English school as I walked out of Oxford Circus tube into this crowded and surprisingly tacky centre … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Dodgy TEFL school owners, ELT management, finding good TEFL jobs, first TEFL job, Job security, Learner motivation, Oxford Street schools, Teacher training, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TEFL working conditions | Tagged | 6 Comments