Jun 25, 2020 Opinions Twenty Things in Twenty Years Part Six: Resistance is futile – but still remarkably widespread When I was in my mid-20s living in Jakarta and trying to learn Indonesian, I reached a point where I felt I had to start reading more about Islam. Partly this was because so many of my students were – to varying degrees – Muslim; partly it was because the practising of the religion was […]
Jun 16, 2020 Classroom Activities, Opinions, The state of our profession Back to School Part Four: homework … or the lack of it. In recent years, we’ve seen much made of the idea of the ‘flipped’ classroom. In ELT terms, this often involves urging students to study words and grammar outside of the classroom – presumably by using a dictionary and doing exercises – in order to prepare for classes where the focus would be almost entirely on […]
Jun 2, 2020 Classroom Activities, Lexis, Opinions Why ‘Is it formal or informal?’ is perhaps my most-hated question in ELT Let’s face it, over the years, we’ve probably all asked plenty of questions in class that we later look back on and regret. This starts from our very first teaching practice when we become aware of the fact that we’ve explained something poorly and that half our students are looking worryingly confused. Unable to come […]
May 3, 2020 Classroom Activities, Coursebooks, Opinions, Twenty things in twenty years Twenty Things in Twenty Years Part Five: there really is no need for needs analysis! One of the more ridiculous notions instilled in me on my month-long CELTA course taken back in the early 1990s was the idea that via a scribbled sheet of paper containing a few topics and some grammar structures, I might somehow be able to discern the ‘needs’ of my subsequent classes. In retrospect, it now […]
Apr 24, 2020 Grammar, Opinions, Twenty things in twenty years Twenty Things in Twenty Years Part Four: the way I was taught to teach grammar crippled my understanding of grammar! I feel it best to warn you in advance that this is a post that could potentially spiral wildly out of control! It may also, I fear, contain themes I’ve entered into from slightly angles during other posts in this series. This is down to the fact that this is a topic that’s exercised me […]
