Teaching tips

What to do and what not to do in the EFL classroom

Tim Cornwall offers some great tips and techniques for both experienced and inexperienced teachers alike from smiling to laying down class rules and from teacher movement to setting up activities.

The Mismeasure of Thais

Teachers rarely take the blame for students constantly failing exams.

It is not the students’ fault that they are failing tests and exams. All students want to pass. They simply don’t know how since most teachers have never taught their students how to study effectively and to recognize the pitfalls of taking tests and examinations.

Responsibility: Teaching the fourth R in education

It's time to make our students look good - and not just academically

In our zeal to teach the three ‘R's, reading, ‘righting, and ‘rithmetic, we are neglecting to teach another very important ‘R': Responsibility; responsibility for oneself and responsibility for others

Review until they are blue in the face

Approaches to pre-test or exam review

Never forget the golden rule of review work: what may seem incredibly repetitive to you is very stimulating for students because they know what all of the questions and answers mean and they’re communicating in a foreign language.

Further unfurling of the Chinese situation

Cultural observations of Chinese students

I've found out why some of my Chinese students aren't participating in lessons as they should. They've been partying all night and getting drunk and smacked out. The problem is - I'm finding it so hard to tell.

Notes on a semester

What lessons can a teacher learn from a difficult semester?

When a number of students fail their course, what can a teacher do to make the next semester a better and more successful one? It's all about preparing well, observing other teachers and talking less in the classroom.

Finding the poetry

English teachers, Sonny's outcry, and finding the poetry

Governments and Immigration officials in various countries, including South Korea and Thailand, are finally starting to crack down on English teachers who have proven themselves to be less than desirable.

Teaching the Chinese in Thailand

experiences of teaching an international program

I came back to Thailand from Korea because I far prefer working with Thai students, or because my experiences here were so much nicer. To my surprise,upon my arrival, the university announced it was launching an international program in which there were many students from the south of China. So I'm in Thailand teaching Chinese students. Go figure!

Phrasebook learning

Is phrasebook learning letting Korean students down?

One of the true beauties of learning another language is the curiosity value of seeing how other peoples string together the concepts the words of their language embody to give meaning to the world in ways we never thought of.