Listening is one of the most problematic skills for an ESL learner to acquire. This is because skills are developed over time and with plenty of practice. As a result, this can be a frustrating experience for learners since significant improvement is difficult to ‘prove’, whereas for instructors...
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2nd May 2017By Bryan Holmes
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25th April 2017By James Pengelley
Last year we described some of our best ideas for teaching writing, and making writing lessons fun. We couldn’t have been happier with the response…nearly 5,500 readers have visited, shared and commented on this post, making it one of our most popular contributions on the blog. But, as... -
18th April 2017By Sharon Maloney
World Book Day (April 23rd) is a wonderful celebration of reading and books. In places such as the UK, books are given out to those who don’t regularly read, gifted through organisations such as prisons, libraries, colleges, hospitals, care homes and homeless shelters. It is not only a celebration... -
11th April 2017By James Pengelley
Classroom management: buzzword or mantra? Hype or necessity? With class sizes of 40 or more the norm, Hong Kong English teachers will tell you that anyone with even the faintest experience in front of a local classroom will know that classroom management is important. Whether or not that... -
4th April 2017By Sharon Maloney
Easter is a festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which is celebrated all over the world by Christians. Easter is also closely linked to the Jewish Passover. Church services, decorating of Easter eggs (symbolizing Jesus’ empty tomb), egg hunts and chocolate eggs are just a... -
21st March 2017By Sharon Maloney
Having been a teacher trainer for a few years now, I’ve had opportunities to observe and reflect on the good and bad things teachers do in the classroom (including my own teaching skills!) while looking back on those first terrifying (and exhilarating) teaching years with a more experienced eye,... -
14th March 2017By James Pengelley
You’ve passed your CELTA or CertTESOL, you’ve recovered from sleep loss. You’re pencils are all sharpened, and mum has starched all your shirts…. you’re ready to start looking for your first teaching job? What next? Since I started teaching I estimate that I have applied for nearly 30 teaching... -
7th March 2017By Sharon Maloney
As a teaching employee, I have gone through a few spells of demotivation in my career. The most recent one was a few months ago. Feeling demotivated with my job, very unappreciated and generally overwhelmed with my workload, I woke up day after day dreading what lay ahead for the next 9 hours......