Category Archives: Teachers

How Can International Students Bridge the Culture Gap?

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The start of the new academic year is an exciting time and many international students will be using the first few weeks to get to grips with a whole new academic way of life. Even if foreign students have grasped English well enough to gain entry to a British university, they still face the obstacle of embracing a new culture and study style.

International students can feel frustrated, confused or out of their depth when facing not only a new country but a whole new way of life. Should universities be doing more to help foreign students bridge this culture gap? Read on for some tips on what to expect at a UK university and ideas on how to settle into university life more quickly as an international student. Continue reading →

Christmas Vocabulary for EFL Lessons

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Christmas Vocabulary EFL Lesson - baublesChristmas is here, which means festive lesson ideas are making their way into the EFL classroom! What better time than to take a look at Christmas vocabulary and put it into context? Although not all EFL students celebrate Christmas, it is still an important cultural holiday for English-speaking countries, so EFL students will benefit from knowing what it’s all about.

Christmas is a really interesting topic with loads of quirky traditions (and we’re not just talking about Uncle Bert’s insistence on charades before the Queen‘s speech!) So before you launch into another verse of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’, hold onto your paper hats – it’s time to think about Christmas vocabulary!
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7 Tips for EFL Teachers: How to Survive Your First Lesson

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The first time you stand in front of a classroom full of EFL students can be a daunting experience! All the faces are looking at you, waiting for you to improve their English language skills. That can feel like an enormous responsibility and your first thought might be: quick run! But fear not – you have the skills, the training and the knowledge – you just need to calm down enough to remember it all.

Take a deep breath and don your teacher’s hat. You can sail smoothly through the first lesson as an EFL teacher and impress your students – or at least you’ll be able to pass through unscathed, ready to teach the next lesson!  Here are a few tips for EFL teachers to help you on that first day. Continue reading →

The London Jazz Festival comes to the EFL Classroom

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The London Jazz Festival EFL LessonThe London Jazz Festival 2018 is in full swing! People have been flocking to the capital to hear the melodious blast of trumpets, the rhythmic scratchings of snare drums and the ponderous strummings of the stately bass. So what better time to think about using music in the EFL classroom?

Music speaks to everyone, crossing cultural divides and vaulting language barriers with ease. Music is the perfect extra teacher in the classroom, especially this week with the London Jazz Festival in full swing. Read on to find out more about this world famous music festival and how it can bring a boost to the EFL classroom. Continue reading →

Happy British Sandwich Week!

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British Sandwich Week EFL lesson - camembertBritish Sandwich Week begins on 16th May 2021. This event will see all sandwich lovers cutting slices from the wholemeal loaf, washing the rocket and baby tomatoes, layering smoked salmon and spreading the camembert. Now you just need to find the wicker hamper and tartan blanket.

Short of time? You could just put a slice of spam in a bap! Whether you are preparing for a high class luncheon or slumming it with pre-packed ham, National Sandwich Day is a great time to think about foods, fillings and lunchtime snacks in the EFL classroom! Continue reading →

Rota Me In for a Lesson in Past Participles

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Past participles in the English language are normally simple enough for native speakers, but what about those awkward words? As eagle-eyed readers might already have guessed from the title of this blog post, I am thinking particularly of the word ‘rota’ here.

This word cropped up in the office recently as I was writing an e-mail and I suddenly discovered – I am not sure how to write this as a past participle. What is the past participle of rota? Should it be rota’d, rota’ed, rotad or something else? Continue reading →

Teach EFL Using Nursery Rhymes

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Teach EFL Using Nursery Rhymes - owl and pussycatNursery rhymes are ideal tools for the English language classroom. Teaching English as a foreign language to young children calls for a different approach. Regular textbooks might not cut it when it comes to stimulating little minds. EFL teachers need to use short, lively, fun exercises to make the words memorable and grammar points particularly easy to grasp.

Young children always respond well to music and song so what better learning method than to incorporate catchy rhymes and songs into an EFL lesson? Nursery rhymes can often be learned with accompanying actions to make them even enjoyable for children to sing along to – which will of course help to make them memorable!

Old King Cole and his fiddlers three might be just what your EFL class needs! Continue reading →

EFL Students to Face New Tests at Immigration

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EFL students will face new tests when they try to enter the UK to study – but these tests won’t be set by universities or educational bodies. Immigration officers at the UK border will be given the right to admit or refuse entry to foreign students trying to enter the UK to study.

This new measure has been taken as an attempt to curb the number of bogus applicants entering the country. Our concern is that many legitimate students could be prevented from entering the UK to study on the decisions of immigration staff.

Will all immigration staff have sufficient knowledge of the English language in en EFL context to be able to properly judge the language capabilities of a foreign student? Continue reading →

Is it Time to Take the Plunge? Teaching English Abroad

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Teaching English abroad could be one of the most exciting things you ever do. Imagine every day being different, full of challenges and new experiences, helping children or adults to speak English and improve their fluency.

You can explore a new country, its traditions, its history, its food and music, visit interesting places and fully immerse yourself in a new culture. Read on to explore why teaching English abroad could be your chance to live the dream as well as take a step towards an exciting new career. Continue reading →

Should only the Target Language be used in EFL Lessons?

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One of the more heavily debated issues in TEFL is whether it can ever be a good idea to use the students’ mother tongue to help explain finer points in EFL lessons. There is no doubt it can be helpful for elucidating a subtle point, but some EFL teachers think that only the target language should ever be used in the classroom. Does using the mother tongue stop us from ever developing fluency in the target language?
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