There are quite a few secret teachers out there in the world. People who have spotted things that need changing in their environment but whose ideas or suggestions are brushed aside or dismissed out of hand. This blog was contacted... Continue Reading →
What do you want from a mentor? As a mentor, what do you want from your mentees? These two expectations don't always meet in the middle and it can be a cause of professional friction when that happens. I recently... Continue Reading →
If you prepare students for FCE or CAE, then this might be useful for you. Cambridge English: First (FCE) and Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) have recently undergone significant revisions to their structure and organisation. This has been on the cards... Continue Reading →
It was World Teachers' Day last Sunday - and there is a certain irony in celebrating the teaching profession on the one day of the week that no-one's in school, but never mind! As part of the celebrations the Teaching... Continue Reading →
So this is the first in a series of videos being put together by the Teaching English (British Council | BBC) website where some of the blogging team on the site talk about a particular topic or issue. Myself, Adam Simpson,... Continue Reading →
Dear Student, You probably know why I’m writing this letter. You probably know, deep down, what I’m about to tell you. But I’m going to tell you anyway and that’s why I’m writing. You are going to fail your exam. ... Continue Reading →
Last week I did a ten minute spot at the 6th International House Teachers' Online Conference (#IHTOC6) on themes I'd picked up on from the IATEFL conference. My talk, which predictably over-ran and was therefore a bit rushed towards the... Continue Reading →
Well. This one was controversial. In some respects what Sugata Mitra said in his plenary on Saturday morning doesn't even matter anymore, such was the debate it sparked and which still continues via facebook and twitter. Mitra, it is clear,... Continue Reading →
February seems to be all about tests. All my classes have just done their mid-year grammar and vocabulary tests, my exam class students have just done a mock exam and are getting ready for the real thing in March, and... Continue Reading →