Blogs
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Energising the gapfill 1
Gapfill exercises occur with relentlessly high frequency in coursebooks, and other supplementary materials. They are a useful, quick and focused way to check or diagnose students’ knowledge of a lexical item or a structure and, from an author’s perspective, they are also quite easy to write! Here’s my favourite way more…
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Latest from rainy Auckland
This has been one of those mild and wet winter weeks here in Auckland. But good weather to sit inside and catch up on some studies! I had the pleasure of meeting my new student through English Language Partners: Navinder, who has come here from India and is starting a more…
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Lesson plan: hindrance or help?
Is the lesson plan like having a ball and chain around your ankles? Some would argue that it limits a teacher’s ability to respond to students. In focusing on getting through the plan from A–D, any deviation off the pre-determined route is viewed negatively by the teacher. Thus, any sort more…
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When words are not enough – wear a funny-looking hat!
I received a rather unusual looking hat as a gift from a student recently. I won’t say from which country, but it is … unique. My students love the hat, and have been pestering me for days to put it on. I declined. ‘I tell you what, I said, if more…
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Winter in Aotearoa
Brrrrr! We are in the coldest week of the year down here in Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand). I had to pour water over my windscreen every morning this week before driving up to the University. However, the days have been bright and sunny – ideal weather for more…
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I remember when …
I used to spend hours preparing a lesson. I was newly qualified, teaching in my first post overseas, and fired up with a passion for the subject. My planning time was at least equal to, if not more than my contact time with the students, for at least the first more…
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Just what the doctor ordered!
Yes, indeed. When the temperature hits 34 degrees Celsius, and you are looking at vocabulary of health and fitness, the only thing missing is calorie-laden ice-cream, and lots of it.
My conversation/vocabulary class were inspired by the chocolate-hazelnut combination, and though relaxed in approach eventually got going. Vocabulary exercise 1 on more… -
Time is money, except for the World Cup!
My Brazilian students arrived into class today after missing Monday’s session.
‘The World Cup, Teacher.’
Several dramatic shoulder shrugs later, and we settle into Unit 7 of Global. I have been looking forward to this unit as I know my students will get their teeth into it. The exercise What’s the best more… -
Sentence stress 2
How to provide more opportunities for students to listen intensively was the subject of the tip two weeks ago. The following suggestion kills two birds with one stone: it practises intensive listening and also raises awareness of sentence stress. It can be adapted for any level. In my experience, by more…
