What is task-based learning? Or should that be ‘task-based language teaching’? How do you ‘do’ it in class? What’s the difference between this and ‘project-based learning’? Read on! Task-Based Learning (TBL) is a lesson structure, a method of sequencing activities in your lessons. Sometimes called ‘Task-Based Language Teaching’, TBL lessons…

The art of improvisation: when and why language teachers should go rogue. — The most magical learning moments are often unplanned. I’m sure all teachers have experienced this. The lesson takes on a life of its own and goes off-plan, but the students have an amazing learning experience. Of course, the opposite happens too — a plan goes off the rails and is…

10 principles to engage and boost students’ learning. — What is project-based learning (or PBL)? It’s a teaching method where students gain knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to real-world problems or challenges. Students actively engage in their learning instead of sitting back and trying to absorb information passively. They’re not just learning facts; they’re learning how to…

How to develop well-rounded learners. — There are so many approaches to teaching, it can feel overwhelming. Which methodology do you use? Do you go with present, practice, produce, or task-based learning? But once you’ve decided on how to teach, and develop proficiency, you start to wonder if there’s more to learning and teaching. For the…

Free eBook — ChatGPT for Language Teachers — Just a quick newsletter this week, to announce my new book: ChatGPT for Language Teachers: The Ultimate Prompt Handbook for AI Productivity. As someone who has been using ChatGPT since November last year, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible potential this technology holds for language teaching and learning. Since then, I’ve…

Storytelling for Language Teachers: Story frameworks, techniques and activities — Hi all, Just a short email this week, as I’m excited to release my new book! It’s called ‘Storytelling for Language Teachers: Story frameworks, techniques and activities’, 🐉 Here’s what you can expect: A quick story-planning method to design story-based lessons in minutes. Twenty adaptable story activities for almost any…

Supercharge your students’ learning outside the classroom. — Originally published at BarefootTEFLTeacher— subscribe there to read it first! How long do you spend with your language students each week? Two hours or less is standard for a lot of language schools. If your students study English in their regular school for another two hours, that makes four hours…

Community enhances school academic and business outcomes. — Is your school a community? Or is it just a place where students come, attend class, and leave? Despite what most school managers think, a community is more than a few seasonal events and some half-hearted parent communication. A good community indicates many things, but it mainly shows that active…

Meet your new AI teaching assistant — ChatGPT. — AI can now write lesson plans. Oh, and they can also suggest activities, create teaching materials, give feedback to students, and much more. All for free. Let’s take a look. AI Writing and ChatGPT AI writing has been a trend in the last year or so, and has helped marketers and copywriters write product…