How to English TEFL Podcast

Why do students ask for a coursebook at the start of a course, then a few weeks later ask if they can just talk instead?In S07E18 of How to English: Teach & Learn with Gav & Em, we look at why learners can lose interest in coursebooks and how teachers can balance structure with the conversations students actually want.We also ask where teachers really learn their best teaching lessons, whether teachers should learn their students’ language and culture before working abroad, how to say goodbye at the end of a course, whether an English teacher needs to be a walking dictionary, and how AI can help teachers and learners without replacing the learning.TIMESTAMPS00:00 What’s coming up01:57 Why students stop wanting the coursebook05:20 Why coursebooks can feel repetitive07:43 Coursebook or conversation?08:26 Test-teach-test09:20 Mid-course reflection10:43 Where teachers learn their best lessons13:50 Learning from negative feedback15:27 A difficult first lesson abroad18:24 Should teachers learn students’ language and culture?20:19 How should teachers say goodbye?21:27 Does a teacher need to be a dictionary?23:18 Pros and cons of AI25:45 How Gav uses AI in lessons26:52 AI for tailor-made materials27:47 AI-written emails and learner confidence28:44 What can’t AI replace?30:12 Practical AI ideas31:48 Final questions READ THE S07E18 ARTICLESWhy Do Students Ask for a Coursebook Then Stop Using It?https://howtoenglishpod.com/why-do-students-ask-for-a-coursebook-then-stop-using-it-s07e18/Where Do English Teachers Learn Their Best Teaching Lessons?https://howtoenglishpod.com/where-do-english-teachers-learn-their-best-teaching-lessons-s07e18/Should English Teachers Learn Their Students’ Language Before Teaching Abroad?https://howtoenglishpod.com/should-english-teachers-learn-their-students-language-before-teaching-abroad-s07e18/How Should an English Teacher Say Goodbye to Students?https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-should-an-english-teacher-say-goodbye-to-students-s07e18/Does an English Teacher Need to Be a Walking Dictionary?https://howtoenglishpod.com/does-an-english-teacher-need-to-be-a-walking-dictionary-s07e18/How Should English Teachers and Learners Use AI?https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-should-english-teachers-and-learners-use-ai-s07e18/EPISODE GUIDEhttps://howtoenglishpod.com/episode-guide-why-do-students-stop-using-coursebooks-teaching-lessons-ai-goodbyes-s07e18/More practical teaching articles, mini-lessons, checklists and free resources:howtoenglishpod.com

What should you do when a grammar lesson starts falling apart? Stick rigidly to your plan, stop and reset, or follow the language your students are actually producing?In S07E17 of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em discuss the reality of teaching when lessons refuse to behave themselves.Em shares a present continuous lesson involving unclear instructions, technical problems, students in different locations and an activity that gradually drifts away from the original plan. This raises a bigger TEFL question: when should teachers stick to their lesson plan, and when is it better to go with the flow?They explore emergent language after a student unexpectedly moves the lesson towards the past continuous, how teachers can “park” a useful question without ignoring it, and whether one student’s curiosity should change the direction of the whole class.Gav and Em also compare their teaching energy across the week. Is Monday teaching different from Friday teaching? Do teachers correct more when they are fresh? Can being tired sometimes produce a more relaxed, natural classroom?Finally, they remember teachers who influenced them years ago. What made those teachers special, and what can reflecting on your own favourite teacher reveal about the teacher you want to become?Plus, Gav explains how howtoenglishpod.com is developing into a practical resource bank of TEFL articles, episode guides, teaching ideas and podcast discussions.📚 RELATED S07E17 TEACHING ARTICLESHow Should TEFL Teachers Recover When a Grammar Lesson Goes Wrong?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-should-tefl-teachers-recover-when-a-grammar-lesson-goes-wrong-s07e17/Should You Stick to the Plan or Go with the Flow in a TEFL Lesson?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/should-you-stick-to-the-plan-or-go-with-the-flow-in-a-tefl-lesson-s07e17/Does Your Teaching Style Change From Monday to Friday?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/does-your-teaching-style-change-from-monday-to-friday-s07e17/What Makes a Teacher Memorable?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-makes-a-teacher-memorable-s07e17/How Can Thinking About Your Favourite Teacher Improve Your Own Teaching?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-thinking-about-your-favourite-teacher-improve-your-own-teaching-s07e17/Where Can TEFL Teachers Find Practical Teaching Resources and Podcast Articles Online?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/where-can-tefl-teachers-find-practical-teaching-resources-and-podcast-articles-online-s07e17/🌐 More practical TEFL ideas, episode guides and teaching resources:https://howtoenglishpod.com⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 – What happens when a grammar lesson falls apart?01:29 – Teaching the present continuous03:06 – When students understand the grammar but not the task05:06 – Stick to the plan or go with the flow?07:01 – Present continuous naturally becomes past continuous09:34 – How to “park” a useful student question11:59 – Thinking fast and adapting TEFL lessons12:16 – Does teaching style change from Monday to Friday?16:43 – Friday teaching, natural speech and correction19:47 – What makes a teacher memorable?21:36 – How favourite teachers influence our teaching23:07 – Qualities of a good teacher25:04 – Turning a TEFL podcast into a teacher resource bank❓ QUESTIONS ANSWEREDWhat should teachers do when a grammar lesson goes wrong? When should you stick to a lesson plan or follow emergent language? How can you handle a useful student question without losing the lesson? Does teaching style change during the week? What makes a teacher memorable? How can your favourite teacher influence your own teaching?#TEFL #EnglishTeaching #LessonPlanning #TEFLTeachers #ESLTeaching #GrammarTeaching #TeacherDevelopment #ClassroomIdeas #EmergentLanguage #TeachingTips #ELT #EnglishTeachers

Why are your students learning English? How should teachers check answers without wasting lesson time? And what should you do when you have no idea how to pronounce a new student’s name?In S07E16 of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em explore everyday questions English teachers face.They begin with one deceptively simple word: why? Why do we teach? Why are our students in the lesson? And why is it worth revisiting their goals as a course develops?Drawing on their TEFL experience, Gav and Em discuss what keeps them teaching: language, flexibility, career opportunities and helping learners communicate.Then comes email and admin: homework, timetable changes, cancellations, new classes and those messages sent five minutes before the lesson.They also tackle student names. Should teachers research pronunciation before the first lesson? What happens when the same name is pronounced differently in different countries?Finally, Gav and Em disagree rather spectacularly about checking students’ answers. Should learners compare answers in pairs before whole-class feedback? If everyone already has the correct answers, is checking them again useful confidence-building — or a waste of lesson time?Along the way, they share practical techniques including peer checking, student nomination, varying who answers, testing what learners remember and personalising answers.Whether you teach TEFL, ESL, EFL, Business English or general English, this episode offers practical classroom ideas — and proof that experienced teachers don’t always agree on the “right” way to do things.EPISODE GUIDE + TEACHING RESOURCESEpisode guide:https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/episode-guide-how-should-english-teachers-check-answers-pronounce-names-stay-motivated-tefl-tips-s07e16/How Often Should TEFL Teachers Revisit Learners’ Goals?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-often-should-tefl-teachers-revisit-learners-goals-s07e16/Is TEFL a Good Long-Term Career? What Keeps Teachers in the Jobhttps://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/is-tefl-a-good-long-term-career-what-keeps-teachers-in-the-job-s07e16/How Can TEFL Teachers Manage Email and Admin Without Letting It Take Over?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-tefl-teachers-manage-email-and-admin-without-letting-it-take-over-s07e16/How Should English Teachers Pronounce Students’ Unfamiliar Names?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-should-english-teachers-pronounce-students-unfamiliar-names-s07e16/What Is the Best Way to Check Students’ Answers in an English Lesson?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-check-students-answers-in-an-english-lesson-s07e16/More practical TEFL articles, teaching tips and resources:https://howtoenglishpod.comSupport Gav & Em:https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpodCONTENTS / TIMESTAMPS00:00 – What’s coming up?01:01 – Welcome to S07E1602:13 – Why are we teachers?03:32 – Why are your students learning English?04:59 – Why Gav and Em still enjoy teaching06:50 – Career opportunities in TEFL09:11 – Why teachers and learners should keep asking “why”10:05 – What emails do TEFL teachers receive?14:20 – When should teachers answer emails?16:33 – The five-minutes-before-class email17:32 – How do you pronounce a student’s name?18:03 – Researching names before a lesson22:10 – How should teachers check students’ answers?22:51 – Should students check with a partner?24:03 – Gav and Em disagree27:04 – Do you need whole-class feedback?29:40 – Checking answers to build confidence31:56 – Who should answer each question?33:25 – Keeping students on their toes34:33 – Stop students simply reading the answers35:03 – Personalising answers35:26 – Ko-fi, teaching resources & goodbye

How long should an English lesson be: 60 minutes or 90 minutes? How much teaching is sustainable in a week? And is spending 30 minutes on small talk valuable language practice — or a waste of lesson time?In S07E04 of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em compare their approaches to lesson length and workload. Gav explains why he prefers 60-minute lessons, while Em makes the case for 90 minutes, including time for students to warm up through genuine small talk.They discuss teaching hours vs real hours, back-to-back classes, and why teachers need time to reset. What actually happens between lessons? Reflecting, organising notes, sending homework and materials, doing admin, checking the next class — and hopefully finding time for tea and a bathroom break. Gav shares his digital note-taking system, while Em describes her more analogue approach.Next: how can teachers make grammar example sentences meaningful rather than just another gap-fill? Using I used to live in Spain, Gav suggests building a story and context around grammar, while Em argues for connecting examples to students' lives. Their imaginary character Colin — who used to live in Seville — demonstrates how context, creativity and humour can make language memorable.Why do students sometimes stare silently after a teacher tells them a story? Learners may not know how to react naturally, may view the teacher-student relationship differently, or simply need more processing time. Gav and Em also consider cultural expectations and why lower-level learners sometimes need space to listen.Finally, they reveal how much body language and gesture they use when teaching. They demonstrate gestures for tenses, big vs tall, word order, syllables, vocabulary, pronunciation, uncertainty and error correction — including why online teachers may need to reverse timeline gestures for students on the other side of the screen.If you teach TEFL, ESL, EFL, ELT, Business English or online English, this episode is full of practical classroom experiences, disagreements and ideas to try.☕ Support How to English TEFL Podcast: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpodAs Gav says, only send them a coffee if you want to encourage them. Actually... apparently you should send one even if you want to discourage them.Timestamps00:00 Welcome01:00 Who is the podcast for?02:00 How many lessons per week?03:00 Timetable “floaters”04:00 Teaching hours vs real hours05:00 60 or 90 minutes? Is small talk a waste?06:00 Teaching students to small talk07:00 Why Em prefers 90 minutes08:00 Back-to-back classes09:00 Time to reset10:00 Reflection and notes11:00 What happens during a break?12:00 Gav's digital notes13:00 Reflection with back-to-back classes14:00 Tabs, worksheets and memory15:00 Sending documents and homework16:00 Registers, invoices and admin17:00 Context for example sentences18:00 Does every sentence have context?19:00 The problem with grammar gap fills20:00 I used to live in Spain21:00 Colin in Seville22:00 Humour and memorable sentences23:00 Teachers telling personal stories24:00 Why don't students react?25:00 Teacher-student relationships26:00 Cultural differences?27:00 Why learners need to listen28:00 Processing and response time29:00 The classroom “soap opera”30:00 Gestures for teaching English31:00 Past-simple gestures32:00 Big, tall and present simple33:00 Past-to-present gestures34:00 Word order, vocabulary and syllables35:00 Tear vs tear and facial expressions36:00 Error correction and goodbye37:00 End music🎙️ How to English TEFL Podcast — teaching and learning English as a foreign language with Gav & Em.

Can an English lesson be too much fun? Do fast-paced classroom games actually help students learn — or can they create stress instead? And how do you know when an engaging activity has crossed the line into overload?In S07E02 of How To English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em, we reflect on what “fun” really means in the English language classroom — and why what feels exciting to one learner might feel stressful to another.Em shares a memorable teaching experience where a competitive, timed grammar activity became overwhelming for one student. We discuss time pressure, different learning speeds, classroom competition and whether fun activities actually help students retain language. Is a successful lesson one students enjoy, or one they learn from — and can it be both?Then Gav introduces his very own TEFL phenomenon: Cold Coffee Syndrome. What does it mean when an English student talks so much during a coffee-shop lesson that their drink goes cold? Is that the ultimate sign of a successful speaking lesson, or should teachers give their students a chance to actually drink their coffee?We also ask: Can English teachers ever really switch off? Gav and Em discuss noticing vocabulary and grammar everywhere, mentally correcting other people's English, finding lesson ideas in everyday life, and how years of teaching can change the way you listen to language.Plus, has online English teaching changed our real-life communication skills? We talk about eye contact, interruptions, conversation timing, body language and the strange habits teachers can develop after spending hours teaching students in little boxes on a screen.Finally, we get into the complicated emotions surrounding cancelled English lessons. Are teachers secretly happy to get an unexpected hour off? Do cancellations cause guilt, concern or financial anxiety? And what happens when a student keeps cancelling?And to finish, Em tests some English grammar and vocabulary jokes on Gav. Can English learners understand jokes involving clauses and claws, grammatical tenses, and to who vs to whom — or are these jokes really only funny to English teachers?00:00 Welcome to How To English01:00 Does “discover” have a prefix?02:00 Can English lessons be too much fun?04:00 When a fun classroom activity becomes stressful06:00 Why time limits can overwhelm students08:00 Does having fun actually help students remember English?09:00 Introducing “Cold Coffee Syndrome”11:00 Is a student talking for 45 minutes a successful lesson?12:00 How to let students drink their coffee — and keep them talking14:00 How teaching English affects your everyday life15:00 Do English teachers mentally correct everyone?17:00 Finding English lesson ideas in the real world18:00 Why authentic materials don't always interest students20:00 Real life vs online teaching22:00 Has online teaching changed our eye contact and conversation skills?24:00 How do teachers really feel about cancelled lessons?26:00 Getting paid for a cancelled lesson — should you feel guilty?28:00 Can English learners understand English jokes?29:00 Cat, comma, clause, claws, paws and pause30:00 A joke about past, present and future tenses31:00 “To who” or “to whom”?32:00 Final thoughts and supporting the podcast☕ Support How To English:https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod🌐 Visit our website: https://www.howtoenglishpod.com/If you're an English teacher, TEFL teacher, ESL/EFL teacher, English learner or language teaching enthusiast, join Gav & Em for an informal discussion about the realities of teaching and learning English — from classroom management and speaking activities to teacher life, online lessons and the things that don't always make it into the methodology books.What do you think? Can a classroom activity be too fun? Do you enjoy competitive or timed activities, or do they make learning more stressful? And teachers — how do you really feel when a student cancels?

How can English teachers turn tricky pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary into activities students actually want to join in with?In the final episode of Season 6 of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em complete their A–Z of TEFL with X, Y and Z — combining unusual English words, pronunciation challenges, classroom games, grammar practice and practical teaching tips.Gav challenges Em with difficult X, Y and Z words including axolotl, xylophone, ylang-ylang, Ypres, zwieback, xyst and zephyr. Along the way, they explore why English spelling and pronunciation can be so unpredictable and suggest ways teachers can adapt pronunciation activities for different learner levels.Em introduces the Yes/No game, a simple speaking activity that pushes learners to answer questions without saying “yes” or “no”. It encourages longer answers, flexible language and useful alternatives such as “maybe not”, “never”, “I tend not to” and “I’d prefer not to”.They also explore zeitgeist vocabulary from different decades, from groovy and grunge to selfie, hashtag, lockdown, hybrid work and AI — showing how vocabulary can reflect the time and culture in which it is used.Grammar gets its turn too. Em uses superstitions to practise the zero conditional, while Gav tests when English uses the zero article with examples involving school, hospital, music and meals. Finally, they try a sentence-completion activity designed to help learners expand their adjective choices and support each other when they get stuck.Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em keep the focus on activities teachers can adapt rather than grammar rules in isolation.In this episode:• Pronunciation activities using unusual X, Y and Z words• A Yes/No speaking game for longer, more natural answers• Zeitgeist vocabulary and language change• Teaching the zero conditional through superstitions• How to explain the zero article• Sentence-completion activities for vocabulary development• Tips for Zoom fatigue, exploring new topics and learning from errorsTeaching resources, episode guides and practical ideas for busy English teachers:https://www.howtoenglishpod.com/Support How to English TEFL Podcast:https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpodResources:AI voice: https://elevenlabs.io/Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt5YsCsv9Sc&list=RDQMRnuMug6asRQ&index=3Chapters00:00 – Welcome & Season 6 finale03:26 – X words and unusual vocabulary05:00 – X, Y & Z pronunciation challenge15:37 – Pronunciation patterns and teaching ideas17:12 – The Yes/No speaking game21:46 – Why the Yes/No game works for learners22:35 – Zeitgeist vocabulary through the decades28:24 – Zero conditional through superstitions34:19 – Zero articles: school, hospital, music & meals38:43 – “It was so…” sentence-completion activity42:26 – Zoom fatigue and Em’s teaching tip43:19 – Gav’s X, Y & Z learning tips44:08 – Season wrap-up & thanks

How do you find your authentic voice as an English teacher — and keep lessons varied, useful and engaging?Welcome back to the A–Z of TEFL! In S06E22 of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em reach the letter V and explore practical English teaching ideas around variety, voice, visuals, victories, vocabulary and vitality.Drawing on their years of classroom experience, Gav and Em discuss why variety matters in lesson planning and how mixing speaking, listening, reading, writing, energetic activities and quieter reflection can help keep lessons balanced.Then it gets phonological. How can teachers help learners distinguish /v/ and /w/? Gav and Em experiment with mouth position, voiced sounds, fricatives, minimal pairs, flashcards, tongue twisters and pronunciation games — with words including wine/vine, west/vest and wheel/veal.Em brings in a visual-speaking activity based on strange coincidences: identical cars, matching step counts and puppies whose spots appear in numerical order. The pictures demonstrate how one visual can generate description, vocabulary, grammar, personalisation and extended conversation.The discussion then gets more reflective: what does it mean to find your “teacher voice”? Gav and Em compare how they behave with new students, how authority and friendliness can change over time, and the challenge of having a genuine conversation while still listening for opportunities to teach, correct and expand learners’ English.They also ask what counts as a teaching victory. Is it new vocabulary? More accurate language? A confident student? Or simply finishing a lesson with everyone looking forward to the next one?Plus: vocabulary vs lexis, idioms, categorising language, a body-action vocabulary game, staying fresh after thousands of lessons, teacher vulnerability and why the volume of new language matters.☕ Support the podcast and help keep Gav & Em supplied with tea and coffee:https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod🌐 Practical TEFL articles, teaching ideas and resources for busy English teachers:https://howtoenglishpod.comMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEGrammar Drops:https://www.youtube.com/@GrammarDropsWhizbusters:https://whizbusters.teachable.com/Game music:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=951ZpDOP9VY&list=PL170TfEhZz-_GstI3bsghBfuD-u8nlHHD&index=13CHAPTERS00:00 – Intro: Welcome to V01:04 – Variety in English lessons04:58 – Valued supporters: Grammar Drops & Whizbusters05:46 – Voiced sounds: teaching /v/ vs /w/08:00 – Minimal pairs, flashcards & tongue twisters11:00 – Plosives, nasals & pronunciation13:06 – Using visuals to generate language15:00 – The identical-car coincidence18:00 – Step counts, data & digital habits21:00 – Puppies, pictures & conversation22:54 – How do you find your authentic teacher voice?29:02 – Big and small teaching victories31:07 – Vocabulary vs lexis32:00 – Categorising idioms and expressions35:14 – Body-action vocabulary game39:48 – How teachers maintain vitality42:00 – Personalisation, values & keeping lessons real43:49 – Gav’s tip: vulnerability in the classroom44:15 – Em’s tip: control the volume of new language45:15 – Outro & W next week

How can you help students understand English grammar, speak with more expression and remember what they learn?Welcome to another tea-fuelled episode of How to English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em — the podcast for teachers and learners of English as a foreign language. This week, we tackle the letter T: TEFL, timelines, tone, task-based learning and teaching tips from students themselves. ☕️Drawing on our classroom experience, we share advice for new English teachers: be prepared, give yourself time to build confidence and talk to students when things go wrong.How can timelines make English tenses clearer? We work through biscuit theft, interrupted actions and perfect tenses, then move on to tone and intonation: how can the same words sound hopeful, impatient or mischievous?We also hear the student perspective. Why does fun make lessons memorable? What if learners understand a grammar rule but forget it when speaking? Should teachers interrupt to correct mistakes? And do students really need another list of phrasal verbs?For task-based learning, we discuss escape rooms, planning a holiday, spot the difference and a hands-on guessing game. We finish with “a” versus “an”, transcription and pronunciation practice, and a tongue-twister challenge.📚 FREE S06E20 ARTICLESWhat Advice Actually Helps a Nervous New English Teacher?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-advice-actually-helps-a-nervous-new-english-teacher-s06e20/How to Use Timelines to Teach English Verb Tenseshttps://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-to-use-timelines-to-teach-english-verb-tenses-s06e20/How to Teach Tone of Voice Without Making Speaking Feel Artificialhttps://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-to-teach-tone-of-voice-without-making-speaking-feel-artificial-s06e20/What Do English Learners Wish Their Teachers Would Do Differently?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-do-english-learners-wish-their-teachers-would-do-differently-s06e20/What Counts as Task-Based Learning in an English Lesson?https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-counts-as-task-based-learning-in-an-english-lesson-s06e20/A or An? Why the First Sound Matters More Than the First Letterhttps://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/a-or-an-why-the-first-sound-matters-more-than-the-first-letter-s06e20/🌐 More practical TEFL ideas and resources:https://howtoenglishpod.com☕ Support the podcast:https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpodTimestamps00:00 – Welcome and tea talk01:06 – TEFL tips: be prepared and don’t stress08:06 – Timelines: visualising English grammar16:55 – Tone: intonation, emotion and meaning20:18 – May and Will: wordplay and sentence stress25:04 – Teaching tips from learners32:47 – Task-based learning: communicative classroom activities39:17 – Gav’s T tip: test your articles42:00 – Em’s T tip: transcription and IPA43:13 – A tongue-twister challenge44:22 – Outro and roller disco