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Learner motivation and engagement - what’s the difference?
A common goal among teachers is the desire to make their classes more motivating for their students. By this, they mean that they want their students to be happy and want to learn through the activities that the teacher prepares. This is clearly a great objective, and something that we should all strive for when we teach, but is ‘motivating’ the correct word to use here?
Tom Garside
Aug 44 min read


Teaching language skills Part 1: Are you really teaching language skills in your lessons?
When we think about teaching the four language skills - reading, writing, speaking and listening, we are really thinking about developing...
Tom Garside
Jun 216 min read


How do you deal with pronunciation in class? Moving from sounds to systems
Pronunciation is one of the fundamentals of language learning. It is the primary factor in spoken language when it comes to understanding
Tom Garside
Jun 712 min read


What Language Centres look for in new Teachers
How can a Language centre be sure that it is getting a teacher that can get results from the students? There is a set of core skills!
Tom Garside
May 248 min read


Common questions teachers get asked at a job interview
Any job interview can be a stressful experience, and school interviews are no exception. Here are some of the most common questions asked...
Tom Garside
May 106 min read


Why does(n’t) accent matter in TESOL
This article focuses on the positive aspects of the different sounds that Englishes use: accents, and benefit to ESL language learners
Tom Garside
Apr 265 min read


Ways of increasing student focus through tasks and activities
No matter what you teach, student engagement is a major challenge in every classroom. Learning increases when students are engaged
Tom Garside
Apr 127 min read


How to increase student engagement in the language classroom
Student engagement is a key factor for learning in any classroom, and each student has their own interests, reasons for learning, and prefer
Tom Garside
Mar 285 min read


5 Misconceptions about English Tenses
This article aims to clarify five common examples which come up for students and teachers, to help us understand the connected relationships
Tom Garside
Mar 2110 min read
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