Language Point TESOL Issues Blog

Jun 2, 2020
5 min

5 education predictions for the new normal - what have we learnt so far in 2020?

The phrase is on the tip of everyone’s tongue - the new normal - it’s coming, but what does it mean? In order to define where we will be ...

5 assumptions commonly made about 'NNEST's, and one way to win the native speakerism battle

Tom Garside

May 8, 2020
7 min

5 assumptions commonly made about 'NNEST's, and one way to win the native speakerism battle

If you are an English teacher whose first language is (shock, horror!) not English, you will probably have experienced some kind of discr...

In this cut-and-paste world, does copyright still matter in education?

Tom Garside

Apr 10, 2020
4 min

In this cut-and-paste world, does copyright still matter in education?

Everyone does it (yes, even you…) - we have a class to prepare for 30 students, and ten minutes of our lunch break left to copy a workshe...

Why are there no internationally accredited TEFL qualifications for non-native speaker teachers?

Tom Garside

Mar 25, 2020
2 min

Why are there no internationally accredited TEFL qualifications for non-native speaker teachers?

The global English language teaching industry has developed hugely in the past decade, with the quality of provision rising fast in a wid...

Online teaching CAN replace ‘the real thing’

Tom Garside

Mar 20, 2020
4 min

Online teaching CAN replace ‘the real thing’

- Advice for teachers working online under Coronavirus school closures I read this article this morning, from a teacher in quarantine in ...

Tom Garside

Mar 18, 2020
2 min

CoVid-19 - Take a moment to be kind...

A message from an international family This is a personal one. Yes, we're living in interesting times, but can we just take a moment to t...

5 questions every teacher should be prepared to answer at a job interview

Tom Garside

Aug 26, 2019
6 min

5 questions every teacher should be prepared to answer 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...

The many faces of English pronunciation - Why does(n’t) accent matter in TESOL?

Tom Garside

Aug 19, 2019
5 min

The many faces of English pronunciation - 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

Development Strategies and Standards for International Higher Education settings

Tom Garside

Aug 12, 2019
5 min

Development Strategies and Standards for International Higher Education settings

International Higher Education is a complex setting which often entails a lot of conflicting elements: culture clash, academic expectations

The rules of engagement: Ways of increasing student focus through tasks and activities

Tom Garside

Aug 5, 2019
7 min

The rules of engagement: 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

Blended and in-service teacher training: The future of ELT training

Tom Garside

Jul 29, 2019
6 min

Blended and in-service teacher training: The future of ELT training

In order to facilitate improvements in teaching which continue to have an effect after a visiting trainer leaves the building, we need to ta

What Language Centres should be looking for in new Teachers

Tom Garside

Jul 15, 2019
8 min

What Language Centres should be looking 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!

Where West meets East: Avoiding culture clash in Chinese Higher Education

Tom Garside

Jun 10, 2019
6 min

Where West meets East: Avoiding culture clash in Chinese Higher Education

Economic forces often precede changes in international education, with regional development affecting how and why students travel oversea...

TESOL needs context! Considering local education settings in teacher training and development

Tom Garside

Jun 3, 2019
3 min

TESOL needs context! Considering local education settings in teacher training and development

Imagine you were retraining as a teacher of Mandarin to Speakers of Other Languages (MSOL), to meet the growing international demand for ...

After the TEFL Cert - what next? Teacher Education doesn’t stop with a first certificate

Tom Garside

May 20, 2019
3 min

After the TEFL Cert - what next? Teacher Education doesn’t stop with a first certificate

So you’ve finished your teacher training course, and are ready to go out into the world of teaching. Maybe you have a job lined up, maybe...

Barriers to bridges: enabling teachers to kickstart their own development

Tom Garside

May 13, 2019
5 min

Barriers to bridges: enabling teachers to kickstart their own development

In-depth, lasting Continuous Professional Development activity is often seen as either a luxury or a chore for public school teachers, as...

The risks of 'individualised learning' in the digital age

Tom Garside

Apr 15, 2019
4 min

The risks of 'individualised learning' in the digital age

While at the Future of ELT conference at Regents university the other week, a talk by Philip Kerr got me thinking about a buzz word that ...

10 steps to sustainable teacher development Part 2: Sustaining development through content.

Tom Garside

Apr 8, 2019
4 min

10 steps to sustainable teacher development Part 2: Sustaining development through content.

Having looked at how to set up a sustainable teacher development project, how can we ensure that what is delivered in face-to-face develo...

10 simple steps to sustainable teacher development part 1

Tom Garside

Apr 1, 2019
5 min

10 simple steps to sustainable teacher development part 1

Preparing the soil - TESOL qualifications tend to be seen as discrete products leading to fixed outcomes

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Language point

Sustainable teacher education

5 education predictions for the new normal - what have we learnt so far in 2020?

5 assumptions commonly made about 'NNEST's, and one way to win the native speakerism battle

In this cut-and-paste world, does copyright still matter in education?

Why are there no internationally accredited TEFL qualifications for non-native speaker teachers?

Online teaching CAN replace ‘the real thing’

CoVid-19 - Take a moment to be kind...

5 questions every teacher should be prepared to answer at a job interview

The many faces of English pronunciation - Why does(n’t) accent matter in TESOL?

Development Strategies and Standards for International Higher Education settings

The rules of engagement: Ways of increasing student focus through tasks and activities

Blended and in-service teacher training: The future of ELT training

What Language Centres should be looking for in new Teachers

Where West meets East: Avoiding culture clash in Chinese Higher Education

TESOL needs context! Considering local education settings in teacher training and development

After the TEFL Cert - what next? Teacher Education doesn’t stop with a first certificate

Barriers to bridges: enabling teachers to kickstart their own development

The risks of 'individualised learning' in the digital age

10 steps to sustainable teacher development Part 2: Sustaining development through content.

10 simple steps to sustainable teacher development part 1