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Academic life

93 articles
10 tips for bigger, better productivity
4 min read 4 min

A teacher’s work is never complete: New lessons, students, semesters, years, and subjects continually roll along  unphased by how busy you already are...

Three in-class approaches to increasing student confidence
5 min read 5 min

Another day. You walk into the classroom.Students have occupied the back seats, but the front ones are practically empty.Some students speak so quietl...

How personality frameworks improve your teaching
5 min read 5 min

Personality frameworks have been around for several decades, though personalities since the dawn of time. Developed by psychologists, thinkers, and wr...

Academics answer: What is task-based learning?
4 min read 4 min

Education is constantly evolving and introducing teachers to new or different techniques to employ in class. Here, Giorgio Iemmolo explains one of the...

How to teach mixed conditionals
5 min read 5 min

Mixed conditionals are one of the more difficult and confusing grammar points to teach. Those of us who have tried have most certainly encountered bew...

How to write award-winning ELT materials
3 min read 3 min

Our academic team is no stranger to innovation – and now, our course book Fast Track 5 has been nominated for an ELTon award. When creating materials ...

Here’s how to get out of a teaching rut
4 min read 4 min

Sometimes, despite the best intentions, our teaching becomes a little lacklustre. The causes are varied (maybe you’re tired, uninspired, or summer is ...

Nail that job: how to prepare for an interview over Skype
4 min read 4 min

Conducting job interviews over Skype is fast becoming more standard, especially for large companies who have multiple interview rounds, or in professi...

18 ways to ace your parent-teacher conferences
4 min read 4 min

Parent-teacher conference season is usually nervewracking for everyone. After all, in these short time slots you’re representing both your school and ...

13 fail-safe icebreakers to use in class today
6 min read 6 min

At the start of a new semester, teachers around the world turn their attention to the very first class. With a new group of students to integrate and ...

What are anaphoric and cataphoric references? (And how to teach them)
4 min read 4 min

What a mouthful! In short, anaphoric and cataphoric references are emphatic styles of sentence structure taught at C1 – C2 level. They are used to ins...

Try these 8 classic board games in class
4 min read 4 min

Board games evoke memories of camping trips, power outages spent by candlelight at the kitchen table, and weekends with the grandparents. In short, th...