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95 articles
Grammar lesson plan: Modals of possibility, for levels C1+
5 min read 5 min

Modal verbs are are the bread and butter of every grammar class. Students encounter them at all levels, from foundation to proficiency. In C-level cla...

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...

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...

Ever had trouble teaching ’lend’ and ’borrow’? Try this technique
3 min read 3 min

Sometimes the easiest way to teach confusing words is to take the grammar and the boardwork totally out of the picture.  Many students have had troubl...

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 ...

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...

Top tech activities (that don’t need the internet!)
8 min read 8 min

Have you ever had a wonderful lesson planned using technology and the tech has failed?  Maybe you had to sub a class at the last moment and you needed...