Taking the TYLEC

A chance to improve and upgrade my teaching skills

Taking the course will make it easier to apply for other jobs in the future. It’s a desired qualification for many language schools, especially those who teach young learners. It can also boost salary too.

The argument for reading academic materials

Postbox letter from Jack

Anti-intellectualism is nothing new, especially among lower level ESL teachers in Thailand, yet there are many legitimate criticisms of “academia” in every field.

Those stuffy TEFL academics

So much is wrapped in long words and fancy terms to make it sound clever.

I just find the way academic information is given in the TEFL industry to be off-putting and boring. I try to present information in a fun, engaging way in my TEFL classroom, it’s a shame academics can’t do the same in their reports, journals, books or talks.

Continuing professional development (CPD) for English language teachers

There are plenty of ways to help you improve as a teacher

In reality, there is only so much that a training course can squeeze into the time available, and there is only so much a beginner can learn about teaching before actually starting to do it.

Teaching very young learners

Whatever your gender you should feel confident to teach students of any age.

I quickly learned that teaching very young learners requires a lot of energy but it also energizes you at the same time. I was pretty nervous about teaching five and six year old students but in the end I have found something which I really enjoy.

A long and winding road

Reflections on a TEFL journey

EFL teachers are frequently allotted a low status by Thais, expatriates and even other teachers. However, might not the beginning TEFL teacher with a 120-hour certificate possess within them the stuff of a Master Teacher?

Thai education and TEFL class management

A look at three practical examples to use in your classroom

Class management, although employing techniques, isn't so much a process as a mind-set requiring a separate skill set from that of delivery, a point often missed in progressive education orthodoxy.

Classroom observations: what can be seen?

The difficult role of the observing teacher

Observed lessons are never representative of a teacher's practice. The teacher and students are unnerved by my presence, and things feel stilted. Even when the lesson does go well, I know I'm seeing only part of the whole.