How can teachers use holidays and travel to teach practical English vocabulary, grammar and speaking skills?

Gav and Em pack their imaginary suitcases for a summery discussion about holidays, vacations and travel-themed English lessons. They explore useful words, expressions and chunks of language that learners need when planning a trip, travelling through an airport, staying in a hotel and talking about past holiday experiences.

Discover classroom activities involving travel agents, airport situations, hotel room service and holiday role-plays. Gav and Em also discuss using photographs, brochures, maps and spot-the-difference pictures to encourage questions, descriptions and natural conversations.

The episode examines the difference between holiday and vacation, as well as useful grammar for discussing travel plans and experiences. Ideas include practising future forms, past tenses, comparatives, superlatives and conditional structures through realistic holiday scenarios.

The conversation covers:

• holiday and travel vocabulary
• useful chunks for airports, hotels and restaurants
• travel-agent and room-service role-plays
• describing destinations and holiday photographs
• planning imaginary trips and itineraries
• practising future forms and past tenses
• using comparatives and superlatives
• discussing travel problems and complaints
• adapting holiday activities for different levels
• British and American holiday vocabulary

The episode ends with Brian Wilson’s Smile, an original song by JD Levin.

Support How to English TEFL Podcast:
https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit our website for practical TEFL ideas, episode guides and teaching resources:
https://howtoenglishpod.com

JD Levin:
https://www.notsosilentlibrarian.com/

Role Plays for Today – Travel Agent activity, page 20, Delta Publishing

English File Advanced, Third Edition – Travel and Tourism Vocabulary Bank, Oxford University Press

English File Upper-Intermediate, Third Edition – The Truth About Air Travel, Unit 3A, page 24, Oxford University Press

English File Intermediate, First Edition – At the Airport, page 150, Oxford University Press

Airport spot-the-difference activity:
https://www.twinkl.es/resource/roi-l-745-up-up-and-away-spot-the-difference-activity-sheet

Beginner’s Communication Games – Unit 33: Room Service, Longman

Booking.com:
https://www.booking.com/

00:00 Welcome and holiday memories
02:28 Holiday or vacation?
05:14 Useful holiday vocabulary and expressions
08:22 Talking about different types of holidays
11:16 Travel-agent role-plays
14:35 Planning trips and choosing destinations
17:42 Teaching airport language
20:51 Spot-the-difference activities
23:20 Hotels, room service and complaints
26:13 Grammar for discussing holidays
29:08 Adapting activities for different levels
31:36 Final thoughts
33:02 Brian Wilson’s Smile by JD Levin

References and resourcesChapters

How can teachers create open, safe and inclusive spaces where every learner feels welcome, respected and represented?

Gav and Em explore the idea of “spaces” in English language education—from outdoor lessons and physical classroom layouts to safe learning environments and supportive workplaces. They discuss how changing the location or arrangement of a lesson can influence participation, communication and classroom dynamics.

Special guest Mx Helen Slee joins the conversation to examine representation, diversity and gender inclusion in education. Helen explains why teachers should avoid making assumptions about learners’ identities and why respecting people’s names and pronouns matters.

What should you do if you accidentally use the wrong pronoun? Helen recommends correcting yourself briefly, apologising without making the moment about you and then continuing the conversation. The discussion also considers gender-neutral language, introducing pronouns naturally and responding when learners make inappropriate comments.

Gav, Em and Helen examine representation in textbooks, classroom materials and school libraries. They suggest practical ways to include a wider range of identities, families and experiences without asking individual learners to speak for an entire community. They also explore the barriers transgender and non-binary students may face and how small changes can help people feel recognised and supported.

The conversation moves from safe learning spaces to working spaces, including staffroom culture, teachers’ rights and the value of professional support and trade unions.

The episode also features “Tiptoe” by singer-songwriter Celest.

Questions answered:

00:00 What do open, safe and working spaces mean in education?
04:18 How can changing the physical space affect a lesson?
08:42 Why do representation and diversity matter in education?
13:36 What barriers can transgender and non-binary students face?
18:25 How can teachers use names and pronouns respectfully?
23:14 What should you do if you use the wrong pronoun?
27:48 How can classroom materials represent more identities?
32:16 How can schools make their libraries more diverse?
36:07 What makes a supportive working space for teachers?
39:20 How can unions support English-language teachers?

Support How to English:
https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit our website:
https://howtoenglishpod.com

Mx Helen Slee:

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/helenteacheseng/

“Time to Talk About Beating the Binary” – Teachers as Workers SIG:
https://www.teachersasworkers.org/time-to-talk-about-beating-the-binary/

Celest:

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/dontfretcelest/

Music and other links:
https://linktr.ee/dontfretCelest

References and resources:

Barriers and enablers of education equality for transgender students:
https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/publications/barriers-and-enablers-of-education-equality-for-transgender-stude

TEFL Workers’ Union:
https://teflworkersunion.org/

Tips for making classrooms more inclusive:
https://www.hrc.org/news/tips-for-making-classrooms-more-inclusive-as-students-head-back-to-school

Gender-pronoun app:
https://pronouns.minus18.org.au/

More information about gender pronouns:
https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns/

Diverse children’s books for school libraries:
http://hereweeread.com/2020/12/the-2021-ultimate-list-of-diverse-childrens-books.html

Diversity, equity and inclusion resources for classrooms:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/diversity-equity-and-inclusivity-resources-for-classrooms

Equality and Human Rights Commission lesson resources:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/secondary-education-resources/lesson-plan-ideas/lesson-1-actions-and-consequences

How can teachers introduce English idioms without overwhelming learners with long lists of expressions?

Gav and Em explore what idioms are, how they differ from proverbs, metaphors, slogans and other expressions, and why their meanings cannot always be understood from the individual words.

Drawing on their classroom experience, they discuss practical ways to teach idioms through stories, context, prediction and conversations about their origins. They explain why learners may benefit more from mastering one or two idioms accurately than attempting to memorise ten at once.

What happens when learners change one small part of an idiom? From “the top of the iceberg” to “a wasp in her hat”, Gav and Em demonstrate why the precise wording matters. They also consider whether familiar expressions such as “it’s raining cats and dogs” are genuinely used or simply commonly taught.

Em tackles Gav’s quiz on sports and business idioms, including “in the driving seat”, “a level playing field”, “move the goalposts” and “keep your eye on the ball”. They also compare apparently contradictory sayings such as “the pen is mightier than the sword” and “actions speak louder than words”.

Listeners Patricia, Shahy, Tung Ning and Nemanya share idioms from Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Malay, Serbian and Croatian. Their examples reveal how different languages can express the same idea using completely different images.

The episode finishes with Ghostwriter, an original song by teacher, songwriter and performer Gareth Evans-Jones. Listen for expressions including “make your mark”, “find a way” and “have it your own way”.

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

Guest musician

Gareth Evans-Jones:
https://www.instagram.com/garethevansjones/

Gareth’s music:
https://soundcloud.com/gmej2406

Resources

Education First English idioms:
https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-idioms/

Beat around the bush:
https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/phrases/beat-around-the-bush/

Walk around the hot porridge:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/561432/etymology-of-walking-around-hot-porridge

Have a dumpling stuck in your throat:
https://english.radio.cz/have-butter-your-head-and-a-dumpling-your-throat-8296746

Have a cat in your throat:
https://www.europe1.fr/culture/dou-vient-lexpression-avoir-un-chat-dans-la-gorge-3997982

Books mentioned

New Market Leader, Second Edition, Intermediate, Unit 14: Competition

New Market Leader, Third Edition, Upper Intermediate, Unit 1: Communication

Idioms for Everyday Use by Milada Broukal, National Textbook Company

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to How to English
01:35 What is an idiom?
02:13 Idioms, proverbs and expressions
04:10 Mottos, slogans, taglines and metaphors
06:31 Examples of common English idioms
09:17 Teaching idioms through stories and origins
11:45 Why idioms are difficult to remember
13:20 Learning a few idioms accurately
14:44 Sports and business idiom quiz
18:05 Idioms across languages and cultures
20:01 Walking around the hot porridge
21:35 Frogs, dumplings and cats in your throat
22:41 Idioms with opposite meanings
24:00 Books and resources for teaching idioms
24:58 Outdated or potentially offensive idioms
26:00 Does anybody say “raining cats and dogs”?
28:04 International listeners share their idioms
34:16 Gareth Evans-Jones and Ghostwriter
37:07 Ghostwriter

How can teachers use music to make English lessons memorable and enjoyable?

Gav and Em explore music, melody and lyrics in the English classroom. Discover how background music can create a relaxed atmosphere and how songs can develop grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm and intonation.

Activities include gap-fills, mixed-up lyrics, translation correction, music reviews, instrument identification, talent-show judging and songwriting.

They are joined by Bárbara Lázaro from English Music Education, who introduces her Sing It Loud method and combines English with singing, piano and guitar lessons.

Stay until the end for Bárbara’s original song, “2021 (Looking Through the Glass).”

Support: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod
Website: https://howtoenglishpod.com

Bárbara:
http://musicenglish.weebly.com/
http://musicenglish.weebly.com/libros.html
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPDmG3cWHXmtiN-NH1sj3Xw/videos

Contents:
00:00 Welcome
02:08 Introducing music
02:35 Musical experiences
03:08 Songs and lyrics
03:36 Background music
04:19 Creating atmosphere
05:22 Choosing music
06:08 Possible disadvantages
07:38 Favourite music
08:16 Correcting translated lyrics
09:09 Songs for grammar
09:18 Nick Drake and past modals
11:24 Songs for conditionals
12:38 Writing songs
13:03 Music vocabulary
13:30 Tchaikovsky’s house
14:15 Music reviews
14:48 Identifying instruments
15:08 Are You in Tune?
15:41 X Factor judging
19:34 Encouraging singing
20:37 Music and emotions
21:09 Making language memorable
22:08 Teaching a violinist
23:22 Describing music
23:50 Introducing Bárbara
24:10 Bárbara’s journey
25:13 Music and language
25:32 Sing It Loud
27:01 Singing and instruments
28:12 Gav and Em respond
29:32 Bárbara’s song

Resources:
Headway Upper-Intermediate, Oxford, Unit 10
English File Upper-Intermediate, 3rd ed., p.153
English File Intermediate, 3rd ed., Unit 7B
Music review: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/advanced-c1/a-music-review
Reward Intermediate Resource Pack, Unit 5
Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/
X Factor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirZLgS3QoE

Songs:
Nick Drake – “One of These Things First”
Barenaked Ladies – “If I Had $1,000,000”
Gordon Lightfoot – “If You Could Read My Mind”

“2021 (Looking Through the Glass)”
© Bárbara Lázaro, 2021

The streets are covered in white
On the first day of a new time
There is no one outside but the birds’ song
Sugar coat and footprints on the ground
The town sleeps, no wonder why
The fireworks lasted ’til 2 a.m.
The last dinner she had on her own
The freezing night before 2021

And she is looking through the glass
Images of when she was young
No one to hold her hand or put arms around
But she will wait there for her love to come

She was fifteen when they first met
All these moments running in her head
Sixty years have passed and the snowflakes look the same
As when they chased each other in the lake

And she is looking through the glass
Images of when she was young
No one to hold her hand or put arms around
But she will wait there for her love to come

And, oh, when they meet again
They will walk and laugh and never leave
Her home warm like a summer night
’Cause she will have her love to hold her hand

And she is looking through the glass
Images of when she was young
No one to hold her hand or put arms around
But she will wait there for her love to come

’Til they meet again
’Til they meet again

How do you know when an English lesson is working—and what can you do when it clearly isn’t?

Gav and Em explore the teaching approaches, classroom choices and small adjustments that can make lessons feel more natural, engaging and useful. Drawing on their own classroom experience, they discuss how teachers can recognise when an activity is succeeding, respond when a conversation becomes awkward and find the right balance between teacher talk and student participation.

What happens when learners are put under pressure to produce questions? Gav explains how stepping into a conversation temporarily can improve its pace before allowing students to take control again. They also consider when teachers should step back, why interrupting every mistake can destroy the flow of a discussion and when controlled language practice still has a place.

The conversation covers:

• choosing relatable topics learners can genuinely discuss
• offering students a choice without asking an unhelpfully broad question
• encouraging learners to contribute ideas and materials
• helping with authentic emails, reports and presentations
• understanding the limits of a teacher’s specialist knowledge
• creating a safe environment where mistakes are accepted
• using positive body language and eye contact
• keeping everyone engaged during group activities
• avoiding distractions and multitasking in online lessons
• introducing grammar through a natural warmer
• using music and films without making cultural assumptions
• recording, reviewing and recycling new language
• avoiding excessive correction
• knowing when to change an activity that is not working
• choosing a teacher whose approach suits the learner
• making lessons personal, relevant and connected to real life

Can familiar songs and films improve an English lesson? Should students write vocabulary in a notebook or rely on the online chat? Is it sometimes better to abandon a lesson plan? Gav and Em mull over what works for them while recognising that every student and class is different.

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

Reference:

The Apprentice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apprentice_(British_TV_series)

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to How to English
00:23 What Works and What Doesn’t
01:32 How do you know a lesson is working?
02:56 Rescuing an awkward classroom conversation
05:00 Balancing teacher talk and student talk
06:31 Choosing relatable and universal topics
08:36 Giving learners choices and encouraging preparation
10:32 Using students’ reports, emails and presentations
13:14 Creating a safe environment for mistakes
13:41 Body language and eye contact
15:43 Maintaining attention and engagement
17:10 Why going straight into grammar may not work
18:42 Introducing grammar naturally
20:42 Using music, films and learners’ cultures
22:49 Recording and revising new language
24:48 Why overcorrecting learners does not work
25:43 Changing a lesson when learners are distracted
26:25 Choosing the right English teacher
27:43 Making lessons personal and relevant
28:51 Final teaching tips and listener feedback

How can English teachers manage stressful lessons, and how can learners recognise the progress they are making?

Gav and Em pause for a relaxed chat about teaching, learning, motivation and winding down after a busy week. Drawing on their classroom experience, they share practical advice for teachers who feel underprepared, face a difficult grammar question or become uncomfortable when students need time to think.

Em explains why teachers should trust themselves, reflect on what went well and avoid focusing entirely on mistakes. Gav discusses the value of patience, silence and giving learners enough processing time before expecting an answer.

For language learners, they explore realistic goals, repetition, varied resources and the importance of taking a break when studying becomes tiring. They also celebrate the small achievements that show genuine progress, from understanding sentences in a film to managing a simple conversation.

The conversation covers:

• reducing stress and handling unexpected classroom difficulties
• giving yourself balanced feedback after a lesson
• using silence and waiting time effectively
• setting achievable language-learning goals
• combining study with exercise and everyday activities
• learning phrasal verbs through meaningful contexts
• using pictures to make difficult grammar memorable
• favourite podcasts for teachers and curious learners
• unusual teaching locations and online teaching mishaps
• Em’s apple-box laptop stand and Gav’s exercise bike

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

Podcasts and links mentioned

SmallBites podcast and YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIuJbBSmeAo6d98SDC_zanQ

Ologies:
https://www.alieward.com/ologies

Today in Focus:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/todayinfocus

The Allusionist:
https://www.theallusionist.org/

Dear Hank and John:
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dear-hank-john

Imagine Otherwise:
https://ideasonfire.net/imagine-otherwise-podcast/

Everything EFL:
https://everythingefl.com/

Follow How to English on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtoenglishpod/

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to How to English
02:02 A relaxed teaching and learning chat
03:20 How teachers can manage stress
06:33 Giving yourself positive feedback
07:21 Patience, silence and student thinking time
08:21 Language-learning tips and taking breaks
10:51 Recognising small learning achievements
12:57 Why language learners lose motivation
14:55 Gav and Em’s favourite podcasts
16:46 Online teaching workstations
19:23 Teaching phrasal verbs through context
21:43 Bicycles, underwater cars and unusual lesson topics
22:47 An online teaching connection failure
25:04 Teaching in unusual locations
26:48 Gav and Em’s favourite How to English episodes
28:40 How Gav and Em wind down
30:19 How to teach difficult grammar
31:35 Using pictures to make grammar memorable
33:10 Final thoughts and where to find the show

How can teachers recognise bias, reduce favouritism and give every learner a fair opportunity to participate?

Gav and Em explore bias in English teaching with Hedreich Nichols, North Texas educator, curriculum designer and host of the SmallBites podcast and YouTube channel.

Hedreich explains how unconscious bias can affect who receives attention, who gets asked questions and who receives useful feedback. She shares practical ways to reduce favouritism, including random name pickers, checking understanding across the whole class and using single-point rubrics.

Gav and Em then bring the discussion into their own English lessons. Should less-confident learners get easier questions? Should stronger and weaker students work together? How can quieter learners avoid being overlooked? They discuss mixed-ability pairings, dominant personalities, online participation, learner focus on the teacher and the importance of creating a classroom where saying “I don’t know” is safe.

The conversation also looks at lesson observation as a way to uncover hidden bias, plus the importance of diverse teaching materials and helping learners build empathy by considering other people’s experiences and perspectives.

📚 S02E03 ARTICLES

How Can Teachers Recognise and Reduce Bias in the Classroom?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-teachers-recognise-and-reduce-bias-in-the-classroom-s02e03/

How Can Teachers Avoid Classroom Favouritism?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-teachers-avoid-classroom-favouritism-s02e03/

Can Randomisers Make Classroom Participation Fairer?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/can-randomisers-make-classroom-participation-fairer-s02e03/

How Can Teachers Spot Unconscious Bias in Who Gets to Speak?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-teachers-spot-unconscious-bias-in-who-gets-to-speak-s02e03/

How Can English Teachers Use More Diverse Materials?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-english-teachers-use-more-diverse-materials-s02e03/

How Can English Lessons Build Empathy and Perspective-Taking?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-english-lessons-build-empathy-and-perspective-taking-s02e03/

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical English-teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

RESOURCES

Hedreich Nichols & SmallBites: https://hedreich.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIuJbBSmeAo6d98SDC_zanQ
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
Zoom: https://zoom.us/
Raise Up!: https://raiseupforelt.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction
00:20 What does bias mean?
01:55 Bias in teaching, materials and learners
02:47 Introducing Hedreich Nichols and SmallBites
04:25 Hedreich’s approach to culturally responsive education
05:59 Why teachers inevitably have favourites
06:40 Using randomisers to involve every learner
07:20 In-groups, out-groups and othering
08:29 Feedback, single-point rubrics and bias resources
10:59 Gav and Em reflect on teacher favouritism
13:06 Including quieter and less-confident adult learners
16:04 Mixed-ability pairings and learner preferences
17:33 Should weaker learners receive easier questions?
20:44 Shame, embarrassment and safe classrooms
23:23 Using lesson observation to uncover bias
24:02 Why learners focus their attention on the teacher
25:20 Managing participation in online group lessons
27:28 Diversifying English-teaching materials
29:02 Building empathy through different perspectives
30:28 Reflecting on bias in teaching and learning

Are you feeling weary, worn out or bored by the repetition of teaching, working or studying? How can teachers and language learners recognise fatigue, recover their motivation and introduce more variety?

Gav and Em explore what fatigue feels like and how it affects concentration, communication, enthusiasm and classroom performance. They discuss familiar warning signs, including making unusual language mistakes, forgetting words, feeling lethargic and struggling to bring energy into a lesson.

Drawing on their own teaching experience, they consider the pressure teachers face to remain enthusiastic—even when lessons, worksheets and weekly routines begin to feel repetitive. Can students help energise their teachers? Is face-to-face teaching more motivating than online teaching? Gav and Em also explain how their learners, conversations and podcast listeners encourage them to keep going.

The discussion moves to language-learning fatigue. Gav describes feeling overwhelmed by listening practice and explains how Duolingo and FunEasyLearn helped him slow down, structure his learning and see his progress. However, gamification can become distracting if earning points becomes more important than absorbing and revising the language.

Teachers and learners will discover practical ways to manage fatigue:

• take a proper break and return with a fresh perspective
• reduce the amount of homework or study temporarily
• change activities, materials and teaching methods
• introduce more variety into repetitive lessons
• allow learners to influence the direction of a class
• notice signs of tiredness, boredom or overload
• teach students polite ways to request a break or different activity
• find a study buddy or someone who provides accountability
• talk or write honestly about how you are feeling
• recognise when you are attempting too much

Gav and Em also discuss the delicate classroom relationship between teachers and learners. Students may be too polite or shy to admit that an activity is boring, difficult or overwhelming. Teachers therefore need to notice behavioural cues, invite honest feedback and create an atmosphere where learners can express what they need.

If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.

References

Duolingo
https://www.duolingo.com/

FunEasyLearn
https://www.funeasylearn.com/

Podcasts for learning languages
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/09/top-podcasts-learning-language-german-japanese

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and an honest answer about fatigue
01:35 Introducing teaching and learning fatigue
03:52 What does fatigue mean?
04:29 Language mistakes and signs of tiredness
05:33 Common symptoms of teacher fatigue
07:23 Bringing energy and enthusiasm into lessons
08:13 How students can motivate their teachers
09:57 Face-to-face teaching versus online lessons
10:28 How Gav and Em maintained their podcast motivation
12:14 Gav’s experience of language-learning fatigue
13:07 Using Duolingo and FunEasyLearn
14:07 Gamification, revision and genuine learning
15:55 Why taking a break can improve learning
16:28 Advice for tired and overwhelmed students
17:13 Giving learners permission to stop
18:39 Responding when a student dislikes an activity
19:32 Recognising boredom and changing direction
20:07 Adding variety and following student interests
21:36 Changing methods in online lessons
22:09 Teaching learners how to give polite feedback
23:40 Preparing ideas before a lesson
24:19 Celebrating 100 YouTube followers
26:16 Motivation, expectations and avoiding overload
27:33 Study buddies, reflection and tiredness vocabulary
28:25 Where to find the podcast

How should a complete beginner start learning a new language? Should you find a teacher immediately, use an app, follow an audio course or simply immerse yourself in the language?

Gav and Em return for Season 2 with two new language-learning projects of their own. Drawing on more than 40 years of combined English-teaching experience, they compare different ways to begin learning a language and consider how those methods feel from a student’s perspective.

Em explains why she wants to build some basic knowledge independently before working with a teacher. She discusses using Pimsleur and Duolingo, combining listening, repetition, reading and short daily activities without putting too much pressure on herself.

Gav takes a more immersive approach. He listens to recordings from 101 Languages, even when he cannot understand everything, and supplements this exposure with the FunEasyLearn app. Is listening without understanding useful—or is it simply passive learning?

They also discuss whether teachers should use only the target language with beginners, the anxiety of attending a first lesson with no prior knowledge and how a negative early experience can discourage someone from continuing. Gav recalls a memorable French lesson at school in which one pronunciation mistake shaped his feelings about language learning.

Other topics include gamification, motivation, learning little and often, the differences between child and adult learners, time pressure, cognates, translation and the repetition techniques used by Pimsleur and Michel Thomas.

Whether you are beginning a new language yourself or teaching students from beginner level, this episode offers practical ideas and an honest look at what starting from zero really feels like.

☕ Support Gav and Em:
https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

🌐 Find more practical TEFL ideas, episode guides and teaching resources:
https://howtoenglishpod.com

References and resources

Pimsleur:
https://www.pimsleur.com/

Duolingo:
https://www.duolingo.com/

101 Languages:
https://www.101languages.net/

FunEasyLearn:
https://www.funeasylearn.com/

Michel Thomas Method:
https://www.michelthomas.com/

Qualities of a Good Teacher:
https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2017/12/qualities-of-a-good-teacher

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to How to English
00:21 – Gav and Em return for Season 2
00:56 – Why the podcast is changing to monthly episodes
01:43 – Catching up and introducing the topic
02:22 – Gav and Em begin learning new languages
03:09 – Setting realistic language-learning goals
03:27 – Em’s self-study plan
04:12 – Why beginning with a teacher can feel intimidating
04:36 – Can a student arrive with absolutely no language?
05:08 – Learning with Pimsleur
05:36 – Repetition, translation and the target language
06:29 – Gav’s memorable first French lessons
07:37 – Why first impressions matter
08:13 – Em’s experience with Duolingo
08:47 – Advertising and language-learning apps
09:18 – Combining written language with audio
09:23 – Planning to work with a teacher
12:38 – Gav’s immersion-based learning method
13:07 – Listening with 101 Languages
15:35 – Is passive listening effective?
16:03 – Using the FunEasyLearn app
17:40 – Do adults and children learn differently?
19:00 – Time pressure and adult language learners
20:17 – Learning little and often
21:46 – How Pimsleur and Michel Thomas use repetition
22:55 – Cognates, associations and remembering vocabulary
25:31 – How much support do beginners need?
26:08 – Could a graded podcast help language learners?
27:17 – Good teachers are good learners
28:00 – Final thoughts and goodbye