How can English teachers keep up with changing learner needs, close persistent knowledge gaps and avoid burnout?

In this K-themed episode of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em explore the demands of keeping up in the classroom. What happens when you prepare a music lesson and only the sports fans attend? How can you manage ten learners online when screen sharing hides their names and faces? And when should you follow an unexpected conversation instead of sticking to the original topic?

Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em discuss why learners repeatedly make the same grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and cultural mistakes. They consider the difference between giving students information and helping them turn it into lasting knowledge—and why spending longer on one useful expression can sometimes beat cramming a lesson with new language.

Feeling knackered—with a K? You’ll also find realistic ways to reduce teacher burnout, including student-led quizzes, reusable materials, batch planning, mindfulness, snacks and healthier boundaries.

Em shares kinesthetic learning activities for children and adults, from mystery bags and mime to paper snowballs, acted-out stories and scavenger hunts. Gav finishes with key English phrases for hotels, restaurants, airports, exam essays and those awkward conversations in lifts.

Expect practical TEFL ideas, honest teaching talk and rather more K vocabulary than Gav and Em expected to find.

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

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

Resource mentioned:

Online quizzes: https://www.jetpunk.com/

Chapters and timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to K: keeping up, keeping calm and keeping it together
01:21 – How can teachers keep up with TEFL trends and changing student needs?
03:00 – Adapting a lesson when the “wrong” learners attend
05:35 – Managing names, faces and participation in large online classes
07:21 – Following students’ stories without losing the lesson’s focus
10:07 – Why do students keep making the same mistakes?
11:43 – Grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation knowledge gaps
15:00 – Connected speech, listening problems and cultural misunderstandings
16:39 – Activities for identifying and correcting recurring errors
17:30 – What is the difference between information and knowledge?
20:37 – Keeping calm: recognising low energy and teacher burnout
22:35 – Low-preparation lessons, JetPunk quizzes and student-led activities
24:17 – Batch planning, reusing materials and avoiding perfectionism
25:00 – Mindfulness, snacks, movement and realistic boundaries
26:20 – Kinesthetic learning activities for children and adults
29:04 – Key English phrases for hotels, restaurants and immigration
30:45 – Useful language for argument essays and conversations in lifts
31:43 – Stephen Krashen, comprehensible input and the final K words

How can English teachers make jargon, conjunctions, idioms and pronunciation practice more engaging?

In this J-themed episode of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em share practical classroom activities for teaching and learning English—from jogging learners’ memories and explaining business jargon to matching jokes, completing conjunction sentences and playing an idioms version of Jeopardy.

Discover how Em uses a reverse grammar activity to test what students can already produce before explaining the rules, and join in with a memorable jazz chant demonstrating English sentence rhythm. Gav also tests Em with a job-guessing activity based on the language used by plumbers, mechanics, politicians, pilots and other professionals.

Along the way, they settle the differences between jam, jelly and marmalade, consider whether jokes belong in English lessons and explain why journalling can support independent language practice. Expect practical TEFL ideas, classroom humour and the usual unexpected tangents from two teachers with more than 40 years of combined experience.

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.

Gameshow music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JAMcQyRRIQ

Chapters

00:00 – How can teachers jog learners’ memories?
02:33 – Jam, jelly and marmalade: what is the difference?
05:50 – How to teach business English jargon
10:54 – Using jokes and punchlines in TEFL lessons
15:28 – A production-first conjunctions activity
21:51 – How to play Idioms Jeopardy
25:41 – Teaching English rhythm with jazz chants
28:35 – A guess-the-job speaking activity
31:18 – Journalling, joyful lessons and a journey through J

How can English teachers inspire students to speak more, use intonation to change meaning and create purposeful interaction in class?

In this episode of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em explore the letter I in their A–Z of TEFL. They begin with the importance of capitalising the pronoun “I” before discussing how teachers can encourage fuller answers by showing genuine interest, setting high expectations and finding something worth talking about—even when a learner says, “Nothing special.”

Em demonstrates how stressing different words in “I didn’t say he had stolen my bike” produces eight possible interpretations. It is a simple pronunciation activity that shows learners how sentence stress and intonation communicate meaning beyond grammar and vocabulary.

Gav and Em also reveal the unexpected roles teachers take on, from administrator and navigator to counsellor, cheerleader, detective and technical support. Em then puts Gav through a technical information-gap activity about a turbine, demonstrating how missing information can generate focused speaking, listening, pronunciation and note-taking practice.

How can teachers avoid imposing their own cultural expectations? Gav introduces intercultural reflection questions covering stereotypes, silence, disagreement, eye contact and the assumption that our own behaviour is universal. They discuss ways to challenge stereotypes without turning the classroom into a confrontation.

Finally, Gav explains why active, social and responsive interaction can make learning more meaningful and memorable. Em shares an easy name-and-adjective icebreaker before they race through idioms, indirect questions, instructions, implicit learning and interactive whiteboards.

Drawing on their years of international English-teaching experience, Gav and Em combine practical classroom ideas with honest discussion and the occasional mysterious saucepan.

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.

00:00 Welcome to I in the A–Z of TEFL
01:12 Why the pronoun I always needs a capital letter
03:00 How can teachers inspire students to speak?
05:13 Setting expectations for fuller answers
08:13 Teaching intonation and sentence stress
11:34 The unexpected responsibilities of a teacher
15:00 The many roles teachers take on
18:31 What is an information-gap activity?
20:38 Technical information-gap demonstration
23:01 Checking understanding after a speaking task
24:02 Intercultural reflection for English teachers
25:31 Challenging cultural stereotypes sensitively
27:10 Are our own behaviours really universal?
28:15 Silence, disagreement and eye contact
29:51 Why interaction deepens learning
31:14 Demonstrating responsive listening
32:30 Why icebreakers matter
33:17 Name-and-adjective icebreaker
35:30 Idioms, indirect questions and instructions
36:22 Implicit learning and interactive whiteboards
37:30 Support the podcast and closing

Should English teachers set homework, and what can they do when students regularly fail to complete it?

Gav and Em explore the sometimes controversial subject of homework, from holiday excuses and forgotten books to deciding whether adult learners should be allowed to choose how much independent study they do. They also compare how they send lesson feedback, worksheets, answer keys, audio and useful links to online students.

Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav explains how he uses lesson language and AI-generated example sentences to create personalised follow-up practice. Em considers how teachers can make their homework emails clearer, easier to access and less time-consuming—without overwhelming learners with 60 sentences!

The conversation also covers:

• The differences between homophones, homonyms and homographs
• Planning courses around teacher and student holidays
• Global citizenship, critical thinking and interpersonal skills
• Using hypothetical questions to discuss headset and technology problems
• Practical strategies for improving speaking confidence
• How hyperbole makes stories more engaging
• Digital materials versus printed handouts
• Why teachers and learners both need proper breaks

You’ll hear practical answers to questions such as: Should students do homework while they are on holiday? Should teachers include answer keys? How can learners organise their speaking? When should teachers use digital rather than printed materials?

Gav and Em are experienced English teachers who have taught learners across Europe and Asia. As always, they combine practical TEFL ideas with honest disagreement, classroom stories and plenty of questionable humour.

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.

Chapters

00:00 H is for How to English
02:07 Should English teachers set homework?
02:50 Homework excuses and learner responsibility
05:24 How to email homework and lesson feedback
08:14 Should teachers provide answer keys?
09:30 Online practice, videos and homework follow-up
10:38 Checking whether students receive your emails
11:28 Using AI to personalise lesson language
13:24 Homophones, homonyms and homographs explained
16:49 Should teachers and students take holidays during courses?
19:53 Hot trends and innovations in English teaching
21:47 Hypothetical questions and headset problems
25:18 Six strategies for improving speaking skills
29:20 Using hyperbole to make stories engaging
31:47 Why teachers and learners should take breaks
32:32 Digital handouts versus printed materials
34:44 Hangman, holistic teaching and heuristic learning
35:42 What is hybrid learning?
36:00 Outro

How can English teachers make grammar less intimidating, use games with a clear learning purpose and help very different learners work well together?

In this G-themed episode of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em explore grammar, games, gap fills, group dynamics, grading language, global English and guided discovery. Drawing on their classroom experience, they discuss why learners often ask for “grammar” without knowing exactly where their gaps are, and how teachers can identify those needs through conversation and carefully chosen activities.

You’ll hear practical ideas for integrating grammar into stories and discussions, including a memorable way to explain either, neither and both. Gav also tests Em with a gardening-vocabulary correction game, showing how eliciting, pre-teaching and adapting support can turn a simple review task into useful conversation.

Can AI make a gap-fill more personal and interactive? Em creates one about unicorns in real time and explains how teachers can tailor a familiar activity to a learner’s interests. The conversation then turns to group dynamics: finding common ground, balancing confident and quiet learners, getting to know a group and avoiding vague questions that may put reluctant speakers on the spot.

Gav and Em also explain how to grade teacher language through vocabulary, idioms, speaking speed and connected speech. Finally, they consider the benefits and challenges of multilingual classes, before Em makes the case for acting as a guide and helping learners discover answers for themselves.

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.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and the letter G

01:43 Why is the letter G difficult to pronounce?

03:16 How should teachers approach grammar?

07:12 Teaching either, neither and both through a story

09:20 Adapting games for vocabulary review

12:17 Gardening tools correction game

18:09 Creating a personalised AI gap-fill

23:12 Managing group dynamics and quiet learners

28:22 How to grade your teacher language

31:55 Global English and multilingual classes

34:37 Guided discovery: being a guide, not a lecturer

36:00 Outro

What should you do when a lesson activity flops, learners keep repeating the same fossilised errors or an exercise simply is not producing the language you expected?

In this F-themed episode of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em turn real classroom frustrations into practical teaching ideas. They compare lessons that failed, explain when it is better to abandon or adapt an activity, and show how a smooth change of direction can keep an online lesson feeling natural.

They also explore feedback and error correction, from positive comments and delayed correction to memorable prompts involving Dickens, Shakespeare, pirates, Yoda and Back to the Future. Drawing on their classroom experience, they ask whether humour, visual cues and repetition can help learners finally notice stubborn mistakes such as “informations”, “make fun” instead of “have fun”, and unnatural word order.

Can you really learn English fast? Gav and Em challenge unrealistic promises and share ten practical ways to make progress more efficiently, including immersion, regular speaking, spaced repetition, high-frequency vocabulary, contextual practice, useful technology, grammar through use, achievable goals and active listening. They also demonstrate a no-preparation A-to-Z game that can fill the final five minutes of a lesson.

The episode ends with two F tips: fact-check the information in teaching materials, especially statistics that may date quickly, and explore how AI assistants such as Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and OpenAI ChatGPT can support language practice and feedback.

References and audio credits:
Five-Minute Activities: A Resource Book of Short Activities – Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers
Anki and Memrise spaced-repetition systems
VICTORIAN LONDON VIBES — Rainy Violin Music from the Gaslamp Era – Tunes Through Time
Lifescapes: The Classics – Dirk Freymuth
Dark Dramatic Choir – Overlord (Original Composition) – Lucas King
Irish Reel Music – Rowdy Sailors – Fantasy & World Music by the Fiechters
STAR WARS I Melodies – Glyn R. Brown
Apple Blossom March – Steampunk Victorian Music – Parlormuse
Melodies of the Middle Ages – Calming Medieval Music for Study and Relaxation – Medieval Horizons Music
Pirate with Radio Full Video – dogur_dev
Elevator Music – Kevin MacLeod / Gaming Sound FX
Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and OpenAI ChatGPT

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.

Chapters

00:00 – The A-to-Z of TEFL reaches F

02:13 – When lessons flop and when to stop an activity

05:17 – Why a present continuous speaking task failed

06:51 – Unclear instructions and the importance of demonstrations

09:09 – Positive feedback and error-correction choices

11:05 – Memorable corrections for unnatural English

15:48 – Humour, visual cues and fossilised errors

19:11 – Is there really a fast way to learn English?

20:52 – Ten practical tips for faster progress

24:05 – Five-minute lesson fillers and an A-to-Z game

29:01 – Useful F vocabulary for teachers and learners

31:18 – Tip of the week: fact-check teaching materials

32:31 – Can AI become a language-learning friend?

35:04 – Farewell

How can teachers elicit more language, improve pronunciation and help learners get greater exposure to English?

In this episode of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em continue their A–Z of TEFL with the letter E. They explore practical ways to encourage students to think, speak and contribute more—without teachers simply handing them every answer.

Gav demonstrates an elicitation activity in which learners hear answers about household chores and create the questions. It develops question formation, tense awareness and conversational flexibility, with examples covering the present simple, present continuous, past simple, past continuous, present perfect and future forms.

Em asks whether teachers should eat or drink during lessons, leading to a conversation about professionalism, enormous coffee cups and the dangers of choking on a lozenge. Gav and Em then discuss equity in English language education and why teaching materials should represent diverse people, cultures and perspectives.

Looking for a lively pronunciation activity? Their emotional echo-reading game challenges learners to repeat sentences—or even individual words—with feelings such as sadness, anger, nervousness and happiness. It is a simple way to practise pronunciation, intonation, listening and expressive speaking at different levels.

They also consider how learners can maximise their exposure to English through courses, podcasts, music, reading, apps, conversations, travel and everyday interactions. For teachers, there is an important reminder to monitor teacher talking time and create enough space for students to use the language themselves.

Finally, Em’s tip of the week shows how to exploit a single coursebook question and develop it into a complete lesson involving vocabulary, second conditionals, modal verbs, dress codes, etiquette and discussion. Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em demonstrate how a small prompt can generate a surprisingly rich lesson when teachers elicit learners’ ideas.

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

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

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and the letter E
01:30 What is eliciting in English teaching?
02:00 Question-building and grammar elicitation activity
08:33 Should teachers eat or drink during lessons?
12:00 Equity and inclusive English-language education
13:30 How to use echo reading for pronunciation
14:20 Emotional intonation guessing game
19:00 How learners can increase their English exposure
22:00 Teacher talking time and student speaking time
24:15 Eager, engaged and empathetic learners
29:30 Tip of the week: exploiting teaching materials
30:40 Building a lesson from one coursebook question
33:35 Final thoughts and goodbye

Should English learners focus on accuracy or fluency first—and what habits genuinely lead to progress?

In this D-themed episode of the A–Z of TEFL, Gav and Em explore the dos and don’ts of learning English. They discuss why learners should speak regularly, use English every day when possible, learn vocabulary in context and avoid being afraid of mistakes. They also consider when accuracy matters, when fluency needs activating and why pronunciation can completely change meaning—as demonstrated by the unfortunate confusion between “important” and “impotent”!

Gav and Em also examine the language teachers use when correcting learners. Is it helpful to say “Don’t say that,” or can teachers guide students more positively by modelling the correct language and suggesting what sounds more natural?

Em then demonstrates a dictogloss: a collaborative listening and writing activity in which learners take notes, reconstruct a text and compare their version with the original. Using Gav’s true story about arriving at the wrong gym, they show how dictogloss can develop listening, grammar, vocabulary, paraphrasing and teamwork.

You’ll also hear ideas for building a positive class atmosphere, directing attention away from the teacher and encouraging students to communicate with one another. Finally, Gav and Em discuss how to adjust the difficulty of lesson materials—and how AI can help teachers adapt an activity for different English levels.

Along the way, expect doughnuts, a gym mishap and playful explorations of the origins of words including “nightmare”, “quarantine”, “clue”, “salary” and “discombobulated”.

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.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to How to English with Gav and Em
00:38 What is the How to English TEFL Podcast?
01:21 Doughnuts and the qualities teachers and learners need
03:37 Dos and don’ts of learning English
06:00 Should learners focus on accuracy or fluency first?
07:35 Why English pronunciation matters
08:39 Should teachers tell students what not to say?
11:16 Exploring the origins of English words
19:07 What is dictogloss and how does it work?
21:40 Dictogloss listening task: Lost in the Gym Jungle
24:00 Reconstructing and comparing the text
28:58 Giving learners direction and motivation
30:42 Collaborative activities for team building
33:00 Teaching and learning tips beginning with D
36:04 Adapting task difficulty for different levels
37:15 Using AI to customise lesson materials
37:54 Drilling, dialogues, delayed feedback and development
38:38 D for done

How can teachers use CCQs effectively, prepare learners for C1 and C2 exams and bring culture into English lessons without overcomplicating everything?

In this episode of How to English with Gav and Em, we continue our A–Z of TEFL with the letter C. We begin with practical C1 and C2 exam preparation, including understanding the format, managing time, reading instructions carefully, using advanced language naturally and helping learners check their own work.

Em then demonstrates how Concept Checking Questions can reveal whether students genuinely understand new vocabulary. Using the word “query”, we explore effective CCQs, open questions and contextual examples—and why asking “Do you understand?” rarely tells a teacher enough.

For a lighter classroom activity, Gav challenges Em to match some spectacularly cheesy English chat-up lines. Could these be used to practise grammar and vocabulary, compare cultures and start conversations—or would they simply make everyone cringe?

We also discuss confidentiality in TEFL and the difficult boundary between sharing useful teaching experiences and protecting learners’ privacy. Then Em attempts to distinguish genuine business English buzzwords from Gav’s inventions, including “circle back”, “move the needle”, “touch base” and the rather suspicious “reinvent the rain”.

Finally, we consider culture in English teaching. Can language ever be culturally neutral? How much of their own culture should teachers bring into class, and how can learners’ cultures receive equal space?

Drawing on our many years in different classrooms, we finish with two connected teaching tips: keep explanations and instructions simple, and give learners more control. Stepping back can create more opportunities for students to participate, make decisions and use English independently.

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:
English pick-up lines and activity inspiration:
https://www.theknot.com/content/pick-up-lines

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to the Letter C in TEFL
02:35 – C1 and C2 Exam Preparation Tips
09:40 – What Are CCQs and How Should Teachers Use Them?
14:05 – Cheesy English Chat-Up Lines as a Classroom Activity
18:37 – Confidentiality and Protecting Learners’ Privacy
25:07 – Real and Fake Business English Buzzwords
32:42 – Culture and Cultural Differences in TEFL
37:14 – Keep Teaching Simple and Give Learners More Control

How should you begin a new English course, find out what Business English learners really need and help students improve their pronunciation?

In this episode of How to English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em, we explore the letter B in our A to Z of TEFL. We begin with the importance of first lessons and why teachers should prepare carefully without putting themselves under pressure to make everything perfect.

For Business English teachers, we demonstrate the specific needs-analysis questions that uncover what learners actually do at work. Do they give presentations, write emails, attend international meetings, manage projects or speak to customers? We also discuss using authentic workplace materials and why teachers do not need to be experts in every industry.

You’ll hear a practical demonstration of backchaining, a pronunciation technique for breaking difficult words and sentences into manageable chunks. We compare different ways to use it and explain why hearing the complete word or sentence first can give learners valuable context.

We also explore what students’ body language can reveal about attention, confusion and engagement—particularly online. However, appearances can be misleading, so checking politely may be more reliable than assuming somebody is not listening.

What does “Bob’s your uncle” mean? Why do British people say something has “gone pear-shaped”? We unpack several baffling British expressions, including “faffing around”, “throw a spanner in the works” and “not my cup of tea”.

Later, we ask whether coursebooks are still relevant in the age of ChatGPT and other digital tools. Finally, we challenge common language-learning myths and demonstrate “backflash”: a more natural way to revisit a previous lesson through a story rather than asking, “Do you remember what we did last week?”

Drawing on their real classroom experience, Gav and Em offer practical ideas for teachers alongside plenty of disagreement, experimentation and laughter.

References:

ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/

Grammarly: https://app.grammarly.com/

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, episode guides and resources ready to use.

Don’t forget to follow, subscribe and share the episode. See you next time for C!

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to B in the A to Z of TEFL
01:18 How to begin a lesson or course successfully
04:18 What do Business English learners really need?
06:35 Using authentic workplace materials
07:15 Essential Business English topics
08:35 Teaching unfamiliar industries confidently
09:25 What do B1 and B2 English levels mean?
12:10 How to teach pronunciation through backchaining
14:10 Reading students’ body language
15:35 Checking engagement in online lessons
17:20 How teachers’ gestures affect learners
20:00 Baffling British expressions explained
23:55 Are coursebooks still relevant in TEFL?
27:00 Bogus language-learning myths
31:15 Backflash: a better way to review previous lessons
34:00 Revisiting vocabulary through stories
34:45 See you next time for C