TEFL Unlocked

Feeling tired, unmotivated, or stuck in a teaching rut? Luan and Mairead share practical strategies to protect your energy, prevent burnout, and rediscover balance

In Part 2 of Don’t do that!, Luan and Mairead explore more common teaching habits that can unintentionally hold students back — from overplanning to missing signs of confusion in the classroom.  

This episode is a survival guide for new English teachers. Luan and Mairead unpack six common classroom mistakes that quietly damage student confidence, participation, and progress.

 Luan and Mairead tackle one of the biggest challenges for EFL teachers—classroom management. They discuss routines, pace, instructions, and relationships, and explain why behaviour is often a symptom, not the root problem.

Dictionaries are often overlooked in language teaching — but they can be one of the most useful classroom tools. Luan and Mairead share simple, effective dictionary activities alongside advice on choosing the right level of challenge for your learners.

How can you use the internet in your classroom without students going off-task? in this episode, we share tips to help you structure online activities, keep learners focused, and promote meaningful language use. 

 In part two, Luan and Mairead further explore a range of classroom tasks designed for larger groups, showing how clear structure and peer interaction can support active communication across different activity types.

Big groups can feel overwhelming, especially at first. This episode shares simple ways to manage noise, structure your lessons, and keep students speaking without trying to control every moment.

 In this special Q&A episode, we answer real questions from TEFL teachers worldwide—covering first jobs, post-certification uncertainty, and how to move forward with confidence in a changing industry.  

In this episode, Luan and Mairead explore the benefits of peer teaching and share practical strategies that boost engagement, encourage interaction, and bring more fun into the classroom.