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TEFL Articles

Articles about teaching the English language, including advice, tutorials, opinions and lesson plans from various authors and contributors. Articles cover a wide range of topics from language teaching, career development, specialisations, to ideas and suggestions for the classroom. If you would like to see your articles on UsingEnglish.com, please submit them using our form.

Latest English Teacher Articles

9 fun English for security guards activities

Stimulating ways to practise the language and skills needed to use English while guarding a building

How to teach English for the packaging industry

English for staff in packaging companies teaching ideas, also good for students who buy from and supply packaging companies, and for Technical English classes more generally.

First lessons with one-to-one students

Category: Teaching Tips Topic: General
Criteria and a simple lesson plan for a perfect start to an English course with a private student

Pairwork activities in small classes

How to use activities designed for pairs in group classes when there are only one, two or three students

Time management for ESL teachers problems and solutions

Explore time management strategies for English teachers, focusing on efficient lesson planning, marking assignments, handling administrative tasks, and balancing personal life.

Revision and recycling in one-to-one classes

Category: Teaching English Topic: Vocabulary
How to make sure private students recall language from previous classes

Cutting down on cutting up time

Category: Teaching Tips Topic: General
Tips for teachers on improving efficiency and time management by reducing scissor time

Teaching three students problems and solutions

How to deal with the most awkward number of students in a class

Groups of three in pairwork activities

Category: General Articles Topic: General
How to do pairwork activities such as roleplays if you don't have an even number of students

How to teach starting and ending meetings

How to teach smooth, polite and friendly beginnings and endings of English business meetings.

Grammar lessons on the topic of Valentine's Day

Tips for making ESL Valentine's Day lessons more useful by adding language points like tenses, comparative, superlative, uncountable nouns, and relative clauses, including Valentine's Day grammar games.

How to teach Valentine's Day vocabulary

How to prepare for, present and practise vocabulary of Valentine's Day people, places and objects, including Valentine's Day vocabulary games, and activities that are adaptable for other festivals and celebrations.

Teaching grammar in Christmas lessons

Linking the topic of Xmas to prepositions, adjectives, have (got) for possession, the grammar of nouns, demonstratives, there is/ are, possessive S, modals, defining relative clauses, and making questions

Teaching tenses in Christmas lessons

Teaching past, present and future verb forms through the topic of Christmas and the New Year, including tense reviews and passive voice

Useful classroom language for moving around in class and action games

Category: Classroom Language Topic: General
This article provides a list of useful phrases for teachers to add action to language classes without the need for L1.

The big list of praising, encouraging and consoling classroom language

Category: Classroom Language Topic: General
This article provides a list of useful phrases for praising, encouraging, and consoling students in an English class. It emphasises positivity and offers suggestions for effective classroom communication.

Groups of three in EFL classes

Category: Teaching Tips Topic: General
This article explores how to use and benefit from the often awkward situation group work with three students, and provides ideas for activities such as roleplaying, conversational skills, and facilitation.

The big list of discipline classroom language

Category: Classroom Language Topic: General
This article provides a list of useful phrases for English language teachers to maintain control of a class without using L1. It covers various aspects of classroom management, including dealing with noise, listening, manners, safety and more.

Fun for all the family, Part 2: 26 games for the alphabet and spelling

Explore various engaging games and activities designed to improve English spelling skills, including pronouncing the alphabet and spelling words games, for learners of all ages.

Formal and informal language games

Fun intensive practice for both polite and friendly language

100 IELTS Speaking teaching tips

The most important things to do in class when teaching IELTS Speaking.

100 IELTS Writing Task 2 teaching tips

A big list of advice on how to teach IELTS Academic Writing Task 2

100 IELTS Writing Task 1 teaching tips

A big list of vital tips on how to teach IELTS Academic Writing Task 1, in order of usefulness

How to teach senses vocabulary

Category: Vocabulary Topic: Vocabulary
How to teach words related to your five senses, with senses vocabulary games

How to teach like as a preposition

Category: English Grammar Topic: Prepositions
How to teach the preposition "like", including like as a preposition games

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