Blogs and Vlogs from Pavilion ELT

Following her recent IATEFL how-to talk on being a freelancer, Chia Suan Chong looks at the different aspects of freelancing as a teacher and asks some provocative questions about what we want and hope to achieve. She then uses the 7 Ps of marketing as a guide to help freelancer teachers think about their business plan.

MET blogger David Dodgson now switches his focus to the use of authentic materials in the English language classroom. He offers advice on what to do and what to avoid when selecting, adapting, and utilising articles, images, videos, songs, and other ‘real world’ media to supplement our courses and achieve our learning goals.

‘Diversity’ and ‘inclusion’ might be buzz words in education but what do they mean and how can we apply them to our classrooms? Drawing on her own experiences of exclusion, Chia Suan Chong considers how we can provide a more inclusive experience for our students and make them feel like they belong.

The IATEFL conference is a gathering of ELT professionals: teachers, trainers, education managers, school owners, writers, and publishers. Coming together to discuss the current trends and issues in our industry, the IATEFL conference is also a chance to talk to like-minded individuals about our passion and the challenges we face. Chia Suan Chong looks at the three themes that stood out for her at this year’s IATEFL Liverpool conference.

How can we adapt our lessons to our students’ needs and interests? How can we personalise our materials to better motivate our learners? Chia Suan Chong considers the importance of rising above one-size-fits-all lessons and suggests five simple ways of tailoring our courses so that they are more relevant to the people we teach.

How can we make the most out of group work in the classroom and provide our learners with the opportunities to improve their team-working skills? How can the tasks we set improve the way they collaborate? Chia Suan Chong looks at ten different task types that will help get the best out of group work.

In his latest post, MET blogger, David Dodgson, considers the importance of the lesson plan for his teaching. He looks back at how the purpose of planning, as well as his attitude towards it, has changed over his years as a teacher, and looks forward to how planning will continue to play a key role in his classes.

A confusing conversation in her local petrol station one day led Chia Suan Chong to explore the factors that can cause misunderstanding, from possible expectations of her non-native appearance to the regional variations of language use. She soon realised that sometimes having the right words still isn’t enough.

Some say that our classrooms should feature 70% of student talking time and only 30% of teacher talking time. But how can we get students talking for the majority of their time in the classroom if we don’t know how to listen? Chia Suan Chong, our ETp blogger, explores how listening to students can encourage them to communicate and offer ten tips to help teachers become better listeners.