Tag Archives: vocabulary

Effective Eliciting

Posted on July 19, 2016 by jonnyingham

This is my fourth post in a series of posts going ‘Back to Basics‘, re-examining techniques and ideas introduced on teacher training courses. What is eliciting? The British Council Teaching English website defines elicitation as ‘a technique by which the … Continue reading →

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My one-to-one student just wants to chat

Posted on May 3, 2015 by jonnyingham

So, after planning a lesson tailored to the needs of the individual student, all they seem to want to do is have a chat. You start to wonder if it is worth planning the lesson at all.   Then there’s … Continue reading →

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A Story out of Context

Posted on August 31, 2014 by jonnyingham

Today I cleared out a cupboard full of old teaching material (I know how to have fun!)  I had accumulated files full of worksheets and little cut up cards I had made or photocopied years ago and inexplicably saved. I … Continue reading →

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Concept Checking Revisited

Posted on June 11, 2014 by jonnyingham

This is the first (hopefully) in a series of posts going Back to Basics, re-examining techniques and ideas introduced on teacher training courses. Many teachers are introduced to the idea of concept checking in their initial teacher training courses, try it … Continue reading →

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How did it get so late so soon?

Posted on April 17, 2014 by jonnyingham

Despite its questionable grammar and lack of apostrophes, I like the Dr. Seuss poem above. It highlights a common difficulty faced by many teachers. 5 minute warmer took 25 minutes? Lesson ended on a grammar presentation? No time for practice? … Continue reading →

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Clines in Language Teaching

Posted on March 18, 2014 by jonnyingham

What is a cline? The British Council Teaching English website defines a cline as ‘a scale of language items that goes from one extreme to another, for example, from positive to negative, or from weak to strong’. Why are clines … Continue reading →

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Riverbank

Posted on February 10, 2014 by jonnyingham

Also known as a board jump, this versatile activity can liven up grammar and get students up out of their seats in a controlled TPR practice activity. This is good for language points which have two (or three) options to … Continue reading →

Posted in Aperitifs, Desserts, Kids menu, Mains | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Warmer of the week: ladder race

Posted on January 13, 2014 by jonnyingham

Let’s start the ball rolling with a warmer. This is a good one for reviewing a recently studied lexical set (e.g. weather) or to introduce a topic by quickly brainstorming vocabulary connected to the theme of the lesson. It’s very … Continue reading →

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