AI – Chat GPT

The blog post discusses using Chat GPT in English language teaching. It outlines pros such as time-saving and material generation, but highlights concerns around accuracy and ethical use. Guidance on refining prompts is also provided.

Having given a few teacher training workshops on the topic of AI in ELT, I thought it was about time I shared my thoughts on it here. Is it really the way forward? In the first of a series of blog posts on AI in teaching, let’s take a look at one of the basics – Chat GPT.

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Monitoring – What? Why? When? How?

On a recent course, getting a balance in monitoring caused our trainees some problems. Let’s look at what it is exactly, why and when we need to do it and how it should be done …

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A Guide to Lesson Planning: Language Analysis

In order to teach a specific item of language, for example a tense or a lexical set, it is essential that you, as the teacher, “know” this item thoroughly which is why on a CELTA course you are asked to include a language analysis on the lesson plan. What does this include and what do you need to consider? Here, in this third post in the series on lesson planning, we have the answers to these and other questions all about language analysis. Continue reading “A Guide to Lesson Planning: Language Analysis”

Developing Writing Skills in the EFL Classroom

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What was the last thing you wrote? A Whatsapp message? Shopping list? Maybe an email? So why are teachers still getting students to write descriptions of picture stories to practise writing skills? Let’s look at some ways of making our writing skills lessons more useful for real life. Continue reading “Developing Writing Skills in the EFL Classroom”

Error Correction: To Correct or not to Correct???

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Error correction can be a tricky area in English language teaching- too much and students lose their confidence to speak, too little and they don’t feel that they are making progress. Read the situations and think about what you would do in each of the following cases before reading the solution … Continue reading “Error Correction: To Correct or not to Correct???”

Focusing on Language in the Classroom

It is very interesting when observing trainee teachers on a CELTA course, how many feel the need to “teach” in the old-fashioned sense of the word.  Many trainees believe that if they haven’t stood at the front of the classroom talking at the students for a good chunk of the lesson that they haven’t actually taught anything.

In my opinion, teachers of EFL (though I am sure teachers of other subjects would benefit too) need to stop thinking that they have to teach but rather that they have to help students learn.  After all, if you have discovered something for yourself, you are more likely to remember it.   Continue reading “Focusing on Language in the Classroom”

CELTA FAQs: Everything you wanted to know!

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Before investing time and money in a CELTA course it’s inevitable people have questions that need to be answered. Read on to find out the answers to the questions most commonly asked. Continue reading “CELTA FAQs: Everything you wanted to know!”