Why are your students learning English? How should teachers check answers without wasting lesson time? And what should you do when you have no idea how to pronounce a new student’s name?
In S07E16 of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em explore everyday questions English teachers face.
They begin with one deceptively simple word: why? Why do we teach? Why are our students in the lesson? And why is it worth revisiting their goals as a course develops?
Drawing on their TEFL experience, Gav and Em discuss what keeps them teaching: language, flexibility, career opportunities and helping learners communicate.
Then comes email and admin: homework, timetable changes, cancellations, new classes and those messages sent five minutes before the lesson.
They also tackle student names. Should teachers research pronunciation before the first lesson? What happens when the same name is pronounced differently in different countries?
Finally, Gav and Em disagree rather spectacularly about checking students’ answers. Should learners compare answers in pairs before whole-class feedback? If everyone already has the correct answers, is checking them again useful confidence-building — or a waste of lesson time?
Along the way, they share practical techniques including peer checking, student nomination, varying who answers, testing what learners remember and personalising answers.
Whether you teach TEFL, ESL, EFL, Business English or general English, this episode offers practical classroom ideas — and proof that experienced teachers don’t always agree on the “right” way to do things.
EPISODE GUIDE + TEACHING RESOURCES
Episode guide:
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/episode-guide-how-should-english-teachers-check-answers-pronounce-names-stay-motivated-tefl-tips-s07e16/
How Often Should TEFL Teachers Revisit Learners’ Goals?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-often-should-tefl-teachers-revisit-learners-goals-s07e16/
Is TEFL a Good Long-Term Career? What Keeps Teachers in the Job
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/is-tefl-a-good-long-term-career-what-keeps-teachers-in-the-job-s07e16/
How Can TEFL Teachers Manage Email and Admin Without Letting It Take Over?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-tefl-teachers-manage-email-and-admin-without-letting-it-take-over-s07e16/
How Should English Teachers Pronounce Students’ Unfamiliar Names?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-should-english-teachers-pronounce-students-unfamiliar-names-s07e16/
What Is the Best Way to Check Students’ Answers in an English Lesson?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-check-students-answers-in-an-english-lesson-s07e16/
More practical TEFL articles, teaching tips and resources:
https://howtoenglishpod.com
Support Gav & Em:
https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod
CONTENTS / TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – What’s coming up?
01:01 – Welcome to S07E16
02:13 – Why are we teachers?
03:32 – Why are your students learning English?
04:59 – Why Gav and Em still enjoy teaching
06:50 – Career opportunities in TEFL
09:11 – Why teachers and learners should keep asking “why”
10:05 – What emails do TEFL teachers receive?
14:20 – When should teachers answer emails?
16:33 – The five-minutes-before-class email
17:32 – How do you pronounce a student’s name?
18:03 – Researching names before a lesson
22:10 – How should teachers check students’ answers?
22:51 – Should students check with a partner?
24:03 – Gav and Em disagree
27:04 – Do you need whole-class feedback?
29:40 – Checking answers to build confidence
31:56 – Who should answer each question?
33:25 – Keeping students on their toes
34:33 – Stop students simply reading the answers
35:03 – Personalising answers
35:26 – Ko-fi, teaching resources & goodbye
