What should you do when a grammar lesson starts falling apart? Stick rigidly to your plan, stop and reset, or follow the language your students are actually producing?
In S07E17 of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em discuss the reality of teaching when lessons refuse to behave themselves.
Em shares a present continuous lesson involving unclear instructions, technical problems, students in different locations and an activity that gradually drifts away from the original plan. This raises a bigger TEFL question: when should teachers stick to their lesson plan, and when is it better to go with the flow?
They explore emergent language after a student unexpectedly moves the lesson towards the past continuous, how teachers can “park” a useful question without ignoring it, and whether one student’s curiosity should change the direction of the whole class.
Gav and Em also compare their teaching energy across the week. Is Monday teaching different from Friday teaching? Do teachers correct more when they are fresh? Can being tired sometimes produce a more relaxed, natural classroom?
Finally, they remember teachers who influenced them years ago. What made those teachers special, and what can reflecting on your own favourite teacher reveal about the teacher you want to become?
Plus, Gav explains how howtoenglishpod.com is developing into a practical resource bank of TEFL articles, episode guides, teaching ideas and podcast discussions.
📚 RELATED S07E17 TEACHING ARTICLES
How Should TEFL Teachers Recover When a Grammar Lesson Goes Wrong?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-should-tefl-teachers-recover-when-a-grammar-lesson-goes-wrong-s07e17/
Should You Stick to the Plan or Go with the Flow in a TEFL Lesson?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/should-you-stick-to-the-plan-or-go-with-the-flow-in-a-tefl-lesson-s07e17/
Does Your Teaching Style Change From Monday to Friday?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/does-your-teaching-style-change-from-monday-to-friday-s07e17/
What Makes a Teacher Memorable?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-makes-a-teacher-memorable-s07e17/
How Can Thinking About Your Favourite Teacher Improve Your Own Teaching?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-thinking-about-your-favourite-teacher-improve-your-own-teaching-s07e17/
Where Can TEFL Teachers Find Practical Teaching Resources and Podcast Articles Online?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/where-can-tefl-teachers-find-practical-teaching-resources-and-podcast-articles-online-s07e17/
🌐 More practical TEFL ideas, episode guides and teaching resources:
https://howtoenglishpod.com
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – What happens when a grammar lesson falls apart?
01:29 – Teaching the present continuous
03:06 – When students understand the grammar but not the task
05:06 – Stick to the plan or go with the flow?
07:01 – Present continuous naturally becomes past continuous
09:34 – How to “park” a useful student question
11:59 – Thinking fast and adapting TEFL lessons
12:16 – Does teaching style change from Monday to Friday?
16:43 – Friday teaching, natural speech and correction
19:47 – What makes a teacher memorable?
21:36 – How favourite teachers influence our teaching
23:07 – Qualities of a good teacher
25:04 – Turning a TEFL podcast into a teacher resource bank
❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What should teachers do when a grammar lesson goes wrong? When should you stick to a lesson plan or follow emergent language? How can you handle a useful student question without losing the lesson? Does teaching style change during the week? What makes a teacher memorable? How can your favourite teacher influence your own teaching?
#TEFL #EnglishTeaching #LessonPlanning #TEFLTeachers #ESLTeaching #GrammarTeaching #TeacherDevelopment #ClassroomIdeas #EmergentLanguage #TeachingTips #ELT #EnglishTeachers
