What Makes an English Lesson Work? Practical Teaching Tips - TEFL Teachers Gav & Em – S02E05

How do you know when an English lesson is working—and what can you do when it clearly isn’t?Gav and Em explore the teaching approaches, classroom choices and small adjustments that can make lessons feel more natural, engaging and useful. Drawing on their own classroom experience, they discuss how teachers can recognise when an activity is succeeding, respond when a conversation becomes awkward and find the right balance between teacher talk and student participation.What happens when learners are put under pressure to produce questions? Gav explains how stepping into a conversation temporarily can improve its pace before allowing students to take control again. They also consider when teachers should step back, why interrupting every mistake can destroy the flow of a discussion and when controlled language practice still has a place.The conversation covers:• choosing relatable topics learners can genuinely discuss• offering students a choice without asking an unhelpfully broad question• encouraging learners to contribute ideas and materials• helping with authentic emails, reports and presentations• understanding the limits of a teacher’s specialist knowledge• creating a safe environment where mistakes are accepted• using positive body language and eye contact• keeping everyone engaged during group activities• avoiding distractions and multitasking in online lessons• introducing grammar through a natural warmer• using music and films without making cultural assumptions• recording, reviewing and recycling new language• avoiding excessive correction• knowing when to change an activity that is not working• choosing a teacher whose approach suits the learner• making lessons personal, relevant and connected to real lifeCan familiar songs and films improve an English lesson? Should students write vocabulary in a notebook or rely on the online chat? Is it sometimes better to abandon a lesson plan? Gav and Em mull over what works for them while recognising that every student and class is different.If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpodVisit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.Reference:The Apprentice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apprentice_(British_TV_series)Chapters:00:00 Welcome to How to English00:23 What Works and What Doesn’t01:32 How do you know a lesson is working?02:56 Rescuing an awkward classroom conversation05:00 Balancing teacher talk and student talk06:31 Choosing relatable and universal topics08:36 Giving learners choices and encouraging preparation10:32 Using students’ reports, emails and presentations13:14 Creating a safe environment for mistakes13:41 Body language and eye contact15:43 Maintaining attention and engagement17:10 Why going straight into grammar may not work18:42 Introducing grammar naturally20:42 Using music, films and learners’ cultures22:49 Recording and revising new language24:48 Why overcorrecting learners does not work25:43 Changing a lesson when learners are distracted26:25 Choosing the right English teacher27:43 Making lessons personal and relevant28:51 Final teaching tips and listener feedback