British or American English? Dictation, Correction and Homework – S05E13

How should teachers respond to differences between British and American English, correct spoken errors during dictation and deal with students who do not complete their homework?In this episode of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em compare British and American English in real classroom situations. Should a teacher correct “Did you ever ride a camel?” or accept it as a standard American English alternative to “Have you ever ridden a camel?” They explore differences including shopping centre and mall, skipping rope and jump rope, and different ways of saying dates.Em shares a speech-to-text activity in which she types exactly what a student says before asking them to find their own mistakes. Gav prefers to leave gaps or question individual words so that incorrect language is not reinforced. Is it useful for learners to see their mistakes written down, or should teachers model the correct form immediately? As the episode title suggests, Gav and Em agree to disagree.They also compare their approaches to homework. Gav asks students about the work and uses it to encourage questions and further learning. Em makes homework optional and lets adult students complete it in their own time without being put on the spot. Which approach would work best with your learners?For a practical classroom activity, Gav introduces the Yes I Am game. Students receive short-answer cards such as “Yes, I am”, “No, it isn’t” and “Yes, we are”, then create questions that produce those answers. It is a simple way to practise auxiliary verbs, pronouns, question formation and short answers.Finally, Quiz of the Week mixes familiar idioms and metaphors. Can Em untangle “Let’s burn that bridge when we come to it” and “You’ve bitten off the wrong end of the stick”?Whether you are new to TEFL or an experienced English teacher, join Gav and Em for practical classroom ideas, honest differences of opinion and language discussion drawn from their teaching experience.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.Transcript with audio:https://share.descript.com/view/O4pwYUKLxsoReferences:Differences between British and American English:https://preply.com/en/blog/differences-in-grammar-in-american-and-british-english/Well-Mixed Metaphors:https://www.wordnik.com/lists/well-mixed-metaphorsChapters00:00 Introduction01:19 Correcting a portmanteau mistake02:15 British English or American English?08:51 Using speech-to-text to reveal learner errors14:54 Should teachers correct mistakes immediately?19:12 Support the podcast19:27 The Yes I Am grammar game22:50 Quiz of the Week: mixed metaphors and idioms34:24 Outro