Should English Learners Have Goals? Online Lessons and Teaching Rules – S05E21

Should every English learner have a clear goal, or is maintaining their level and enjoying lessons enough?In this episode of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em consider whether students need a specific target to work towards. Inspired by an orchestra rehearsing for a concert, Em asks whether English lessons should prepare learners for a real performance, such as an exam, presentation, holiday or everyday conversation. Gav explores the other side: some learners may simply want to practise, have fun and remain confident without additional pressure.Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em also discuss online teaching mishaps, including pressing “leave” instead of “share”, accidentally cutting students off and failing to leave time for a proper lesson ending. How can teachers balance warm-ups, core activities and cool-downs more effectively?They also ask who listens to the podcast and what teachers, learners and prospective TEFL teachers can gain from hearing two experienced teachers reflect honestly on their working week.Later, the conversation turns to raising teaching fees, requesting payments and deciding whether learners should pay in advance. Finally, Gav and Em compare two apparently contradictory teaching rules: change an activity after 25 minutes, or keep it going for as long as it is working. The episode finishes with a fast-paced collocation challenge featuring common English pairs and expressions.Listen to the transcription with audio:https://share.descript.com/view/Xc6K98rLTqkIf 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. Sharing is caring, so please mention the show to a fellow teacher, learner or school.Chapters00:00 What is in this week’s episode?01:01 Online teaching problems with the share and leave buttons02:35 Why Gav and Em make the podcast03:17 How to end an online lesson without cutting students off04:40 Balancing lesson warm-ups and cool-downs06:25 Who is the How to English TEFL Podcast for?08:11 Using natural conversations for English listening practice10:21 What does “rhubarb, rhubarb” mean?12:00 Bandwagons, coattails and gravy trains13:29 Should English learners have a long-term goal?14:25 Treating lessons as rehearsals for real-life English16:11 Goals, motivation, exams and learner confidence18:14 Do all students want to be challenged?20:08 When should private English teachers raise their fees?22:15 Discussing payments and asking students for money23:56 Two conflicting cardinal rules of teaching24:16 Should an activity stop after 25 minutes?25:31 If an activity is working, should you continue?27:39 Extending activities through feedback and language analysis29:40 Quiz of the Week: complete the collocation34:13 Outro