How Can You Personalise Coursebooks Without Chasing Perfection? – S05E23

How can teachers make coursebooks more engaging, relevant and useful without planning the “perfect” lesson?Gav and Em return to coursebooks and explore how teachers can combine their helpful structure with personalised conversation and meaningful language practice. Em explains how she adapts logistics, finance and Business English materials by eliciting learners’ existing knowledge, adding vocabulary and encouraging students to use new language in their own professional contexts.They also ask what makes the perfect student, teacher and learning environment. Is a good learner someone who always gets everything right, or someone willing to experiment and make mistakes? Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em discuss preparation, punctuality, patience, reflection and why teachers should not expect themselves to have every answer immediately.You’ll also hear:How to move between focused coursebook work and personalised speaking practiceWhy making mistakes is an essential part of learning EnglishWhat teachers and students really need from a classroom or online learning spaceWhy Gav and Em still love teaching English after many years in TEFLThe differences between “I don’t mind”, “I don’t care”, “It doesn’t matter” and “I couldn’t care less”How professional development can refresh your teachingHow Gav used ChatGPT during a live lesson to create instant grammar practiceWhy AI-generated teaching materials still need checkingFinally, Quiz of the Week explores what happens when translation tools choose unnecessarily formal English. Do learners really need words such as “raucous”, “diminutive” and “nourishment”, or would simpler alternatives sound more natural?Listen to the transcript with audio:https://share.descript.com/view/1XK69QvlP8LIf 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.ReferenceNormal and advanced vocabulary:https://mrmrsenglish.com/500-daily-used-normal-vs-advanced/#google_vignetteChapters00:00 Coursebooks, perfectionism and AI for teachers01:36 Returning to coursebooks02:40 How to personalise coursebook lessons05:34 Is perfection possible in language learning?07:10 What makes the perfect English student?09:05 What makes the perfect teacher?11:48 Creating an effective classroom or online space14:05 Support How to English TEFL Podcast14:43 Why we still love teaching English17:42 How to express indifference politely19:06 I don’t mind, I don’t care or it doesn’t matter?21:48 What teachers gain from online training24:02 Using ChatGPT during a live English lesson26:55 Checking AI-generated teaching resources28:40 Quiz of the Week: formal and informal vocabulary35:20 A translation message that was far too formal36:00 Closing thoughts