How Can AI, Alphabet Games and Accuracy Improve English Lessons? TEFL A-Z A – S06E01

How can teachers use AI, alphabet games and targeted correction to create more effective English lessons?Welcome to Season 6 and the beginning of Gav and Em’s A–Z of TEFL. In this episode, the letter A leads to a lively mix of practical classroom activities, teaching technology, animal vocabulary and the continuing debate over accuracy versus fluency.Discover several materials-light alphabet games, including collaborative stories, picture challenges, Pictionary and 20 Questions. Gav and Em also discuss how teachers can use ChatGPT to research unfamiliar topics, generate personalised questions, create gap-fills and adapt materials around learners’ interests.Could virtual and augmented reality make speaking practice less intimidating? Em recalls entering a virtual forest and talking to avatars, while Gav considers how simulated cafés and other everyday environments could give learners realistic opportunities to practise English. They also explore the potential benefits and limitations of VR language learning, including confidence, accessibility, cost and corrective feedback.The conversation continues with a quick-fire animal homes quiz before Em introduces the power of “And…?” as a simple prompt that encourages learners to expand their answers and keep speaking.Should teachers prioritise accurate English or fluent communication? Drawing on their classroom experience, Gav and Em explain why the answer depends on each learner’s needs. Sometimes students need uninterrupted speaking practice; at other times, a persistent mistake deserves focused attention.Finally, they share two A-themed tips for teachers and learners: prepare the right attitude before a lesson and become a little more academic by recording useful language. Even when notes are never reread, the act of making them may support learning and recall.🎙️ How to English TEFL Pod brings you practical teaching ideas, honest classroom discussion and plenty of Gav and Em humour.💛 If you find the show useful, you can send us a thanks at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod🌐 Visit https://howtoenglishpod.com for practical teaching ideas and resources ready to use.Reference:Benefits of note-making:https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/amerjpsyc.124.1.0063Chapters and timestamps00:00 Welcome to Season 600:50 Meet Gav and Em02:35 Introducing the A–Z of TEFL03:47 Materials-light alphabet games06:35 Using AI and ChatGPT in English lessons10:37 VR and AR for immersive language learning15:50 How AI could support teachers16:52 Animal homes vocabulary game21:34 Using “And…?” to encourage fluency23:55 Accuracy or fluency: which should come first?27:35 A-themed teaching and learning tips28:38 Preparing the right attitude for a lesson32:16 Note-making and becoming a little more academic34:29 Coming next: the letter B