TEFL Teaching Tips: Translation Apps, L1 in Class & Getting Students to Answer Questions - S07E05

What should you do when students keep using translation apps in English lessons? How can you encourage learners to speak English instead of switching back to their first language? And why do students sometimes give perfectly good answers — but not actually answer the question you asked?In S07E05 of Gav & Em's How to English TEFL Podcast, we discuss practical TEFL and ESL teaching problems that English teachers face in real lessons.We ask:• Should TEFL teachers allow Google Translate, AI and translation apps in class?• How can you encourage students to think and communicate in English?• Why do students switch back to their first language (L1) when the teacher leaves?• What should a teacher do when a student doesn't answer the question asked?• Should you repeat, simplify or rephrase a question?• How can teachers help learners explain complicated processes in English?• How can online English teachers stay active and comfortable while teaching?• What can teachers do to encourage more meaningful speaking practice?We also talk about standing desks, under-desk exercise machines and staying physically comfortable while teaching online; getting students to explain technical processes step by step; ways to help more teachers and learners discover the podcast; and why the unusual English words “don” and “doff” are opposites.If you're an EFL, ESL, ESOL or TEFL teacher looking for practical teaching ideas, classroom-management discussion and honest conversations about what really happens in English lessons, this episode is for you.☕ SUPPORT THE PODCASTHelp us keep How to English going:ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 – What are we talking about this week?01:00 – Welcome to How to English: TEFL teaching and learning02:00 – What do teachers actually do while they're teaching?03:00 – Teacher stress, tension and body language05:00 – Staying physically comfortable while teaching06:00 – Exercise while teaching English online08:00 – Standing desks and moving during online lessons09:00 – Can you use a treadmill while teaching online?10:00 – Ergonomics and staying healthy as a teacher11:00 – Why do students switch back to their first language (L1)?12:00 – Why is speaking L1 easier for language learners?14:00 – Should you tell students to keep speaking English?15:00 – Encouraging students to speak English outside class17:00 – Why don't students answer the question you asked?19:00 – What should teachers do when students give the wrong answer?20:00 – Should you repeat or rephrase a question?21:00 – Checking whether students understand your questions22:00 – Asking better questions in English lessons23:00 – Getting students to explain technical topics in English24:00 – Teaching students to explain processes step by step25:00 – Functional English: explaining how things work26:00 – How can we make a TEFL podcast more popular?29:00 – Should students use translation apps in English lessons?30:00 – Google Translate, dictionaries and AI in the classroom31:00 – Should teachers stop students translating?32:00 – Does translation stop students thinking in English?33:00 – Is using your phone now part of natural conversation?34:00 – Why describing an unknown word is valuable speaking practice35:00 – Communication strategies instead of translation36:00 – Difficult vocabulary for low-level English learners38:00 – What do “don” and “doff” mean?39:00 – The surprising history of “don” and “doff”Gav & Em's How to English Pod is a podcast about teaching and learning English as a foreign language, with practical TEFL discussion, teaching ideas, classroom experiences and plenty of opinions along the way.