blog
Let Them Play!
Hi there young learner teachers! If any of you follow me on social media and know my work today, you might be surprised to hear that I used to be a really traditional English teacher. In fact, you might have even heard me say something like…“give me a blob of blutak...
Teaching Children English with Loose Parts Play!
Loose parts play refers to the use of materials that can moved, put together, taken apart and used in any way children desire. In this post, I’d like to share what I have learned about loose parts through extensive reading on the topic but mostly through my own...
3 things in a coursebook that you can and should change
It's not rare to use a coursebook that students complain doesn't have enough space for them to write or draw, that we feel doesn't cover relevant vocabulary, or that touches only superficially the needs and interests of the children we teach. What do you do when it...
How to Plan a Story-Based Lesson
Hello Young Learner Teachers! If you would like to start planning a story-based lesson this involves much more than reading the book itself. Whether you are teaching remotely or in the classroom with your students, there are lesson stages that you need to include to...
Mistakes I’ve Made When Teaching 3-5 Year Olds
If you’re new to teaching Pre-Primary and you are struggling, then this post is for you! Hi there! I'm Claire and I’ve been teaching English to Pre-Primary learners for a very long time now. These days, my lessons flow beautifully but it wasn’t always this way. Not at...
Finding Your Professional Pathway
Like any dedicated teacher, over the years I've given a lot of thought to my professional development, and while I’m glad to be where I am today, I can’t help but wonder if I could have taken a better, more organised approach. And if you’re a teacher who has career...
Don’t go down the professional development rabbit hole!
There is this quote by Lewis Carrol that you might have heard. It goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” Well, that is very a romantic idea if you are a backpacker or a Sunday driver but it’s not great advice to live by if you...
Using Games to Build a Healthy Classroom Community
Looking back over my teaching career, I feel like the most successful experiences have been those in which friendship and fun were present in every lesson. These two elements are essential for developing the kind of healthy classroom environment that supports the...
Vocal Hygiene For Teachers
Vocal Hygiene is a priority. We here in the Active English teaching community have been sharing information, resources and support to help teachers face the challenge of teaching in the hybrid and physically distanced classroom. People who have been following me here...
The Young Learner Teacher’s Toolkit in 2021
The ‘Teacher Tool Kit’ contains a selection of ideas and resources that are easily adaptable for multiple contexts. I asked the community what their top resources were, and here is what teachers had to say.