Today we're pleased to be able to bring you a guest post by Dr. Ivor Timmis. Ivor works at Leeds Beckett University and has always been one of the people we most look forward to hearing speak at conferences. Ivor…
Author Archive
In so many words: on the importance and shape of vocabulary lists
Today we're delighted to feature a guest post by Bruno Leys. Bruno works at VIVES University College in Bruges, Belgium. He's published several coursebook series such as Breakaway, Takeaway and High Five and he regularly gives talks and workshops for…
Phrase of the day: in the run-up to
As many of you may be aware, there's a general election here in the UK in just a couple of months. This year also sees crucial elections in Turkey and Spain and no doubt in many other places as well.…
When less is more: freeing students from the burden of choice
There's a reason why Starbucks will never catch on it Italy. Go to any branch of the global chain and try ordering a cappuccino and you'll be met with a barrage of questions: What size do you want? Do you…
Two-way translation in the multilingual classroom
I'm just back from Turkey, where I delivered a one-day workshop on teaching grammar through International House in Izmir. One issue that arose, as it often does with nonnatives, is whether or not translation should be allowed. My own belief…
International House, Izmir: March 2015
Thoughts on teaching grammar: part four
I finished teaching the Focus On Grammar course I'd been doing one evening a week at IH London last night. Like most teachers, I always hate that moment of goodbye at the end of a course, as you know you…
If you ask me … the problem with opening gambits
Many moons ago, I enjoyed a brief and intense love affair with a book by Eric Keller and Sylvia Warner called Conversation Gambits. First published by LTP back in 1988, I came to it in the mid-1990s and at the…
Spain TESOL 2015: Salamanca
Phrase of the day: It’s alright for some!
This week, a friend of mine in France sent me a message via Facebook asking if I'd got a copy of a new box set that collects together all the LPs by The Pretty Things, one of my very favourite…