On the over-use of concept-checking questions: part 1
There aren’t many things that I think should be comprehensively banned from EFL classrooms, but the use of closed CCQs
Read more.6th October 2017
Something better change: taking a stand against gender bias in ELT
Earlier this year I spoke at the very first International Language Symposium in Brno, the second-biggest city in the Czech
Read more.22nd September 2017
Grammar nonsense 5 (and some curiosities): indirect questions
I can’t quite decide if the EFL view of indirect questions is pure foolishness or more a question of a
Read more.26th May 2017
Complicating the coursebook debate part 3: coursebook use
Today’s post follows on from another recent post that looked at some of the so-called false assumptions that supposedly lie
Read more.19th May 2017
When porridge is not porridge: dealing with culturally specific phenomena in English
It happens to me almost every time I’m in Russia. In fact, it’s happened so many times now that I’ve
Read more.12th May 2017
Complicating the coursebook debate part 2: can’t we just be friends?
This week I thought I would take a break from the grammar series (to be continued!) and pick up on
Read more.27th April 2017
Grammar curiosities 2: relative clauses
Too much choice So in my last post I did ask if anyone had any good ideas about contexts for
Read more.14th April 2017
Grammar nonsense 4: relative clauses
This is less a post about the craziness of description and more one about the way grammar is presented and
Read more.23rd March 2017
Teaching in troubled times: Trump, tackling tensions and resting easy!
We live in troubled times. We’re living through an age in which immigrants are routinely scapegoated and blamed for all
Read more.16th March 2017
Grammar nonsense 3: the use of the word grammar
So the other day, I opened my inbox and found an email encouraging me to celebrate March the 4th, ‘World
Read more.10th March 2017