ELT Guide

05/01/2026

By applying these principles in EFL classrooms, teachers can unlock students’ full potential and significantly improve language acquisition:

Discover 10 research-based teaching strategies proven to boost student achievement, engagement, and learning outcomes in any classroom.

02/01/2026

EFL vs. ESL isn’t just terminology—it’s a teaching mindset.
👉 In ESL, learners are immersed in English daily.
👉 In EFL, the classroom is often the only place English exists.
This means:
* EFL teachers must create exposure
* ESL teachers must organize exposure
Understanding this difference helps teachers:
✔ Plan better lessons
✔ Set realistic goals
✔ Avoid learner frustration
If you want to get trained to teach EFL abroad and online and get certified, download this FREE TEFL brochure:

Make sure to fill out the form on this link to receive a free digital copy of ITA's main TEFL textbook ($45 value!) when you enroll in a TEFL Course from International TEFL Academy.

25/03/2025

https://elttguide.com/mistakes-teachers-can-make/

In this post, we’re breaking down eight of the most critical mistakes teachers can make—and, more importantly, how to steer clear of them.

28/02/2025

Assessing student writing is more than just marking mistakes—it's about guiding learners toward better communication skills. My latest article, A Guide to Grading a Student Writing Question, explores a structured approach to grading, focusing on vocabulary, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and idea relevance.

Check out the full guide here:

https://elttguide.com/grading-students-writing-questions/

19/02/2025

It’s common for learners to be confused between the present perfect and the past simple when they fail to recognize how the context affects the choice of the right tense. So, it’s common to hear them saying:
“He’s in the waiting room. I’ve opened the door for him.”
“I’ve been to the gym yesterday.”
That’s why I outlined eight engaging classroom activities to teach the past simple vs. the present perfect. Click to learn about them and let me know your thoughts:

Teaching Present Perfect vs. Past Simple. Click to explore 8 engaging activities on how to differentiate the two tenses in the classroom

11/02/2025

When teaching English tenses, you may face various challenges, but you can overcome them by:
1. Using visual aids, such as timelines, to simplify the complexity of tenses.
2. Focusing on practice by incorporating real-life situations.
3. Encouraging students to watch movies, TV shows, and speeches to identify and discuss the tenses used.
4. Utilizing an effective set of lesson plans and printable handouts for teaching and practicing tenses in the classroom.

Transform Your Teaching of English Tenses!Teaching English tenses doesn’t have to be a headache. With "Teaching English Tenses—A Comprehensive Package of Lesson Plans" Plus Handouts & Warm-up Activities, you’ll gain the tools and confidence to guide ...

31/01/2025

Are you preparing for a TEFL job interview but feeling unsure about what to expect? My latest blog post breaks down the 10 most common TEFL job interview questions and helps you answer them like a pro. Whether you’re a first-time teacher or a seasoned educator, these insights will boost your confidence and help you stand out from the crowd. Read the full article here:

https://elttguide.com/tefl-job-interview/

Don’t miss my ultimate guide, “Pass Your TEFL Interview!” This book is packed with insider tips, sample answers, and practical advice—it's your secret weapon to interview success.

Click to prepare for a TEFL job interview. You'll find a list of the 10 always-asked questions and also some expert tips to answer them.

29/01/2025

Improving writing instruction in the age of AI

Don't fight against AI, but teach students to write effectively in a world where AI exists.

Let's recognize these 5 steps to evolve our writing instruction while preserving the fundamental importance of human writing:

This article is a guide for improving writing instruction in the age of AI to improve writing skills and preserve the value of human writing

28/01/2025

The Power of Little Things
The Least You Can Do Can Bring True Change

27/01/2025

Want to make your reading and listening lessons more engaging? Here are five quick tips to supercharge your classroom:
1. Encourage students to read for enjoyment, not just study!
2. Teach them to focus on the overall meaning, not word-for-word details.
3. Highlight the importance of information words: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
4. Help learners make predictions to activate background knowledge and build confidence.
5. Start with gist tasks before diving into detailed comprehension.
Ready to dive deeper? Check out my latest blog post for a step-by-step guide to teaching listening and reading effectively: https://elttguide.com/teaching-listening-and-reading/
Don’t forget to explore my eBook, Lesson Plans for Teaching English Tenses—a must-have for ESL teachers!

Explore a 5-step lesson for teaching listening and reading. This will empower your students to become confident listeners and readers.

26/01/2025

Traditional Activity vs. Critical Thinking Activity
In a traditional activity, you get students to repeat a vocabulary item twenty times or more and then put it in a sentence without much (or even any) thinking involved. Compare that to a critical thinking activity where we divide vocabulary into two group columns, e.g., healthy and unhealthy foods. Then, ask the students to classify the target food vocabulary into healthy or unhealthy as they think of them. Listen to the learners, then put the vocabulary flashcards in the appropriate column. The students may say the vocabulary items less but must think more. The more they believe, the more they remember. Click for more critical thinking activities for young learners:

In this post, you will explore seven simple yet effective critical thinking activities for young learners that you can use in your classroom