🎧 How to English TEFL Pod – S06E15: O Welcome to How to English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em! In this episode, it’s the letter O – for one-to-ones, on-the-spot grammar, overcorrection, and more! Gav and Em share their usual mix of laughter, insights, and practical classroom tips, with a few onomatopoeic giggles and groans thrown in for good measure. 📣 Support the pod at: ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod – Buy Gav & Em a coffee and show your appreciation!

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome & What's the Letter?
00:58 – O is for One-to-Ones
05:02 – O is for On-the-Spot Grammar (With Error Cards!)
09:00 – Why Do We Say “Much Money” and Not “Many Money”?

10:11 – Overcorrection Skit (And How NOT to Handle Mistakes)
18:07 – One Minute Speaking Challenge
21:30 – Onomatopoeia: Giggles, Groans & More
25:06 – TEFL “O” Words: Objectives, Outcomes & Observations
27:46 – Open Cloze – Em’s Tip and Favourite Teaching Tool
29:36 – Gav’s Tip: Offer Options, Not Open-Ended Questions
32:46 – Wrapping Up & What’s Coming Next: P is for…

🎙️ S06E14 – N is for… Notes, Nuance, No & Nominalisation! 🎧 Welcome back to How To English TEFL Pod with Gav & Em! In this fun and thoughtful episode, we're (over) halfway through our A–Z of TEFL and celebrating with a bit of housekeeping, a few fruit-related debates, and some grammar goodies – including nominalisation, negative answers, and the power of a simple “No.” 🧠 Expect linguistic nuance, a quiz on nouns, and a surprise visit from AI Gav & Em with their Top 8 Tips for Teachers. Yes, really. ☕ Like what we do? Support the pod at ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod We’d love a tea, coffee or fruit-based ice cream (aubergine flavour, anyone?).

References:

Voice cloning: https://www.uberduck.ai/voice-cloning

Background music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W16EsK4JCKM&list=PL170TfEhZz-_GstI3bsghBfuD-u8nlHHD&index=1

Timestamps

00:00 – Alphabet confusion and intro
01:35 – Notes – aubergines, acai & accurate facts
08:01 – N is for Nuance – wicked vs bad, British indirectness
11:09 – Negative answers – hilarious grammar practice
14:48 – No – how to say it (without saying it)
17:38 – N is for Nominalisation – noun-forming game fun!
21:17 – Bonus! AI Gav & Em’s Top 8 Tips for TEFL Teachers
23:01 – Real Gav & Em react to their AI doubles
25:46 – Signing off with silliness

🎙️ This week on How To English with Gav & Em, it’s all about the letter M! From matching activities and mnemonics to a modal murder mystery, we explore how memory, meaning, and mindfulness can boost English teaching and learning. Expect laughs, learning, and the return of our matching game—with desserts! If you enjoy the show and want to support us, you can buy us a coffee at ☕ ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Resources: 22. Elementary, My Dear Watson, Advanced Grammar Games, Nelson

Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome and intro to the letter M
00:56 – Matching activities: fun or time-wasters?
04:30 – Dessert matching game 🍨
10:30 – Mnemonics and the FANBOYS trick
12:14 – What to do when students forget words
15:55 – Memory techniques and personalization
18:24 Modals through a murder mystery 🔍
24:09 – Movie Time: What happens next? 🎥
28:45 – Tip of the episode: Micro-teaching
30:08 – Tip of the episode: Mindful moments
32:59 – Final thoughts and wrap-up

🎙️Episode 12 – L is for… Language, Lead-ins & Limp Vocabulary! Welcome back to Gav & Em's How to English: Teach and Learn TEFL Podcast – the show for English teachers and learners who love a laugh with their language!

This week, it’s L for... lots of things! From Language attrition to Learner autonomy, Lead-ins, and Listening, Gav and Em tackle the TEFL world one "L" at a time. Expect mini-lessons, metaphorical cushions, and a few questionable examples from your favourite language apps. 🐘🧦🐢

💡 What weird sentence did Gav find in Korean? Why is Em polishing her keyboard on camera? And how many words should a student really learn each day?

👉 Plus, enjoy a fun listening gap-fill on reporting verbs with characters like Sophie and Mark II. And teach students, Don't say say – say something better!

References:

https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-duolingo-sentences-silvermidnight/

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro & Greetings

• [00:01:42] Language, attrition & atrophy

• [00:07:55] Limitations of Language Apps

• [00:13:30] Lesson Notes

• [00:17:05] Learner Autonomy[00:22:14] Lead-ins that actually work

• [00:26:03] Listening Gap-Fill: Reporting Verbs

• [00:31:45] Tips of the Episode – Listening & Language Modelling

• [00:32:27] Modelling better classroom language

• [00:36:31] Ko-fi plug & goodbyes

• Next week: M is for… Mystery? Mistakes? Motivation? You’ll have to tune in to find out!

🎙️Hello and welcome to How to English TEFL Pod with Gav and Em. Your fortnightly dose of TEFL chat, classroom chaos, and questionable letter themes! This week it’s K, and we’re keeping up, keeping calm, and keeping it together... just about. Expect knowledge gaps, kinesthetic games, and a lot of Ks you didn’t know you needed. Fancy buying us a coffee or tea? Visit ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod – with a K!

🥾Let’s kick it off!

Online quizzes: https://www.jetpunk.com/Timestamps

[00:00:00] – Intro & preamble: Gav and Em reveal the letter of the episode – K!

[00:01:21] – Topic 1: Keeping Up – trends in teaching, student needs, and unexpected lesson twists.

[00:10:07] – Topic 2: Knowledge Gaps – recognising and responding to repeated student errors.

[00:17:30] – Topic 3: Knowledge vs Information – what it really means to know something.

[00:20:37] – Topic 4: Keeping Calm & Carrying On – burnout, low-energy lessons, and TED Talk breaks.

[00:22:35] – Self-care tips for teachers – batch planning, snacks, mindfulness, and boundaries.

[00:26:20] – Em’s Tip of the Episode: Kinesthetic Learning – from teddy bears to snowball fights.

[00:29:04] – Gav's Tip: Key Language for… everyday situations, from hotels to immigration.

[00:31:00] – Final thoughts, Krashen love, and Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

🎧 Welcome to Episode 10, Season 6 of Gav & Em’s How to English – TEFL Podcast! Get ready for a jam-packed (and jelly-filled) episode as we explore the letter J in the TEFL Alphabet Series! From jargon and jobs to jokes, Jeopardy, and even a jazzy pronunciation chant, this episode is full of practical tips, laughter, and a few unexpected tangents. ☕ Like what we do? Support us with a coffee!🔗 ⁠ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod⁠Gameshow music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JAMcQyRRIQ

Timestamps
00:00 – Intro & J is for Jog Your Memory

02:33 – Jam, Jelly & Marmalade: A Fruitful Discussion
05:50 – J is for Jargon: Buzzwords in Business English
10:54 – Jokes in the TEFL Classroom: Pun or Punishment?
15:28 – Joiners (Conjunctions) and a Clever Grammar Game
21:51 – Jeopardy! Idioms Game for Language Learners
25:41 – Jazz Chants: Rhythm, Pronouns, and Clapping
28:35 – J is for Jobs: Guess the Occupation Game
31:18 – Journaling, Joy, Jocular Moments & a Jaw-Dropping Journey

🎙️How To English – S06E09: “I” Is for Intonation, Icebreakers & Inspiration! Join Em and Gav as they explore all things “I” in this insightful, fun, and packed episode of How To English TEFL Pod. From intonation exercises to inspiring students, surprising teacher roles, and even a lively information gap activity, this episode is full of ideas and laughs for English teachers and learners alike. 💬Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Reflection Questions:

Self-Awareness

1. What aspects of my teaching practice reflect my cultural background or values?

2. Have I ever assumed my way of doing things is “normal” or “universal”?

3. How do my personal beliefs influence the way I respond to student behavior or feedback?

Perspective

4. How might this lesson be experienced differently by a student from a collectivist culture vs. an individualist one?

5. If I were a newcomer or international student in this class, how welcome or included would I feel?

6. How do I create space for different communication styles—direct vs. indirect, expressive vs. reserved?

Bias and Areas for Improvement

7. Are there cultural groups or accents I subconsciously associate with “higher ability” or “better behaviour”?

8. When was the last time I challenged a cultural stereotype—my own or someone else’s?

9. Do I ever misinterpret silence, disagreement, or eye contact based on my own cultural expectations?

Classroom Practice

10. Do my teaching materials and examples reflect a variety of cultural contexts and perspectives?

11. What strategies do I use to learn about my students’ backgrounds without stereotyping them?

12. How do I handle culture-related misunderstandings or conflicts when they arise in class?

Growth and Intention

13. What have I learned from a student who challenged my assumptions?

14. How do I stay open and curious when something feels unfamiliar or uncomfortable?

15. What one thing can I do this week to increase inclusivity and cultural awareness in my teaching?
Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome!

00:59 – Capital “I” as a pronoun

03:00 – Inspiring students

08:16 – Intonation and Em's bike

11:44 – I didn’t sign up for this!

18:30 – Information gap

24:03 – Intercultural Reflection Questions

29:39 – Interaction

32:27 – Icebreakers

35:20 – Wrap-up & a nice cuppa tea/KO-FI

🎧 S6 E8 – H is for Homework, Holidays & Hyperbole. This week, Gav & Em explore all things H in the world of TEFL! From homework habits and holiday balance to the drama of hyperbole in class – it's packed with tips, laughs, and teaching insights.✨ Tune in for: homework pros & cons, holiday chat for teachers & students, hyperbole, homophones & headset fails. Plus, some practical H tips for speaking skills. Support the pod: ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

References:

Hot trends and innovations https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/ten-trends-and-innovations-english-language-teaching-2024 UN Sustainabilty Development Goals https://www.tlbbhfoundation.org/learnteachsdgs-initiative/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAp00WYv3ncMZ6lcna5KmocYppz3nR&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiLLABhCEARIsAJYS6umIgbnm7QPp0DIvZKHXgj9MThIcQSjjau0rsJMA94_ZQjVFf64FB0oaAsP0EALw_wcB

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro & recap

(00:34) H pronunciation

(01:45) To huff or not to huff?

(02:22) Homework – doing it or making excuses

(05:28) Sending homework

(13:19) Homophones, homonyms, and homographs.

(16:50) Holidays – teacher & student holiday plans

(19:49) Hot Trends in TEFL

(21:46) Headphones and Hypotheticals

(25:11) Speaking Tips beginning with H

(29:15) Hyperbole – teaching exaggeration

(31:51) Tips – have a break and handouts

(34:39) What we didn't cover