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What is a phrasal verb? A guide for English language teachers
If you are new to teaching, or about to start a CELTA course, you may have come across the term phrasal verb and wondered what it means. You may also have heard learners say, “English has too many phrasal verbs,” without being entirely sure how to respond. This guide explains what a phrasal verb is, why learners find them difficult, and how you can approach them in the classroom with clarity and confidence. What is a phrasal verb? A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a par

Connor O'Donoghue
Feb 244 min read


How to Clarify Meaning, Form and Pronunciation Step by Step
Whether you're preparing for a CELTA , currently in the middle of one, or teaching your first few classes after qualifying, one of the main things you'll want to know how to do is clarify meaning, form and pronunciation. On CELTA, this can feel high stakes. You plan carefully. You rehearse your boardwork. Then, in the lesson, you realise that your students haven't understood something and you are suddenly unsure whether you have really clarified anything at all. This guide wa

Connor O'Donoghue
Feb 165 min read


A Practical Guide to Concept-Checking Questions (CCQs) for CELTA and Beyond
1. What Are Concept-Checking Questions? Concept-checking questions (CCQs) are short, targeted questions teachers use to check whether...

Connor O'Donoghue
Oct 12, 20257 min read


How to Teach Better Speaking Lessons: Tips for New English Teachers
For many English learners, speaking fluently and confidently is the ultimate goal. While reading, writing, and listening matter, most...

Connor O'Donoghue
Jul 15, 20253 min read


Helping students to record vocabulary
On a CELTA course, we spend a long time looking at what happens in the lesson itself. How do we get the meaning of a word across to our...

Connor O'Donoghue
Mar 17, 20243 min read


What is controlled practice?
Part of learning anything is to practise it. When I was a teenager and I learned to drive in Ireland in the 1990s, my father took me to...

Connor O'Donoghue
Oct 17, 20233 min read


Checking students' understanding of meaning
One of the most important skills to learn as a new teacher is the skill of checking students' understanding. We might think we're...

Connor O'Donoghue
Sep 12, 20233 min read


Test-teach-test: A framework for CELTA grammar and vocabulary lessons
Most grammar or vocabulary lessons on an English teaching course, be it an online CELTA course or a classroom CELTA, will start with some...

Connor O'Donoghue
Sep 5, 20232 min read


Five games for vocabulary practice on CELTA
New teachers sometimes think that 'controlled practice' means 'boring practice'. It's true that controlled practice activities include...

Connor O'Donoghue
Aug 15, 20233 min read


What is guided discovery?
As you progress through a CELTA course, you will start to get comfortable with all the things you need to do when you're teaching new...

Connor O'Donoghue
Jul 18, 20232 min read


Vocabulary: conveying meaning to students
Learning new words is one of the most important parts of learning a new language. You may be able to get your meaning across with poor...

Connor O'Donoghue
Jun 20, 20233 min read
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