Language Fuel

This course helps all teachers of English learn why sustainability needs to be embedded in the classroom, how to design activities that embed sustainability, and effectively embed global issues into their language teaching.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

ELT lesson models – an introduction

This course introduces three different lesson models: Presentation, Practice, Production (PPP); Test, Teach, Test (TTT); and Task-based Learning (TBL) and then carefully examines each of the models.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Motivating the unmotivated

3.0 (1 review)

This course is for teachers of all levels who feel they want to deepen their understanding of motivating their learners.

All Courses, Technology

Engagement in Synchronous Online Learning

This course will show you how to create a positive online working environment for yourself, and how to use creative teaching strategies to ensure learner engagement and well-being while teaching online in a virtual classroom.

All Courses, Career Pathways

Introduction to Writing Graded Readers

4.3 (3 reviews)

This is the first of three courses on how to write Graded Readers. This first one is an introduction which takes you up to writing a proposal.

All Courses, Contexts

How to teach Business English Vocabulary

In this course, we will look at stages of vocabulary teaching and acquisition and relate them directly to activities which can be used in the business English classroom.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

Getting started with assessment

In this introductory course on assessment, you will learn the differences between formative and summative assessments, what can be assessed, how assessments can be marked, 5 key types of assessment, and how to work with pre-written tests.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

Tasks, criteria and learning from assessment

In this course, you will learn about common tasks that are used to test each of the four skill areas, namely reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

Feedback in assessment

In the first two courses we looked at different types of assessment and how they are used, then looked at test design: the tasks, criteria and learning from assessments. This third course in the series on assessment focuses on feedback.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Getting Started with Cooperative Learning

In this course we will look at the research, theory, and ideas behind cooperative learning. This involves becoming familiar with different types of group formation and their advantages and disadvantages.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Practical Activities to Encourage Cooperative Learning

In this course, we will look at cooperative learning activities, both with and without a specific language learning aim, as well as how to adapt these activities to your own learners’ needs.

All Courses, Technology

Motivating Teaching Tools for Synchronous Online Learning

In this course, you will learn how to use a variety of online tools, including tools for presenting content, tools for student collaboration, and tools for students to practise target language and skills while you teach a virtual classroom online.

All Courses, Technology

Teaching English with Online Videos

In this course, we'll first explain how it's possible to use authentic videos at all levels. Second, we provide some specific tips for finding and using videos. And finally, we hint at some great activity types, that you can create.

All Courses

Getting started with English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

In this course, we will explore what English For Academic Purposes (EAP) is, and how it differs from general English classes. We look at what critical thinking is, how important it is for academic study, and how to incorporate it into your lessons.

All Courses, Vocabulary

Teaching Vocabulary to Young Learners

Need help teaching vocabulary to young learners? We will first explore what learning a new word involves in a young learners context. Then, we’ll look at meaning, pronunciation, writing and form.

All Courses, Career Pathways

Getting started with Conference Presentations

This course is the first of two courses on giving conference presentations. It will help you understand different types of presentations, advantages of giving a presentation, and help you choose a topic.

All Courses, Career Pathways

Giving a Conference Presentation

This is the second course in a series of how to write conference presentations. In this course, you will learn about writing presentation summaries and abstracts. You’ll also learn how to plan and structure your presentation.

All Courses, Language Awareness

Diving into English Tenses

This introductory course on English tenses will help you answer the following questions: What constitutes 'tense' in a sentence? How and why are tenses identified? What tenses are there in English? What are some general rules for English tenses?

All Courses, Career Pathways

The Process of Writing Graded Readers

This is the 2nd of 3 courses on how to write graded readers. This second one is about what happens once you have been contracted to write a reader- the process of writing- the editorial process, working with wordlists and simplifying and adapting.

All Courses, Career Pathways

Writing Original Learner Fiction

In this course, you'll learn about elements of a great story, how to write a good premise, what kind of story structure you could use, how to introduce setting, and how to write good characters and dialogue.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

Concept Checking Questions

3.0 (1 review)

Concept Checking Questions (CCQs) are a fantastic tool that teachers can use to analyse the language they are teaching. This course will help you distinguish between CCQs and other types of classroom questions.

All Courses, Language Proficiency

The New Neighbour (B1)

How well do you know the neighbours on your street? Do you know how to introduce yourself, and your family? In this course, you'll meet Li Na and Ashley. They are new neighbours. You will study the conversation they have with each other.

All Courses, Language Proficiency

At the Supermarket (B1)

Are you able to shop for food in English? Do you know the names of the things you need to buy? In this course you will hear a conversation between two people who are shopping in a supermarket they have never been to before.

All Courses, Language Proficiency

I've never been to New York (B1)

Do you like to visit different cities? Do you know how to understand and follow directions? In this course, you will hear a conversation between two people who are visiting a city and their description of visiting different sights.

All Courses, Language Proficiency

Managing money (B2)

Do you know how to manage your money? Would you be confident managing your money while living abroad? In this course, we will look at vocabulary and language needed for opening a bank account in a foreign country.

All Courses, Language Proficiency

Climate Strike (B2)

Are people in your country upset about climate change? Is this something people talk about often? In this course, you will read about a recent strike by students in New Zealand. Learn what the students did, and why.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Raising Student Awareness of Group Dynamics

This course presents practical classroom activities designed to raise awareness of what it means to work in a group.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

SMART Goals for Language Teaching

This course will help you to set SMART goals for your students, so they can enjoy the achievement of their goals, and see real progress.

All Courses, Contexts

How to Teach the Language of Charts and Graphs

In this course we will look at different types of charts and graphs, how they are used, and some of the language our Business English (BE) learners will need to know, to be confident when using them.

All Courses, Listening

Teaching Listening Skills (macro-, micro-, language)

In this course, we provide examples of tasks you can use to teach macro listening skills, micro listening skills, and language structures.

All Courses, Pronunciation

Understand & Teach Pronunciation at the Phrase and Sentence Level

In this course, you will learn how these aspects of phrase-level pronunciation work, and how to teach them to learners.

All Courses, Pronunciation

Understand & Teach Pronunciation at the Sound Level

This course will introduce you to how to teach English sounds. I’ll explain to you the four stages learners must go through, in order to learn the sounds of a new language: Perceive, Understand, Produce, Automate.

All Courses, Pronunciation

Understand & Teach Pronunciation at the Word Level

This course will teach you how to help your students improve their pronunciation at the word level. It focuses on syllables and weak forms.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

Learner Preferences

In this course we will look at some of the background information about learner preferences and read what the experts have to say. Teachers will become familiar with both facts and myths surrounding learner preferences.

All Courses, Language Awareness

Understanding Basic Sentence Structures

In a fun and accessible way, we'll explore the sentence parts of subject, verb and object, and we will learn the difference between stative, intransitive, transitive and ditransitive sentences.

All Courses, Language Awareness

Understanding Forms and Functions of English Verbs

An important concept when teaching grammar is that all constructions have both a form and a function. One form can have many functions, and its important to teach both the form and function of English verb forms.

All Courses, Vocabulary

Using Flashcards Effectively in your Teaching

This course will teach you some great ideas for how to work with flashcards. Flashcards are a great resource for helping learners memorise new words and phrases. They're super easy to create and there are loads of fun games you can play!

All Courses, Understanding Proficiency

Understanding Fluency

In this course, we will explain what fluency is not, and then provide you with fresh models for how to understand what fluency really is.

All Courses, Literacy

Teaching Adult ESOL Literacy: What is it, and What is Involved?

This course outlines how to identify adult ESOL literacy learners and what additional skills they require. It also offers some practical tips and activities to support adult ESOL literacy learners within mixed ability classes.

All Courses, Literacy

Practical Activities for Teaching Basic Literacy to Adult ESOL Learners

4.5 (4 reviews)

In this course, we will look at how we can support ESOL literacy learners and what activities we can use to do so.

All Courses, Writing

Getting Started with Genre-Based Writing

In this course, you will learn how to teach writing in a way that is realistic, enjoyable and relevant to your learners. Rather than teaching writing out of context, make the most of everyday text types that learners are familiar with.

All Courses, Understanding Proficiency

Understanding the IELTS test system

This course provides an overview of both the general and the academic strands of the IELTS test system. By better understanding how the test system works, you will be better able to support your students as they prepare for the test.

All Courses, Contexts

Teaching Teenagers: An introduction

This course will identify the main issues involved with teaching this particular group and will lead you in exploring specific techniques to help manage and motivate your teenage learners.

All Courses, Contexts

Getting Started with Young Learners

In this course, we provide a description of what to expect in the young learners’ classroom for teachers who haven’t had much experience teaching children

All Courses, Reading

Getting Started with Using Picture Books Effectively for Young Learners

In this course, you will learn how to use picture books to exploit their emotional connection, their linguistic resources, and how to use books to springboard into other activities for learning.

All Courses, Contexts, Technology

Teaching a Virtual Classroom

4.0 (3 reviews)

In this course we will help you to set up a basic virtual classroom, how you transfer your face to face teaching skills to an online format and move to the digital age like a pro.

All Courses, Language Awareness

Understanding Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be tricky! To teach them well, you need to understand them. In this course you will learn all about phrasal verbs – what they are, transitive vs intransitive, separable vs inseparable and 3-word phrasal verbs.

All Courses, Contexts

Getting Started with Teaching One to One

In this course, we will consider the main differences between teaching groups and one-to-one, think how to exploit the advantages of one-to-one classes and how to deal with some common problems associated with this mode of teaching and learning.

All Courses, Contexts

Teaching One to One: Making the Most of your Lessons

In this course, we will cover practical ideas for organising one-to-one lessons in ways that best meet the needs of your students and help you exploit the advantages of teaching one-to-one.

All Courses, Contexts

Teaching One to One: Dealing with Common Problems

In this course, we'll explore potential problems that can arise and ensure you are aware of the impact your teaching decisions can have in a one-to-one lesson. Finally, we explore how best to avoid common pitfalls.

All Courses, Contexts

Teaching One to One: Practical Activities

In this course, which is part of the series on teaching one-to-one, we focus on practical activities you can use in your teaching sessions. We look at some important characteristics of one-to-one activities, then at ten different activities.

All Courses, Contexts

Teaching Teenagers Verbal Communication Skills

This course covers the specific elements of being a competent verbal communicator and suggests some practical activities which can help mold our teenage learners into good conversational partners.

All Courses, CLIL

Getting Started with CLIL: Content & Language Integrated Learning

This course introduces you to Content and Language Integrated Learning, or CLIL. First and foremost, it suggests content and language are never separated, which means as a language teacher you already teach some content.

All Courses, CLIL

The CLIL Wheel: Introduction & The 4Cs

4.7 (3 reviews)

In this module, I introduce to you an exciting approach to Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), called the CLIL Wheel. In this approach, I have combined the more traditional understanding of CLIL (4Cs) with the 10 Parameters.

All Courses, CLIL

The CLIL Wheel: Five Parameters Describing Communication and Cognition

In this course, we are going to look at five of the 10 parameters. Firstly, we will look at the four parameters that reflect Communication, that is the language part of Content and Language Integrated Learning. Then, we will look at 'Thinking'.

All Courses, CLIL

The CLIL Wheel: Five Parameters Describing Content

In this course, we look at five of the 10 parameters in the CLIL Wheel, namely those that reflect the Content part in CLIL. They include four content parameters) as well as one that bridges content with communication.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

Introducing Grammar in Context

In this course we’ll explore ways of starting with a context and using it to bring the grammar to life for you and your students.

All Courses, Reading

Getting Started With Teaching Reading

Learn strategies to use when teaching reading, to ensure you are helping your students develop English reading skills. We’ll look at activities you can do before, during and after reading, and you will come away with a range of practical ideas.

All Courses, Language Awareness

Getting Started with Word Classes

In this course, we present and define 9 different word classes. Each definition is followed by an episode of a story, illustrating the different word classes.

All Courses, Language Awareness

Understanding Conditionals

In this course, we’ll look at the four types of conditional sentences in English. We’ll discover the different meanings conveyed by the structures, the different grammatical elements that make up the constructions, as well as activities to use.

All Courses, Contexts

Getting Started with Teaching Business English

In this course we will look at differences between Business English(BE) and General English(GE). We'll look at where we teach BE, the specific needs of BE learners, and the skills they need. We look at typical activities and skills involved.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Understanding Errors in the Language Classroom

In this course, we look at the concept of error, including types of errors and possible causes. We then look at when to correct them, and who is best to correct them. It's not always the teacher!

All Courses, Speaking

Getting Started with Teaching Speaking

3.5 (2 reviews)

In this course we introduce you to teaching the skill of speaking. We look at aimss, skills involved, examples of speaking activities, and the difference between accuracy and fluency, as well as the role of the teacher.

All Courses, Speaking

Managing the Classroom during Speaking Tasks

This course dives into the nuances of managing the classroom when teaching speaking. You'll learn about student groupings, managing learning, different teacher roles and approaches to feedback.

All Courses, Technology

Flipped learning: Making Videos for Online Learning

In this course you will learn about the most popular video hosting platforms and explore how to evaluate which one best meets your needs. You'll be equipped to make your own effective videos for flipped learning using the platform of your choice.

All Courses, Lesson Planning

Lesson Planning

This course introduces the key components of a good plan for both skills focus and language focus lessons. You'll learn how to set aims, anticipate and mitigate likely challenges and how to identify the materials you'll need for an effective lesson.

All Courses, Reading

Practical While-Reading Activities with Graded Readers

This course will provide reasons for why it is important to provide while-reading activities during extensive reading, and also provide you with some practical activities you can use with your students.

All Courses, Contexts

Getting Started with Early Childhood English Teaching

Whether you’re new to teaching early childhood English or are already an early childhood teacher who’d like to learn more, this mini course will help you learn what is unique about teaching them, and help you become confident with this age group.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Basic Classroom Management

4.5 (10 reviews)

Getting on top of the basics of classroom management is a core requirement for effective teaching and learning. This course will introduce you to a few key principles for good classroom management, and help you get started in applying them.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Error Correction Techniques

In this course, we look at a range of practical ways to correct both written and spoken work. We start by considering when is the best time to correct errors, then we look at different techniques for immediate correction and post lesson correction.

All Courses, Reading

Practical Post-reading Activities with Graded Readers

This is the fourth and final course in a series on using graded readers in the classroom.

All Courses, Reading

Practical Pre-reading Activities for Graded Readers

This course will provide you with several practical activities you can use to get the students interested in their graded readers.

All Courses, Pronunciation

Learn the English Phonemic Symbols

4.0 (2 reviews)

In this course, you will learn how to match the English phonemic symbols with the English sounds so that you can start to use them in your teaching practice. We'll start with symbols only, and build up to words and then phrases.

All Courses, Contexts

How to Run a Community English Conversation Class

We walk you through the key factors you need to consider and help you create a plan to get started with your own Community English Conversation Class. At the end of this course, you will have a realistic business plan and some fun, real-world ideas.

All Courses, Technology

How to Create Interactive Video Quizzes

This course will show you how to embed your active listening tasks into your chosen video at the appropriate moments. With these technology skills, you can transform any video into an interactive exercise, which your students can work through.

All Courses, Cultural Awareness

How Culture is Formed in Childhood

This mini course focuses on how our culture is formed in childhood. It will continue to use the diagram we introduced in the introductory course to explain differences between cultures.

All Courses, Pronunciation

Getting Started with the English Phonemic Alphabet

In this course, we'll cover a little bit of theory about the English phonemic alphabet, and explain how the phonemic chart is laid out. This sets the scene for becoming fluent in using the symbols.

All Courses, Pronunciation

Getting Started with Teaching Pronunciation

4.0 (2 reviews)

In this overview course, we introduce the different aspects of English pronunciation, and we then determine which aspects you might choose to focus on. We also explore how much time you might devote to working on accuracy vs fluency.

All Courses, Cultural Awareness

Getting Started with Intercultural Awareness

A crucial part of language learning is also learning the culture that goes with it. In this course, we start to look at different aspects of how cultures can differ from one another, and introduce a tool to understand the differences.

All Courses, Reading

Getting Started with Extensive Reading

The course covers the following topics: What is Extensive Reading? How can it help learners to learn English more effectively? How can it be integrated into a school learning programme so that it becomes a natural part of language learning?

All Courses, Classroom Management

Getting Started with Group Dynamics

Most teachers are aware that some groups simply work better than others. Why is this? And is there anything we can do as teachers to improve the dynamics of a group? In this course, we will explore what groups are, and what makes a good or bad group.

All Courses, Classroom Management, Technology

Getting Started with Flipped Learning

How do we use technology and other resources to ensure we're being efficient with our time? This course will introduce you to what flipped learning is, and why it is becoming more and more popular as an tool for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

All Courses, Contexts

Getting Started with Adult ESOL

In this course, we'll focus on teaching adults in the ESOL context and answer the following questions; What is ESOL? Who are the learners? How does ESOL differ from EFL? What do ESOL learners in particular need?

All Courses, Vocabulary

Getting Started Teaching Vocabulary

This course provides a good foundation for how to teach vocabulary in the classroom. It covers classic pitfalls to avoid, which vocabulary to teach, and how to teach it for the first time.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Fostering Group Dynamics in Regular Classroom Activities

This course offers some practical, instantly useable suggestions for activities that fill a double function - they practise grammar or vocabulary or speaking skills, while at the same time working to promote a good classroom dynamic.

All Courses, Language Awareness

Digging Deeper into Word Classes: Specifics

In this course, we apply key linguistic concepts to the four major English word classes - nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. By the end of this course, you will have a deep, linguistic understanding of these word classes.

All Courses, Language Awareness

Digging Deeper into Word Classes: Overview

Knowing different word classes might sound simple at first, but there is theory behind it all. This course will help you understand that theory, so you can start to more deeply understand the concept of Word Classes.

All Courses, Cultural Awareness

Cultural Differences in Everyday Life

This course focuses on some of the culture differences we encounter in our everyday life. It will continue to explore the framework we introduced in the introductory course to explain differences between cultures.

All Courses, Understanding Proficiency

Understanding Proficiency: An Overview

What is language proficiency and how is it assessed? In this course, we look at the notion of proficiency, some formal assessments, and how you might like to informally assess it, with a portfolio approach.

All Courses, Classroom Management

Understanding and Improving your Teacher Talk