Why do students really come to English classes, and what should teachers do about it? In this episode of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em dig into the realities of the classroom: student motivation, managing turn‑taking, dealing with similar (or identical!) student names, and knowing when teachers should step back and let students do the talking. They also share: practical strategies for balancing TTT vs STT, how to handle awkward silences and dominant speakers, real examples of using AI in lesson planning, and a cautionary tale about why you should always check your materials before class… Grab a coffee (or tea), settle in, and join Gav and Em for an honest, practical conversation about what actually happens when you’re teaching English — and why it matters. ☕ Support the podcast: ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Quiz music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpSEdFEwCS0

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to How to English TEFL

01:50 – Why do students come to English classes?

05:24 – Different motivations in the same group

07:56 – When students have the same (or similar) names

10:14 – What to do when you say the wrong name

12:49 – Turn-taking: order, randomness, and balance

15:44 – Encouraging quieter students to speak

16:22 – Awkward silences and “no questions”

22:01 – When students ask the teacher questions

23:15 – TTT vs STT: how much should teachers talk?

26:18 – Using AI in lesson planning

30:34 – Why you should always check your materials

Welcome back to the show. I guess you're wondering what really goes on while teachers are teaching? In this episode of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em talk about the physical and mental tension of teaching, what happens when you leave a class and come back to find students speaking their own language, and why learners often answer a different question to the one you asked. They also discuss how to grow their podcast. Whether translation apps help or hinder language learning. And finish with a surprising deep dive into the words don and doff. Honest teaching talk, classroom realities, and plenty of reflection for teachers and learners alike. ☕ Support the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpodTimestamps00:00 Introduction00:39 What teachers do while teaching05:23 Movement, posture & staying healthy10:53 Leaving the class and L1 switching17:24 Not answering the question22:08 Getting deep and technical26:11 Growing the podcast29:10 Translation apps in lessons35:36 Don vs doff (word origins)

Welcome back to How to English with Gav & Em! In this episode, they branch out into the rhythms of teaching life. From how long a lesson should be, to what really happens between classes, why students sometimes stare blankly at their stories, and how our increasingly dramatic hand gestures somehow hold it all together. Grab a cuppa, settle in, and if you’d like to support the show, you can always show your thanks at ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to the 3rd, no 4th episode

00:52 – Who listens to this podcast?

01:43 – Ideal weekly teaching load

04:47 – What's a teaching hour?

05:02 – Small talk: essential or excessive?

09:01 – What teachers do between lessons

13:33 – Admin, notes & digital vs analog

16:24 – Giving grammar real context

22:54 – Why students don’t react to your stories

29:26 – The art of TEFL hand gestures & goodbye

In this episode of How To English Pod, Gav and Em dive into the ups and downs of teaching. From juggling long‑term classes and welcoming new students, to grammar slip‑ups, medical vocabulary surprises, and the eternal mystery of whether books are brilliant or boring. They also chat about remembering (and forgetting!) student details, merging groups, and why a single yawn might say more about a lesson than any feedback form ever could. If you’d like to support the show and help keep the coffee flowing, you can visit ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Timestamps

00:00 – Warm welcome, rumbling stomachs

01:06 Anywhere/anyone/anything

5:10 Medical English & pronunciation discoveries

07:12 Remembering students’ personal info.

15:39 Long‑term students vs. new students

26:04 Books: useful tools or unnecessary burdens?

31:31 The yawn test for lesson success

Welcome back to How To English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em! In today’s episode, we dive into the reality of teaching English — from trying to make lessons “fun,” to accidentally stressing students out, to Gav’s brand‑new teaching concept: Cold Coffee Syndrome. We also explore how TEFL life leaks into our “normal” lives, how online teaching affects real‑world conversations, and how cancelled lessons make us really feel. Plus, Em attempts to entertain us with some questionable teacher jokes… 😅If you enjoy the show, buy us a hot drink (which may go cold while teaching!) at: 👉 https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Background music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbOkPxriS6sShort

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

00:57 – Interruption & DIScover

02:25 – Fun vs stress in the classroom

09:19 – Gav’s Cold Coffee Syndrome

14:19 – TEFL life and “real life”

21:38 – Online vs face‑to‑face skills

24:20 – How cancellations make teachers feel

28:29 – Em’s English teacher jokes

32:12 – Wrap‑up & Ko‑fi

Welcome to How To English: Teach & Learn with Gav & Em! A fun TEFL podcast where conversation lessons go wild, ideas run out, car parks become grammar topics, and teachers try to figure out how much personality is too much. Season 7 is all about relaxing, chatting, and seeing where the lesson leads! Support us at www.ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod 💛Timestamps00:00 — Welcome back & Season 7 begins01:45 — Conversation lessons: confidence vs planning04:15 — Balancing grammar and natural conversation15:51 — How teachers generate topics & avoid going blank24:26 — Low‑level learners & everyday phrases30:04 — Teacher personality: how much to share37:29 — Being adaptable vs rigid as a teacher39:41 — Wrap‑up & goodbye

It’s the final episode of Season 6, and Gav and Em finish the A–Z of TEFL by squeezing X, Y and Z into one playful, language-packed show. Expect tricky pronunciation, unusual words, classroom games, zeitgeist vocabulary, zero articles, zero conditionals, and plenty of laughs along the way. A fun and thoughtful wrap-up to the season, celebrating language, teaching and learning. If you’d like to support the podcast, you can buy them a coffee at ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Resources

AI voice: https://elevenlabs.io/

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt5YsCsv9Sc&list=RDQMRnuMug6asRQ&index=3

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome & end-of-season reflections

03:26 – Em's X word

04:30 – Gav's X, Y, Z words

15:37 – Gav & Em's pronunciation rules

17:12 – The Yes/No questioning game

21:46 – Teaching value of the Yes/No game

22:35 – Zeitgeist Decade vocabulary

28:24 – Superstitious Zero articles

34:19 – Zero conditional and comparisons

38:43 – It was sooooo...

42:26 – Em's teaching tips

43:19 – Gav's tip

42:22 – Season wrap-up & thanks

Welcome to another wild ride on the Gav & Em TEFL train! This week, they explore the wonderful world of W. From worst-case lesson nightmares to WH-questions, wish structures, word order, and the moments when teaching really does start to wear a bit thin. Expect laughter, language tips, classroom chaos, and some spectacularly silly sentences (dragons, rollercoasters, and volcanoes included!). If you enjoy the show and want to show some support, you can do so at ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome aboard the W episode

01:22 – Worst lesson nightmares

08:42 – WH-question words & a mystery celebrity

13:57 – Wish sentences (present, past & would)

18:20 – “In time” vs “On time” – the great mix-up

22:13 – Emergency lesson: W is for Word Order!

30:43 – Wearing thin – is teaching ever boring?

35:57 – Negative WH-questions

38:20 – Tip of the episode: Warmers & candles

39:30 – Watch, Wait, Welcome – advice for teachers & learners

41:46 – Wrapping up W and looking ahead to X, Y, Z