Why do students ask for a coursebook at the start of a course, then a few weeks later ask if they can just talk instead?

In S07E18 of How to English: Teach & Learn with Gav & Em, we look at why learners can lose interest in coursebooks and how teachers can balance structure with the conversations students actually want.

We also ask where teachers really learn their best teaching lessons, whether teachers should learn their students’ language and culture before working abroad, how to say goodbye at the end of a course, whether an English teacher needs to be a walking dictionary, and how AI can help teachers and learners without replacing the learning.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 What’s coming up
01:57 Why students stop wanting the coursebook
05:20 Why coursebooks can feel repetitive
07:43 Coursebook or conversation?
08:26 Test-teach-test
09:20 Mid-course reflection
10:43 Where teachers learn their best lessons
13:50 Learning from negative feedback
15:27 A difficult first lesson abroad
18:24 Should teachers learn students’ language and culture?
20:19 How should teachers say goodbye?
21:27 Does a teacher need to be a dictionary?
23:18 Pros and cons of AI
25:45 How Gav uses AI in lessons
26:52 AI for tailor-made materials
27:47 AI-written emails and learner confidence
28:44 What can’t AI replace?
30:12 Practical AI ideas
31:48 Final questions

READ THE S07E18 ARTICLES

Why Do Students Ask for a Coursebook Then Stop Using It?
https://howtoenglishpod.com/why-do-students-ask-for-a-coursebook-then-stop-using-it-s07e18/

Where Do English Teachers Learn Their Best Teaching Lessons?
https://howtoenglishpod.com/where-do-english-teachers-learn-their-best-teaching-lessons-s07e18/

Should English Teachers Learn Their Students’ Language Before Teaching Abroad?
https://howtoenglishpod.com/should-english-teachers-learn-their-students-language-before-teaching-abroad-s07e18/

How Should an English Teacher Say Goodbye to Students?
https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-should-an-english-teacher-say-goodbye-to-students-s07e18/

Does an English Teacher Need to Be a Walking Dictionary?
https://howtoenglishpod.com/does-an-english-teacher-need-to-be-a-walking-dictionary-s07e18/

How Should English Teachers and Learners Use AI?
https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-should-english-teachers-and-learners-use-ai-s07e18/

EPISODE GUIDE
https://howtoenglishpod.com/episode-guide-why-do-students-stop-using-coursebooks-teaching-lessons-ai-goodbyes-s07e18/

More practical teaching articles, mini-lessons, checklists and free resources:
howtoenglishpod.com

What should you do when a grammar lesson starts falling apart? Stick rigidly to your plan, stop and reset, or follow the language your students are actually producing?

In S07E17 of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em discuss the reality of teaching when lessons refuse to behave themselves.

Em shares a present continuous lesson involving unclear instructions, technical problems, students in different locations and an activity that gradually drifts away from the original plan. This raises a bigger TEFL question: when should teachers stick to their lesson plan, and when is it better to go with the flow?

They explore emergent language after a student unexpectedly moves the lesson towards the past continuous, how teachers can “park” a useful question without ignoring it, and whether one student’s curiosity should change the direction of the whole class.

Gav and Em also compare their teaching energy across the week. Is Monday teaching different from Friday teaching? Do teachers correct more when they are fresh? Can being tired sometimes produce a more relaxed, natural classroom?

Finally, they remember teachers who influenced them years ago. What made those teachers special, and what can reflecting on your own favourite teacher reveal about the teacher you want to become?

Plus, Gav explains how howtoenglishpod.com is developing into a practical resource bank of TEFL articles, episode guides, teaching ideas and podcast discussions.

📚 RELATED S07E17 TEACHING ARTICLES

How Should TEFL Teachers Recover When a Grammar Lesson Goes Wrong?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-should-tefl-teachers-recover-when-a-grammar-lesson-goes-wrong-s07e17/

Should You Stick to the Plan or Go with the Flow in a TEFL Lesson?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/should-you-stick-to-the-plan-or-go-with-the-flow-in-a-tefl-lesson-s07e17/

Does Your Teaching Style Change From Monday to Friday?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/does-your-teaching-style-change-from-monday-to-friday-s07e17/

What Makes a Teacher Memorable?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-makes-a-teacher-memorable-s07e17/

How Can Thinking About Your Favourite Teacher Improve Your Own Teaching?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-thinking-about-your-favourite-teacher-improve-your-own-teaching-s07e17/

Where Can TEFL Teachers Find Practical Teaching Resources and Podcast Articles Online?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/where-can-tefl-teachers-find-practical-teaching-resources-and-podcast-articles-online-s07e17/

🌐 More practical TEFL ideas, episode guides and teaching resources:
https://howtoenglishpod.com

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – What happens when a grammar lesson falls apart?
01:29 – Teaching the present continuous
03:06 – When students understand the grammar but not the task
05:06 – Stick to the plan or go with the flow?
07:01 – Present continuous naturally becomes past continuous
09:34 – How to “park” a useful student question
11:59 – Thinking fast and adapting TEFL lessons
12:16 – Does teaching style change from Monday to Friday?
16:43 – Friday teaching, natural speech and correction
19:47 – What makes a teacher memorable?
21:36 – How favourite teachers influence our teaching
23:07 – Qualities of a good teacher
25:04 – Turning a TEFL podcast into a teacher resource bank

❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED

What should teachers do when a grammar lesson goes wrong? When should you stick to a lesson plan or follow emergent language? How can you handle a useful student question without losing the lesson? Does teaching style change during the week? What makes a teacher memorable? How can your favourite teacher influence your own teaching?

#TEFL #EnglishTeaching #LessonPlanning #TEFLTeachers #ESLTeaching #GrammarTeaching #TeacherDevelopment #ClassroomIdeas #EmergentLanguage #TeachingTips #ELT #EnglishTeachers

In Episode 19 of How to English with Gav & Em, we explore the advantages, challenges and realities of one-to-one English teaching and learning.

Private English lessons can be highly personalised, flexible and focused — but they can also be surprisingly intense for both the teacher and the learner. So what makes a successful one-to-one English lesson?

In this episode, we discuss questions such as:

🔹 Why can one-to-one English lessons feel so intense?
🔹 Should students spend lesson time doing exercises, or is that better for homework?
🔹 How important is the relationship and rapport between teacher and student?
🔹 Who should lead a private English lesson: the teacher or the learner?
🔹 How can teachers keep one-to-one conversation classes interesting?
🔹 Should teachers correct mistakes during speaking practice?
🔹 How can teachers encourage students to speak more and ask questions?
🔹 What should you do when a student says, “Can we just talk today?”
🔹 How can one-to-one lessons be personalised around a learner’s needs?
🔹 Are private English lessons more tiring than group classes?

Em also shares a poem inspired by her early experiences of teaching one-to-one — and the pressure of trying to create an entire conversation lesson from seemingly thin air!

Whether you’re an English teacher looking for one-to-one teaching ideas or an English learner taking private English lessons, this episode looks at how teachers and students can work together to make individual lessons more useful, communicative and enjoyable.

☕ Support How to English:
https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

🌐 Visit How to English:
https://www.howtoenglishpod.com/

How to English with Gav & Em is a podcast about teaching and learning English as a foreign language, with practical ideas, experiences and conversations for English teachers and learners.

#TeachingEnglish #LearnEnglish #OneToOneTeaching #EnglishTeacher #EnglishLearning #TEFL #ESL #EFL #PrivateEnglishLessons #EnglishPodcast #SpeakingEnglish

00:00 Introduction – Teaching & Learning English One-to-One

01:20 Why Are One-to-One English Lessons So Intense?

03:30 Should Students Do Exercises During Private Lessons?

06:10 Homework, Needs Analysis & Setting Expectations

08:20 How Important Is Teacher–Student Rapport?

10:15 Who Should Lead a One-to-One Lesson?

12:15 How Do You Keep Conversation Classes Interesting?

14:40 Give Your Student Time to Think!

15:40 What Makes One-to-One Lessons Personalised?

17:00 Em’s One-to-One Teaching Poem

20:20 Why “Just Talking” Is Hard Work for Teachers

22:25 How Should Teachers Correct Speaking Mistakes?

24:20 Why Should Students Ask Their Teacher Questions?

26:15 Teaching Two-to-One: Couples, Colleagues & Siblings

28:10 Materials & Books for One-to-One English Lessons

29:30 Final Thoughts – The Intensity of One-to-One Teaching

How much should a teacher actually talk in an English lesson — and when should they simply get out of the way?

In S07E15, Gav and Em discuss what teachers really do in the classroom (and what they don’t!).

We explore whether a lesson should ever become “The Teacher Show”, how teachers can guide conversations without dominating them, when to jump into a discussion, and why timing matters when correcting errors.

We also talk about supporting lower-level learners, encouraging students to help each other, and remembering that while teachers may think about English all day, an English lesson might be just one small part of a student’s busy week.

Plus: a simple tip for learners — keep notes of interesting English you hear, read or see during the week and bring those questions to your teacher.

⏱️ KEY MOMENTS

00:00 – What do teachers really do in the classroom?
02:26 – Why your lesson shouldn’t be “The Teacher Show”
03:57 – Do students actually need a teacher?
06:26 – Should teachers give their opinions?
07:15 – Stepping back and delayed error correction
09:54 – The teacher as an orchestra conductor
11:43 – When should you correct errors?
13:05 – Getting a speaking activity started
13:58 – Supporting lower-level learners
16:04 – What does “lower-level” actually mean?
20:52 – Students teaching students
24:01 – The lesson from the student’s perspective

☕ Support the show: ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod
🌐 Visit us: howtoenglishpod.com

How to English: Teach & Learn with Gav & Em — a podcast about teaching and learning English as a foreign language.

In this episode, Gav and Em tackle the real questions TEFL teachers ask every day:

• What exactly is a student’s book supposed to do?

• Is the teacher’s book worth using — or is it overwhelming?

• How do you fix confusing coursebook tasks?

• Do students actually learn grammar from lessons, or somewhere else entirely?

• Why do learners forget grammar rules even after you’ve taught them?

• Where does real learning happen — in the book, in conversation, or online?

With practical examples, honest stories, and classroom‑tested hacks, this episode helps teachers rethink how they plan, how they use materials, and how they support learners in a more natural, intuitive way.

Support the show: ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

Visit our homepage: https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/Timestamps

00:00 – How do TEFL teachers use quiet weeks to get organised?

01:20 – What are TEFL learners actually looking for in a coursebook?

03:00 – What is a student’s book, and how does it support learning?

05:00 – Why do coursebooks teach through topics instead of grammar labels?

06:00 – What’s inside a teacher’s book, and why is it so overwhelming?

09:00 – Should teachers rely on the teacher’s book or trust their instincts?

16:00 – What do you do when a teacher’s book activity is badly designed?

20:00 – How do you adapt confusing listening tasks for real learners?

24:00 – Does teaching grammar actually work, or do students forget it anyway?

30:00 – Where does learning really happen — and how do teachers reinforce it?