How to English TEFL Podcast is hosted by Gav & Em, two English teachers with 40+ years of combined teaching experience around the world.
We explore real questions from English teaching and learning, including lesson planning, grammar, vocabulary, speaking, confidence, Business English, classroom management, technology and more.
Expect practical TEFL ideas, honest classroom stories and different perspectives from two teachers who don't always agree on the best way to teach.
Listen, learn and teach with Gav & Em.
Why Do Students Stop Using Coursebooks? Teaching Lessons, AI & Goodbyes – S07E18
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/ (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/ (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/ (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/ (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/ (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/ (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/ (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
9 Oct 2026
How Can You Stay Motivated and Confident Learning English? Year-End Special – S03E25
What helps you keep learning English when your confidence takes a dip? A little encouragement, somewhere comfortable to practise and a reminder that you’re already doing something impressive!
In this episode of How to English with Gav & Em, we celebrate our community with five guest teachers. Originally recorded at the end of 2022, this year-end special offers practical mini-lessons for teachers and learners.
Aleksandra shares phrases for cheering someone on. Mahi suggests ways to practise when speaking English feels embarrassing. Veronica explores gonna, wanna and other reductions in American English. Tanguy untangles beside and besides, while Dr Anne challenges the idea that learning more than one language causes confusion.
We also discuss active listening, revisit your lovely feedback and remember that first lessons can feel daunting for students too. And yes, Em even treats us to a little singing!
READ THE ARTICLES
How Can English Speakers Encourage Someone Without Choosing the Wrong Tone? With Aleksandra
https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-can-english-speakers-encourage-someone-without-choosing-the-wrong-tone-with-aleksandra-s03e25/ (https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-can-english-speakers-encourage-someone-without-choosing-the-wrong-tone-with-aleksandra-s03e25/)
How Can English Learners Take a First Speaking Step When They Feel Embarrassed? With Mahi
https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-can-english-learners-take-a-first-speaking-step-when-they-feel-embarrassed-with-mahi-s03e25/ (https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-can-english-learners-take-a-first-speaking-step-when-they-feel-embarrassed-with-mahi-s03e25/)
How Can Learners Recognise Gonna, Wanna and Other Reduced Forms in Spoken English? With Veronica
https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-can-learners-recognise-gonna-wanna-and-other-reduced-forms-in-spoken-english-with-veronica-s03e25/ (https://howtoenglishpod.com/how-can-learners-recognise-gonna-wanna-and-other-reduced-forms-in-spoken-english-with-veronica-s03e25/)
What Is the Difference Between Beside and Besides? With Tanguy
https://howtoenglishpod.com/what-is-the-difference-between-beside-and-besides-with-tanguy-s03e25/ (https://howtoenglishpod.com/what-is-the-difference-between-beside-and-besides-with-tanguy-s03e25/)
Does Using a Home Language Have to Conflict with Learning English? With Dr Anne
https://howtoenglishpod.com/does-using-a-home-language-have-to-conflict-with-learning-english-with-dr-anne-s03e25/ (https://howtoenglishpod.com/does-using-a-home-language-have-to-conflict-with-learning-english-with-dr-anne-s03e25/)
Episode guide:
https://howtoenglishpod.com/episode-guide-december-special-s03e25/ (https://howtoenglishpod.com/episode-guide-december-special-s03e25/)
GUESTS
Aleksandra:
https://www.instagram.com/distant_eng/ (https://www.instagram.com/distant_eng/)
http://distanteng.tilda.ws/ (http://distanteng.tilda.ws/)
Mahi:
https://www.instagram.com/english.withmahi/ (https://www.instagram.com/english.withmahi/)
Veronica:
https://www.instagram.com/wannaspeakbyveroniq/ (https://www.instagram.com/wannaspeakbyveroniq/)
https://www.youtube.com/@wannaspeakbyveroniq (https://www.youtube.com/@wannaspeakbyveroniq)
Tanguy:
https://www.instagram.com/nextlevelearning_/ (https://www.instagram.com/nextlevelearning_/)
https://www.nextlevelearning.fr/ (https://www.nextlevelearning.fr/)
Dr Anne:
https://www.instagram.com/laenglishtutor/ (https://www.instagram.com/laenglishtutor/)
https://linktr.ee/laenglishtutor (https://linktr.ee/laenglishtutor)
Enjoy the show? Buy us a coffee or tea:
https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod (https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod)
Thank you to everyone who listened, shared an activity, contributed a lesson or sent us a kind word. Your encouragement keeps us going!
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome and supporting the show
00:58 Celebrating teachers and learners
02:06 Listener feedback and welcoming first lessons
08:08 Why active listening matters
10:48 Introducing our five guest teachers
12:17 Aleksandra: phrases to encourage learners
14:39 Mahi: overcoming embarrassment when speaking English
16:48 Veronica: reductions in American English
18:11 Reductions versus contractions
26:25 Tanguy: beside or besides?
29:56 Dr Anne: learning more than one language
33:49 More listener feedback and thank-yous
37:14 Looking ahead to the next year
38:04 Final goodbyes
25 Sept 2026
What to do when a Grammar Lesson Goes Wrong - S07E17
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/ (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/ (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/ (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/ (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/ (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/ (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 (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
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
9,609
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
24 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
81
Social presence
0
YouTube
82
Engagement
92
Contact How to English TEFL Podcast
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