How to English TEFL Podcast

Why are your students learning English? How should teachers check answers without wasting lesson time? And what should you do when you have no idea how to pronounce a new student’s name?
In S07E16 of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em explore everyday questions English teachers face.
They begin with one deceptively simple word: why? Why do we teach? Why are our students in the lesson? And why is it worth revisiting their goals as a course develops?
Drawing on their TEFL experience, Gav and Em discuss what keeps them teaching: language, flexibility, career opportunities and helping learners communicate.
Then comes email and admin: homework, timetable changes, cancellations, new classes and those messages sent five minutes before the lesson.
They also tackle student names. Should teachers research pronunciation before the first lesson? What happens when the same name is pronounced differently in different countries?
Finally, Gav and Em disagree rather spectacularly about checking students’ answers. Should learners compare answers in pairs before whole-class feedback? If everyone already has the correct answers, is checking them again useful confidence-building — or a waste of lesson time?
Along the way, they share practical techniques including peer checking, student nomination, varying who answers, testing what learners remember and personalising answers.
Whether you teach TEFL, ESL, EFL, Business English or general English, this episode offers practical classroom ideas — and proof that experienced teachers don’t always agree on the “right” way to do things.
EPISODE GUIDE + TEACHING RESOURCES
Episode guide:
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/episode-guide-how-should-english-teachers-check-answers-pronounce-names-stay-motivated-tefl-tips-s07e16/
How Often Should TEFL Teachers Revisit Learners’ Goals?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-often-should-tefl-teachers-revisit-learners-goals-s07e16/
Is TEFL a Good Long-Term Career? What Keeps Teachers in the Job
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/is-tefl-a-good-long-term-career-what-keeps-teachers-in-the-job-s07e16/
How Can TEFL Teachers Manage Email and Admin Without Letting It Take Over?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-can-tefl-teachers-manage-email-and-admin-without-letting-it-take-over-s07e16/
How Should English Teachers Pronounce Students’ Unfamiliar Names?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-should-english-teachers-pronounce-students-unfamiliar-names-s07e16/
What Is the Best Way to Check Students’ Answers in an English Lesson?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-check-students-answers-in-an-english-lesson-s07e16/
More practical TEFL articles, teaching tips and resources:
https://howtoenglishpod.com
Support Gav & Em:
https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod
CONTENTS / TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – What’s coming up?
01:01 – Welcome to S07E16
02:13 – Why are we teachers?
03:32 – Why are your students learning English?
04:59 – Why Gav and Em still enjoy teaching
06:50 – Career opportunities in TEFL
09:11 – Why teachers and learners should keep asking “why”
10:05 – What emails do TEFL teachers receive?
14:20 – When should teachers answer emails?
16:33 – The five-minutes-before-class email
17:32 – How do you pronounce a student’s name?
18:03 – Researching names before a lesson
22:10 – How should teachers check students’ answers?
22:51 – Should students check with a partner?
24:03 – Gav and Em disagree
27:04 – Do you need whole-class feedback?
29:40 – Checking answers to build confidence
31:56 – Who should answer each question?
33:25 – Keeping students on their toes
34:33 – Stop students simply reading the answers
35:03 – Personalising answers
35:26 – Ko-fi, teaching resources & goodbye

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?

Build Real Speaking Confidence with Helen von Dadelszen | TEFL Tips, Communication Skills & Classroom Courage
How can teachers and English learners become more confident speakers without waiting until they suddenly feel ready?
In this episode of How to English: Teach & Learn with Gav & Em, we welcome Helen von Dadelszen, communication coach, vocal trainer, former TEFL teacher and author of Courageous Action.
Helen challenges the idea of “I’ll speak when I feel confident” and explains why confidence is built through action. We discuss practical ways to manage nerves, slow your breathing, speak more calmly, shift the focus away from yourself and create a classroom where students feel safer speaking English.
Gav and Em also explore helping shy learners, using pair work to reduce pressure, avoiding over-correction and encouraging small courageous actions that gradually build confidence.
In this episode:
✅ Why confidence often comes after action
✅ How to manage nerves before teaching or speaking
✅ Simple breathing techniques
✅ Why nervous speakers often talk too quickly
✅ How slowing down improves communication
✅ Helping shy students speak more
✅ When not to correct speaking mistakes
✅ How real learners build confidence
📚 S07E13 Teaching Articles
Breathing Techniques for Teachers and Learners
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/breathing-techniques-for-teachers-and-learners-helens-vocal-coaching-tips/
Encouraging Small Courageous Actions in English
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/encouraging-small-courageous-actions-in-english-inspired-by-helen-von-dadelszen/
Helping Shy Students Speak More in English
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/helping-shy-students-speak-more-in-english-advice-from-helen-gav-em/
How can I help my students feel confident speaking English?
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/s07e13-how-can-i-help-my-students-feel-confident-speaking-english/
How Real Students Build Confidence in English
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-real-students-build-confidence-in-english-stories-from-gav-ems-classrooms/
How Teachers Can Manage Nerves Before Teaching
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-teachers-can-manage-nerves-before-teaching-helens-science-backed-tips/
How to Build Speaking Confidence in the ESL Classroom
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-to-build-speaking-confidence-in-the-esl-classroom-with-helen-von-dadelszen/
How to Teach Speaking Without Over Correcting
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/how-to-teach-speaking-without-over-correcting-confidence-friendly-techniques/
Shifting the Spotlight: How Teachers Reduce Self Consciousness While Teaching
https://howtoenglishpod.wordpress.com/shifting-the-spotlight-how-teachers-reduce-self-consciousness-while-teaching/
🌐 More TEFL guides and podcast episodes:
https://howtoenglishpod.com
Support the show:
ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod
⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Meet Helen: Why Confidence Isn't What You Think
02:01 The Biggest Myth About Confidence
05:11 3 Simple Ways to Calm Your Nerves
07:25 What Helen's Advice Changed for Us
10:03 Why You Should Act Before You Feel Ready
11:53 The Breathing Trick That Actually Helps
14:02 Why Speaking Slower Makes You Sound More Confident
16:23 Stop Thinking About Yourself
19:47 How Great Teachers Build Student Confidence
24:43 How English Learners Became More Confident
26:52 Why English-Only Lessons Really Work
27:35 Final Thoughts & Thanks for Listening