the TEFL Development Hub

MINIMAL PAIRS | I don't often post our Wednesday Questions here (but you can see them on the blog and link back to the threads on Facebook - https://lnkd.in/djCvCDxg), but Mark Hancock has a great set of resources which he's sharing far and wide. Here's what he says about them: "I have made 50 of these Pair Squares (minimal pairs, squared) for different phoneme contrasts in English. One person says one of the phrases, the others have to identify which one they think they heard. There are some which are really important for learners to master, both receptively and productively, in order to understand and be understood. There are others which show accent alternatives, both of which are equally valid, and these are more for building learner awareness of different varieties of English. The images in this collection of pair squares have been generated by AI. Little by little, I’m becoming aware of the environmental impact of this kind of data-heavy technology usage. In order for these pictures to perhaps justify the ‘cost’ of their generation, I hope their benefit (if any) will be spread as widely as possible. I would therefore like to make them freely available to as many ELT teachers as can be reached (and if you like them, spread the word!)." You can download the resources here: https://lnkd.in/ded-3N9h And also find out more about teaching with minimal pairs in Mark's new book: https://lnkd.in/d-bVT7zS

SPEAKING | We've got another great session coming up over on the YouTube channel this Friday 🤩 The fabulous Robert Martínez will be joining us to share his top 5 practical activities for the teen classroom. If you're looking for easy-to-adapt ideas to promote interaction and help learners develop their speaking skills, come along! We'll be live on Friday 18th at 11am (CEST / UTC+2). https://lnkd.in/d-8zaTdD

WHATSAPP FOR MARKETING | Coming up this Friday, the fabulous Gina Rodriguez will be joining us to share some tips on using WhatsApp for better customer service. Gina has a lot of experience in ELT marketing and thanks for everyone who got in touch here and on LinkedIn to choose the topic for our chat. We'll be live over on YouTube at 11am (CEST / UTC+2): https://lnkd.in/d-8zaTdD If you're interested in learning more about how Gina can help your ELT business, check out her website: https://lnkd.in/d3kbsmmP

MARKETING | We're really lucky to have a digital marketing guru for our live session on October 11th! Gina Rodriguez of GR School Marketing will be joining us to talk shop. And, as any good business consultant knows, you need to know your audience, so whether you're a freelance teacher building your audience or a language school owner looking to attract more learners, she's suggested three topics we could get into. Which of these marketing topics would you most like help with? Please select the one that matters most to you: WhatsApp for Better Customer Service Content Ideas for Personal Branding How to Gather Testimonials Unfortunately, I can't post a poll along with a photo...so add a comment below 🙂 In the meantime, here's a link to her website (where she has some AWESOME free resources for you): https://lnkd.in/d3kbsmmP

NEXTGEN EDUCATION | Join us in just over an hour on the YouTube channel for an insightful chat with Le Dinh Bao Quoc on NextGen Education. We'll be talking about the role of tech in education, building rapport, CPD and more 🤓 Starting at 10am (CEST / UTC+2) here: https://lnkd.in/d-8zaTdD And if you haven't had a chance to read the latest edition of the Pro.Ed Education Solutions newsletter, you can grab a copy here: https://lnkd.in/gmfi37p4

TEACHING ONLINE | Coming up this week over on the YouTube channel, we have another amazing author joining us to share some wisdom - Henrique Ribeiro will be sharing some tips for teaching online and sharing some of the practical ideas from his new book, Teaching English in the Digital Age: Online Practices and Innovations, which is out on Friday 🤩 We'll be live on the day at 11am (CEST / UTC+2) so join us over on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/d-8zaTdD You can pre-order your copy of Henry's book from Amazon: https://lnkd.in/drHtF42J

RAPPORT | Coming up this Friday over on YouTube, Ramy Abdelreheem will be joining us to chat about building rapport in the classroom. We'll be live at 11am (CEST / UTC+2) - see you there! https://lnkd.in/d-8zaTdD

Happy Friday, folks! I've just compiled all the content from the last couple of months over in the Facebook group. There are some great posts from Robert Martínez, Jane Wescombe, Francesca Di Mambro and Alan Bray amongst others, plus links to our most recent webinars with Blanca Gallego Herrerapicazo and Blessing Epum. https://lnkd.in/dyjKrUUj

HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTION | We've got a fabulous session coming up on Friday. The wonderful Blessing Epum will be joining us to talk about the home-school connection and synergising with parents to motivate young learners. She has some great content on her blog, including this 2021 post with ideas for parents for the summer holidays - perfect timing! https://lnkd.in/dDjeNTvH Join us on Friday over on the YouTube channel at 1pm CEST / 12pm Nigeria: https://lnkd.in/dDZ7mn4B

AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNATBILITY | Another great livestream coming up over on the Hub's YouTube channel this Friday. https://lnkd.in/dDZ7mn4B The wonderful Blanca Gallego Herrerapicazo will be joining me to chat about fostering student autonomy and accountability in language learning. We'll be going live at 11am (CEST / UTC+2) - see you there!