7 things I do to improve my students’ classroom experience

Earlier on in our careers as EFL teachers, there’s a lot of focus on how to plan a ‘successful’ lesson based on the material we use, how we stage it, pitching the lesson right, what approach is best and so on.

I did that for many years but still, from time to time, experienced the feeling that it wasn’t enough. A few years ago I embarked on my own reflective journey as a teacher and realised that what was missing was the affective factor. It wasn’t enough my delivering a textbook lesson if I didn’t take on board what my students brought to class. That is, themselves, with everything that implies. So the shift happened. I learned to slow down, listen and observe my students. And it worked! I feel I’ve reached a stage where, on most days, I feel a sense of harmony with the people in my class.