Podcast
The TEFL Horizons Podcast
Hosted by TEFL Horizons · EN
Welcome to the TEFL Horizons podcast. Join your host, Shannon Felt, for a deep dive into all things related to online English language teaching. We’ll cover everything from how to make your lessons more fun and more effective, how to cut down on planning and preparation, and even how to market your teaching skills to find more success as a freelance online teacher. You’ll also get to listen in on interviews with ELT experts and “teflpreneurs” all over the world who are making big moves in our industry. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your teaching skills, start your own online business, or just explore whether the world of online teaching is for you, you’ve come to the right place.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep 48: Are You a "TEFLpreneur?"
Sep 8, 202200:20:52Tap to summarizeLet's talk about my new favorite word: "TEFLpreneur." By now, you've probably pieced together that it's a fun combination of "TEFL" and "entrepreneur." But what does it really MEAN to be an entrepreneur in the ELT industry? What do you need to get started, what does it take to be successful, and why attempt it in the first place? Join me for a reflection on the rise of the TEFLpreneur and some thoughts on whether you could be one, too. Ready to build your own online ELT business? Let's do it together in the Online TEFLpreneur program. Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 47: Karen Taylor on Teaching Pronunciation and the Color Vowel Chart
Aug 23, 202201:06:55Tap to summarizeIn this week’s episode, I’m thrilled to welcome Karen Taylor as my guest. In 1999, Karen created an amazing teaching tool called the Color Vowel Chart when she realized there had to be a better way to help students with pronunciation. The Color Vowel Chart took off, and in 2011, she co-founded ELTS (English Language Training Solutions) in response to popular demand. Karen holds an MA in TESOL from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a BA in English Literature from Georgetown University, as well as an International Baccalaureate from the United World College (US campus). A former Fulbright TEFL Specialist, Karen was the Practitioner in Residence at American University for nine years. She received Ed Tech’s 2020 Visionary Leader award for her work as Head of Education and is on the board for Blue Canoe Learning Inc. So many teachers have raved to me about the Color Vowel Chart and how it has completely transformed their ideas about teaching pronunciation. If you’ve ever wanted advice for how to make pronunciation easier and more fun for your students... get ready, because this is the episode for you. 🔗 Books mentioned: Well Said, Targeting Pronunciation, and Clear SpeechGetting started with the chartThe Color Vowel App: Blue Canoe LearningLearn more at colorvowel.com. Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 46: Five Ways to Present New Vocabulary Words
Jul 6, 202200:16:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'll walk you through engaging, student-centered ideas for presenting new vocabulary words in your lessons, including: #1: How to use a picture or realia#2: How to use a matching task #3: How to use a cline #4: How to use a dialogue #5: How to use a text Prefer to learn from a video? Watch on YouTube here. Looking for more training on teaching vocabulary and other online lessons? Join the TEFL Horizons Membership for live online workshops and free monthly lesson plans & materials. Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 45: Brock Brady on TESOL Organizations and Adapting to an Online Format
Jun 29, 202200:45:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm happy to welcome Brock Brady as my guest. Brock began his career in the ELT industry somewhat spontaneously, as you'll hear from our conversation. He started as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa and from there went on to earn a Master's degree in TESOL before gaining experience in positions such as English lecturer in South Korea and Language Center Director in Burkina Faso and Benin. He served as the co-director of American University's TESOL program in Washington DC and later returned to the Peace Corps – this time as an education sector specialist and the TEFL certificate program manager. Perhaps most notably, Brock served for three years as the president of the TESOL International Association. Brock's extensive experience in ELT has taken him all over the world, but there was one final frontier he just recently decided to brave: online teaching. I even had the pleasure of working with Brock when he joined my Online English Teacher program to make that final leap in adapting his in-person teaching skills to online teaching skills. In this episode, Brock and I sit down to talk about the benefits of organizations like TESOL International. We also discuss his own challenges and rewards when it comes to teaching online and why you shouldn't be afraid to start your virtual teaching career at any age. 🔗 Links mentioned in this episode: TESOL International AssociationThe Online English Teacher program Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 44: Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Teaching Vocabulary
May 4, 202200:36:43Tap to summarizeIn this episode, let's talk about what NOT to do when teaching a vocabulary lesson. I'll go through five of the most common mistakes I see teachers make when planning and teaching vocabulary lessons, including: Mistake #1: Not presenting the vocabulary in a way that is contextualized and student-centered (why it’s better to start with a student-centered lead-in instead) Mistake #2: Going from word to meaning, not meaning to word Mistake #3: Not clarifying meaning first Mistake #4: Teaching all the different meanings of each word Mistake #5: Not providing enough practice or reviewWe'll talk about why these aren't effective techniques... and what you can do instead.Download your free ==> Guide to Lesson Frameworks for a helpful reference of all the stages in a VOCABULARY lesson. Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 43: Practice Activities
Apr 5, 202200:24:48Tap to summarizeTune in to this week's episode to learn more about practice activities for your ESL lessons. We'll start with a quick refresher of the difference between controlled and freer practice as well as which types of lessons require "practice" to begin with. From there, you'll learn how to find and acquire useful practice activities plus ideas for using them in your virtual or in-person classroom, including: #1: Practice activities from course books #2: Practice activities from the teacher's book #3: Practice activities from publishers' websites#4: Practice activities from other websites#5: Practice activity ideas from other teachers' lessons#6: The Lesson Plan Library #7: The Online English Teacher program Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 42: Lorenzo Sclocco on Course Planning and Curriculum Design
Mar 16, 202201:01:36Tap to summarizeThis week's guest, Lorenzo Sclocco, is an ESL teacher and education specialist based in Toronto, Canada. He's been teaching General English, EAP, Business English and Exam Classes at language schools, universities, and colleges since 2009. He also teaches Italian and German. In 2018, Lorenzo received the “Excellence in Teaching Award” at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies. He considers himself a life-long learner and is passionate about anything related to language and pedagogy. He is particularly interested in curriculum development and syllabus design. When not teaching, Lorenzo can be found strolling through Toronto's famous High Park and eating cookies – his addiction! Today, Lorenzo joins me to share essential strategies for course planning and syllabus design. If you’re curious about designing whole courses as opposed to individual lessons, this is the episode for you! 🔗 -Syllabus Design by Nunan-Curriculum Development in Language Teaching by Richards Lorenzo on InstagramLearn more about course design in the Online English Teacher program. Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 41: Tips for Teaching Listening Lessons Online
Feb 2, 202200:16:28Tap to summarizeLast week, I shared my top tips for teaching reading lessons online. This week, tune in for my favorite tips on teaching online listening lessons. You'll learn: #1: How to embed the audio into your slide #2: How to bring the speakers in the audio to life #3: How to best support students in comprehension exercises #4: How to conduct pair checks in listening lessons#5: How to get the most out of feedback Bonus! #6: How to manage timing in a listening lesson Download your free ==> Guide to Lesson Frameworks for a helpful reference of all the stages in a LISTENING lesson. Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 40: Tips for Teaching Reading Lessons Online
Jan 25, 202200:19:02Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm sharing my top 5 tips for teaching reading lessons online, including: #1: How to give students access to the text and materials#2: How to best format and adapt texts for online lessons#3: Whether students should read silently or aloud #4: The importance of pair check stages #5: How to conduct feedback on reading exercises Bonus! #6: How to manage timing in a reading lesson 🔗 Want to review the fundamentals of teaching a reading lesson in general? Episode 16: Should Your Students Read Aloud?Episode 18: How to Teach Reading: Developing Sub-skills and Designing TasksEpisode 19: How to Deal with Vocabulary in a Reading LessonDownload your free ==> Guide to Lesson Frameworks for a helpful reference of all the stages in a READING lesson. Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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Ep 39: Jackie Bolen on Making Lessons Student-Centered
Jan 4, 202200:38:46Tap to summarizeThis is the second time Jackie has joined me as a guest on Expand Your Horizons, and I'm very happy to welcome her back.In this episode, we're talking about strategies for maximizing student talk time, minimizing teacher talk time, and making lessons more fun and student-centered in general. Tune in to learn how to boost engagement in your online (or in-person) classes. Thank you for listening! ➡️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @tefl_horizons and I'll repost you 🙌 And please take a moment to leave a rating and quick review to spread the word and support the podcast COURSES & TRAINING with TEFL HORIZONS:🗝️ Join the TEFL Horizons Membership: https://teflhorizons.com/membership🍏 Get Trained and Certified with Online English Teacher: https://teflhorizons.com/oet⭐️ Build Your Online Teaching Business with Online TEFLpreneur: https://teflhorizons.com/teflpreneur🖥️ All Courses: https://teflhorizons.com/coursesFREE RESOURCES for ESL TEACHERS:💌 Join the free newsletter for weekly teaching tips: https://teflhorizons.com/newsletter💻 Subscribe on YouTube for free training videos: https://www.youtube.com/@teflhorizons📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tefl_horizons/🎧 Subscribe to this podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2288657📘 Download your free guide - How to Teach English Online: ...
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