Limping through CPE hoops
07.03.202520:24
How to stimulate a discussion?
Recently I was confronted with yet another spread of Expert Proficiency, where this course book simply throws vocabulary at you without providing many opportunities for practice — nothing new. This time there was a task featuring 16 body-related idioms that I needed to work with. Two tasks, to be precise: both are gap-fills with next to no communicative value.
To ensure this language doesn’t end up forgotten, I put together a couple of activities, one of which you can see in the screenshot.
I pursued two goals here:
🦪to immerse the seemingly disparate vocabulary into our topic—language learning;
🦪to provide my students with an opportunity to practise the idioms in a meaningful way.
To do this, I collaborated with DeepSeek and compiled a list of controversial statements on language learning containing the target language.
Such statements, which are easy to disagree with, are likely to serve as a springboard for a fruitful discussion, just as they did today! Infusing some controversy into classes, therefore, is an absolute must, in my humble opinion.
I’ll attach the measly two tasks offered by the course book in the comments so that you could feel my pain😅
#on_teaching
Recently I was confronted with yet another spread of Expert Proficiency, where this course book simply throws vocabulary at you without providing many opportunities for practice — nothing new. This time there was a task featuring 16 body-related idioms that I needed to work with. Two tasks, to be precise: both are gap-fills with next to no communicative value.
To ensure this language doesn’t end up forgotten, I put together a couple of activities, one of which you can see in the screenshot.
I pursued two goals here:
🦪to immerse the seemingly disparate vocabulary into our topic—language learning;
🦪to provide my students with an opportunity to practise the idioms in a meaningful way.
To do this, I collaborated with DeepSeek and compiled a list of controversial statements on language learning containing the target language.
Such statements, which are easy to disagree with, are likely to serve as a springboard for a fruitful discussion, just as they did today! Infusing some controversy into classes, therefore, is an absolute must, in my humble opinion.
Which statement do you think is most fun to discuss?
I’ll attach the measly two tasks offered by the course book in the comments so that you could feel my pain😅
#on_teaching
03.03.202517:31
The highlight of my winter✌
Today I took a trip down memory lane, mainly to see what my winter was like. In a nutshell, it was wonderful! I did my best to perform a delicate balancing act, juggling social life and work, studies and rest. I am happy to say that mostly I succeeded!
There is one thing, however, that I’m especially proud of: it’s the January conference I took part in. It was my first experience of public speaking and I had massive reservations before applying:
Having played this ‘tug of war’ for a couple of days, the ambitious part of me finally prevailed over my inner imposter.
I am really glad it did! The fifteen minutes I spent in the limelight, sharing my experience, were immensely rewarding! Despite not saying anything groundbreaking, I got a lot of support and positive feedback: apparently, what seemed basic to me, was useful for others. Shocker, right?🤪
After experiencing this ‘speaker’s high’, I applied for a couple more public speaking events. Who could’ve thought I’m such a sucker for recognition?
P.S. I know there’s such a thing as ‘a runner’s high’, so why can’t there be ‘a speaker’s high’, right?
Today I took a trip down memory lane, mainly to see what my winter was like. In a nutshell, it was wonderful! I did my best to perform a delicate balancing act, juggling social life and work, studies and rest. I am happy to say that mostly I succeeded!
There is one thing, however, that I’m especially proud of: it’s the January conference I took part in. It was my first experience of public speaking and I had massive reservations before applying:
Is there anything useful I can share? I dunno… Okay, I do have a couple of things to share about vocabulary, but everybody knows that already, right?
Having played this ‘tug of war’ for a couple of days, the ambitious part of me finally prevailed over my inner imposter.
I am really glad it did! The fifteen minutes I spent in the limelight, sharing my experience, were immensely rewarding! Despite not saying anything groundbreaking, I got a lot of support and positive feedback: apparently, what seemed basic to me, was useful for others. Shocker, right?🤪
After experiencing this ‘speaker’s high’, I applied for a couple more public speaking events. Who could’ve thought I’m such a sucker for recognition?
What was the highlight of your winter?
P.S. I know there’s such a thing as ‘a runner’s high’, so why can’t there be ‘a speaker’s high’, right?
27.02.202519:13
What Frustrates Me About Course Books
Recently, with one of my students I finished Module 9 in Expert Advanced, and I can’t get it out of my head—not in a good way, mind you🫠
🟡This module, devoted to science, seemed really promising at first: it started with a text about space exploration. I can hear you swooning,
Yes, the book could have prepared us to discuss space tourism, the colonisation of Mars, or the dangers of space debris. It could have taught us some useful language. Coulda, woulda, shoulda…🙃
Do you know what it did instead? 👇
After that text about the International Space Station, the course book suggested practising the following:
I mean, ARE YOU FOR REAL???? What kind of wild concoction is that? Why?? Just why? The topic had so much promise, yet it was stifled right from the get-go. To tap into that potential, a teacher would have to overhaul the vocabulary section entirely—spending hours and hours—and only then would it make some sense. Very frustrating❤️🩹
If you have any course book-related frustrations, feel free to vent them in the comments below—I’ll lend you a sympathetic ear.
#on_coursebooks
Recently, with one of my students I finished Module 9 in Expert Advanced, and I can’t get it out of my head—not in a good way, mind you🫠
🟡This module, devoted to science, seemed really promising at first: it started with a text about space exploration. I can hear you swooning,
'Oh, how nice! We don’t talk about space all that much, so it’s a great opportunity to explore new ideas and language.' 😍
Yes, the book could have prepared us to discuss space tourism, the colonisation of Mars, or the dangers of space debris. It could have taught us some useful language. Coulda, woulda, shoulda…🙃
Do you know what it did instead? 👇
After that text about the International Space Station, the course book suggested practising the following:
6 idioms related to space: once in a blue moon, many moons ago, space out, etc.
Ways of seeing: glance, glimpse, sight, etc.
Word formation: science — scientist; engineer — engineering, etc.
Idioms with like: like water off a duck’s back, like a bull in a china shop, etc.
I mean, ARE YOU FOR REAL???? What kind of wild concoction is that? Why?? Just why? The topic had so much promise, yet it was stifled right from the get-go. To tap into that potential, a teacher would have to overhaul the vocabulary section entirely—spending hours and hours—and only then would it make some sense. Very frustrating❤️🩹
If you have any course book-related frustrations, feel free to vent them in the comments below—I’ll lend you a sympathetic ear.
#on_coursebooks
06.03.202520:43
Inversions and where to find them
🌙I’m not subscribed to any news channels — all of my own volition — but I do get a newsletter from the Economist. This is mostly because their emails don’t bother me, so I’m too lazy to unsubscribe.
Anyways, their newsletter regularly slips into my inbox and I even check it from time to time, like I did today. This time it was really emotionally charged, containing TWO inverted sentences right from the very beginning. While I normally advise my students not to go overboard with such grammar, here the structures seem appropriate: the author clearly wanted her message to be emphatic. No, she wanted it to be EMPHATIC, and inversions lent themselves to that.
🌙I’m not subscribed to any news channels — all of my own volition — but I do get a newsletter from the Economist. This is mostly because their emails don’t bother me, so I’m too lazy to unsubscribe.
Anyways, their newsletter regularly slips into my inbox and I even check it from time to time, like I did today. This time it was really emotionally charged, containing TWO inverted sentences right from the very beginning. While I normally advise my students not to go overboard with such grammar, here the structures seem appropriate: the author clearly wanted her message to be emphatic. No, she wanted it to be EMPHATIC, and inversions lent themselves to that.
🦪The bottom line is: use advanced grammar not to impress someone, but to achieve a specific effect. So inappropriate some grammar can be in certain contexts that it will stick out like a sore thumb. And we don’t want that, do we?
#on_grammar
02.03.202517:08
Book five of my reading challenge
📝Confessions of a bookseller
When was the last time a book cracked you up? I’m not talking about something mildly amusing that puts a hint of a smile on your face. No, I’m talking about a proper belly laugh — heartfelt and utterly irresistible. So, can you recall a book like that? For me, it’s Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell.
This book is Shaun’s diary, where he documents the trials and tribulations of running his bookselling business. The owner of a large secondhand bookshop in Scotland, he has seen it all: discount beggars, delusional gem seekers on the lookout for that elusive book with the red cover they saw two years ago (seriously?), petty customers ready to leave a bad review for no reason whatsoever, and much more. With his sharp eye and even sharper wit, he describes the inner workings of his bookshop in a way that is both amusing and wholly convincing.
If you’re a book lover looking for a light read, look no further — you’ll have a great time reading about Shaun and his eccentric customers.
P.S. It's the second book of the series. The first one is The Diary of a Bookseller, which I loved even more!
#on_my_reading_challenge
📝Confessions of a bookseller
When was the last time a book cracked you up? I’m not talking about something mildly amusing that puts a hint of a smile on your face. No, I’m talking about a proper belly laugh — heartfelt and utterly irresistible. So, can you recall a book like that? For me, it’s Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell.
This book is Shaun’s diary, where he documents the trials and tribulations of running his bookselling business. The owner of a large secondhand bookshop in Scotland, he has seen it all: discount beggars, delusional gem seekers on the lookout for that elusive book with the red cover they saw two years ago (seriously?), petty customers ready to leave a bad review for no reason whatsoever, and much more. With his sharp eye and even sharper wit, he describes the inner workings of his bookshop in a way that is both amusing and wholly convincing.
If you’re a book lover looking for a light read, look no further — you’ll have a great time reading about Shaun and his eccentric customers.
What are you reading at the moment? No gatekeeping😉
P.S. It's the second book of the series. The first one is The Diary of a Bookseller, which I loved even more!
#on_my_reading_challenge
05.03.202518:56
Today, having worked from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., I hit on a surprisingly good idea: a speaking club on work-life balance … or lack thereof😅
01.03.202517:36
Hey everyone! It’s time to take stock of February, hence the collection of my favourite posts of the past month:
🔥Peredvizhniki — a rave review of an art exhibition
🌟A speaking task I absolutely adore
📱Me answering your Anki-related questions: how to learn vocabulary effectively
📸The speaking club I organised in February and I LOVED it!💜
📕My reading pursuits
🙂How my students make me cry sometimes (because they say the nicest and the funniest things)
🌸How I choose what vocabulary to learn
✏️Some notes on grammar, pronunciation, and etymology
🥲Me giving free rein to coursebook-related frustrations
🔥Peredvizhniki — a rave review of an art exhibition
🌟A speaking task I absolutely adore
📱Me answering your Anki-related questions: how to learn vocabulary effectively
📸The speaking club I organised in February and I LOVED it!💜
📕My reading pursuits
🙂How my students make me cry sometimes (because they say the nicest and the funniest things)
🌸How I choose what vocabulary to learn
✏️Some notes on grammar, pronunciation, and etymology
🥲Me giving free rein to coursebook-related frustrations
04.03.202520:09
I got my teeth into a new book — this one is on time-management — and I never expected it to take such a dark turn so soon😅
28.02.202520:50
Quick Note on Pronunciation
Do you know how to pronounce the verb process? Is it /ˈprəʊses/ or /prəˈses/?
Interestingly, it can be both:👇
🟡If you talk about processed food or processing information, it is /ˈprəʊses/ in British English and /ˈprɑː.ses/ in American English.
🟡If you talk about walking in a formal procession, it is /prəˈses/.
This point has come up in at least two of my recent classes, which, I believe, shows that I should spread this knowledge further😐
#on_pronunciation
Do you know how to pronounce the verb process? Is it /ˈprəʊses/ or /prəˈses/?
Interestingly, it can be both:👇
🟡If you talk about processed food or processing information, it is /ˈprəʊses/ in British English and /ˈprɑː.ses/ in American English.
🟡If you talk about walking in a formal procession, it is /prəˈses/.
This point has come up in at least two of my recent classes, which, I believe, shows that I should spread this knowledge further😐
#on_pronunciation
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