TEFL Unlocked

Breathe, focus and learn! Luan and Mairead discuss how simple mindfulness activities can help learners manage anxiety, improve concentration, and communicate with greater confidence in the classroom.

Join Luan and Mairead as they explore practical ways to use art in the ESL classroom to develop speaking, vocabulary, grammar, storytelling, creativity and cultural awareness.

Is poetry too difficult for ESL learners? Luan and Mairead explain how teachers can make poems accessible, enjoyable and useful for developing vocabulary, pronunciation, speaking and creativity

Join Luan and Mairead as they explore creative ways to bring social media into the ESL classroom, from videos and posts to digital storytelling, while keeping learning purposeful, engaging, and safe.

What do you do when you have five minutes to fill? Try these quick, low-prep EFL activities designed to keep learners engaged, communicating and learning when plans change.

In this episode, Luan and Mairead discuss the realities of teaching English in South African language centres, including multilingual classrooms, diverse learners and why the experience is both rewarding and deeply fulfilling.

This week, Mairead steps into the guest seat to share her personal journey of teaching English in Spain. Discover what surprised her, what she learnt, and why teaching abroad can be such a rewarding experience.

In this episode of TEFL Unlocked , Mairead puts fellow host Luan in the hot seat. Together they explore what a typical day looks like for an online English teacher, from lesson planning and student interaction to technology and teaching routines

Luan and Mairead discuss how rewards change with age, common mistakes teachers make, and simple ideas that keep learners motivated without distracting from the lesson.

Join Luan and Mairead as they chat about the power of storytelling in the ESL classroom, sharing practical ideas, personal experiences, and simple ways to make language learning engaging and memorable.

Not sure what to say in your teacher introduction video? Join us as we explore eight simple strategies to help you create a short, engaging and professional video that captures attention, builds trust and helps fill your classroom with eager learners.

Confused by CEFR levels? Join Luan and Mairead as they break down A1 to C2, explain learner abilities, and discuss why understanding language levels matters for teachers.

Inspired by discussions from our practical face-to-face TTA training sessions, this episode tackles real classroom management situations and practical responses that teachers can apply immediately.

Feeling tired, unmotivated, or stuck in a teaching rut? Luan and Mairead share practical strategies to protect your energy, prevent burnout, and rediscover balance

In Part 2 of Don’t do that!, Luan and Mairead explore more common teaching habits that can unintentionally hold students back — from overplanning to missing signs of confusion in the classroom.

This episode is a survival guide for new English teachers. Luan and Mairead unpack six common classroom mistakes that quietly damage student confidence, participation, and progress.

Luan and Mairead tackle one of the biggest challenges for EFL teachers—classroom management. They discuss routines, pace, instructions, and relationships, and explain why behaviour is often a symptom, not the root problem.

Dictionaries are often overlooked in language teaching — but they can be one of the most useful classroom tools. Luan and Mairead share simple, effective dictionary activities alongside advice on choosing the right level of challenge for your learners.

How can you use the internet in your classroom without students going off-task? in this episode, we share tips to help you structure online activities, keep learners focused, and promote meaningful language use.

In part two, Luan and Mairead further explore a range of classroom tasks designed for larger groups, showing how clear structure and peer interaction can support active communication across different activity types.