9 steps to teaching advanced business English

Margaret O'Keeffe
A teacher stood at the front of a class holding a tablet in front of adult students

The challenge of teaching business English to C1 level students

Once your English students reach a B2 level of English, they’re fairly competent communicators. For many learners, their motivation to improve starts to suffer when they reach this intermediate plateau. They understand almost everything and can express themselves clearly enough - so why would they want to continue learning English and achieve a C1 level of English?

The CEFR describes C1-level learners as proficient users of a language. C1-level students have a high proficiency in English and perform well in an international work environment.

How can we help our upper intermediate students reach this level and see the benefits in their own lives and careers? Here are nine steps you can take as an English language teacher to help your students achieve language proficiency.

Steps to teaching advanced business English
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1. Nurture students’ motivation to reach new heights

For those students who do want to become more proficient, the reality is that reaching a high level can be a slow, steep climb. You will have to be a cheerleader and encourage them to get out of their comfort zone and push themselves to new heights.

The reality is that mastering a foreign language, even your first language, is a lifelong process. Advanced-level language learners need a high degree of intrinsic motivation. If they can enjoy the challenge of developing new skills and feel satisfaction at watching a favorite TV show in its original version, there is no turning back.

There is a demand for business English and having a strong command of it is beneficial in the business world. It provides individuals with more opportunities for career advancement. Additionally, it boosts students' confidence in using English in the workplace.

2. Promote goal setting

Get learners to set goals for themselves and review the goals regularly. Use the SMART acronym:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Realistic
  • Timebound

This helps with motivation and gives rise to a sense of achievement. It is particularly useful for busy in-company students. One simple example is: ‘I will do one piece of written homework this term’.

3. Encourage incidental learning

Give your students support and act as a role model as they develop lifelong learning habits and become more self-directed learners.Encourage them to read more widely in English for pleasure and general interest; business blogs, newspaper articles, journals, novels, etc. The wider the variety of genres and topics, the better.

Provide guidance and learning strategies for students if necessary, such as offering tips for watching TV shows and films in the original versions, or advice on choosing something to read.

Regularly check in with students about how they are practicing their English outside the classroom. You gain a lot of insight into their interests and learning. It can inspire their peers in the process too.

4. Broaden their vocabulary range

Knowing a word includes many aspects: different meanings of the same word, when is it appropriate to use, common collocations, pronunciation, different parts of speech, phrasal verbs and phrases. C1 students have to practice and develop their vocabulary range.Learners may have a passive knowledge of many phrasal and prepositional verbs but still avoid using them as part of their active vocabulary. Draw their attention to useful phrasal verbs in reading and listening texts and video content. Vocabulary is much easier to learn in context.

Provide opportunities for students to practice using the target language in speaking and writing; the more personalized the tasks, the more memorable. Regularly review and recycle phrasal verbs that come up, for example, through revision exercises, games and quick tests, to help students incorporate these into their active vocabulary.

Similarly, point out good examples of more idiomatic language in texts and provide opportunities for students to use it themselves, writing their own example sentences. Occasionally model alternatives to broaden and enrich their vocabulary (T: Was it a successful meeting? I mean, was it very fruitful?)

When giving students feedback and correcting speaking and writing tasks, include examples of a more natural or idiomatic way that students could say something.

5. Make time for emergent language

A lot of incidental learning of new vocabulary takes place inside the classroom. As well as the target vocabulary you present in a structured lesson, take the opportunity to work on emergent language. These could be words or phrases that come up in class because students want to know how to say something to convey their meaning.

You’ll find that this is often the language our in-company students want to do their jobs, making it a priority for them. It is essential to record, keep and revise this useful emergent vocabulary.

Emergent language can also be a word or phrase that a student uses accurately and that you can see would be useful for others to know. You can follow up by drawing everyone’s attention to this useful language in the feedback session after an activity, write it on the board, check the meaning, repeat it and incorporate it into the lesson by getting learners to practice it.

6. Review and expand on core grammar areas

Review and expand on the forms and usages of the core grammar areas with C1 learners. Many in-company students need to brush up on their grammar if they have not studied formally for a long time.

Future forms, hypothesizing and additional passive structures are just some areas that are useful for business English students. And while there is not a lot of ‘new’ grammar to learn at C1 level, they still need practice using the language correctly and there is still complexity in verb patterns and syntax.

It can be all too easy for advanced classes to slip into discussion groups. However, structured lessons and linguistic aims increase the challenge, help our learners to extend their range of language structures and improve their level.

In addition, make sure students notice their fossilized errors and encourage them to correct themselves. While many mistakes (e.g. missing out indefinite articles) do not hinder communication, they do mark the difference between advanced and intermediate learners.

7. Use ‘real play’ to develop communication skills

Some of our students enjoy role-play activities and others dislike having to adopt a ‘role’ of an imaginary person that is not natural to them.

An alternative is to get students to be themselves in ‘real’ play. Give them a scenario, like a personality clash between two team members at work. Get them to ‘real’ play, giving support and guidance on how to handle the situation. Then watch a dramatized video of people dealing with the same situation. This allows students to reflect on their approach and compare it with the one used in the video.

Simulations of real-world problems or situations are engaging and challenging. It leads to genuine learning about themselves, their default responses, their working styles and the styles of others. It enhances their communication skills by offering them alternative ways to handle situations in the workplace.

8. Develop business writing skills

In higher education, learners may get lots of practice in essay writing, but not so much in the genres needed in the workplace (emails, reports, proposals, minutes). It is important to prepare learners for this. In particular, they will need to be able to differentiate between formal and informal registers. They also have to understand writing conventions (for example, structuring a proposal, using subheadings in reports).

A collaborative writing approach works well in university English classes. Focus on the writing process during the lesson: brainstorming, planning, organizing ideas, prioritizing points, etc.

Provide model texts, structural information and useful language items. Explain the marking criteria and give learners anonymous student sample answers (perhaps from a previous English course) to mark. Get students doing collaborative writing tasks using shared Google Docs. Include opportunities for peer assessment and self-assessment as well as for teacher feedback.

9. Offer students choices

Giving students choices often leads to greater engagement. In many cases, it is possible to negotiate the course content and lesson plans with in-company learners. Lessons can become dull and repetitive if we only stick to day-to-day work issues and industry-specific topics.

It is good to include broader issues (like disruptors in business) and themes related to employability skills to provide a good mix of abstract and complex topics appropriate for advanced-level business English learners. Even with pre-programmed tertiary-level courses, there is generally some scope for choice within lessons.

These are just a few tips for language teaching to advanced-level learners. English teachers have a great many roles to play in their student's language learning process and experience.

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  • Children sat at desks in a classroom, with one in the middle smiling with her hand up

    Teaching young learners: all just fun and games?

    By Jill Leighton
    Reading time: 5 minutes

    We want lots of fun in our lessons, with a good balance of activities and games with strong educational value. But in my opinion, today’s young learners need more than just fun and games to stay motivated. Fun and games can quickly become meaningless and boring for some students.

    How do we create fun and engaging lessons for young learners aged 6-14?

    • Have a strong relationship with your students. Know about their natural talents, their weaker points and where they are in their development.
    • Encourage them to be active learners and engage them in learning that is meaningful to all of them. E.g. through project work.
    • Provide opportunities for students to use technology and develop success skills. E.g. collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity and self-learning.

    Most teachers agree that we have to assume the responsibility of preparing students for life as well as helping them to acquire a language – and this is what I aim to demonstrate in this blog. Using , I want to demonstrate how you can learn more about your students and care for individual needs in one classroom.

    The students will also learn about themselves and their classmates. They will acquire vocabulary and language (at their level) in a dynamic way and create a project to explore their interests and demonstrate their talents. They will use technology and develop their success skills. Assessment will be fun and engaging. I hope you will be able to adapt the ideas and put them into practice with children aged 6-14.

    Howard Gardner’s Model of Multiple Intelligences

    prompts us to ask: How is this child intelligent? He identified eight different types of intelligence which guide the way students learn:

    • Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)
    • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Maths Smart)
    • Spatial Intelligence (Picture Smart)
    • Musical Intelligence (Music Smart)
    • Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (Body Smart)
    • Naturalistic-Environmentalist Intelligence (Nature Smart)
    • Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart)
    • Intrapersonal Intelligence (Self-Smart)
    • (He later went on to identify Existential Intelligence – Life Smart, and Pedagogical Intelligence -Teacher Smart)

    Lesson 1: Outline the student’s learning goals

    Explain to the students that they are going to learn about Howard Gardner’s Model of Multiple Intelligences and that you want them to achieve learning goals on completion of the project. Write the goals on a poster and discuss them with your students. Take a digital photo of the poster to use during the assessment.

    Student learning goals – you will be able to:

    • Identify different intelligences and what they mean. Name eight different intelligences you have
    • Communicate ideas clearly through a project to demonstrate your talents and interests
    • Use your success skills more effectively.

    Tip: Video parts of lesson 1, especially discussion of the learning goals, to use as part-assessment and reflection on completion of the project.

    What do you know about the Multiple Intelligences? How are you smart?

    • Ask children what they know about multiple intelligences. Teach key language and vocabulary as necessary, depending on level.
    • Ask, “What does it mean be intelligent?” (They will probably say, good grades, be good at maths, English, reading, writing, computers...)
    • Tell them being intelligent or smart (get the younger children to repeat the word smart several times) isn’t only about getting good grades. Ask them to think of more ways to be smart.
    • Elicit the eight ways to be smart according to Gardner. (You may need to mime). E.g. mime playing the piano or clap a rhythm to elicit Music Smart.
    • Discuss what the different intelligences mean. (E.g. Word Smart (Linguistic Intelligence): you like reading, writing or speaking, you are probably good at languages…)
    • Teach career vocabulary associated with the different intelligences. (E.g. Word Smart: journalist, teacher, lawyer, editor, TV announcer, web editor.)

    Lesson 2: Find out your smarts quiz

    Tell students they are going to do a quiz to discover how they are smart. Model each stage of the activity and do the quiz with them to find out about your own strengths. Give each student a piece of paper.

    • Take your paper and show the students how to fold it into eight sections, then unfold it and draw lines along the folds to make a grid.
    • Write the different smarts in each section. (Use small handwriting to leave room to illustrate each smart with a picture).
    • Give a picture dictation to illustrate each smart. Here are some examples:

    Word Smart:Draw a dictionary and children reading, writing and speaking.

    Logic/Number Smart: Draw sums on a computer, a scientist with test tube.

    Music Smart: Draw children singing and playing musical instruments.

    Body Smart: Draw children playing a sport, dancing or cooking.

    Nature Smart:Draw trees, animals, insects, child watering a plant.

    Spatial/Picture Smart: Draw children drawing, painting or taking photos and a pilot in a plane.

    People Smart:Draw a child helping or leading a group or a group of children holding hands.

    Self-Smart: Draw children keeping a journal, researching on a computer, or meditating.

    Encourage students to order their smarts from 1-8. For example, if you love music, write number 1 in the Music Smart section and continue to 8 in order of preference. (You may wish to model this first and order your smarts from 1-8 and then encourage the children to order their smarts.)

    After the quiz

    • Encourage students to compare and discuss their results. Collect the papers and make notes about each student’s results. This will help you reach all your students when planning activities.
    • Explain that we have all the intelligences in different degrees and that all of the intelligences are equal (no intelligence is better than another). Also point out that it is important to know our strengths in order to help in all subjects. (E.g. a music smart student who finds maths challenging may want to sing multiplication tables). Remind students that we usually use several intelligences to do something and we can explore and develop all our smarts.

    Tip: Video lesson 2 to use as part of assessment.

    Lesson 3: Beginning the project

    Encourage the students to create a project for enjoyment. Explain that you want them to collaborate in groups that share the same smarts and interests and using their creativity you want them come up with an interesting topic to explore. (Remind students to concentrate on developing their success skills when they are working with others and mention that you will also be monitoring this as part of the assessment).

    Organize the students into groups of no more than five students in each. Give students time to brainstorm in their groups and come up with the best topic for the project, using their critical thinking skills. (E.g. Picture Smart students may decide to create a project about a famous artist, such as Salvador Dali).

    You may wish to give each student a (Know, Want-to-know, and Learned) to complete during the project process, asking questions such as: What do you know? What do you want to know? What have you learned?

    Lesson 4: Planning the project

    Inform students about the timing of the project. Encourage each group to make a project mind map, which will encourage them to be more creative and organized.

    Remind all the groups to keep the following questions in mind:

    • What are you going to do/make? (Presentation, PowerPoint, website, video, posters.)
    • How will you research it? (Internet, tech tools, library.)
    • How will you delegate responsibilities?
    • How will you check that your audience has understood the message of your project? What questions will you ask?

    Decide on how many lessons are needed to prepare the project and how much will be done in school or at home, depending on the age groups and timing.

    Encourage the students to share their work with the rest of the class (or in assembly.)

    Tip: Video the different groups sharing their work.

    Can assessment also be fun and engaging?

    Yes, it can; here are some tips and suggestions.

    • Show the videos you have recorded and ask the students to compare and contrast their knowledge in Lesson 1 and how it developed over the lessons. Encourage them to observe and comment on their success skills.
    • Display the photo of the Student Learning Goals poster from Lesson 1. Get the students to self-assess and decide whether they have achieved the goals that were set in Lesson 1. (You may wish to give the students three small pieces of colored paper: red to represent I understand quite well, orange to represent I understand well and green to represent I understand very well). Ask: Can you identify the different intelligences and say what they mean? Encourage the students to hold up a colored piece of paper according to their understanding. (Make a mental note of all red pieces of paper to be ready to give extra help to those students). Check understanding by getting several students to answer the question.
    • Get the children to reflect on the learning experience. What have they learned about the different intelligences? How can they develop weaker points using their strengths to help them? Can they use all eight intelligences inside and outside school? Did they manage to get along well with their classmates? Did they communicate the message of their project so that the audience understood?
    • Give individual feedback to each student. E.g. congratulate them on their attitude and effort or identify areas for improvement: “You managed to use vocabulary and language effectively when you shared your project, we understood your message perfectly.” Or “You need to work on being more collaborative.” “You weren’t on task during the project.” “How do you think you can improve that?”
    • Ask students to give you feedback on the activities they enjoyed. Get them to draw happy and sad face cards. Go through all the activities and get the students to show a happy or sad face according to whether or not they liked the activity. E.g. say “Did you like the ‘Find out your smarts’ quiz?” and ask them to hold up the happy or sad face depending on whether they liked the activity or not.

    Create fun lessons to engage all your students keeping this model in mind: traditional activities such as short fun activities and games + Howard Gardner’s model of Multiple Intelligences + PBL (Project Based Learning) + success skills + meaningful assessment. Enjoy the results with your students.

    How the Global Scale of English can help

    TheGlobal Scale of English (GSE) Learning Objectives for provides ready-made learning objectives that can help with planning curriculums and lesson and benchmarking learners’ progress. They are great for young learners because they describe language functions in a granular way, enabling educators to give their learners credit for small achievements. They also clearly show the language functions to target next in order to take learners to the next level.

  • A teacher sat at the front of the class holding a book reading it to a class of young children who are sat on the floor

    Romantic Readers and classroom ideas to celebrate Valentine’s day

    By Iram Ahmed
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    Love is in the air on February 14th, with hearts, red roses and boxes of chocolates everywhere. We’re all set for the big day, and to help you prepare as well, here are six of our favorite love stories for learners of all ages and levels. There are also plenty of fun ideas for your classroom.

    1.Cinderella(Level 1)

    Poor Cinderella lives with her stepmother and two horrible stepsisters. They treat her badly, making her cook and clean, while they relax and wear beautiful clothes. However, one night, Cinderella gets the chance to sneak away and attend a fabulous ball. She meets a handsome prince…but must run away before he discovers her true identity. With only a glass shoe to help him, will the prince ever find Cinderella?

    How to use this Reader in class:

    It’s no surprise that the story has a happy ending. After reading the story, have the learners draw a picture and write about Cinderella’s new life in the castle, with her loving new family.

    2.Lady and the Tramp(Level 3)

    This classic Disney story tells the tale of two young dogs who come from different backgrounds. Lady lives in a house while Tramp lives on the street. However, one day, Lady is forced to leave the house and the life she knows. Tramp teaches her about life on the streets and the two dogs fall in love… but with the dog-catcher always chasing them, will the story have a happy ending?

    How to use this reader in class:

    After reading the story, why not watch the animated version with your students? They can choose their favorite character from the movie and write a description of them.

    Looking for more romantic Readers for young learners? How aboutThe Little Mermaid(Level 2) orAladdin(Level 5)? There’s something for everyonein our catalog.

    3.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(Level 2)

    If your teenagers are looking for more adventure than romance, this Reader has both. Follow crazy Jack Sparrow, handsome Will and brave Elizabeth as they fight pirates and uncover the curse of the Black Pearl. But will Elizabeth and Will survive the dangerous life on the seven seas?

    How to use this Reader in class:

    After reading the story, why not ask your students to write a review of it? It’s a great way for them to summarize the plot and share their opinion.

    4.Pride and Prejudice(Level 5)

    A timeless classic,Pride and Prejudicetells the story of young Elizabeth Bennett. As the oldest daughters in a family of five, she and her sister Jane are both expected to find good husbands and marry soon. But will Elizabeth find love, or will no man be good enough for her?

    How to use this Reader in class:

    While reading the story, learners can keep a diary, writing entries in the voice of Elizabeth Bennett. This helps them to demonstrate their understanding of the novel and encourages them to have a more empathetic reaction to the story’s heroine. They can either write the diary entries using typical language from Jane Austen’s day, or updating it to more modern language.

    Here’s an example:

    I had the ‘pleasure’ of meeting Mr Darcy today and found him rather rude and reserved. I imagine he feels this country life is inferior and that the locals are uncultured simpletons!

    or

    Met Mr Darcy today – what a stuck-up dork! He just stood there, looking down his nose at everyone… you can see he thinks he’s better than us locals.

    If you think your teenage learners would enjoy a different modern or classic tale of romance, check out our readers. There are plenty to choose from, includingRomeo and Juliet(Level 3),Love Actually(Level 4) andMadame Bovary(Level 6).

    5.Tales from the Arabian Nights(Level 2)

    What would you do if you needed to fascinate a king to save your life? This is the problem Sheherezade faces when she marries a king who has killed all his previous wives. So she tells her new husband exciting, mesmerizing stories every night and always ends the tale with the king wanting to hear more. She tells him stories of adventure, love and mystery… and you can read her stories too in this Level 2 Reader.

    How to use this reader in class:

    After reading the book, have students vote on their favorite story from Sheherezade. They can then work in groups to present a short play of one of the stories, working together to write a short script.

    6.Wuthering Heights(Level 5)

    Unfortunately, the path of true love isn’t always easy. Set in 19th Century Yorkshire, this tragic romance follows the story of Catherine and Heathcliff. The two childhood friends grow up together very closely. However, although she loves him deeply, Catherine can’t marry Heathcliff because of his lower social status. Instead, she marries another man, Edgar. How will Heathcliff react to this news? Will Catherine and Edgar be happy together?

    How to use this reader in class:

    At one point inWuthering Heights, Heathcliff runs away from home because he thinks Catherine is embarrassed by him and doesn’t love him. Have the learners write a letter from Catherine to Heathcliff at that point, expressing her regrets about why they can’t be together. It provides students with the opportunity to use phrases such asIf only…,I wish…andI should have…whilst demonstrating their understanding of the novel so far.

    If Yorkshire moors and Arabian nights aren’t quite what your students are looking for, there are more tales of romance on our site. Choose from modern-day love stories such asNotting Hill(Level 3) andLisa in London(Level 1) or classics likeAnna Karenina(Level 6) andPersuasion(Level 2).

    If you enjoyed this post here are some more practical posts to get your students engaged in reading, 'How to bring Shakespeare to life in the classroom'and 'How to motivate reluctant readers'.

  • A teacher sat with a student at his desk, the student is writing and the teacher is looking at him doing this smiling.

    7 ways to individualize your teaching

    By Andrew Walkley
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    There's no denying that tailoring your teaching to individual students is an effective strategy. However, many teachers struggle with finding the time to include teaching moments which address an individual learner's specific needs. So, what's the best way to create an individualized classroom? Andrew Walkley, co-author of Roadmap, explains the benefits of this approach and shares some techniques to ensure that every student gets the most out of your lessons.

    The best of both worlds?

    First of all, what does individualized teaching mean? It's the concept that students will learn most effectively when the activity is specific to their needs and the language they are using is appropriate for their level. This concept is sometimes seen in opposition to coursebooks and class-based learning, where students are all expected to follow the same syllabus. However, class syllabuses and coursebooks have the following benefits:

    • Providing students with common goals
    • Encouraging learners to follow an unfamiliar topic that then opens new doors of learning
    • The learning opportunities in peer-to-peer explanation

    When we talk about individualized teaching in the classroom, we want to exploit the benefits of learning together while also providing opportunities for more individualized development. So, how can you, as a teacher, combine the two approaches?

    1. Involve students in choosing your route

    All classroom groups are different and made up of people from different age groups with distinct needs and interests. Roadmap can help in two ways:

    1. There is a fast and slow track. The fast track focuses on language input and speaking. The slow track has additional skills lessons at the back of the book that are thematically linked to the corresponding fast track lesson.
    2. Each lesson has a clear goal and final task. For shorter courses, get each student to choose three tasks they would definitely like to do. Based on the results, you can prioritize those lessons.

    At the start of the course, make a point of asking about students' learning priorities and then plan accordingly. Once you've completed an input and speaking lesson, you can ask the students if they want to further explore the topic through the skills lesson.

    2. Make use of tasks

    Open tasks, where students exchange their own ideas in a meaningful way, are a key part of individualized lessons. In essence, they are self-differentiating because each student will attempt to complete the task using whatever language they are able to use. In Roadmap, each of the main lessons ends with a clear task connected to a Global Scale of English (GSE) can-do statement. However, there are also lots of other speaking opportunities without a 'speaking' label (under vocabulary or reading, etc.), as well as the conversation that typically occurs in any lesson, all of which can be treated as open tasks.

    3. Give individualized feedback and then share it

    In a group setting, it's impossible to give individual feedback on every single task. However, you can give individual attention to different people throughout the lesson. Make yourself available to give students the language they need as it arises during an activity. Then, when they've completed the task, write some of these examples on the board, but leave a gap for the keywords. Elicit these keywords from other members of the class. If they can't get it, ask the student(s) you helped to explain the missing language. You might then repeat the task, but this time, pay attention to a new group.

    4. Check what vocabulary students know

    All coursebook writers and teachers make choices about what vocabulary to introduce to students. In the case of Roadmap we are guided by the GSE and teachers might like to experiment themselves using the GSE Teacher Toolkit. However, all students will have their own lexicons. You can individualize learning better by asking students to rate the words you aim to cover in a unit according to whether they know them or not. For example, 1 = it's completely new, 2 = the meaning is familiar but I don't use it, 3 = this is part of my productive vocabulary.

    5. Get students to create their own word lists and cards

    This knowledge will enable you to encourage students to focus on their individual vocabulary needs. They can reinforce learning by developing a word list or making flashcards using a web tool such as Quizlet. For new words they may have a word/collocation with an L1 translation.

    With familiar vocabulary, they could have cards with a keyword on one side and varied collocations or common examples on the other (also in English). It's worth setting aside some time in class to do this at the start of a course. If your students are engaged and motivated, it can become a regular discipline for learning new vocabulary.

    6. Ask more open questions about usage, not just meaning

    When we do vocabulary tasks from the course material in class, we can use open questions to individualize learning with the following two techniques. Firstly, as you go through the answers, rather than going in order 1 to 8, you can nominate people to give the answer that they're most unsure of and want to check. Secondly, we can ask the rest of the class open questions which focus on how words are used. For example, take these questions from different vocabulary exercises in Roadmap B1+:

    • What (other) things might you spill?
    • Why might a character in a series be killed off?
    • What (else) can you describe as reliable?
    • What can someone do to stay calm?

    You could also ask questions such as, "What's the opposite of staying calm?" or "What might you say if you spilled something?"

    When you ask these questions, you are checking meaning, but more importantly, you are also pushing students to reveal how well they know a word. Do they know the collocations of spill and reliable? Do they have the other language they might need to talk about the aspects of a TV series or help someone who is in a panic? You can then encourage students to choose how much of this potentially new language they want to add to their word lists.

    7. Provide open homework tasks and make time to share the results

    Homework is another opportunity to individualize learning. Give students a wide choice of tasks based on the material of the course or beyond, for example:

    • Choose any number of exercises they want to do from workbook material
    • Find and read one article they are interested in (in L1 or L2)
    • Write five things they want to learn how to say in English (perhaps using Google Translate)
    • Write up an interesting conversation they had in English (the conversation could be originally in L1 or L2)

    Whatever task they choose, the key is to dedicate some classroom time to discussing which homework task they did and why. Encourage them to explain their answers and what they learned through the task, and whether or not they would choose to do a similar task again.

    For a more detailed introduction on how you can individualize your teaching, check out Andrew's webinar: