🎙 From the classroom: At The Ivy in Sydney, I managed a team of twelve. When someone made a mistake with a VIP guest, I didn't interrupt mid-sentence. I waited. I debriefed after. Constant mid-sentence…
🎙 From the classroom: I once watched a tutor walk into a classroom, write a word on the board, and spend twelve minutes explaining it. Then she asked if anyone had questions. They didn't —…
🎙 From the classroom: When I was observed teaching in Brittany, my observer timed every minute. I was talking for sixty-three percent of a forty-minute lesson. I thought I was helping. I was blocking practice.…
🎙 From the classroom: My first week in the classroom in Landerneau, Brittany, I asked 'Does everyone understand?' about twenty times. A row of nodding heads. Then the task collapsed. One good concept-check question would…
At the Star Casino I briefed teams where some people spoke fluent English and others were still finding their words. Same briefing, same team. Here's how you make it work.
I was corrected sharply during a teaching practice for asking 'Do you understand?' Here's the better question — and why it matters.
The idea — Not all errors need correcting immediately. Interrupting a fluency task for accuracy correction kills communication. Correcting everything demoralises. The question is always: what is this task for?
The idea — Paid CPD is not the only CPD. The most effective professional development often costs nothing and happens between lessons: peer observation, reading one article, watching one teaching video, reflecting on one moment.
The idea — Most classroom disruption is unmet need: boredom (task too easy), confusion (task too hard), or social need (task not engaging enough). The behaviour is the message. Read it before responding to it.
The idea — Assessment for learning means using information about what learners know to adjust your teaching in real time. It is not a test at the end — it is a pulse-check during.
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Sourov Deb EI · SIRET 106 764 061 00011 · Saint-Pierre, La Réunion