70 easy TEFL articles that anyone could write at least one of

Summary: Suggestions for useful and easy to write articles that any teacher at all
could write at least one of.
Every teacher has at least one article about teaching in them. This article gives 70
suggestions for topics from which almost anyone could choose or adapt. Parts are given in
bold so that you can add your own ideas to make your own article title/ topic, but please
feel free to use the examples of complete titles below if you wish. Please note that not all
the examples given reflect my own views on teaching or ideas of what the best titles on
those topics would be.
1. A bit of TEFL history
2. A change in textbooks/ the range of books published by the big four/ the UK TEFL
market (with why it has happened and its implications)
3. A comparison between two books/ two techniques for/ several explanations for one
grammar point/ two qualifications/ teacher development face to face and online/ two
exams/ two age groups/ two teaching situations
4. A critique of PPP/ how pairwork is usually used/ recent ESP titles
5. A manifesto for long term TEFL teachers/ teachers of very young learners/ dissatisfied
parents of very young learners
6. A metaphor for teaching/ learning a language (with how far it can be taken and
what we can learn from it)
7. A survey of TEFL forums/ TEFL job ads/ primary textbooks released in the last 12
months
8. A tribute to a writer/ an editor/ a publishing company/ a researcher
9. Activities based on the ideas in one book/ the ideas of one person/ a piece of
research/ a personal conclusion about teaching languages
10. Adapting the ESP approach for General English classes/ PPP to what we know about
learning languages/ Dogme for young learners
11. Advantages and disadvantages of peer correction/ correcting all written mistakes/
running around games (and how to exploit the advantages and lessen the
disadvantages)
12. Advice for unmotivated teachers/ teaching very specialist ESP
13. Alternative uses of an OHP/ running dictations/ videos with the sound turned down
14. Alternative ways of starting classes/ ending classes/ deciding on a syllabus
15. Alternatives to spoken error correction/ teacher-led classes/ gapfills
16. Arguments for and against textbooks/ reading for pleasure in class time
17. Better ways of using L1/ eliciting/ brainstorming
18. Career advice for people with experience but no qualifications/ people who havent
taught for a while/ people who want to get into teacher training/ people who want to
change the industry
19. Changes needed in teacher education/ school inspections/ how we all teach
20. Choosing a job/ textbook/ career path/ kind of syllabus/ placement test
21. Circumstances in which you should/ shouldnt correct/ use peer correction/ have a
teacher-led class
22. Classifying different kinds of teacher/ student/ interaction/ classroom question (and
the practical implications of that)
23. Combining listening and reading/ grammar and vocabulary/ speaking and learner
training/ language and cultural training

24. Common misconceptions about very young learners/ vocabulary/ teaching

pronunciation/ future tenses
25. Contesting the validity of/ Debunking IELTS scores/ CEFR levels/ multiple
intelligences/ the Cambridge Delta
26. Cultural differences in attitudes to asking questions in class/ being corrected (and
the implications)
27. Decreasing the time spent moving students around/ L1/ warming student up/ with
textbooks open/ planning lessons
28. Decreasing TTT/ L1
29. ESP materials/ teaching magazines/ the CPE exam/ private EFL schools in the UK/ the
International House chain then and now
30. Finding a balance between learner autonomy and classroom discipline/ TTT and
STT/ grammar, vocabulary and functional language
31. Good and bad ways of bringing new technology into a school/ implementing change
in a school
32. How to adapt textbook listenings/ authentic texts/ advice in teachers books (for your
classes)
33. How to improve prediction skills/ motivation/ classroom dynamics/ what percentage of
people do their homework
34. Ideas prompted by something you read/ a workshop you attended/ an experience in
the classroom/ some student comments
35. Implications of a change in an exam/ the English language/ student attitudes/ student
needs/ the age profile of the population/ the English teaching market/ a recent news
event
36. Implications of copyright/ data protection/ health and safety/ child protection/
consumer protection law for TEFL teachers
37. Judging student progress/ the usefulness of the language that they have learnt/ a
textbook/ a placement test/ a teacher
38. Limits to an approach/ the teachability of something that would otherwise be useful
39. Low-prep lesson planning/ teacher training/ cover lessons
40. Making a textbook/ exercise type/ exam practice more fun/ useful/ connected to
student needs
41. Organising your time/ the teachers room/ CPD in your school/ a teaching association
42. Practical implications of a theory/ idea from applied linguistics/ psychology/ general
education
43. Predictions for the future of the English language in university education/ language
testing/ ELF
44. Preparing to take an initial teaching qualification/ teach teenagers for the first time
45. Prioritising language/ skills/ teaching skills to improve
46. Rearranging your classroom/ stages of a lesson/ a textbook
47. Reviving The Silent Way/ translation/ dictation/ techniques based on Behaviourism
48. Simpler ways to rearrange groups/ communicate with students outside class/ access
the internet in class
49. Something from general education/ psychology/ what children do in their free time
that could be adapted for TEFL
50. Something that never worked for me until I saw someone else teach it/ read
something/ experienced language learning from the other side
51. Stages of developing fluency/ developing as a teacher/ ensuring student satisfaction
52. Standing up for primary school teachers who dont have specialised ELT training/
students who dont want to do pairwork

53. Teaching large groups/ Teaching ESP classes/ Teaching teenagers/ Teacher training
with minimal resources
54. Techniques for teachers who arent confident about using the phonemic script/
their own texts/ running around games/ humanistic language teaching techniques
55. The characteristics of a good language learner/ Business English teacher/ teacher
trainer/ DoS
56. The effects of sub-skills training on IELTS skills/ warmers on student learning
57. The importance (or not) of L1 interference/ training in skimming and scanning/ actual
teaching of collocations
58. The theory and reality of needs analysis/ learner autonomy/ learning styles/ lesson
plans/ teacher development
59. Theoretical weaknesses of PPP/ TBL/ Dogme/ written error correction
60. Using crayons/ digital voice recorders/ spellcheckers/ student writing/ anecdotes in
class
61. Variations on a classic TEFL game/ a common teaching technique
62. Ways to teach/ present/ practise functional language/ collocations/ academic
vocabulary/ pausing for thought techniques
63. Ways to use a new website/ piece of technology
64. What to do if you are being bullied at work/ you have one very disruptive student
65. What we could learn from speech therapists/ special needs teachers/ Silicon Valley
start-ups
66. What we still dont know/ cannot know about the differences between learning L1
and L2/ the characteristics of an effective teacher/ why exam scores fluctuate (and the
implications)
67. Why reading for pleasure is better than reading with comprehension questions (apart
from when)
68. Why you should start/ increase student autonomy in class/ learner training/
69. Why you should stop/ reduce the emphasis on tenses/ the percentage of
pronunciation time spent on minimal pairs
70. Why doesn't work for a particular skill/ sub-skill/ language point or in a particular
situation