Charlie Ellis

‘I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.’ – Joan Didion (1976) In an age of instantaneous generative AI, where lesson plans, essays and feedback reports can be summoned with a few keystrokes, we might ask: what is the intrinsic value of writing?. While technology can assist in producing content, the value of writing for language teachers extends far beyond output. Writing is a cognitive tool, a means of daily survival, a vehicle for career development and a map for discovering new...

Listening to Nick Robinson, one of the BBC’s most experienced political interviewers and a presenter on the ‘flagship’ Today programme (2026), you wouldn’t expect to stumble across profound lessons in language teaching. Yet, a conversation with Matt Forde about his podcast Political Party (2026) offered a striking parallel between the craft of a top political journalist and the daily life of a language teacher. Robinson is widely known for his balance between a confrontational, provocative approach necessary for flagship interviews and a more conversational style used for deeper analysis, such as in his podcast Political Thinking. The core of Robinson’s...

We’ve all experienced it: two students who sit side by side in class, one making rapid progress while the other still struggles with last year’s material. What makes some students make rapid progress, while others make somewhat glacial progress and ‘plateau’ at a relatively low level? What generalisable lessons can we draw from a student who has made rapid progress? What habits and practices can other students emulate? In this case, the student arrived in the UK with an A1 level but is now, about 24 months later, comfortable in a B2 class and seems to be moving serenely towards...

What I would see as at the heart of the communicative approach is to maximise the amount of language being used within a school. This can be achieved by not upholding a strict delineation between the classroom and the wider activities of the school. In short, it’s less about the content of lessons than in the way it is taught. For me, it’s about creating an environment which is language rich and to try and break down the inherently artificial character of the classroom. To put it another way, the bits of chat you have in the corridor, in the...

One of the realities of the ELT sector is the difficulty of finding permanent positions. Teachers who are job hunting often need to do a little bit extra to get their 'foot in the door'. This can include cover work at very short notice. This article suggests that teachers should prepare themselves to grasp these opportunities by having lessons up their sleeves. In addition, having these ready to deploy may help get you through some tight moments in your teaching career. A lesson in 15 minutes The need to have lessons up my sleeve came home to me early in my...

Explore how meaningful conversations, inspired by Theodore Zeldin and how it can transform language learning and foster genuine cultural exchange. Humans have already changed the world several times by changing the way they have had conversations. Theodore Zeldin, Conversation (1999) Conversation classes are usually considered a way to supplement ‘proper’ language lessons and improve fluency. But surely we are all aiming to create meaningful conversations in all of our classes? When new students arrive in a class we usually try and integrate them through asking a few questions about where they are from. Ideally, this evolves into a meaningful exchange between students: a...

Charlie Ellis argues that by reusing materials at different levels you can grade appropriate tasks and save time on the search for resources to use.

The author shares his teaching and learning experiences.

The author describes writing as a way of changing the pace of lessons into a more reflective stage where learners organise their thoughts and redraft their writing.

Charlie Ellis offers some advice on how to turn apathy or other negative attitudes into a positive learning experience and advises learner choice when it comes to topics.

Charlie Ellis argues that care needs to be taken in your choice of material, the approach you use, and the way you handle the class. You also need an ability to adapt to your students’ needs and to continue to develop personally.

Being able to remember and pronounce well your students’ names is a good starting point for showing the importance of pronunciation. The article develops this idea into a fun and engaging activity for building rapport.

Charlie Ellis takes a light-hearted look at the maladies that commonly afflict English language teachers – he identifies four possible afflictions and their typical symptoms.

Charlie Ellis finds that many typical classroom phrases have relevance beyond the classroom, so teaching them has benefits that go far beyond classroom management.

Charlie Ellis explains how the Edinburgh Fringe Festival provided him with resources and inspiration for his teaching, and suggests how you can add a Fringe flavour to your lessons.