Damien Herlihy

32 POSTS

Damien Herlihy has been a vlogger for Pavilion ELT since December 2019. His vlog posts draw upon his experiences as a teacher, teacher trainer and school owner, and take into account what his teachers have found most useful as well as his own learning experiences. His vlog posts have been in a number of themed series including: professional development; how methodology books have influenced his teaching practices; and the internet as a virtual textbook and cater to teacher and teacher trainers working in face-to-face, classes, teaching live online or doing a mix of the two in hybrid teaching. Damien has been teaching English for a little over 20 years, with 8 years of running his own language school in Thailand. He is a former IELTS-examiner, an award-winning teacher, and following his Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language, is also an online teacher, a journal article writer and a conference presenter. Alongside all of this, he has also been working on a website for students of English called English Riot and regularly writes blog posts, makes YouTube videos and produces a podcast for the site, and has juggled a move back to his native Australia.

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365 days of Duolingo: Helpful or Harmful

2022-08-12

Can popular controlled practice grammar and vocabulary apps be useful? Or do they do more harm than good? Damien explores the experience Chris Walker had in 365 days with Duolingo and weighs up what lessons there are to be gained for all our classrooms.

Teaching Grammar in Pre-School?

2022-06-09

Should we even bother with teaching grammar in pre-school? Damien explores this question in more detail then looks at five different approaches, using an article from the May/June issue of MET alongside his own experiences.

Three things to listen out for

2022-04-06

How can a student get 10/10 in a listening test but then struggle outside the classroom? Why is this disconnect happening? Damien explores these questions in more detail, using an article from the latest issue of MET and his own experiences.

It pays to learn a second language as a teacher

2022-02-08

What are the benefits of language teachers learning a second language (or even a third or fourth…)? How can these skills be used to develop your own teaching practice? Damien explores these questions in more detail, using his own experiences as an example.

What do English teachers really want from PD?

2021-11-26

How often do your think about your professional development (PD)? What do you really think about doing PD? We interviewed a couple of teachers recently to get their perspectives on PD amongst other things. How do their experience and opinions compare with yours?

Giving instructions in the English classroom: What could go wrong?

2021-03-31

In this vlog post for Pavilion ELT, Damien Herlihy continues his professional development (PD) series. In this episode he focuses on instructions - why they can go wrong and how to get better at giving them.

Practise English Outside the Classroom: Speaking

2020-08-20

In this episode, having already focused on reading, writing and listening skills as part of The Internet as a Virtual Textbook series, Damien Herlihy turns his attention to virtual speaking practice to motivate students to use English orally beyond the confines of the (online) classroom.

Are your students angry with how you teach listening in the classroom?

2020-06-24

In episode 4 of the Internet as a Virtual Textbook Series, Damien Herlihy focuses on reducing student anger with listening lessons in the English classroom.

The Internet as a Virtual Textbook for English Language Students

2019-12-18

Damien Herhily talks about the concept of students using the Internet as a virtual textbook as an introduction. By the end of the series, you'll be able to better help your students practise English outside of the classroom.

The Internet as a Virtual Textbook: Reading

2014-06-23

In this episode, Damien Herlihy looks at online reading and the type of online tools students can use to assist their reading at home. He also introduces the idea of ‘deliberate practice’ and how it might help our students become better readers.

Teaching English Online: An Interview with Jamie Keddie

2013-07-24

In this episode, Damien Herlihy’s taking pause from his regular topic of ‘The Internet as a Virtual Textbook’ to discuss the challenges he’s been facing – along with everyone involved in the ELT profession due to Covid-19 – and what he’s learnt so far.

What’s the best approach to learn English grammar?

2013-05-24

In this vlog post, Damien Herlihy examines the way we teach grammar from a different perspective and discusses whether we should be using a rules- or reasons-based approach. He follows this up with ideas of some writing tasks learners can do online to consolidate the recommended approach.

Classroom Management in Language Teaching: Hitting the Right Notes

2012-07-27

Good classroom management doesn’t just happen during the class but before and after as well. In episode 4 of his professional development series, Damien Herlihy takes you through a rollercoaster of a lesson to help you find ways to keep your classes on track and get the most value out of your lessons.

How to bring the magic of storytelling into the English classroom

2012-06-28

In episode 3 of this professional development series, Damien Herlihy looks at a range of storytelling techniques to engage your learners in the English language classroom.

The internet as a virtual textbook: HabitTracking

2012-06-21

In episode 2 of The Internet as a Virtual Textbook Series, Damien Herlihy focuses on the power of habit tracking and how it can help your English students get more from their time outside of the classroom.