David Dodgson

David Dodgson blogged for Modern English Teacher over 4.5 years up to the end of 2021. During his time as the MET blogger, David wrote 52 posts spanning his teaching and managerial experiences across 3 different countries and 3 different jobs and drawing on his 20+ years in ELT. Throughout his career, David has worked in Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Turkey and Gabon, gaining experience with young learners, adults, EAL students and exam preparation classes, and holds an MA in EdTech and TESOL and the Trinity DipTESOL. When he finally returned to the UK, he relished the challenge of teaching in the UK for the first time as EAL Coordinator in a leading independent school, which was reflected in some of his more recent posts. David still continues to write, so expect to see articles from him in the new-look MET, as well as in publications like MET, ETp and TESL-EJ. You can find his personal blog here. His interests include supporting learning with technology, and teacher self-development. He also uses digital games as authentic materials for language learning, and blogs about it at eltsandbox.wordpress1.com. David believes that writing articles and blog posts allows you to be part of the wider ELT community, provides a platform to share and reflect on your experiences and to learn from others by engaging with the world of ELT beyond your own personal teaching context. So above all, his advice is to "write on"!

Staying in the loop with feedback cycles

Remote teaching has impacted class dynamics around the world. Communication may be limited to written comments and the occasional interactions possible in live lessons. So, I reflect on how using a variety of feedback has been key to maintaining class relationships and improving online lessons.

7 Tips for Establishing a Remote Teaching Routine

Many teachers across the world are facing a drastic change as schools close and learning shifts online due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Here, David Dodgson shares 7 tips on managing your online workload and taking care of yourself while doing so.

How are notebooks still a thing in 2020?

We live in an age when technology opens up all sorts of beneficial learning possibilities: access to multimedia materials, instant file or note syncing, collaboration that knows no borders... and yet, the humble notebook remains a classroom staple.

Number Crunching – Data and Assessment

Love it or hate it, assessment is part of almost every language course. Here, David Dodgson explains why he's learned to love it - and how he uses test scores to track progress, support students, and keep stakeholders focused on the bigger picture.

Bringing Research To Your Classroom

In his first post as Modern English Teacher resident blogger, David Dodgson considers how we can make use of research as part of our development. He looks at barriers to using research, how to overcome them and how to make research part of our CPD.