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"!

Independent Interactions – keeping language skills active during lockdown

Even as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions ease, many students still face a gap of several months without face-to-face language learning contact. In this month’s post, David Dodgson shares some ideas for independent language learning ahead of a (hopeful) return to class in September.

Making Groups Work

Group work is a staple of the modern classroom that promotes efficient collaboration and encourages effective interaction and communication. But what about when it is neither efficient nor effective? When does group work not work? How can we avoid such things? Read this blog post to find out.

One Idea, One Resource, One Challenge

With ever-changing restrictions and regulations in schools due to the ‘new normal’ we find ourselves in, David Dodgson shares an idea for helping students focus, describes a resource to organise digital learning, and explains a challenge still to overcome.

The ins and outs of language assessment

Assessment often dominates our learners’ lives be it through external exams or internal coursework. What are the pros and cons of standardised tests? Are projects a viable alternative? David Dodgson offers his thoughts on both in this month’s post.

How to Prepare Students for Speaking Assessments

Speaking is possibly one of the most important aspects of learning a language. And yet, speaking is one of the most difficult aspects of language learning to assess. In this month’s blog, David shares tips on preparing students for speaking exams and how to help them get the best results.