As 2025 begins, many of us are likely to reflect and set resolutions for the year ahead. Whilst it is great to set measurable results such as ‘use technology in the classroom 3 times a week’ or ‘read 20 books related to teaching’, these statements often overly focus on the outcome. Setting intentions is more process-oriented and focuses on our overall way of being and the strategies and support needed, rather than fixating on an end result. In this blog, Anna Hasper talks about setting intentions for our well-being to begin 2025 well.

A new year, of whatever kind, is often a time of celebration, a fresh start, plans for the coming year, but at times, it can mean despair and confusion. Here, Gerhard Erasmus looks at how different cycles in your organisation can mean a ‘new year’ for different people you work with at different times, and how you can best address their needs.

Gerhard Erasmus was a decade into his teaching career before he heard the word morphosyntax. Here, he explains why thinking about grammar as morphology and syntax opened up a whole new teaching world to him, as he explores what this means in practice.

Anna Hasper recently kicked off the MET Spotlight Webinar Series, shining a spotlight on how you can manage emotions when giving feedback. Here, she summarises the session to explore the impact of emotions on feedback and suggest some ways to proactively manage students’ emotions regarding feedback.

As we start to approach Christmas, children are keenly awaiting Santa, and adults vary from excited to dreading the money they might need to spend. Here, Gerhard Erasmus looks at Santa from a different perspective, and suggests why we must keep Santa alive, not just for Christmas, but for the whole year.

Is the customer always right? And what does this mean for schools and managers? Here, Gerhard Erasmus explores why the customer actually isn’t always right, and instead puts the focus on being a student-centred organisation.

Anna Hasper firmly believes that a teachers’ job is so much than teaching a language; it is teaching people. Here, she elaborates on the importance of teaching with empathy and explains how this concept links to building a rapport.

The idea that comprehensible input is a key component of language acquisition is almost universally accepted by language teachers. Here, Gerhard Erasmus looks at how to use storytelling as a basis for comprehensible input, alongside examples of how he uses it in his school.

For many of us another school year has just come to an end or is ending soon. One habit Anna Hasper has developed over the years is planning in some time, at the start of summer, to write down her end-of-year reflections. Here, she explains how she takes time to think back and self-reflect, but also why it is important to be kind to yourself.

We often wonder if what we do has any effect. Sometimes we get positive feedback, but often we don’t. Here, Gerhard Erasmus looks at the story ‘The man who planted trees’ and draws out some useful lessons for teachers.

Immediately after IATEFL each year, the internet is full of reflections on IATEFL. However, this year Gerhard Erasmus decided to wait two months before reflecting, so that he could think about the effect that IATEFL has had on his school and his practice.

Many teachers want to make the transition from teaching to materials writing. Recently, Chiara Bruzzano was asked to co-write a textbook: read her latest post to find out about the five main lessons she has learned from her experience.

One of the highlights of the year for those who can attend is the annual IATEFL conference. Here, Gerhard Erasmus reflects on the LAMSIG PCE. The theme of the day was teacher recruitment and retention with Andy Hockley and Silvana Richardson.

You've just finished your lesson and you felt it was really successful. But one student’s feedback was that ‘your lesson was boring’, and that is the one comment that sticks. Sound familiar? Here, Anna Hasper explores negativity bias, and what we can do to combat it when needed.

Educators and school leaders have a responsibility to work towards a bright future for their students. That future will not exist without a sustainable planet. But what can we actually do? Gerhard Erasmus explores a few practical ideas to get you started thinking about the climate crisis and implementing sustainability actions.