Underselling Yourself?

Are you an #Enneagram Type 6, Type 1 or Type 2, i.e. one of the so-called Compliant Types? If so and if you are also an introvert (…and heaven forbid also a woman…) you might be especially prone to underselling yourself when communicating with, or pitching...

If You Are an Introverted Entrepreneur…

Which one is usually hardest for you: –self-promoting –prospecting –pitching? Let me know, I might be able to help! 😉 Schedule a free Type and Instinct Exploration Session to discuss the details. — — Hi, I’m Fatime.  I talk about...

Leadership Ingredients

Do you realize that some of the typical introvert traits, qualities and skills such as  –active/attentive listening –thorough preparation –calmness and rational thinking are actually excellent for leadership? Which of these is your biggest strength? —...

Arrive Early

Do you also like to arrive early to meetings? I always did this my whole life but it wasn’t until I read Jennifer B. Kahnweiler’s book, ‘The Introverted Leader’ that I realized that I (subconsciously) also do this because it helps me to –settle...

The Loudest Minds

Do you agree that  ‘…often it is the quietest people who have the loudest minds…’? (– Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, The Introverted Leader –) What’s on yours today?  — — Hi, I’m Fatime.  I talk about...

Challenges Introverts Face at Work

According to Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, the author of ‘The Introverted Leader’ the 6 key challenges introverts face at work are as follows: –people exhaustion –dealing with a fast pace –getting interrupted  –feeling pressure to self-promote  –coping...

Micro and Macro

In your opinion what’s the main skill of an entrepreneur (compared to an employee or even freelancer)? I start: in my opinion the ability to zoom in and zoom back out effortlessly. To be able to confidently zig-zag between ‘the bigger picture’ in a...

I Invest in Coaching

What are 3 things you invest in, ‘no questions asked’? (Do you have any?) I do, because I think it’s useful to make some of our ‘staple’ decisions in advance like this, so that when in doubt later on, we can more confidently rely on these...

Cultivating Capacity

I recently had brunch with a friend and thanks to a lot of #Enneagram work and practicing presence, I noticed that their presence was quite jagged on this day. They were failing to genuinely respond to my contributions sensitively at times. They kept belaboring a...

Walk and Talk

Here’s a tip to consider to kill two (potential) problems (obesity/lack of health and not enough clients) with one stone:  You could do something for your body/mind and your business in one by getting into the habit of inviting your existing or prospective...

Which One Is the Hardest for You?

If you are an introverted edupreneur which one is usually hardest for you? –self-awareness –self-compassion –self-regulation — — Hi, I’m Fatime.  I talk about the #Enneagram, #personality and #coaching. I help introverted...

Action Figure

The other day I saw a funny meme saying ‘You’re sold as an action figure –What two accessories do you come with?’ I loved it because it makes you think about  –your #personality –your real or imaginary priorities in life (e.g. in the case of...

Books and Thoughts

A key characteristic of introverts is that they are often  ‘…perfectly happy being alone as long as there are books and thoughts…’  (– Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, The Introverted Leader –) The only issue with this is that our amazing...

Reactive

We’ve all heard the advice that we should always aim to respond to situations in life as opposed to reacting to them. But what exactly is reactivity? In my experience it has two key components: –a lack of fully aligned (=Head + Heart + Body) Presence and –an...

What I Most Love About Type 5s

(Warning: Corny Type Appreciation Post! ;)) I try to ‘mind my biases’ when it comes to #Enneagram Types as well because I do believe that when healthy, we all have truckloads to contribute to the world… BUT It’s often very hard for me not to be...

Marketing, Projecting and the Sexual Instinct

Of all the #Enneagram #personalities the following two tend to be especially good at marketing, for the following reasons: –Type 3s because they are excellent at noticing and spelling out value (their own or others’) and –SX (Sexual Instinct) Dominant Types...

Central Concerns

The three #Enneagram Centers of Intelligence are all primarily concerned with different things. Body Center Types (Types 8, 9, 1) are motivated by seeking / protecting their  –autonomy –agency –power –control –dignity Heart Center Types (Types 2, 3, 4) want ...

Corporate, Freelancer or Entrepreneur

I’ve tried all three ways of working over the years and I find that with my #personality (T8 SX/SP/SO) I’m most suited to be  –an entrepreneur then a –freelancer then work  –corporate  …and least well within –a large corporate...

Chaos for the Fly

Morticia Addams, of the iconic Addams Family, once said “Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly”. Similarly for humans, when it comes to our deep #personality motivations, goals, fears or triggers hardly anything is...

Not Our Fault But Our Problem

I almost spit out my tea laughing out loud the other day when I saw this meme with a couple parachutists midair, holding hands in a circle with one of them missing their gear and the caption reading: ‘Mikey, can you stop screaming and let us have a good time?...

Hijack

It’s not pretty when our own ego hijacks us (…), but it’s even more problematic when we let others hijack us for their purposes. Yet this happens a lot to the so-called Compliant Types of the #Enneagram, i.e. Types 1, 2 and 6.  Their default...

Nothing Is What It Seems

Of the many things the #Enneagram has taught me over the years one of the biggest learnings is that when it comes to humans: Nothing is what it seems. Yes, the Types come with certain characteristics which do tell us about the ‘axes’ along which they will...

Personality = Liabilities + Assets

Personality (any #personality) means a set of advantages and disadvantages (aka ‘liabilities’ and ‘assets’) – this is inevitable. We aren’t supposed to be ‘perfect’, this would be impossible anyways. However, a person...

When Aloof Is Just Right

The cookie-cutter cliche that you should always be looking people in the eye when talking to them is just that –a cookie-cutter cliche. Every #Enneagram #personality Type will expect to be talked to differently. A Type 8 will indeed likely want you to  –look them...

Regulate First

Have you noticed how hard it can be to ‘get through’ to people who are feeling overwhelmed by such strong negative emotion as anger, shame or fear? In #Enneagram lingo we refer to these as the ‘Aversive Emotions’ of the three ‘Centers of...

Talking Over Others

Talking over others –something introverts and #Enneagram Body Types really hate– is often a sign of fear either on the –individual level or the –collective (–i.e. broader ‘culture’, in a country, region, company, family, etc.) An amazing hack to avoid...

Type Affirmations for Your (Future) Clients

When promoting your work, looking for prospective clients or pitching to an existing lead, make sure you avoid making the following #Enneagram Types feel their so-called Red Flag Fears: –T8: I will be controlled or violated. –T9: I will be disconnected. –T1: I have...

Pop Wisdoms

Beware of pop wisdom (e.g. social media memes, lyrics, Hollywood… :D) They might accidentally teach you things you wouldn’t want to be learning (…if you were actually paying attention). One such common tricky message is ‘be yourself’. (Or...

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

…or does it. Being a SO (Social Instinct) Repressed introvert, I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of teams, groups and communities in a person’s life over the last few years. I understand the roots in my childhood of why my #personality is...

It’s Just a Fact That

The more I learn about the #Enneagram and #personality, the more I understand that a lot (more!) things are subjective in life (and in people’s minds, hearts and perceptions) than we realize. I have seen people live, think, feel, behave in polar opposite ways,...

Boutique or Pop

Are you serving the many or the select few? (Perhaps one-to-one?) Both strategies are amazing and can be super valuable, it’s just important to know your category so that you can –attract the right customers –choose the right business model –and be able to stay...

A Happy Day

As an introvert, for me a happy day is when I’ve –walked at least an hour or two in nature –listened to a good audiobook or podcast –had a mini tea ceremony (preferably with raspberry) –cooked and had a beautiful meal –hugged someone...

Binge Alert!

What do you ‘like to’ (=tend to) binge on? If you are especially ‘binge-prone’, you might be a SX (Sexual) Dominant Instinct Type. Those people whose Dominant Instinct is Sexual (or ‘One-to-One’) are easily sucked into rabbit...

The Second Best Thing

The first best thing is to work with people (e.g. clients) who are emotionally and mentally healthy (i.e. are on higher Levels of Health in #Enneagram terms). This is often a tall order. So the second best thing is to be able to tell if they are, and knowing how to...

What NOT to Use the Enneagram for?

Understanding #personality with the help of the #Enneagram equips you with an infrared vision of human interactions that can be used (among others) to –promote yourself to find your ideal clients –…and eliminate the rest, i.e. any less than perfect prospects as...

Born a Coach

We’ll never see ourselves fully, so feedback from others can be super enriching.   I got this compliment the other day and it gave me… Wings. <3 “I always enjoy talking to you.  You always have insights that I never saw but are obvious...

Micro-Decisions

Understanding #Enneagram Type and #personality in general can help us make better decisions on the spot. It can lead to better ‘lightning speed leadership’ on your feet if you know what a person’s  –motivations –goals –fears and –triggers are....

How to Get Rid of Your Type?

Another good one in the ‘common Enneagram questions’ series is how to ‘get rid of your Type’.  The answer to which is: Haha… good luck! 😀 As in: while it’s worth aspiring to understand your Type and the details of your...

Exploration

Even if I feel super sure about a person’s #Enneagram Type, I’ll only ever give people pointers for them to confirm their own number (and Instincts) for themselves. (This is why Typing sessions are typically called (or should be called)...

Two Questions

These are the two questions on your prospect’s mind: –’Is it possible?’ and –’It is possible for ME?’ (as in: ‘Am I capable enough, talented enough?’, etc.) Don’t forget to speak to both of these when you offer your...

Invisible Spider Webs

Personalities are like invisible spider webs. You only notice them once you’ve walked into one (brrrrrrr). They create an invisible interpersonal ‘net’ of core motivations and hidden triggers… The good thing is that there is method to their...

We Need to Talk

…or do we. Communication (with words) is overrated if you don’t know (at least) the #Enneagram Type of the person you are talking to. It’s even better if you also have an idea of their –Levels of Health –Dominant Instinct –Repressed Instinct...

What We Can Learn from Each Enneagram Type

These are the (‘essential’) qualities we can learn from the 9 #Enneagram Types.  Type 8: aliveness, immediacy, strength Type 9: wholeness, unity, being Type 1: goodness, sacredness, purity Type 2: love, sweetness, nurturing Type 3: preciousness, radiance,...

Transcendence or Integration?

If you are of a certain #Enneagram Type, you’ll never ‘transcend’ the core characteristics of your Type. That is to say you won’t change Type over the course of your life. Instead the goal should ‘only’ be to integrate the healthy...

Hold It Lightly

One of the many paradoxes of the #Enneagram is that it invites you to first –identify with a Type, Dominant Instinct, etc.  so that you can then start working on –disidentifying with it. What else do you find fascinating about the #Enneagram? Read you here! 🙂 —...

Horizontal and Vertical

Compared to other #personality typologies and wisdom systems the #Enneagram stands out by a mile because it doesn’t just give us a flat description of a set of behaviors and characteristics. Instead, it shows us how our core motivations (goals, fear and...

The Biggest Enneagram Mistake

Is getting to know your Type… and then doing jacks*t about it. Thinking that you’re ‘done. Do NOT stop there! Knowing your Type is not a ‘#personality sentence’ but the start line. (#GrowthMindset?!) Knowing your Type is where the work...

If I Can’t Join Them

As #Enneagram Type 5s lose presence they  –withdraw more and more into their minds –become increasingly high-strung, cerebral, secretive –start to minimize their needs –even beyond what would be reasonable –cut off all connections from the world in an attempt to...

Center Emotion Deniers

As an #Enneagram Type 8 I know a thing or two about denial, our ‘preferred’ defense mechanism. In difficult situations and/or when triggered Type 8s will deny anything. 😀 Yet this way of coping isn’t completely alien to the other Types either. In...

Practice Makes… Human

I know the #Enneagram.  I understand my triggers. (As a Type 8 my #personality flares up when I perceive –attempts at controlling me –perceived injustices  –…especially when I don’t have the possibility (‘power’) to correct...

The Two Main Teachings of the Enneagram

The two main learning outcomes of my 3-month-long Enneagram coaching program ‘Learning to Love Leading’ for #introverted entrepreneurs (such as solopreneurs, edupreneurs, coaches like you) are learning to understand and manage themselves, through...

How Well Do You Know You?

How well do you know yourself, really? For example, are you crystal clear about your core –motivations –goals –fears and –triggers? In other words do you know your #Enneagram Type?  …And your Dominant/Repressed Instincts? (If so, drop it in the comments!...

Thank You, I Guess?!

Each #Enneagram Type (and Dominant Instinct) is trying to gift others with the goods they didn’t get in childhood. And when others are yearning for other things and can’t appreciate these specific offerings, we (our ego) can take things very personal. The...

Fully Human

The healthier (more balanced) a person is, the harder it is to tell what their #Enneagram Type (and Instincts) are.  This is because the more we follow the thoughts, sensations and feelings that are (more and more rigidly) ‘prescribed’ by our Type, the...

Too Sensitive?

Have you ever been told you are too ‘sensitive’? In what ways? Do you agree with the label? The #Enneagram describes 9 ways in which we can be ‘sensitive’, depending on our Type. For example, the following Types are ‘extra...

Need a Compass?

Do you sometimes feel you wish there was a compass to (your) life and people…? Then get to know the #Enneagram!  It’ll provide you with a compass to your ‘2.0 version’ (and a clearer perspective of the other Types). Message me if...

There Is Nothing Wrong with You

I learned to teach the #Enneagram in a compassionate from the amazing humans at the Enneagram Prison Project. They taught me to help you see that ‘in essence’ the following (seemingly contradictory) statement is true of us: “There is nothing wrong...

Unknown Unknowns

One of the many amazing sayings of the famous late #Enneagram Type 5 investor Charlie Munger is to always ‘know the edge of your own competency’. I love the trademark #Type 5 objectivity behind this quote because it reminds us that a, it is worth...

Permanent but Pliable

Many people love popular #personality typologies.  (Even stupid ones, e.g. along the lines of Question: ‘What kind of a vegetable would you be?’  Answer: Broccoli or rucola: both dark, green, unpopular but healthy, often an acquired taste) ...

According to ChatGpT…

 Here’s How the Enneagram Can Help Introverts: Self-awareness: The Enneagram provides deep insights into a person’s motivations, fears, and patterns of behavior. For introverts, this can be particularly helpful in understanding their own...

What’s Really Going on Here?

Do you ever feel lost when it comes to interpreting other people’s behaviors, intentions or emotions? Do you want to get a handle on social interactions? Understand others’ invisible, deeper motivations? Then learn the #Enneagram. Here is how: 1) Follow me...

The Right Amount of Fear

There is intelligence to the core emotion of the Head Center Types (#Enneagram Types 5, 6 and 7) and some fear is useful in life. The only question (for Head Types and everyone else) is how we strike a balance between being cautious enough but not becoming paralyzed....

On Gradually Releasing the False Self

After you’ve discovered your #Enneagram Type, next steps for you isn’t to be too harsh with yourself when you start noticing the typical issues of your Type (i.e. ‘catching yourself in the act’ from time to time, when triggered). Instead, try...

On Not Having a Plan B

If you are an #Enneagram Type 7 (who struggles with always seeing and entertaining too many options), consider consciously forcing yourself NOT to have a plan B before embarking on a new thing. (And then if it doesn’t work out, you just think then and look for a...

What If It’s Neither?

Every #Enneagram Type has its own ‘Type agenda’. This is the ‘axis’ of their #personality structure that each Type is deeply (albeit unconsciously) concerned with when relating to others. For example Type 8: Will you...

Reactivity

‘Reactivity is when your personality has you, instead of you having a personality’ –Ian Morgan Cron, Enneagram teacher– When was the last time you felt you were (re-)acting ‘on autopilot’? What caused it? And what did it cause? (!) —...

What Is Personality?

We all have an ego. But being ‘selfish (or ‘egoistic’) can take many different, less obvious forms, depending on the circumstances of our upbringing, and the #personality we had to take on as a result. For example, would you think that it can be...

Personality: Poison or Elixir?

I’m often asked which #Enneagram Type is ‘best’. The answer (of course) is Type 8. Nah, just kidding. 😀 ;P The real answer is: it’s not Type that matters so much as Levels of Health.  In other words, no one Type is better than...

Learn, Love, Lead

‘Learning to Love Leading’, the name of my #Enneagram coaching program for introverted entrepreneurs who want to gain core confidence by understanding and using personality to their advantage includes the words  –Learn –Love and –Lead. These words are...

Sacred Doing vs Sacred Making

Besides the 9 core Types, the #Enneagram also distinguishes 3 core Instincts (Self-Preservation, Sexual, Social) that further color our #personality combos. And much like understanding Type (e.g. when hiring, negotiating, partnering with others, etc.), it’s...

Personality Isn’t Personal

I once learned an amazing phrase from my even more amazing friends and colleagues at the Enneagram Prison Project: ‘personality isn’t personal’. It’s like the #Enneagram equivalent of the famous saying, ‘never attribute to...

To Understand Is to Forgive

As an #Enneagram Type 8 I have a lot of work to do with my anger. Having learned the #Enneagram has been super useful with this, as well as understanding and being compassionate with the other #personality Types. As the saying goes ‘To understand is to...

Defense Mechanisms

We all learn to cope with things in life as children, then ‘fall into’ our #Enneagram Type and become ‘experts’ of relying on one key defense mechanism in particular. Here’s a cheat sheet to the different #Enneagram Types’ defense...

Marketing Recommendations for the Types

“I also appreciate your understanding of my personality and the way you worked that into your recommendations”. I recently got this lovely feedback from an introverted #Enneagram Type 4 edupreneur who’s also struggling to have her voice heard in the...

Validate… Then Tame

Have you seen any nature documentaries of trapped animals? They are dangerous when scared. Similarly, when working with (managing, negotiating with, etc.) another person we have to be mindful of their #personalities. Knowing who we are dealing with is especially...

Avatar Love

I have a family member who I haven’t spoken to for 10 years, nor do I plan to, most likely ever again. The reason is their #personality. More specifically, in this case, personality on steroids. (Which is a bad thing, BTW). More concretely still, their...

Overcommitted Equals Not Committed

For anything meaningful and ‘big’ to grow in life (e.g. long-term goals, etc.), commitment is needed. #Enneagram Type 6s and 7s often struggle with commitment but in opposite ways –sometimes leading to the same (negative) outcomes. Type 6s in an effort to...

To Travel in Style

I’ve always, always, ALWAYS wanted to learn to travel in style. Like those posh ladies at airports in perfect make-up, elegantly strolling past me, wearing beautiful, uncomfortable clothes, smelling nice, pulling impractical carry-on suitcases and casually...

Mind Your Chaos

There is no Hippocratic oath for mere humans.  No swearing-in ceremony of any sort in front of a committee when we become adults. Yet the aim should equally be to ‘First, do no harm’.  And we achieve that by ‘minding our chaos’. How?...

Pure Potentiality

People say the best period of our life is in our 20s. We are ‘pure potentiality’ then. (…And collagen. :D) BUT trauma too! On steroids! … Being acted out loud … (aka #personality). And in the upheaval that is our 20s all this is confused...

The Crown Jewel

Of the three core ‘self’ skills (i.e. self-awareness, self-compassion and self-regulation) the ‘crown jewel’ for me at this point in my life, with my #personality (#Enneagram Type 8) is self-regulation. By this point I feel self-aware...

Motivations, Goals, Fears and Triggers

Knowing the #Enneagram boils down to understanding your own and others’ –motivations –goals –fears –triggers Do you know your own?  And would you like to learn to read others’ too?  Message me for a free Type and Instinct Exploration Session today to...

Be Like a Bird

Many people misunderstand the developmental teaching of #Enneagram wings. So the invitation is this. Instead of fixating too much on which Type your (currently!) more developed wing is, focus on bringing the other one up to par too. For example, I used to really...

The Quality of Your NOs

Here’s some more #Enneagram Rejection Types wisdom for you: The ‘quality’ of your NOs will determine your success, happiness, alignment, level of consciousness in life. Make sure they’re –quick –firm –kind Did I miss anything from the list? Let...

Accidental Arrogance

When not present or healthy (and mislead by ego), the 9 #Enneagram Types are prone to being ‘arrogant’ in 9 different ways. Type 1s start to believe that only they know ‘the right way’ of doing things. Type 2s start to believe others need them...

Cocky New Brooms

When starting out as a new leader make sure you pay attention to the vibe in the room before declaring your planned new initiatives and goals. Until you learn your new colleagues’ Types at least try to get a feel for who the Body, Head and Heart Types are around...

The Importance of Language for Growth

We need language for growth. We need to have words for new concepts. With words it’s easier to spell new ideas out. And it’s also easier to notice stuff (again) that we already have a name for. The #Enneagram is a language too: –It provides us with words...

Titrate Your Truth

If you are an #Enneagram Type 4, 6 or 8 (the so-called ‘truth-teller’ Types) the invitation for you is to practice ‘titrating your’ truth. Even though it might not ‘instinctively’ (=ego!) feel right to do so, at times it’s a...

Yes, That’s My Shadow

You know what’s powerful? Knowing what the shadows of your #personality are. And also working on them –e.g. using the #Enneagram. This way when people confront you about your shortcomings, they don’t take you completely by surprise and you can even say ...

Thank You for Your Doubt

Every #Enneagram Type offers something to the rest of us. And if an individual’s #personality isn’t hyperactivated, their Type’s offering will feel more like a gift than a burden. This is true of Type 6s as well, who ‘work with’ a lot of...

Everyone Has an Ego

Everyone has an ego. And the challenge in life is two-fold: 1) to keep yours in check and  2) to manage (or at least understand!) others’ How good are you at each? — — Hi, I’m Fatime.  I talk about...

My Love Language

My ‘love language’ is teaching the Enneagram. <3 What’s your (current) mission in life? Let me know, I’d love to read what ‘aligns’ with you now! — — Hi, I’m Fatime.  I talk about...

How Is the Enneagram Commonly Used?

The #Enneagram is an ancient wisdom system used as a modern psychological & spiritual tool for personal development in various fields including -corporate -entrepreneurship  -counseling (e.g. marriage, family) -parenting -coaching I use it to help introverted...

Pushing Against

For so-called Rejection Types (i.e. #Enneagram Types 2, 5 and 8) it’s often easier to define themselves, their life choices, etc. in light of what they do NOT want.Deciding (=noticing) what they do NOT want to do, how they do NOT want to live, etc. often comes easier...

When I Walk Into a Room I See

When I walk into a room I see… humans trying to cope with life as best as they know how. This often means relying on some Type of ego they developed earlier on in childhood. Which is fine and necessary, but when we get stuck in ‘overusing’ our...

27 Shades of Difficult

Are you a ‘difficult’ person? Have you ever been told you have a difficult #personality? Do you think were right? Who said it? What was their (overt or covert) agenda? Did they have any? #Enneagram Type and Instinct together will determine what’s...

Pets and Personalities

I live with 3 cats (and a dog and a human :)) now. From day one it was obvious that one of them is an ‘assertive’ Type (just like #Enneagram Types 3, 7, 8) because she always plunges herself into action and actively seeks it out too. The other is...

Authentically You

There is often misunderstanding around what being ‘authentically you’ really means. This is because when we are still very entrenched in #personality, we tend to take that for our essence. It’s not. This is a bit trippy at first, but it’s worth...

Personality Is a Cage Fight

One of my favorite podcasters is (the slightly :)) controversial Joe Rogan.  He is hard to pin down as has worn many hats in his life, including martial artist, UFC commentator, comedian and TV host. For me it’s easy to love him because we share a...
Greetings from Dubai

Greetings from Dubai

Greetings from the UAE! As you (might) know, I now live and work in Dubai, as of approx 2 weeks ago, which is why I’ve been less active on social media as well.  I’m still adjusting to my new life, but I DO plan to continue sharing useful...
How NOT to Teach IELTS

How NOT to Teach IELTS

I talk a lot about how to teach IELTS. Now here’s a chat about how NOT to do it as well, to avoid ‘demoralizing’ (our learners) and ‘fossilizing’ (their typical mistakes) … Check it out! What’s ONE of your current IELTS...
How I Teach Skills

How I Teach Skills

I’m looking for contributors to my blog! Are you an English teacher who’s also passionate about teaching SKILLs well? Do you feel you have ‘stuff to stay’ about how skills (/a particular skill or sub-skills) could be taught? Are you interested...
Basic ELT Assessment Concepts

Basic ELT Assessment Concepts

If you’re new to #assessment and #itemwriting (especially #ELTassessment and #ELTitemwriting), you might want to start by Googling/revising the following key terms and ideas. Core Terms: –reliability (test, scorer/intra-rater vs inter-rater) –validity (face,...
Perspectives on Assessment

Perspectives on Assessment

If you’re new to #ELTassessment and #ELTitemwriting, you might find this conversation I had with Jim Fuller on his YouTube Channel, Sponge ELT useful. And because the topic might be quite advanced at first, here’re some scaffolded...
You’re a Star!

You’re a Star!

THANK YOU if you signed up to be a reviewer of one of my IELTS teacher training courses,  • How to Teach IELTS Listening • How to Teach IELTS Reading • How to Teach IELTS Writing • How to Teach IELTS Speaking  and sent me your reflections...
Is the CELTA Enough?

Is the CELTA Enough?

The other day I got this very insightful comment (question?) on LinkedIn: “Dear Fatime,  I doubt it that a CELTA qualified teacher is unable to teach IELTS. CELTA is the most thorough course and trains you how to teach English communicatively with observed...
Food Fraud

Food Fraud

Do you also like to turn interesting AUTHENTIC materials into IELTS teaching opportunities? As we discussed it with Jane Ritter yesterday on Teachers Talk Radio, there’re many good reasons to do so. Here’re a few ideas for you, based on the topic of food...
Genre Transfer Activities

Genre Transfer Activities

Next time when you’re lost for ideas while PLANNING an IELTS lesson, try including some sort of a GENRE TRANSFER ACTIVITY. For example, let’s say your learners have just read an article about Albert O Hirschman’s book ‘Exit, Voice and...
REALLY Earned Skills?

REALLY Earned Skills?

“…I prefer teaching reports, because it was a challenge for me to get my head around when I started teaching them (I’d never had to report on a chart or diagram before), I had to learn the tricks from scratch myself, so passing on that learning is...
Ideas AND Resources

Ideas AND Resources

“I did not expect to find so many documents, materials, and resources. It was a pleasant surprise”. Are you looking for an IELTS teacher training course as part of your 2023 #CPD? Did you know that if you take my IELTS teacher training course, How to Teach...
A Breath of Fresh Air

A Breath of Fresh Air

Check out what this recent Bootcamp graduate had to say about the course: 1) Why did you sign up for the course? What did you need help with? I signed up for the course, as I wanted to learn about a new take on teaching IELTS. After having taught it for many years,...
On Rewriting

On Rewriting

Do you ever ask your IELTS learners to REWRITE an essay, report or letter they wrote? Why/why not? We sometimes put a ton of effort into writing them FEEDBACK, but do they read it? And even if they do, does it ‘STICK’? After all, we know that we learn best...
Setting the Mood

Setting the Mood

SO hard to get into a Xmas mood in 35 Celsius…  Is there a SKILL or ACTIVITY type that you tend to struggle to get your IELTS students ‘in the mood’ for? What is it? What makes it a drag for them? Let me know!...
Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Love it? Hate it? If the former, how do you use it in your everyday teaching?  And when was the last time that you made your IELTS learners CREATE, EVALUATE, ANALYZE, APPLY, UNDERSTAND or REMEMBER something? Bloom’s Taxonomy-Based IELTS Homework Choice...
Meta Much?

Meta Much?

How much ‘TECHNICAL’ (i.e. linguistic or methodology-related) vocab do you use with your IELTS learners? Just because we know certain CONCEPTS or the names of various (teaching or SKILLS-related e.g. reading techniques), it doesn’t mean our students...
Would You Like to Review a Module?

Would You Like to Review a Module?

As some of you might know, my IELTS teacher training course, How to Teach IELTS -The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– is becoming MODULAR and SELF-STUDY in January. I’m looking for a few more REVIEWERS to do a module FREE, in exchange for...
What to Promise Our IELTS Students

What to Promise Our IELTS Students

I know it can be hard to know what to responsibly PROMISE our IELTS learners when they are considering signing up to do their exam PREPARATION with us. We do want to have enough students, after all… Yet it’s important to be STRATEGIC about what RESULTS we...
Sausage IELTS Courses

Sausage IELTS Courses

A while back I asked my connections on LinkedIn how they felt when they first started teaching IELTS. I got to read a lot of teachers’ stories, and the majority were speaking to how FRUSTRATED and UNSUPPORTED they were feeling at the time. 🙁 Unfortunately, I...
Avoidance as a Strategy

Avoidance as a Strategy

Have you noticed your IELTS students (consciously or unconsciously) using AVOIDANCE when they aren’t sure of a particular grammar area? While it can be a useful strategy at times, if overused, it might result in their GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY being...
Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There’s always so, SO much to be thankful for, in any (ANY!) moment in life. (It does take SKILL to learn this though…). This year I’m especially thankful for all the LEARNING that starting my own ‘eduprize’ has been providing me...
Fit for Purpose?

Fit for Purpose?

“Timoteo, you smell like humans!” This is the lovely Timoteo, my friend Claudia’s dog.  According to Clau, he was smelling bad even after she had bathed him in dog shampoo, so she decided to up the ante and also bathed him in human shampoo. :O Fit for purpose? Maybe...
IELTS Writing Checklists

IELTS Writing Checklists

Other than omitting the OUTLINE writing stage, many IELTS learners also typically fail to see the importance of saving 2-3 minutes for checking their work when they are done.  This is a shame because we typically manage to pick up on various MISTAKES we have...
The Angle ABC

The Angle ABC

Do your IELTS students struggle to brainstorm for ideas for their ESSAYS? Teach them The Angle ABC method! Get them to think of some adjectives starting with the letters of the alphabet (e.g. artistic, biological, cognitive, developmental, economic, etc.) to ask...
Resilience, Reframe… Rinse and Repeat

Resilience, Reframe… Rinse and Repeat

After being completely locked down in one place (a nice place, Cancun, but still…) during the pandemic, this year I’ve had to move around… TOO MUCH. Or so it feels… The last time I travelled was last week, this time from Miami to Merida, Mx,...
When NOT to Be Autonomous

When NOT to Be Autonomous

I’m a HUGE, (…HUGE) fan of learner autonomy. I love to SELF-STUDY stuff, always did, always will.  …DISCOVER and COMPILE my own (life) curricula… AND… I also realize that there are times when this is LIMITED (…if not outright...
Exciting Detours!

Exciting Detours!

The TWO important, much-awaited changes I’m making to my course, How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– as of January are as follows. The course is becoming • SELF-STUDY, and  • MODULAR. This means that it’ll also be •...
2022 Has Been a WEE Bit Intense…

2022 Has Been a WEE Bit Intense…

Actual footage of me on the beach yesterday… 😀 😀 I’m feeling a bit patchy and rusty these days too… A LOT (of good things…) have happened this year, but probably a bit fast too, TBH… 😀 How’re YOU approaching the end of the year?...
Ready for Feedback?

Ready for Feedback?

If a learner’s ‘affective filter is lowered’, they’re more ready to learn in general, including becoming more receptive to feedback. What do YOU do to build rapport to ‘plow the soil’ first, for your constructive comments?...
My Favorite Question Words

My Favorite Question Words

Being a successful teacher, (teacher trainer, coach, etc.) is, to a large part, about asking GOOD QUESTIONS. They can be quite closed (i.e. yes-no Qs), or more open (usually starting with a question word). Display, or more ‘genuine’. Longer, or...
I

I <3 IELTS Listening

This week is ALL about listening sub-skills for me (…and my happy campers 😀 ;P) Which SKILL do you enjoy teaching the most for IELTS? What makes it easiest for you? #showmehow #skillsfirst #IELTSTeacherTrainer #TeachingIELTSafterCELTA #IELTSlistening —...
ELT Myths

ELT Myths

I love to think about common myths … and see if I can bust them. 😀  For example, in ELT there is a common misconception around how it’s pretty impossible to teach critical thinking on LOWER LEVELS, or to YL. What other ELT myth do you know is not...
And We Should Do the Teaching

And We Should Do the Teaching

I got some lovely feedback from a teacher the other day who was saying that   “I find it so valuable that you dig deeper and challenge teachers so that they move away from testing only as IELTS is so much more than that!” I completely agree that we should...
Thank You for Making Me Problem-Aware

Thank You for Making Me Problem-Aware

Sometimes when we take a course we already have our ROI (Return on Investment) just by having our awareness raised of an issue we  A) either didn’t know existed,  or B) didn’t know WE had If on top of this eye-opener we also get a few useful,...
Co-Constructed Dialogues

Co-Constructed Dialogues

In IELTS dialogues, meaning is often CO-CONSTRUCTED between the two (or more) speakers. Speakers often gradually come to a mutual understanding of what they are talking about by regularly checking they understand what the other person has said, using phrases...
Bootcamp Kick-Off Questions

Bootcamp Kick-Off Questions

These are the questions on my IELTS teacher training course’s kick off call. Even if you aren’t taking the course this time but are teaching IELTS, I’d love to know: 1) Where are you BASED, what do you teach, and how much of it is IELTS now? 2) What...
Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Love it? Hate it? If the former, how do you use it in your everyday teaching?  #showmehow #skillsfirst #IELTSTeacherTrainer #TeachingIELTSafterCELTA #bespoke #BloomsTaxonomy
Dog Woman

Dog Woman

Another thing few people know about me is that I actually DON’T have a dog now. :(( (Which is partly why I’m OBSESSED with them, I think… 😀 <3) If you ARE a lucky dog owner,  AND would you like your doggies featured in some of my IELTS...
Wanted: IELTS Students Who Don’t Ghost

Wanted: IELTS Students Who Don’t Ghost

A friend of mine is teaching IELTS. And it’s not always smooth sailing… Working for a better IELTS band score (let alone if it’s in various skills and/or on short notice) is HARD WORK. It requires real commitment, and bravery…  …to...
Actionable Steps

Actionable Steps

You might have heard me talk about the importance of always ‘breaking things down into ACTIONABLE STEPS’ for our IELTS learners when we’re teaching them a new SUB-SKILL. Well, I’m still new to (=nervous about) making video (but I know...
Angles Matter

Angles Matter

Sometimes looking at the same thing, but from a different ANGLE can make all the difference. For example, teaching IELTS by  • focusing on teaching SKILLS, not just LANGUAGE (i.e. advanced grammar and academic vocabulary), as well as • helping learners...
The Dog Ate It?

The Dog Ate It?

I’m often asked this too: “What should I do if my IELTS student isn’t doing any homework?” To which my go to answer is this: Have a conversation with them about the PSYCHOLOGICAL impacts of not doing homework. This is because I find that...
This Is My Why

This Is My Why

Today I finally read Simon Sinek’s famous ‘Start with Why’.  In it he talks about how important it is not only to define and communicate about WHAT we do, but to attract the right ‘tribe’ around us, also to say WHY.  When a...
Before or After?

Before or After?

I keep hearing the same question from (IELTS) teachers: “How exactly is TEACHING different from TESTING?” Well, I think the difference between the two lies in  • how AWARE we (teachers) are of the ‘mini-steps’ involved in acquiring a...
Unsung IELTS Student Heroes

Unsung IELTS Student Heroes

We talk a lot about TEACHER HEROES here, who are trained, motivated, (….know the difference between testing and teaching… ;)), and just in general, would give ANYTHING for their students to succeed in the IELTS exam. And I feel that sometimes there’s...
Feedback All in CAPS LOCK

Feedback All in CAPS LOCK

About a year ago I did a course online, where I had a lovely, elderly teacher. All was well enough, until we got to the ‘practicum’ stage of the program, where I started practicing the new skill,  …and she started providing me with feedback on...
Pure Magic

Pure Magic

I shared some of the resources of my course, How to Teach IELTS -The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– ahead of time with the next (4 Nov-4 Dec) cohort’s participants, and woke up to this message today! :O <3 <3 #puremagic When was the last time...
A Small Win for Mankind…

A Small Win for Mankind…

…but a HUGELY encouraging surprise for a brand-new ELT edupreneur to see yet another positive review on Amazon on one of my IELTS books! 😀 Since I’ve been at the helm of this whole ‘Fatime Losonci enterprise thing’ (…), I’ve come to...
Life-Changing IELTS Stories

Life-Changing IELTS Stories

Teaching IELTS (well…) can make a huge IMPACT on our students’ lives. “Teaching IELTS skills one-to-one can make a difference. I recently helped a student struggling to get a score of 6.5 in mock tests despite having spent months preparing at a...
Picking an Exam

Picking an Exam

During the 20 years while I was actively teaching and preparing students for international language exams, people either approached me with a concrete language exam ALREADY in mind, or they wanted my help in picking one together. If they already knew that they...
A Gentle Reminder

A Gentle Reminder

The skill that is HARDEST for your IELTS students to master might, or might NOT coincide with the skill you know how to teach BEST. In other words, always focus on what THEY need, not what’s easiest for YOU to teach. — — Hi. I’m Fatime....
Valid and Meaningful

Valid and Meaningful

In my opinion, IELTS provides learners with a VALID and MEANINGFUL learning challenge on its own right. (#backwash) While sometimes IELTS is criticized for having a bit of a ‘hybrid’ focus, I think it IS (especially its Academic module) a useful...
Exam Date and Course Format

Exam Date and Course Format

In my experience, IELTS candidates who are closer (or already on) the band score level that they are targeting and just need a quicker, shorter course will want lessons ONE-TO-ONE,  while  the GROUP format is useful to help learners MOTIVATE each other for a...
Adrenalin!

Adrenalin!

I’m an introvert, but I KNOW I must keep working on leaving my ‘woman’s cave’ 😀 from time to time. It’s good for me personally, AND it’s good for my business in a million different ways.  For example, by interacting more I get...
Playing with Scope

Playing with Scope

A common challenge across ALL essay types for many IELTS learners is to get the SCOPE of the topic right.  Yet it matters a lot, because it will define the quality of their BRAINSTORMING, which in turn largely defines the TASK RESPONSE score they will be awarded....
I Have IELTS Students in…

I Have IELTS Students in…

I have former IELTS students currently living, working and/or studying in the UK, Australia, Canada, and the US –most of them originally from Hungary, China, South Korean and Mexico. Where have YOU had IELTS learners from already? (And where are they now?) #showmehow...
On Egos and Peers

On Egos and Peers

Another key advantage of teaching IELTS is that students tend to come REALLY READY for FEEDBACK. Warts and all. ‘Bring-it-on-teacher!’ style. Which I think is quite something, from a job satisfaction point of view…  If you’ve tried...
The Dreaded D-Word

The Dreaded D-Word

What are you in DENIAL about concerning your current IELTS teaching practice? 1) Is it any of the 4 skills that you feel less CONFIDENT about teaching than the others, for any reason? 2) Or is it that you feel that you sometimes accidentally ‘TEST and...
Are You an IELTS ‘Expert’?

Are You an IELTS ‘Expert’?

While thinking out loud about feedback on LinkedIn the other day with a friend we ended up discussing the idea of just how gentle our suggestions should be to our IELTS learners. My friend’s excellent point was that my overly cautious way of giving feedback...
Verb or Noun?

Verb or Noun?

Summary completion exercises in the reading part of the IELTS exam require that candidates know what WORD CLASS (or part of speech) is missing from the gaps. If your students struggle with this, give them a set of exercises to raise their awareness of this important...
I’d Sooner Chew on an Old Tennis Shoe

I’d Sooner Chew on an Old Tennis Shoe

I’d sooner chew on an old tennis shoe than to take on an IELTS student who 1) isn’t already on B1+ LEVEL (=band 5) at least 2) isn’t ready to invest at least the same amount of time to doing HOMEWORK as we spend together in class 3) wants a band...
Do You Place Your IELTS Students?

Do You Place Your IELTS Students?

In your IELTS teaching context do YOU place your own students? If so, are you in charge of also carrying out a NEEDS ANALYSIS with them to find out • what their current LEVEL is • which MODULE they need (i.e. Academic or General) • what OVERALL band...
When I First Taught IELTS…

When I First Taught IELTS…

…I didn’t quite know what I was doing. 😀 I had been working with candidates preparing for the Cambridge FCE, CAE, and CPE (today ‘B2 First’, ‘C1 Advanced’ and ‘C2 Proficiency’), but I hadn’t heard much of IELTS...
And THAT Is How You Give Feedback

And THAT Is How You Give Feedback

The other day I made a mistake.  I used a ‘non-PC’ image in one of my posts, accidentally depicting animal cruelty. And then I got this beautiful message from a friend of mine. “Hi Fatime,  Hope all is well with you. I love your dog images...

Snackable Free IELTS CPD!

Are you looking for some quick, snackable FREE IELTS CPD? Then here’s an idea for you. 🙂 Why don’t you check out ALL my past IELTS teacher training blog entries (130 and counting)! Any IELTS-related theme that you think is missing from the collection? Let...

Same Topic, Different Essay

Here’s a quick WRITING challenge for you if you teach IELTS writing! 🙂 Look at the following ESSAY task. Identify the TOPIC, and rewrite the task into the essay TYPE provided. ESSAY TASK: “What are the reasons why genetically modified food is so widespread...

Do do, Don’t Do

What are some common IELTS teaching tips that you’ve received that you DO agree with,  AND …some that you DON’T follow? Why? P.s. I talk about my IELTS teaching principles in my course, How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training...

Scaffolding Exam Skills?

Much like we SCAFFOLD things in a lesson to make learning easier, we need to scaffold our IELTS students’ EXAM SKILLS. Candidates need to experience INCREASINGLY (cognitively and psychologically!) more demanding situations leading up to the exam, to do well on...

Three Layers of Pronunciation

Which of the three levels of pronunciation, i.e. SOUND, WORD STRESS, or INTONATION do your students most struggle with? Why?  1) What is the L1 of the majority of your students? How does their nationality influence the issues they have pronouncing the SOUNDS of...

Taking IELTS Is a ‘Joint Venture’

Do your IELTS learners realize that preparing for the exam is a ‘JOINT VENTURE’?  By that I mean are they deeply aware of the fact that while you’re there to help them prepare for it, THEY are the ones who’ll actually be taking it? 😀 😉 😉...

What’s a Smart Question?

What’s a ‘smart question’ for you?  Don’t you just love, love, LOVE being asked a smart question by your IELTS students? One that shows that they’re getting ‘it’. (The ‘it’ being any important IELTS sub-skill...

Are You Teaching 40+ Hours a Week?

Are you aware of the importance of investing in the RIGHT (=most impactful and transformative) CPD …in THEORY? …but are struggling to commit to a ‘more serious’ course because you’re teaching 40+ hours a week (…instead of the ideal...

Why Become an IELTS Teacher?

If you have the Cambridge CELTA or equivalent, and have been teaching general English for a while, maybe it’s time to consider specializing in teaching IELTS. Here’re just some of the reasons why this might be a smart move: 1) There are millions of test...

What’s the Point of Planning?

What’s the point of planning a lesson if we know that things won’t go according to it?  By planning we make sure that what we want to do in a lesson will be fresh in our minds. So, in essence, it isn’t HAVING a plan that’s useful, but...

Overcalibrate!

I don’t know about you, but what proved to be a useful strategy with my IELTS students over the years was to always ‘OVERCALIBRATE’. By this I mean that if a learner needed, say a band 6 in one particular skill or overall, I liked to aim for 6.5 or 7...

Bespoke Means…

Bespoke to ME mostly means • carrying out a NEEDS ANALYSIS when starting to work with a new IELTS student,  • planning MILESTONES in advance, and • MONITORING these consciously during the course, adjusting content and strategy where necessary. What does bespoke...

Send Me Your IELTS Lesson Plan!

If you  · have been following my IELTS teacher training posts for a while · watched my free IELTS Masterclass and loved it · speak English on a C1 level or above · have the Cambridge CELTA or equivalent · already teach, or plan to teach IELTS...

When Is It Best to Just… Surrender?

So, the other day we went to the beach for the first time since I got here. We were super excited, and packed everything for a perfect day: ice cold drinks, food, suntan lotion, towels, snacks and goggles… you name it. Oh, and a fancy new beach umbrella too,...

Avoidance or Overuse?

Are your IELTS learners avoiding or overusing any grammar area? Do they sometimes resort to AVOIDANCE when they’re not confident about a grammar area? What gives them away? Have any of your learners been OVERUSING a grammar (or vocab!) area to compensate for...

Time and Money?

Are you on the fence about signing up for my upcoming IELTS teacher training Bootcamp in November, How to Teach IELTS?  Let me guess. 1) Is it because you’re concerned you might not have the necessary TIME to dedicate to studying on the course? OR 2) Is it...

I’m Nuts…

Yes, I’m ‘nuts’ about Florida –how well they know me!  And nuts about nuts in general: almonds, pecans, even cashews… 😀 ;P I’m also ‘nuts’ about TRAINING teachers, and seeing them become better and more confident at teaching...

Move! Feel Alive!

Moving our body makes us stronger and more flexible. Moving to a new home, (town, country, continent, culture…) makes us more resilient, resourceful, and emotionally, mentally more agile. In other words, SOME change and disruption can often be good for us, as it...

Who Your IELTS Lessons Are NOT For

We spend a lot of time thinking about becoming better teachers for our learners –as we should. And we tend to think less about who our IELTS lessons are NOT for. Yet there are students who we should not strive to work with, for a variety of reasons, including...

One-Word Conversations

To help raise your IELTS learners’ awareness of the importance that INTONATION plays in creating meaning, you could have them do the following SPEAKING exercise. “Create one-word conversations with a ‘story’ behind each. Practice reading/acting...

Where Is Your Evidence?

Some students who are new to IELTS (…but have perhaps heard that it’s a challenging exam… with strict time limits too…) will treat it like a MEMORY TEST.  Short-term memory plays a role, yes, but often differently than how these learners...

What Makes Feedback Digestible

In my experience, a few things might help make feedback easier to take on board: 1) starting with the POSITIVES 🙂 2) using gentle, reaffirming LANGUAGE throughout 3) NOT DUMPING but choosing ‘staggered delivery’ as much as possible,...

Students with Dreams

Yesterday I got to talking with a lovely Bootcamper about the importance of managing our IELTS learners’ expectations carefully. Because our job is relatively easy when a student who is ALREADY on the (CEFR/band score) level that they are targeting, but may...

10 More Reasons to Sign Up –Part 4

If you teach IELTS and… 1) would like to learn how to use the public band descriptors as teaching tools 2) want to learn more about why an initial needs analysis can be useful when taking on a new student, how to conduct one and what to include in it  3)...

And Another 10 Reasons…

How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– might just be the right back-to-school CPD for you if you 1) want to be able to share lots of useful sample answers your learners to better model what is expected of them on the exam (e.g. on the...

10 More Reasons to Sign Up

Consider taking How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– if you 1) have already taught (or are teaching) TOEFL or TOEIC courses, now want to teach IELTS, and need to understand the differences between these 2) would like to feel more confident...

Repeatable Means Sub-Skill

Oh, hi there, have we met? 😀  Sorry to stop your scroll (–nah, not really ;P), but did you know that… …TESTING doesn’t equal TEACHING! :O (Except when learning to ‘teach’ skills on the CELTA, which is an ENTRY-LEVEL qualification for...

Sunday Stroll Day

I find that the best way to discover a new place is by …purposefully allowing yourself to get lost there! :O :O Between Bootcamp session writing burst I’m also taking some time these days to wander around my ‘new’ (=about a 100 years young :D)...

What Makes a Course a Good Investment?

If you are addicted to life-long learning like I am, chances are that you have signed up for things (courses, trainings, etc.) quite haphazardly in the past as well. And there’s nothing wrong with that, if the training (course, or ‘thing’)...

Skills Are the New Black

Living in a city where people normally holiday can be confusing: you don’t quite know if you’re ‘coming or going’… 😀 I’m slowly settling in to my new life in (another) ‘paradise city’, and restarting work as well,...

Happy International Dog Day!

This is Sophie and me, planning a lesson about 20 years ago… :O  Well, I was planning it, she was in charge of classroom management… 😀 😀 (Oh, the irony…) When was the last time dogs ‘featured’ in a lesson you taught? (Not necessarily...

I’m Reading You!

1) Do your learners confuse FALSE/NO questions with NOT GIVEN? How have you tried to help them? Did it work? 2) Do your students tend to identify the RIGHT SECTION in a text when looking for the answer? 3) How aware are they of the idea of SCATTERED EVIDENCE across a...

Here’s to Those IELTS Teachers Who…

…have developed some clever ways to gently burst their students’ bubbles who want to RETAKE the exam too soon after having ‘failed’ it. Now, IELTS isn’t a PASS-OR-FAIL exam of course, but candidates often sign up for it with very specific...

Moving to the US in TWO Days!

Still can’t quite believe this is happening.After 10 years in Mexico… ♥️🇲🇽 Any tips, advice for the new life? 🤔🥳🥳🥳♥️🙏🏻🇺🇸 (—not political 😆🥳🥳☝🏻👍👏👏🤔)#showmehow

Priorities Depending on Genre

What are the key PRIORITIES when teaching each IELTS writing genre? Connect the most important aspect of each genre that a teacher should pay special attention to. Aspects of writing: 1) the ability to write neutrally and precisely about facts presented by someone...

Author’s Purpose –Part 1

Students might struggle to recognize the AUTHOR’S PURPOSE in an IELTS reading text. This issue can cause difficulty when dealing with MATCHING HEADING QUESTIONS, because understanding the communicative aim of a paragraph, AS WELL AS the headings is necessary to...

What’s Inside?

I’m often asked about the format of my IELTS teacher training course, How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp–. Well, FYI, it follows a ‘hybrid’ format, to include the best of a variety of learning ‘worlds’ (e.g....

I Have a Dream…

…that one day all IELTS students will use vocabulary of the right REGISTER in the exam… 😀 If you want to draw your IELTS learners’ attention to the importance of APPROPRIACY of lexis in the speaking test, you could try the following fun activity....

Overview of Listening Part 3

Part 3 is a conversation between up to four people set in an educational context, for example between a university tutor and a student or students, discussing an assignment. So, which of the following topics and speakers do you think candidates might hear in a Part 3...

The Anti-Language Language Teacher?!

I’m often asked why I ‘don’t believe in’ teaching grammar and vocabulary for IELTS.Or what’s up with me ‘constantly’ telling IELTS teachers to be ‘judicious’ about any (explicit) language teaching to IELTS...

How to Hesitate Well

Do your IELTS students associate being fluent in English with non-stop talking? Then you might want to draw their attention to the fact that one of the most noticeable differences between native and nonnative speakers of a language is their so-called...

An Outstanding IELTS Essay…

An outstanding IELTS essay or letter is full of relevant ideas, is creative and intelligent in its content, structurally complete, respects the word count, and is rich in accurate language (both grammar and vocabulary). What else would you add to the list? —...

10 Reasons to Sign up

Consider signing up for my course, How to Teach IELTS –The Ultimate IELTS Teacher Training Bootcamp– if you 1) are (or were) an IELTS examiner but feel that you do not know so much about teaching listening and reading as the productive skills 2) are (or were) an IELTS...

What’s It Like?

Why, and HOW did you become an IELTS teacher? Is it any different than what you thought it’d be like? #showmehow #ieltsteacher, #IELTSTeacherTrainer, #IELTSTeacherTraining, #ELTskillsteacher

Laptops down, Feet up, Find Your Beach!

Before ‘Corona’ became such a taboo word (…), the unfortunate (?) beer company used to have an ad that I would see all over town (in Cancun) on billboards.  It said something along the lines of ‘Pencils down, Limes up …FIND YOUR...

Students with Baggage

What do you do when you start working with IELTS students who were taught by a colleague or an institution, and have a lot of erroneous ideas either about what’s IN the exam, or HOW to prepare for it? Have you had this problem before? What were the issues?...

I’m Planning a Flash Sale!

I’m Planning a Flash Sale! I’m planning a back-to-school flash sale sometime in August/early September, just FYI. 😉 If you  -teach IELTS  -have been following me for a while  -like my content -and would love, love, LOVE a place on my...

Matching Notions to Examples

In the IELTS listening test candidates sometimes struggle because MATCHING QUESTIONS require that they notice certain more ABSTRACT ideas and NOTIONS in the recording, such as ‘rejecting an idea’. Being able to do this often requires a GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING...

Going the Extra Mile… or Kilometer!

We regularly GIVE our learners FEEDBACK, but do we ask THEM for theirs enough? Here’s the feedback I got from a client I recently worked with: “Fatime is passionate about sharing her ELT, Delta and IELTS expertise, extremely hard-working, patient, and...

Hoping for Conversation?

I’m moving house (and country) in two weeks, and am in the process of buying household items on Amazon for our new home. And although I hardly ever burst out laughing shopping for basic products like kitchenware, the description of a set of water glasses did...

Talent Is a Swear Word

For the last few days I’ve been thinking a lot about POLYGLOTS, thanks to a few thought-provoking conversations that I’ve had with a client and friend of mine. And because my grandmother was a German teacher back in her day, and is a life-long...

Your IELTS Students Don’t Need…

…YET another YouTube video about the structural, factual aspects of the exam, or generic posts about the features and timings of each test. What they DO need is to be guided by a teacher who TEACHES them the concrete SUB-SKILLS required to get the band scores...

Playing Cath up or Paving the Way?

I have a favorite cosmetics brand. I love their products and have been using them for decades, wherever I was living at the time (–yay globalization). I’m super loyal to them, AND… their Mexican website is a cluster f*^# of UX. :(( They don’t keep me...

Cart BEHIND the Horse!

IELTS is a skills only exam.  It’s short. (Well, shorter than other English language exams, for example of Cambridge’s main suite).  It’s ‘sweet ‘n’ practical’. 😀 And it is HARD and STRAIGHTFORWARD at the same time. IELTS...

What Movement Do YOU Want to Start?

The other day, my ELT business and mindset coach, Rachael Roberts asked me the question ‘What movement do you want to start …or have started already?’It really helped me crystallize my ‘ELT mission’, which is to • improve the quality of...

Keep Trying! Yeah, but HOW?

Picture this. You meet YET ANOTHER IELTS student who has taken the exam about 3 times already, and failed to get the required results. And deep down they still kind of believe (…hope…) that if they just ‘keep trying’ (as in keep signing up for...

Help! I’m a Gatekeeper!

Hi there!  I’ve got news for you. If you teach IELTS, you are a GATEKEEPER. You are teaching something VITALLY important that your learners’ futures hinge upon. So, make sure you’re really, REALLY up to the task, for example by signing up for my...

How, THEN the What

As a teenager I went to a very academically demanding high school, where we learned –among other deeply knowledge-based concepts– about solar prominences, and how to calculate orbital velocity. :O I remember tuning out a lot (…a LOT!) during these science lessons...

My Obsession with Skills

I love, love, LOVE knowledge.  AND … I also feel that it’s time we reversed the order in which we start any new learning or teaching endeavor, to allow us to keep up with an ever-faster, and increasingly more complex world.  I feel that today it’s best if we...