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Chris Westergaard TEFL

       Chris Westergaard owner and director of The Language House TEFL in Prague.

 Chris Westergaard has been teaching in Prague since 2002 and is the owner of The Language House TEFL in Prague. Since 2004, Chris has trained over 3000 English teachers who have gone off to teach English all of the world. At The Language House TEFL in Prague, Chris still works as a teacher trainer, but primarily assists with course organization and logistics. Chris contributes frequently to many EFL/TEFL websites, blogs and has his own author page on Goabroad.com.

  My intention for TEFL Prague and Abroad is primarily to help people decide if they want to teach English abroad and give them some of my experience that I've acquired over the last 15 years teaching English and training teachers. I really like educating people, and think my story is a bit unique. I  started teaching English abroad when I was 21 and created The Language House TEFL course when I was 25 in 2004. That was over 12 years ago. Today we are one of the most respected private TEFL courses in the world.

For me, everything came together in my life when I moved abroad to Prague. I'd like others to have a similar experience (or at least a rewarding experience) as I did. Teaching, whether it was language students or TEFL trainees was something I just gravitated towards. I have a lot of experience, a lot of contacts and a lot of knowledge on everything related to teaching abroad, to what it takes to be successful once you get there.

So that's my background in a nutshell. The blog itself will cover a lot of information on teaching in Prague, because that's my speciality, but I'll cover a plethora of other areas as well. I'd like to lay out my perspective on methodology and what I think what works in the classroom. I'd like to go over how to live abroad and cover things like finding work or an apartment. I'll also offer my personal lesson plans and create tailored lesson plans for anyone who wants them. I guess I just want to help and entertain people.

If you are interested in teaching in Prague or worldwide, please contact me. I have a lot of experience with all things related to TEFL and can help you decide if teaching English abroad is the right move for you.

 Thanks for your time and I hope it's worthwhile.

 Chris Westergaard
The Language House TEFL

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Teaching English to Beginners with Chris Westergaard - Demo Video (A1) Seasons

I've got a new demonstration video with a group of A1 (beginner) students. This was obviously shot in Prague where I'm located. The focus of the lesson is 'Seasons' and the various different activities you can do during different seasons. Just an FYI to readers, this was a brand new class. I had never met them before and it was their first time in the classroom together. In these situations, you are really starting from scratch with your training and techniques. You'll see this in the video that things start off a bit slow and there are some bumpy sections. I had to constantly control for L1 and use a lot of behavioural techniques to get them to do what I wanted. Check out the video below. I've included a bunch of tips regarding beginner methodology in the video. I really do love this level because it requires absolutely pure teaching techniques. Take a look! Let me know your thoughts!
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ESL Lesson Plan - Passive Voice - Crime Scene

Here's a lesson for solid intermediates and up with a language focus on the passive voice and crime lexis. At the end of the lesson, students take the roles of police officers and have to give a press briefing to the media about a crime scene that they witnessed. Ideally, you will need an empty room to set up a crime scene for the activation and a language school that is ok with you trashing things around a bit. There are other ways to get around this, if this is not possible. * I create tailored lesson plans for anyone who wants them. If you want me to create you a lesson from scratch, contact me, and I'll do one for you. Please follow my blog on the right to show your support. Introduction: just a couple of min. Do any of the following. 1. Show a clip from a movie that shows a police officer giving a press briefing to the media 2. Come in and immediately address the class as if they are police officers 3. Have a picture of a police chalk outline and ask students wh...
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ESL Lesson Plan - Theme Parks - Intermediate - Lexis

  Here's a fun original lesson that you can use with intermediates and above dealing with theme/amusement parks. Depending on the level you can simplify the lexis or make it more difficult. Introduction (2-3 minutes) (Use any of the below suggestions)  a. Post some pictures of rides or amusement parks on the wall.  b. Come in dressed as Mickey Mouse or have a picture of him (elicit Disney Land).  c. Role play being on a roller coaster and have students guess where you are.  d. Show a video of a roller coaster from 1st person perspective .   The key is to try to elicit the word/idea 'amusement park'. Your students might not know what that word is in English, but they will all understand the concept. Lead in (about 5-10 minutes) Have these questions up pre written on the board or as a handout. With a 45 minute class you probably won't need 5 questions. 1. Do you like amusement parks? When was the last time you went to one? 2. Is there an a...
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