Twofold EFL

20 alternative topics for Halloween lessons with adults

Halloween is a great opportunity for a themed lesson. But if you teach adults, especially at higher levels, they’ve probably seen it all, heard it all and learnt it all! After years of studying English, they’ve likely discussed the usual Halloween topics more times than they can count.

So, how about trying something different this year? In this article, we’ve put together 20 topics that are perfect alternatives to the usual Halloween themes, from strange coincidences and unsolved mysteries to the darker side of human nature.

Choose one topic as the starting point for your lesson, or explore several and let the conversations take their own direction. Who knows where they’ll lead?

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Prepare your students for a job interview

Nowadays, more and more people (including your students!) have to interview for a new job in English. In this article, we want to encourage you to help your students ace those questions and get their dream job!

Of course, you're most probably not an HR expert, we know that! But you can help your students be more confident with their English, that's for sure.

Read on to find out how you can do it.

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Plan your professional development

Professional development is a big part of being an English teacher. But let’s be honest: it can sometimes feel overwhelming. There are endless webinars, conferences, podcasts, books, and online courses all promising to make you a better teacher. The real challenge isn’t finding opportunities, it’s choosing the right ones, and fitting them into your already busy life.

Here’s a simple guide to help you plan your professional development for the year so it feels meaningful, manageable and genuinely useful for your teaching.

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10 ideas for using photos in your classroom

Photos are a brilliant tool for teaching or revising language. They’re flexible, engaging, and easy to use. With just a few well-chosen images, you can practise grammar, review vocabulary, or simply have a bit of language fun.

In this article you'll find ten quick and effective ideas for using photos in your English lessons.

All you need are the photos - no prep beyond that!

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How to create a course syllabus

Course syllabus, programme, curriculum - so many different names, but they all boil down to one thing: creating a structured plan for your language course. Do you really need a course syllabus? Technically, no. But it definitely helps.

Having a structured plan for your course saves you time, as you won’t need to decide what to teach the day before each lesson. With a syllabus in place, everything is pre-planned, ensuring you cover all essential topics.

Check out our guide on how to create a syllabus for your English course.

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9 techniques to get your adult students to say more

Getting adult students to speak more can be challenging. Sometimes, students can answer questions quite confidently, but their responses are short and predictable. You ask a question, they give you a sentence, you ask another question and the cycle continues.

Of course, we want our students to speak, but we also want to help them develop the skills to keep a conversation going, explain their opinions and express themselves more freely. Here are nine techniques I use or come back to when I want to encourage my adult students to say more.

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