Of course, we all know that the first impression is usually the strongest or most important. Sometimes students know us from past years, but each year is a chance to start over and surprise the students with a different slant on your teaching philosophy.

Don't start out the year with classroom rules.

If you're like me, you normally hear at orientations and opening teachers meeting to form your classroom rules in a positive way.

Instead of saying Don't speak your native language
Say Speak Only English
Instead of saying Don't do this and that
Say Respect Everybody
...

This is very good advice for creating classroom rules and setting a standard in the class. It is essential to phrase any kind of rule or command in a positive way, both for the students' confidence, but also it gives the best results.

... we didn't set class rules on the first day? The students have probably heard something like this every year in several different languages. They probably "know them".

... we focused on creating an environment for them "to practice" these rules that they know.

... we set the example and went first, and showed the students (sometimes undeserved) respect as an example of the behavior we want from them instead of just telling them.

That's what you'll hear about on the premier episode of the More Than English Podcast Season 2.
​
Along with talking about the points that are listed above, we will preview what you can expect on this season of the More Than English Podcast. Available anywhere you listen to your podcasts. 

If I were to ask you what the best question is, what would you say? Of course it depends on the information you're looking for, but are there any questions that are more useful to growth, learning, or growing?

Think of the W questions... and H question (Who, What, Why, Where, When, How)

In this episode, Jesse explores what the he feels is the best question and the reason for it being the best question. 

SPOILER ALERT: It's "why" followed by "how".

This is the question that's fundamental to learning. If you want to know the reason somebody did something, you ask 'why'? If somebody says something hurtful, you want to know why. If you want to make good decisions or understand the reason you've made a bad decision, you ask yourself 'why?'

Why is fundamental to learning. Followed closely by "how". In fact, these question compliment each other perfectly. First, you ask 'why', and then you can ask 'how', as in, "How can I + verb"

I'd love to hear from you and know your opinion to this question. What is the best question?- If you could only choose one

What's the difference between a reason and an excuse? Sometimes, we HAVE reasons for not doing what we need to do, and sometimes we MAKE excuses. If we understand the difference, it can help us be more productive in our day. In this episode, Jesse is going to explore this questions and share his opinion about the difference. Do you agree with him? Share your comments and your opinion. Find episode notes and more resources at sweedacademy.com

Simply put, it comes down to your motivation for giving it. Why are you saying it?

An excuse - tries to blame it on the excuse. (You're trying to excuse yourself from the culpability.)

​A reason - you accept responsibility for the error and explain what happened.

You make/ come up with an excuse.
​You have a reason.

If you're faced with a situation where you've made a mistake and you need to account for it. Go with the truth. You'll earn more respect that way, and in the long run, you'll benefit from it. People often forget about mistakes that are made. People rarely forget about trying to cover up those mistakes or lie about them.

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Do you have ten minutes a day to practice or improve something? At the end of six days, you will have practiced an hour. We can all find ten minutes a day to practice something. 

First, decide something to improve.
Second, make 10 minutes a day to CONSISTENTLY practice this thing.
Third, once you are consistently practicing this thing every day, find specific areas to improve at this skill.
Repeat

These are the steps to success.

Below, you can listen to the whole episode where Jesse outlines his method to learning something new.

Japanese philosopher Musashi said, "If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things."

You're not going to become a master at something in one jump. Consistency is key. There are two things you need to learn and become proficient at something... Time and Times. You need to practice many times, and you need to give yourself time. 

By the end of the week, putting 10 minutes a day of practice into something, by the end of the week, you will have put in an hour. And that's taking Sunday off! 

Put away the excuses, and find out where to start. What do you want to improve at? Let us know!

I would like to take you through a typical first lesson with one of my students. Typically, for a first lesson, we look at your goals. Let's look at your goals. I will teach you how to set goals, and how to use English to make a plan to accomplish those goals.

This is going to be an interactive episode, so I'd like you to get a pen and a piece of paper to get ready to write down your goals. Also, take a photo of your goals and tag me on Instagram @SweedAcademy

You don't have to make 3 goals. If you only have one goal, do these exercises for that goal!

Here are some important things to keep in mind when creating your goals.

​You should be able to check off your goals.

Goals should be:

- Concrete
                Ex. NOT "I want to improve my listening."  ---> "I will be able to understand a Ted Talk."
- Specific
                Ex. NOT "I will improve the guitar." ---> "I will learn 2 barre chord songs."
- Measurable
                Ex. NOT "I will be successful." ---> "I will make 10,000€ in the first quarter."

Goals are NOT "I want to..."

Your goals SHOULD be written "I will..."

Write your goals down and post them somewhere you can see on a REGULAR BASIS.

Today I'm talking to teachers and students. I ask the question, 'Who is responsible for the learning in the classroom?' in the podcast and teach some expressions and pronunciation to answer the question. You will learn how to share your opinion because I teach three different ways to answer this question.

You will practice saying these sentences:
The teacher is responsible for the learning in the classroom.
The student is responsible for the learning in the classroom.
Both are responsible for the learning in the classroom.

As always, at the end of the episode, I teach vocabulary and expressions that you will have heard in the episode.

SUBSCRIBE if you like it and tell a friend!

Insecure – to feel that you are not good at something.
            “If you are not a native speaker, you might feel insecure when students speak better than you.”
To pose a question – (vocabulary) to ask a question (usually a thought-provoking one)
            “I did it by posing this question, ‘who is responsible for the learning in the classroom?’”
To say something out loud – (expression) to say something verbally
            “Say that out loud.”  
To fall on (a side) – (vocabulary) to have/agree on an opinion about something
            “Say this depending on which side you fall on.”
learning vs the learning – (grammar) the article can change the meaning of the sentence
            “Who is responsible for learning?”
            “Who is responsible for the learning?”
Broken down – (phrasal verb) to divide a big idea into smaller parts
“This sentence can be broken down into three parts.”
Happen to be – (expression) a coincidence
            “A group of individual people who happen to be here at the same time.”
To reach an objective – the word “reach” goes with “objective” meaning to attain it
            “The student is trying to reach an objective. The teacher is to guide him/her.”
To major on the minors – (expression) giving too much importance on something that’s not important.
I can imagine – When you don’t know how something is, but you can imagine what it feels like.
            “It’s difficult for native speakers, I can imagine what it’s like for non-native teachers.”
I got your back – (expression) I’m here to support you
            “Don’t worry. I got your back.”
 
 
Did you catch any other phrasal verbs or expressions you like? Write them here.
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Pronunciation Breakdown
 
The teacher is responsible | for the learning | in the classroom.
 
/teache-riz/
 
The student is responsible | for the learning | in the classroom.
 
/student-tiz/
/studen-iz/
 
Both are responsible | for the learning | in the classroom.