Keep the English goal clear and give the teenager a real say in how they get there. If their parent booked the lessons, offer two tasks that practise the same skill and let them choose how to make their first contribution. One short reply that someone can act on is enough to get started.
By Gav & Em, How to English TEFL Podcast
What do you say when a teenager tells you they have to be here?
If a learner says, ‘My mum’s making me come,’ you could say, ‘Fair enough. You didn’t choose to come. You can choose what we start with. Today we’re going to practise changing a plan in English. Would you rather change the time or the place?’ Then show both options. A choice is worth offering when their answer actually changes what you do next.
If you only know that a parent arranged the lessons, ask the teenager what they’d like to get out of them. Offer a short menu if they shrug. ‘Understand more when people speak’, ‘feel more ready for the exam’ and ‘something else’ are easier to respond to than ‘What are your learning goals?’ Give them the option to come back to it after they’ve tried a task.
Try this in your next lesson · Choose, reply, check
Use the first eight minutes. The goal is to suggest a new time or place in a short exchange. Put both fictional messages on paper or on screen. In a group, everyone gets the same choices so nobody has to explain why they’re attending.
- Offer two messages. A says, ‘I can’t meet at four. Can we meet later?’ B says, ‘The café is closed. Can we meet somewhere else?’ Let the learner point to A or B. If they say ‘I don’t mind’, pick one to demonstrate and offer the choice again when it’s their turn.
- Show a reply and give thinking time. Model ‘How about five?’ or ‘How about the library?’ Leave ‘How about ___?’ visible, with five / six for A and the library / the station for B. Give the learner half a minute to choose or write their own. A confident learner can add a reason or a second suggestion.
- Make the reply matter. The learner can write, type or say their suggestion to you or a partner. The listener confirms it by saying or writing ‘OK, five’ or ‘OK, the library’. If the learner wants to watch first, model one full exchange, then offer the choice again privately.
- Check the first turn and plan the next one. Could their partner identify the new time or place from the reply? If yes, say ‘I got the new time from your message.’ Ask whether they’d prefer a similar task or a different one next time, and use their answer to plan the opening.
For exam prep. Keep the same choice and rehearsal, then move into the exam skill the learner needs. For a speaking paper, ask them to say the suggestion and add a reason after trying it privately. For a writing task, ask them to turn their reply into a short message with a greeting and a clear closing.
What if they still choose to watch?
Let the exchange happen once, then ask them to circle the new time or place. That gives you a way to check what they understood. Offer a short reply again later, with the model still visible. If the same barrier keeps coming up, ask privately whether the task, the amount of English or speaking in front of someone made the first turn difficult. Change one thing and try again.
When you update a parent, use something you actually saw. ‘They suggested a new time in a short written exchange. Next we’ll practise saying it after rehearsal’ gives the parent a clear picture of progress and gives the teenager a next step they can recognise.
Hear Em’s Friday-afternoon exam lesson story
In S01E45, Em remembers teaching exam preparation to a 15-year-old after school on a Friday. He did the work she asked him to do, but the lesson felt like something they were both trying to get through. That’s a useful distinction when you’re judging how a first lesson went.
Read the video transcript
I remember getting a teenager doing exam prep. He was an FCE student. I felt so sorry for him. He was like 15 years old and Friday afternoon after school he had to have an English lesson with me. We both hated it. We both didn’t wanna be there. We were both like, oh, let’s just get this over. And it was just really, really difficult.
He wasn’t feeling motivated. I didn’t wanna give it like, I dunno, just didn’t have the energy to get him motivated. It was one of the hardest classes I’ve ever taught. Were you using a book for that? Yeah, yeah. And as much as I tried to liven up the book, you know, exam classes, you have still got to do the work and he was great. You know, he from his side, I can’t complain. He did everything I asked him to do, but it was so like the life wasn’t there. It was just like he was doing it because he knew he had to.
There was no joy at all. It was just so sad.
Hear the full discussion in the S01E45 episode guide. For a ready-to-use follow-up, try First teenage lesson: try a puzzle and story, then choose.