The Global Classroom David Cole

Teaching English abroad can be an incredibly rewarding experience. It allows you to immerse yourself in a new culture, travel, and make a difference in your students' lives. In this interview, Brian shares his experiences teaching English in South Korea and online. He provides insightful tips for those looking to start teaching abroad or online.

Brian started teaching English in South Korea in 2011 after graduating from university. He taught in-person for 5 years before making the switch to online teaching in 2017.

After taking a break from teaching and traveling around Asia, Brian saw an ad for VIPKid and decided to give online teaching a shot. At first it was meant to be temporary, but he ended up loving the flexibility and convenience.

When COVID-19 hit, Brian's online teaching exploded as students in China were stuck at home. However, due to political factors, online ESL companies catering to China started shutting down in 2021.

Having already built up a large network of students, Brian was able to smoothly transition to private tutoring. He continues to teach online while residing in South Korea with his wife and daughter.

Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world while earning a living? For many, this seems like an impossible fantasy - but for Rachel Story, it's an incredible reality.

Rachel is a digital nomad who teaches English online to support her adventurous, location-independent lifestyle. Along with her husband Sasha, she's been to over 20 countries while working flexible teaching hours.

In this episode, we'll share Rachel's journey to becoming a traveling teacher, her tips for making it work, and key insights from her experiences over the past 7+ years living this non-traditional lifestyle. Whether you want to become a digital nomad or just learn from those who have, Rachel's story is inspiring and informative.

This episode covers Richelle's journey from studying abroad in China to becoming a serial expat teaching English and then a move abroad coach. She talks about how her experience teaching English in China right after college made her realize she could turn travel into a lifestyle. Richelle found that many people wanted guidance on how to teach abroad safely and legally, so she started coaching others on how to land legitimate teaching jobs overseas.

Now as the Move Abroad Coach, Richelle helps people create a customized plan to move abroad long-term whether that's teaching English, getting a remote job, freelancing, or retiring abroad. She shares key insights on teaching abroad, myths vs realities, handling visas, building a community, and overcoming fear and "busyness" excuses that hold people back.

For music teachers and students alike, the pandemic necessitated a dramatic shift to virtual learning. While video conferencing platforms like Zoom made remote instruction possible, concerns lingered about whether core aspects of music education could be replicated online. Teaching an instrument like the guitar remotely seemed especially challenging given the hands-on adjustments required.

However, talented teachers have risen to the occasion and found innovative ways to provide their students with high quality musical experiences through the screen. Maxwell Weltman's journey transitioning from in-person to online guitar lessons provides an inside look at the workings of modern virtual music instruction. His insights reveal how student motivation, engagement, and success can not only be sustained but also enhanced in an online format.

Online teaching has become an increasingly popular career path, allowing educators to work remotely and set their own schedules. In this interview, Jillian Shanahan, shares her expertise on teaching English online, specifically with the platform Allschool

Jillian started teaching online in 2018 and has since grown a successful independent tutoring business. She is the founder of the Online ESL Teacher Success and Support Facebook group, which now has over 25,000 members. Jillian also runs the Independent Teacher Academy, providing courses and coaching for educators looking to start their own online tutoring businesses.

In this interview, Jillian covers key insights for teaching on Allschool, an online tutoring marketplace similar to Outschool. She shares tips on getting started, marketing yourself, and transitioning to group classes. Jillian also discusses the pros and cons of teaching on a platform versus independently.

Whether you're just starting out online teaching or looking to take your business to the next level, Jillian's advice in this interview will give you valuable action steps and takeaways.

In this insightful episode of our podcast, we are thrilled to host Selene Estaris, a noted Social Studies teacher, EdTech Specialist, and Global Learning Ambassador at Xavier School in the Philippines. The episode, aptly titled "EdTech, Gamification and Game-Based Learning in the Classroom", delves into the transformative world of game-based learning and how it is revolutionizing the education landscape.

Selene, who also co-heads the EdTech Community at her school, brings to the fore her extensive experience as an EdTech coach specializing in gamification. She narrates how her school navigated the transition from online to hybrid learning during the pandemic, tackling the myriad challenges that came their way in providing quality education to both onsite and online students.

In this episode, Selene takes us on her journey into the world of gamification and game-based learning, underscoring how these innovative approaches cater to different learning styles and serve as effective tools for formative assessments. She emphasizes the importance of educators familiarizing themselves with these tools and gradually building expertise, thus making games for lesson plans an engaging and effective teaching strategy.

The conversation touches upon various facets of online education, including:


Different learning styles and strategies for incorporating games for lesson plans.
The progressive nature of online assessments over traditional ones used in large group settings.
The role of collaboration in developing lessons and providing student support.
The significance of building resource repositories and participating in online communities of practice.
The alignment of assessments with target skills using rubrics.
The emergence of e-learning opportunities in the wake of COVID-19, making education more accessible to remote areas.
An overview of useful tools for online learning, such as Quizzes and Insert Learning, enabling teachers to create interactive content and track student progress.

This episode serves as a treasure trove of information for educators looking to integrate game-based learning into their teaching methods. So, gear up to gain a wealth of knowledge and inspiration from Selene's insights and experiences. Tune in, explore, and let's make learning fun and engaging with games for lesson plans!