English Confidence UP Teacher Guide

English Confidence UP Teacher Guide

How Confidence UP 1:1s differ from a standard 1:1.

Jump to 25-Minute Flow & Quick Reminders

What is English Confidence UP?

English Confidence UP is a 24-unit beginner course. Each 1:1 covers one unit. Review the Confidence UP syllabus.

Unlike a standard 1:1, Confidence UP students study and practice the unit's materials before their 1:1, and everything they prepare matches directly to the Question Set you will use. They arrive primed for the exact topic and structures you will work on, so the 1:1 is practice and feedback, not first exposure.

Why did we introduce Confidence UP?

For some students, not knowing the topic a 1:1 deters them from committing to NEI. Confidence UP aims to ease these learners into the idea that they can communicate in English. Confidence UP is not for all beginners; there are plenty of outgoing beginners who do well with the opportunity to put their English skills into practice. With Confidence UP, we hope to change any perceptions that NEI is not suitable for beginners.

What Stays the Same

  • 25-minute structure
  • Replay Challenge structure
  • 1:1 Notes and Lesson Plan Notes use the same rules and templates

What's Different

Free conversation is minimized. Skip the usual small-talk window. Open with a brief greeting; introduce yourself only if it is a first meeting. Move into the structured flow right away.

Extra English Express, not Extra English. Confidence UP students only receive Extra English Express. Ask: “Do you have any questions about your Extra English Express assignment?” If no questions, move on.

One provided Question Set, used the entire 1:1. The unit's Question Set is the lesson. Do not close it until after you complete the 25-minute 1:1. You cannot switch Question Sets mid-1:1. Cycling through the full set more than once is expected and normal. The next Question Set will be available for their next 1:1 when you finish the 25-minute 1:1 and close the Question Set you used.

Unique follow-ups stay minimal. The first time through the set, lead the student through the questions as written. Save creative or exploratory follow-ups for later passes, if at all.

Repetition is the practice. After giving feedback, repeat the same question and have the student answer again so they can apply the correction. This is the core of a Confidence UP 1:1.

Slight question variations are fine. You may reword a question if it keeps the same structure and continues practicing the unit's focus topic. Do not drift into off-topic discussion.

Choose the Replay Challenge question from what they already practiced. When you record the new Replay Challenge question at the end, pick one from the set the student worked on today. A question they have already practiced gives them the most opportunity to talk and to demonstrate what they have learned from the unit.

Confidence UP 1:1 Flow (25 Minutes)

0–1 min
Brief greeting. Introduce yourself only if it is a first meeting.
1–4 min
Student summarizes their Replay Challenge Answer. Give 2–3 corrections.
4–5 min
Ask: “Any questions about your Extra English Express assignment?”
5–23 min
Work through the provided Question Set. Repeat questions after feedback so the student can practice the correction. Cycle as many times as time allows.
24 min
Wrap-up: “Tell me one thing you learned today.”
25 min
Student exits. Teacher records a new Replay Challenge question (choose one the student already practiced today), pastes it in chat, and exits.

Quick Reminders

  • Stay in the provided Question Set for the entire 1:1.
  • Never close the Question Set during the 1:1.
  • Repeating a question after feedback and cycling through the questions more than once is the expectation.
  • Keep follow-ups tight and on the unit's focus topic.
  • Notes, corrections, and Replay Challenge follow NEI Standards.