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Background
Kristina Topalova founded The English Lady in Sardinia, Italy, in 2019 — building from scratch the kind of language school she always believed in.
"Creating my own school allowed me to build the type of learning environment I always believed in. Knowledge is power."
Her teaching philosophy is rooted in variety. She designs activities that let students practise the same language in different ways — giving them repetition without making the lesson feel repetitive. Visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic activities all have a place in the same session, because every learner responds differently. Speaking sits at the centre of it all: if a student can say something confidently, they're far more likely to remember it.
Her mission is straightforward — help students become confident, independent users of English. Not just for exams, but as a tool for exploring ideas, accessing information, and expanding their world.
The Challenge
For a few years, phone-based quizzes did exactly what Kristina needed. The moment students could compete on their screens, the room came alive. But after COVID, that energy started to fade. Multiple-choice quizzes had been everywhere — every platform, every classroom — and students had grown tired of the format.
"The traditional multiple-choice quiz had become a little boring because it was overused. The students were tired of it, and honestly, I was too."
She needed more question variety. And she needed it inside one tool, without sacrificing the ease of use that makes interactive teaching practical in a real classroom.
How She Solved It
When Kristina found AhaSlides, the variety of question formats stopped her in her tracks.
"I couldn't believe the variety of question types available — and that they could all be part of the same presentation. I started using it right away, and it was an immediate success."
Two things sealed it beyond question variety: content scaled automatically from her screen to students' phones — no squeezed fonts, no images disappearing on mobile — and the preview function showed her exactly what students would see before running a single slide. No surprises mid-lesson.
Today she uses AhaSlides as her primary classroom platform, combining lesson content and interactive activities in one place. Her toolkit includes:
- A wide range of interactive question types — far beyond multiple choice — to assess different aspects of student ability.
- The embedding feature to integrate games from Wordwall, running everything directly from AhaSlides on the interactive whiteboard without switching tabs.
- Design templates matched to The English Lady's school branding and colours.
- Teacher-led and student-paced modes, giving her the flexibility to run live sessions or assign presentations as self-study activities.
The Result
Post-lesson reports give Kristina a detailed picture of how each student performed, question by question — something a standard multiple-choice quiz could never offer. She can identify gaps before the next class and adjust accordingly.
The impact in the room is equally clear. Students genuinely look forward to the quizzes and stay engaged even after submitting their answers. Kristina finds herself more creative as a teacher, regularly experimenting with new question formats, images, and audio.
"The variety of question types gives me a much clearer picture of where each student is. After the lesson, I can review the presentation reports and better understand how each student performed."
"I'm excited to see how AhaSlides continues to grow, and I'm proud to be one of its users."
A Few Words for Teachers
For teachers weighing up interactive tools, Kristina's advice is practical: ease of use is non-negotiable.
"If I have to spend an hour creating an activity that will only take fifteen minutes in class, it simply isn't worth the time."
AhaSlides clears that bar — and keeps raising the ceiling with new features. For a one-person school where every minute of prep counts, that combination matters.
Hear it from Kristina herself:
How The English Lady Uses AhaSlides
- Varied interactive question types to assess students beyond multiple choice
- Embedded Wordwall games running directly inside AhaSlides on the interactive whiteboard
- Design templates matched to school branding
- Student-paced mode for self-study assignments
- Post-lesson reports to track individual student performance
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