Becoming Teacher Later In Life

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Mokane Missouri and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: In this unit. I learned about different teaching aids that can be used to make lessons more interesting, effective and less dependent on the textbook. In addition to white boards and projectors, computers are gradually becoming as much a part of the English language classroom as they already have in most other areas of life. Computers shouldn't be overused or they will lose their impact and effectiveness in the classroom. Computer-aided language learning is developing rapidly, as the use of computers...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about College TESOL Teacher and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: J.H. - U.S.A. said: english as a Global LanguageGlobalization has invaded almost every square mile of this planet. Hegemonic cultural norms that were once seen as “Western” have invaded nations at an extremely fast pace. Western cultures, ideologies and ways of life have become crucial for progress and success. It is no wonder why learning english is in such high demand. Markets for english schools have been popping up throughout the world in nations as far as Thailand to Costa Rica, with the need for...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about Agency Online TESOL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: J. C. - U.S.A. said: The Role of the TeacherThe role of the teacher in the classroom is vitally important. Without the teacher you are missing half of what makes up a class- teacher + students. Teachers affect the classroom whether they want to or not. A bad teacher will affect the classroom as much as a great teacher, just in different ways. One negatively impacts the class, while the other positively impacts the class. The teacher has a role before he/she ever steps into a classroom. The first role of a...  [Read more]

The land that gave us Plato and Aristotle, also bequeathed us the symposium, or drinking party. The latter still being alive and well today. These days Greece is a country that pivots around its huge tourist industry, and this falls into two types: There are those who come seeking the cultural experience to be gained from visiting ancient monuments, like the Acropolis in smoggy Athens, and there are those who like to party it up on the island resorts. Perfection, as Aristotle observed, resides between extremes, and the person who seeks eudaemonia - the good life in the best of all possible worlds - perhaps does a bit of both. Given the tourist orientation of the country it is important to remember that a good deal of the services laid on to support visitors go into hibernation between...  [Read more]

Online vs. Onsite Courses Becoming certified to teach English as a second language can be done onsite or online. On online course was the most efficient, economical and in many ways the superior way for me. This article explains my background and situation. It also touches on the process I went through to get to this, the final lesson. Online is not for everyone. It takes an open and creative mind to step into the world of computers and electronic tutors. An imagination and discipline were keys to my approach. Imagination was profound when I would take time away from class and Google some blogs about teaching English. Dave’s Café was just one of these places where you could find endless discussions on the joys and perils of teaching English in other countries. These stories were the...  [Read more]

venezuela is a country where the superlative is commonplace. It has a large landmass, the world’s third longest river, the world’s highest waterfall, and is home to the world’s longest snake, not to mention jaguars, and armadillos. It has great mineral wealth, in the form of oil, and this has led to a thriving economy, much trade with and investment from the US, and, thus, a great demand for English. Spanish is the official language; however, more than thirty native dialects survive. The population is twenty-seven millions, in a landmass of a shade over three-hundred and fifty thousand square miles. The country is ninety-six percent Roman Catholic. Quite unlike Europe, for those wishing to teach in a state or private school, there is not the requirement for a PGCE or an...  [Read more]

The smallest country in the rugged Andean highlands, Ecuador is home to a diverse array of indigenous cultures, lush rainforests, and mountainous highlands redolent of a lunar landscape. The impressive, well-preserved colonial architecture is not to be missed. Though the country has been stricken by a severe economic crises, it has now adopted the US Dollar as its national currency, and this has brought a measure of stability. The ups and downs of the currency and economy mean little to the TESOL teacher. Wages may seem low, but life is extremely cheap, and a comfortable standard of living is a very achievable goal if you don’t sell yourself short! The official language is Spanish; however, Quecha, a native dialect is still very much alive. At 109 square miles the country is small;...  [Read more]

Whilst Spanish is the official language, there are not less than sixty-five indigenous languages. The forty-three million people fit comfortably into a little over a million square miles. The principal religion is Roman Catholic with the remainder of the Episcopal and Jewish faith. In a continent where baseball and US television is enormously popular, there is considerable enthusiasm for learning English. However, it is ‘American’ English that has most currency and is most sought after, not ‘English’ English. The distinction is noted by locals, bringing considerable advantage to Canadian and North American candidates. Nevertheless, there are many opportunities and, as ever, persistence pays dividends. Those actively looking for work will find it, and be rewarded by the experience...  [Read more]

Bilingual Education versus English Only Models Over the years, many debates have arisen in regards to second language instruction (L2), giving prominence to two main models: English Only versus Bilingual Education. English Only uses solely English as the medium for instruction, whereas Bilingual Education, as its name implies, uses both English and the student’s native language. While there are several aspects to the debate, this paper will briefly cover a certain few: cultural sensitivity, accuracy, and segregation. Proponents of the English Only model claim that the use of a student’s native language creates a “cycle of native language dependency,” meaning that the student, to some extent, gets “tethered” to his native tongue. Using solely English in the classroom, advocates...  [Read more]

There is such a tremendous amount of marked regional diversity in Spain that one is almost dealing with a mini continent. Life on the costas - Spain’s huge coastline - differs greatly from that in the big cities, which in turn differs from life in the thousands of picturesque rural villages, which is again different from the ski slopes of Andora or Granada. Dispirit locations and circumstances are united in a profound love of life, sometimes combined with a slight disdain for work. Spaniards work to live, they do not live to work. Hence it is very easy to get swept up in a seemingly constant round of fiestas and festivals, music and dancing - eating well and drinking well being all part of pursuing the good life in the best of all possible worlds. Despite the fact that practically...  [Read more]

The world's fifth largest country has a great deal to ignite the imagination of the traveller. Tropical rainforests, the Amazon basin, pristine beaches are just what comes with the territory. Once one adds in the people, who are often extremely friendly, and the buzz of the big cities, you can guarantee that you are entertaining the experience of a lifetime. The official language is Portuguese, and the population of one-hundred and seventy millions has plenty of space in the three-point three millions square miles of landmass. Seventy percent of the population is Roman Catholic. Of the remainder there is a significant proportion of evangelical Christians, but also, interestingly, of native animists - those that believe earthquakes, trees, mountains, etc. all have spirits associated with...  [Read more]

English as a Global Language In the last few months that I have been traveling, it has become even more apparent to me how important it is to be able to speak English to interact in the world today. Many of the people that I have been talking with over the last few months have not been native English speakers. And it became very clear to me that if they had not learned English, I would not be able to communicate with them, they have to learn a second language to be able to broaden their opportunities for travel, work, and general communication with people from other countries. As a native English speaker, you take this for granted. And as a result, many native English speakers only speak the one language. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, the British economic predominance in the...  [Read more]

Boasting high desert at one extreme, and low glaciers at another, this slim country is a natural wonder full of geysers, mountains, beaches and volcanoes. A breathtakingly beautiful country, and a paradise to the adventurer’s adventurer. You could take all of this away, and yet the extraordinary economic growth which the country has experienced during the 21st century would make it a place to catch the TESOL teachers eye. Five percent unemployment combined with outside investment, mainly from the US, make this a dynamic and fascinating place to work. The principal language is Spanish, though there are several native idioms in use. The country is eighty-seven percent Roman Catholic, ten-percent Protestant, with one-percent Jewish. The population is sixteen millions, and with a landmass...  [Read more]

mexico: What a place. You could easily spend a year in a couple of hours in this hugely diverse and vast country. Whether you prefer snow-capped volcanoes, heavily populated beaches, deserted beaches, superb diving, the hum of the big cities, or the world-class archaeological sites, you would be hard pressed to find a place offering more to the traveller. On the back of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), governing free trade between Canada, the USA, and mexico, massive investment has poured into mexico, which in turn has created huge demand for English language skills. Be choosy. For the well-qualified TESOL teacher it is a sellers’ market, and you don’t have to dive in to the first opportunity that comes your way. Indeed, TESOL teacher poaching is a popular pastime...  [Read more]

To be on the ground in peru is to stand amidst layer upon layer of great, and very different civilizations. Whether one considers the glittering skyscrapers of today, the well-preserved architecture of the conquistadors, or the legacy left by the Incas atop Machu Picchu, it is hard not to come away deeply impressed. The Peruvian Andes are amongst the most beautiful and most breathtaking on the Andean range, and are a magnet for climbers from around the world. The political troubles that plagued Lima with guerrilla activity now seem to be set firmly in the past. Official languages include Spanish, and Quecha and Aymara - indigenous tongues. Eighty-one percent of the population is Roman Catholic, with six percent Protestant, and remainder ‘other’. The population of twenty-seven millions...  [Read more]

Should Students Be Allowed to Use Their Native Language in the Classroom When I first began teaching lessons during the TESOL Course I found myself almost automatically saying to the students, “English please,” after all it is an English class. However, I began to question myself about whether or not this was “correct” practice or if the students should in fact use their native language to assist them in the learning process. After doing some research I found the TESOL Law Code of Ethics. The Law of Ethics provided many vague and open-ended ideas. It suggested things along the lines of, “The foreign language teacher shall direct her whole professional effort to assist the students to develop his/her second language speaking ability.” It also mentions that TESOL teachers are to...  [Read more]

Mighty big place, Partner. As Ferdinand Braudel, the great French historian observed, ‘the land dictates the people’, and it is a good idea never to stray too far from this theme. If you want to know what ‘cold’ is then head up to Minneapolis, north of Toronto, in the mid winter. If you want to know what ‘hot and humid is’ then try Orlando in the height of the summer. If you transcribe a line from Los Angles to Miami and turn this into a road trip then the number of different peoples and environments you will encounter is immense. By all means there is a thin veneer of Americanism, and everywhere you will find both McDonalds, and the presence of the Federal Government; however, you shouldn’t let this take your eye off the ball of the fact that the people and environment of...  [Read more]

British english vs american English With English being recognised as the global language of choice, which one is considered the official language? So just how did American English diverge from British English in the first place? American English roots back to the early colonial days of the late 16th century, were a whole gamut of cultures converged into a single society. In some colonies English wasn’t even a spoken language and in those colonies that did speak English it was quite different from the English we know today. The Elizabethan English of the day consisted of many varieties of regional English dialects. All these different dialects, intermingled with a multitude of cultures formed one big boiling pot, of which over time, a new variant was produced – American English. And...  [Read more]

Problems for learners in a Country of your choice: Italy In this paper I will address the issues I face as a teacher from the context of living and working in Italy, as well as the common problems my students encounter while learning and speaking English. I also want to draw attention to the input culture and society has on language, and look at how these factors influence dynamics within the classroom. Of course, it is nearly impossible to view ones self outside your own given cultural perspective, so as a result of this I will also be discussing my own assumptions on how I "imagined" people might act, compared to the reality of the situation. Often I neglect to take into account these differences, simply because I was raised in America, where I am used to a different set of cultural...  [Read more]