Given Instructions

  There are some other classroom management issues that we need to consider and they may include issues such as writing on the board, giving students individual attention, the use of teacher talk time, the way in which we should give instructions to our students, the building and maintaining of rapport with our students, and finally the one that perhaps most new teachers particularly spend a lot of time worrying and thinking about, is the issue of classroom discipline. So what we'd like to do is to take each of these in turn and look at some of the major issues surrounding these classroom management issues. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units...  [Read more]

Classes of Mixed Ability You walk into your first class in a new school. You begin with introductions and to your dismay you find a great disparity in the students’ English skills. There are students who have spent time abroad and others who are struggling with Basic English sentence structure. The focus of this article will be to weigh the advantages of 2 teaching strategies for classes of mixed ability introduced in the International TESOL Teacher Training (ITTT) course: grouping similar ability levels and pairing strong with weak students. The first strategy is to separate students within the class so that they have similar levels as the students they do activities with. The main advantages of this strategy are the ability to separate material and to focus on needs separately. When...  [Read more]

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Computer Aided Language Learning With the advent of the internet and its increasing importance in the classroom, Computer Aided Language Learning, or CALL, has become a viable and useful source for both teachers and students. CALL first became prevalent in US classrooms in the late 1070’s. Since its introduction it has gone from a primitive, structured Q&A program, to full-fledged language programs such as Rosetta stone. Although programs like Rosetta Stone have experienced success, many experts believe that CALL should be used to augment rather than replace face-to-face learning environments. This was one of the big questions facing ESL teachers in the late 90s, how to integrate CALL and its resulting technological concerns successfully into the classroom. Such things as whether an...  [Read more]

  Kathryn enjoyed her experience in Thailand. Prior to the in-class course, she never taught English and saw a quick development during her training. She is now confident to start working as an ESL teacher in Thailand and around the globe. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. In this unit, I learned to recognize several present tense verb conjugations. For me, this is much more difficult than grammar and the identification of words in a sentence....  [Read more]

Learning Teaching Skills Teaching is a challenging job not only because of the bulk of responsibility of training the students to be academically able but also because of the fact that somehow, we are expected to take part in preparing them to be socially and emotionally stable. In class, how can we let the students recognize that it is not just the quantity of instruction that is essential but they, themselves are? What skills should we learn as teachers so that we can meet this challenge that is put onto our hands? The following ideas have been tried, proven, and practical teaching techniques that may answer the above concern. Utilizing the above teaching skills demonstrates the goal of authentic teachers: that they “… teach from the heart not from the book.” (author unknown)...  [Read more]

  This TESOL review is from Polina. She is from Greece and recently completed our 120-hour online TEFL/TESOL training course right next to the beach at home. She found the course to be very interesting and learned a lot of new things. She is excited to use her new learned skills at the end of the year when she is going back to the capital city of Athens to work with new clients. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit gives a good insight in...  [Read more]

  Here we look at the difference between "less" and "fewer". This set of words is often used incorrectly and we decided to take a closer look at the difference to help you avoid mistakes. The key difference is that the word "less" is used to refer to uncountable things while "fewer" is used to refer to countable things. Keeping this in mind will help you figure out which word to use in all situations. Remember the '10 items or less' line at the supermarket" Well, it's actually a mistake. If you are purchasing several items then these items are countable, which means the checkout should be called the ?10 items or fewer" line. Other examples of the difference between the two words are "I have been to fewer countries than you" (countable),"I have less money than you" (uncountable)....  [Read more]

Assessing language proficiency in a TESOL classroom is crucial for several reasons. It helps teachers understand the level of each student, tailor lessons to meet their needs, and track their progress over time. By assessing language proficiency, teachers can identify areas where students may need additional support and provide targeted instruction to help them improve. Additionally, assessment allows teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching methods and make adjustments as needed to enhance the learning experience for their students. There are various types of assessments that can be used to measure language proficiency in a TESOL classroom. These include formative assessments, which are ongoing and help teachers monitor student progress, and summative assessments, which...  [Read more]

Teaching Grammar The acquisition of new grammar presents interesting challenges for both the student and the teacher. There are factors that need to be considered from the student's point of view, as well as the teacher's point of view. Grammar should be taught and learned a natural form. Teacher should avoid using technical terms related to grammar. The aforementioned factors can cause other difficulties that will be discussed in this article. Learning grammar in a natural form depends mostly on the way on which the teacher presents the grammar. The teacher must present the grammar using natural situations and examples that the students can relate to. In order to achieve this it is necessary, that the teacher plan ahead, know his students well, have a firm grasp of the grammar topic and...  [Read more]

As a former Incan capital, the city of cusco is steeped in the history of this lost civilisation and serves as the gateway to the famous Machu Picchu, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. cusco is a bustling city of more than 400,000 and there is always plenty to see and do. Within the city are a number of museums, markets, cultural and historical sites which give a fascinating insight to the past and present of Peru. Outside of the city you can take a number of trekking and adventure tours to the surrounding places of interest such as Machu Picchu, Sacsaywaman, Q’oricancha, and the Sacred Valley. Our training centre in cusco, Peru provides the perfect atmosphere for studying towards your TESOL qualification. The centre has modern facilities with well-equipped classrooms. teaching...  [Read more]

In a TEFL classroom, it is essential to recognize that students come from various cultural backgrounds, have different learning styles, and may require additional support due to learning disabilities or language barriers. Understanding these diverse learning needs is the first step in effectively supporting all students in their language learning journey. By acknowledging and embracing these differences, teachers can tailor their instruction to meet the unique needs of each learner. To support students with diverse learning needs, TEFL teachers can implement a variety of strategies. This may include differentiating instruction to cater to various learning styles, providing visual aids and hands-on activities, offering additional support through peer tutoring or one-on-one sessions, and...  [Read more]

  This video is a review of the conditionals in the English language. We take a look at the zero conditional, first conditional, second conditional, third conditional and mixed conditional. This video is specifically aimed at teaching the conditionals in an ESL setting. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. When teaching FL, teachers should build a rapport with students and establish rapport between students, find out about students,find out...  [Read more]

Motivating Students Motivating students in a language class is a perennial problem for English teachers. Motivation has become more commonly recognized as perhaps the major determining factor for successful learning in general, whether one is an adult learner taking distance education courses or a high school student pushing one’s way through the battery of required courses need to graduate. In any learning setting, the dynamics of motivation will be different. What will help a high school student sustain motivation may not apply to an adult learner or child, for example. The problem is that in many ESL/EFL learning environments, there is an attitude among educators and administrators that “it is up to the student” to be successful. When students fall behind, or are not progressing,...  [Read more]

Teacher Self Analysis My early experiences of learning in the State education system of the UK clearly affected my career and attitude to education. In the main, I was taught by root, this had the affect of making me become bored and if I am honest, I did not take full advantage of my education. Later realising I still had some untapped potential I enrolled on a course in Higher Education. I expected the same teaching methods that I had experienced earlier in my life, but instead found a more progressive, student centered approach. My motivation was high and I achieved my Certificate in Education. I took these varied experiences with me when I entered teaching some ten years ago. I soon found that most learners at the college were I worked were poorly motivated, lacking drive and...  [Read more]

Teaching methodologies in the "Super-learning" class “Super learning” (SL) is an accelerated learning technique and a fast-growing business, with varying results. Lessons usually last a whole day, and the course is often concentrated into a weekend. Some courses are based simply on suggestopedia, promising - but not always delivering - great results: “learn French in five days”. However, some successfully combine suggestopedia with other teaching methods to deliver good results. SL is designed to aid the learning process by removing learning barriers, stimulating both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously, as well as activating some of the intelligences not normally represented in a traditional course. The classroom environment is set up to facilitate subconscious learning, as...  [Read more]

Teaching English in public schools abroad can be a rewarding experience, but it typically requires a set of qualifications to ensure quality education for students. While specific requirements may vary from country to country, a bachelor's degree is a common prerequisite. In some regions, a degree in Education or English as a Second Language (ESL) may be preferred. Additionally, some countries may require a teaching license or certification from the home country or internationally recognized ESL teaching certifications. In addition to a bachelor's degree, many public schools abroad require ESL teachers to have specific certifications and credentials. For example, the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate is widely recognized and often a minimum requirement for teaching...  [Read more]

  Our next consideration is that of giving instructions to our students. In order for those students to effectively carry out an activity, we need to make sure we have given clear and unambiguous instructions. It's also very important to check that the students understand the activity before you start. If you've done that work correctly then the teacher shouldn't need to say anything once an activity has started because the students are very clear about what they're supposed to be doing. So some ideas when giving instructions. As we've mentioned use simple language. Secondly, rather than trying to explain an activity, then do a demonstration which is visual. Thirdly, try to use wherever possible common words that come up within every activity. These would be things like ?look?,...  [Read more]

  Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is an all encompassing term that covers the various ways computers are used by teachers and students to aid the process of language learning. As the availability and sophistication of computer technology continues to grow, so does its relevance in the English language classroom. Although computers are not a replacement for the knowledge and skills of a well-trained and experienced English teacher, they do offer a number of ways to help the language learning process. There are many types of software programs available to help students learn and practice new language skills, as well as many websites aimed at English language students. The internet also provides teachers with access to all manner of teaching resources including...  [Read more]

  The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a system designed by the council of Europe to provide a standardized method of comparing levels of language proficiency represented by the different examinations and assessments throughout Europe and other areas. The system can be used in conjunction with any European language and divides proficiency into six separate levels. Each level of the framework has a description of the abilities needed to achieve that level in speaking, reading, writing and listening skills. The CEFR system is becoming widely known as the European standard for evaluating an individual’s language proficiency. Are you ready to live and teach abroad? Click here and get started today: https://www.teflcourse.net/?cu=YTDESCRIPTION...  [Read more]