10 Most Difficult Languages To Learn

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences From the 60-year-old successful businessman who has never studied English to the third grader who is learning it for the first time in a school setting, each student has their own motivation and background. Their unique experiences will dictate what they bring to the table and be a factor in their success or difficulty in learning English. Understanding what brought the learners to the classroom, will help a teacher tailor the lessons to be most beneficial to her students. This includes understanding their culture to a certain extent, specifically as it relates to faux pas or misunderstandings that could arise in the classroom setting. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lindsey D. Beginners...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This essay answers the question for number 10 “what are the main problems for learners in the country of China?” I am a professor at Jiangnan University in Wuxi, China and share my observations. Our students are in the North American College (NAC), with partners in Canada at Lambton College and Northwood University, USA. Three areas are most interesting to their learning challenges: college preparation, listening and writing. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Annette P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Students enter NAC with a low score on the national gaokao entrance exam. The student body represents a culture where...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Michela C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. You are in a classroom with people that have the same level of linguistic skills as you and your teacher is there to help you, not to judge you. Mistakes are part of learning, you can’t be fluent without making mistakes. Nothing is too difficult or too easy! Try to learn whatever you can during your lessons, sometimes you can think it’s boring revising grammar structures because you already know it…believe me, revision lessons are a good opportunity to revise and reinforce your knowledge. Put in all the effort that you can and nothing will be...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The difference between formal and informal grammar is very apparent both in everyday life and during ones time as a teacher of English as a foreign language. These differences, I believe, play an important part in why many language learners find it so difficult to understand and become fluent. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Daniel B. As a native English speaker and an ongoing learner of Spanish I find myself struggling with these differences as well. Much of the English grammar we learn in school in America is grammar that the person knows they are likely to use very sparingly. This is why most students fail to truly pay attention in their literature...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Over the decades, the English language has reached the status of a global language and is commonly known as the lingua franca around the world. It has become one of the most widely spoken language as a mother tongue, international communication as well as language taught in millions of schools around the globe. The use of the English language is widespread in many sectors in the global market as many organizations begin to adopt the language as an official language. In the economic world, the language plays a significant role in international trade/business between two of the most powerful global economic powerhouse mainly the United States of America and China. This post was written by our TEFL certification...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The native language in Ecuador is Quichua, an Inca language. It is spoken by the Indian population, but Spanish is the most common, widely spoken language. Besides Spanish, ten native languages are spoken in Ecuador. English is the most spoken foreign language amongst tourist providers and professionals. For this reason, English is taught in most schools as a Foreign Language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jemma W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Most students find it very hard to learn English in Ecuador as there are very few people to practice with. It is only the most dedicated students who put the effort in to studying...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Learning a second language is an adventure, most people find it fascinating. Some people are intimidated, they take a glimpse, and then walk back to the familiar ground; some embark on the journey, but not all of them can truly enjoy the journey that is full of difficulties, some learners quit in the middle of the adventure; thus, only a small amount of people can finally master a second language. Teachers should be able to know what types of difficulty students might face and how to help them deal with these difficulties. In this post, we shall look into two learning difficulties — poor memory and lack of concentration. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lijie Z. Take English learning as...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations While many people wanting to teach English abroad move to countries in Asia or Latin America, Europe is also a popular destination that cannot be ignored. Despite stricter visa regulations and tougher job markets for teachers, there are still many places in all parts of Europe that have a need for foreign teachers. Here are the top 10 cities in Europe with the highest demand for English language teachers. Spain is one of the most attractive countries for teaching English abroad in Europe. The country’s capital Madrid has the largest job market for EFL teachers in Spain. While citizens from non-EU countries may find it difficult to secure a work visa in Spain, many teachers are able to obtain a student visa which...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning an unfamiliar language is no easy feat and with the globalization of the English language, more and more people are faced with the task of learning English to better their lives. It is no secret that English is one of the more difficult languages to learn given its many peculiarities and the lack of clues to pronunciation. This makes learning English not only more complicated but often frustrating for students who have difficulties understanding certain concepts. This is where games can have a huge impact. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Randi B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The most important job of any teacher,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Given the increase in globalization during the late 20th and early 21st centuries and the growing inter-dependencies of domestic economies within the international marketplace, English, as a primary language medium for conducting international business arrangements, has become an increased priority both socially and within the business environment. However, notwithstanding the importance of English fluency within contemporary society, Japan and Japanese English learners face difficulties when trying to achieve competency. These difficulties and issues can be shown by the 2018 EF English Proficiency Index which ranked the English level of Japanese learners as rank 49 out of 88 countries which place Japan within the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The use of reading in the course of language acquisition is valuable and often underrated. Before undertaking a detailed explanation, I will first offer a general example to demonstrate the problem of teaching without it. Imagine you are teaching the word “ball” to an older student. You could ask them to say “ball, ball, ball” in a drilling manner. This can be inefficient and above all, boring for the student. But suppose that you do teach it enjoyably. How many words might they learn? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Peter C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For most teachers, they will give one or sometimes two...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Often times, when one thinks about teaching English as a Second Language (henceforth 'ESL'), the predominant thought is that of, "[w]hat can I as a teacher do to help my students improve?" For the most part, the reflection is introspective, rarely moving out of these bounds. However, one is of the opinion that parents play a large factor in the child's learning of a foreign language. Canvassed below are some of the reasons why one is of this opinion. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ignatia D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Most learners of English live in societies where English is not the predominantly spoken language....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Over the past two years, as part of an international community, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people from all over the world. We share the common experience of learning an L2. I’ve spoken to nearly 100 people now, and what I’ve learned about learning L2 is, well, it’s hard. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Janis U. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Most people I’ve “interviewed” have either learned an L2 over many years or are still in the process of learning it. Of those that have learned an L2, they tend to be more fluent than accurate and most have learned L2 out of necessity within 1-3 years. I consider...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Rapport in this context is the relationship between the students and the teacher, and among the student group within a classroom environment. Why is having rapport within a classroom important? Because without a friendly connection among the participants there is a real danger of disruption to the learning process. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Juri N. “Respect is a two way road,” this statement says that without one side or the other of the Street of Respect, respect is not there. Meaning, if the teacher does not respect the students and show the students that respect, then the students will not respect the teacher in return. This scenario can very easily ruin the teaching of a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Destinations Alumni Experiences I have been in China for four years; I came here on 15, September 2015, as a student. During this time pursuing my Master’s degree, I taught English as a foreign language in training centers, elementary school, high school and currently teaching in a Polytechnics. English has become one of the fastest growing subjects in the country. Many Chinese students study the subject at schools and training centers. It is also interesting to note that most of the universities teach some other subjects in English. This attracts many students from other countries to study in China or have an exchange program. Life in China is very convenient because of the developed infrastructure. There...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas A motivated student is a student who is eager to learn, and that means they are much more likely to absorb and retain what they are being taught than if they were disengaged or disinterested. This is why it is so important for teachers to foster motivation in the classroom and engage their students to be open to learning before the start of each lesson. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lindsay G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are many different techniques teachers can use to get their students in a learning mindset. Some common and effective approaches are mental warm-ups like word games, vocal activities like singing,...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Unlike learning a first language, learning a second language is a task that can sometimes seem frustrating and at times even impossible. There are many reasons for this as learning a second language is very different than learning your mother tongue. Firstly, there are biological factors involved and the fact that normally children tend to assimilate things more easily than adults. Secondly, it is often harder to get the same level of exposure to the language than it is when learning a native language where repetition from parents etc. is constant. That is why when you sign up for an English class, or any other language for that matter, teachers will try to replicate that scenario with endless repetitions and fun...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In our everyday life we try to teach someone something, as in life we use different methods to explain something to someone, it is the same for a teacher. We spend every day as teachers and learners. We don't have to be students to learn and we don't have to be teachers to teach. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Medha R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The source of learning doesn't have to be one human giving a lesson to another; it can be something new we learned from a book, the internet, a newspaper, etc. However, we owe it to another human being that we have within us the capacity to teach, it can vary from a life skill...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate MUSTAFA N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The role of the teacher can be divided an analyzed in two different ways; One is the education and knowledge, (part 1) Second is the personality and communication abilities, (part 2) Part one is a general precondition for every candidate, but part two is indispensable, especially in primary education. We mostly hear such sayings: “A good teacher is a good student at the same time.” “If you are a good student, then most probably you can be a good teacher.” When we look back to our history of humanity, we almost always see that being a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences My attachment to teaching starts when I was a child and observing my mom teaching private lessons. I have grown to love teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Roza A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. My first experience was while I was in my third year of university volunteering to teach my classmates the subjects they were weak at. Then I volunteered in one of the offices of American Corner in my city part of the American Console in Iraq and opened a course there teaching English as a second language. The two earlier volunteering experiences I had were great, mostly because the students were adults and highly...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations Italy is one of the most popular destinations for teaching English in Europe - and it’s not hard to see why! With so many amazing cities to choose from you will be spoiled for choice in this Mediterranean paradise. Because of strict EU laws and regulations, it can often be difficult for non-EU citizens to secure a visa and work legally in Italy. However, if you are dreaming of living and working in Italy, don’t worry! Check out our detailed guide on how to legally teaching English in Italy for people outside of the European Union. The capital of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, Bologna is a premier destination with a lot of exciting attractions. Not only is Bologna stunningly beautiful, it’s also home to the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning English may be stressful for students and adults, as well. The reasons may be different. In this essay, I will try to examine the possible causes of why learning English can be stressful especially for young learners. I will try to propose some suggestions that in my opinion may work. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Maxim D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Probably, the lack of experience of a new language learning can be the number 1 reason for stress for young learners in English learning. For many ESL students, English is the first foreign language that they try to learn and it can bring up a lot of stress. They...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching multiple tenses might sound frightening as teaching a single tense can sometimes be a challenge on its own. However, while it might seem difficult the first time you try it, it isn’t as daunting as you would think. When teaching more than one tense at a time there are two main factors to consider: which tenses to teach together and what language level you are teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ferenc M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The general rule is that basic tenses are for lower level students and harder ones are for intermediates and above. Despite this, many higher...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I did not realize how difficult English is until I became fluent in Spanish. I am currently studying French and I am pretty good at French. I have a basic knowledge of Esperanto. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Wayne K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I will just touch on each of these since a book could be written about each of these. Also Read: Teaching Young Learners vs. Adult Learners - The Differences You Can Expect I have found many poems(1) and articles on the internet discussing the insane way English is spelled and pronounced. On the previously sited website(ibid) an English instructor states that he has very often...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Learning a second language is never easy but the problems that each learner faces are not all the same. Sometimes the grammar of your first language is completely different from your second language. There might be sounds you do not know how to make because your first language does not have them. You might have limited access to fluent speakers of the language you are learning. All of these are true for Lao learners trying to acquire English as a second language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mary A. The national language in Laos is called Lao. It is missing many of the sounds that native English speakers take for granted. They have no “r” sound, no blended consonants such as...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In between the lesson structures of teaching a five-year-old how to ride a horse and a 20-year-old did I first witness the relationship between age and abilities, attention spans, and structural needs of the different students. As German riding schools would follow a structured pyramid system to train a horse and rider from the ground up, so can teachers of a first or secondary language. Questions to discuss in this essay are, “What is early childhood development? What comes next?” and “How can a teacher encourage students through the different stages of development?”. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kate S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In acquiring a second language, the end goal of the student and teacher should be shared. The student ultimately wants to acquire at least some level of proficiency in the second language, while the teacher wants to assist them in that task. For most learners, this is a difficult journey that includes a lot of rote memorization and potentially anxiety-causing first-hand practice. Without sufficient motivation, it can be extremely difficult for students to consistently study for the long hours that may be required. It may also prove overwhelming for them when they try to practice the language in the real world. If they are embarrassed about making mistakes, they will need some sort of incentive to overcome those...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There are many good things I have learned from the TEFL course I have been taking this past month. Things I had never considered before as a skill is to be a good teacher. I had mentioned it before in my tests that I did not realize how important it is to have those skills until I started taking the course and had read about it. So I guess I am saying that the best thing I have learned from my TEFL course is how to be a good teacher and it reminded me of my previous teachers and how well they taught me and my fellow classmates. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Hildur E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Every unit I have...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching skills can be summarized in four key concepts: communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Of course, when describing these skills we aren’t just talking about teaching English but these skills can be used to prepare students in order to be able to express and communicate themselves independently and with groups in a globalized world as well as being capable to be adaptive, flexible and think creatively. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jorge P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. This might go beyond the basics of the English language classroom but teachers are not just teaching a language or a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The word ‘grammar’ is often feared by students and teachers alike. It has an image of being difficult to comprehend and hard to teach. However, with planning and a positive approach to the lesson, it can be a fun and interesting way to improve English skills. Also, students can often feel a true sense of accomplishment by being able to use the vocabulary and sentences structures that they have learned. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Janet K. So where do we start? How to use verbs and the study of tenses is a perfect first step. By dividing the tenses into three sections, present, past and future, and then again into the simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous forms, we...  [Read more]