Annie Chen's

Charlotte Lam Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Phonics is a method of teaching children to read by linking sounds (phonemes) and the symbols that represent them (graphemes, or letter groups). Phonics is very commonly used in Hong Kong's kindergarten to teach children the sound of the words. It involves matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters. For example, the sound k can be spelled as c, k, ck or ch. Teach children the letters' sounds. They think about what sound a word starts with, saying the sound out, and recognize how that sound is connected to the letter. It helps them to see a letter and then say the sound it represents out loud. Decoding is basically the main English curriculum...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences During my Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification, I learned several valuable lessons. While knowing the English language and how to relay that to those who are learning the language is important, the most important lesson I learned is how a teacher’s attitude directly affects student interaction and class rapport. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Annie H. Being open and warm as well as using a smile has an extremely beneficial effect on a classroom. When students view the teacher as someone who is judgment-free and wanting to help, it elicits positive interaction and performance. Although this seems to be common sense, I’ve had several teachers (including language...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Even though some people might disagree with the idea of praising students in the classroom, I hold a strong belief that it is of paramount importance. Praising assists teachers in making students aware of what they have attained. It can be done verbally, through body language or in writing. Nevertheless, praise should be timely, honest, and measured. It could be mutually advantageous for teachers and students. The former will benefit from cementing a healthy relationship with the latter; and the latter will be able to strengthen his or her confidence. Conversely, it could have a detrimental effect on both. For this reason, I will exemplify the advantages and challenges in praising that I have come across in my...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What makes the language learning experience so different for young learners compared to adult learners? How do adults and children acquire a second language differently? What benefits do young learners possess over adults when it comes to acquiring a second language and vice versa? The following essay attempts to provide an answer to these questions but more importantly, discuss the general differences between 1st language and 2nd language acquisition in young and adult learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Trent L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Essentially, the first language we are fully exposed to as babies is our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What makes the language learning experience so different for young learners compared to adult learners? How do adults and children acquire a second language differently? What benefits do young learners possess over adults when it comes to acquiring a second language and vice versa? The following essay attempts to provide an answer to these questions but more importantly, discuss the general differences between 1st language and 2nd language acquisition in young and adult learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Trent L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. To start off, let’s take a look at what language acquisition even is....  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Teaching Ideas I’ve worked as an online tutor with VIPKid since 2017. I have also taught ESL in a traditional classroom setting. My experience dealing with parents in these two settings drastically differs. When I made the switch to teaching online full-time, I needed to adapt to this new way of interacting with parents. Some online teaching companies offer classes with multiple students. Working for VIPKid, however, I only have experience in the online classroom where the teacher is one-on-one with the student. In a one-on-one classroom setting the teacher will either be alone with the student, the student and a parent, or in some cases the student and multiple parents. I’m going to talk...  [Read more]