Does The Dominican Republic Celebrate Halloween

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas October is here and Halloween isn’t far away! Whether you teach in your country or abroad, this festival is exciting as it has specific cultural features. In this blog post, we share five fun Halloween decor ideas for your ESL classroom. Get inspired, and feel free to encourage your students to help you decorate the classroom! If you prefer to celebrate in style, you can pick a particular topic to decorate all parts of your classroom. Also Read: "6 Great Ideas for Developing Vocabulary in English Learners" Use all time favorites - pumpkins, lanterns, web, and wreaths - as the basis of your decor. You can either DIY them or buy them at a...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in a variety of Asian countries. This holiday marks the beginning of a calendar year whose months are cycles of the moon. Typically, the Lunar New Year is celebrated in January or February depending on the lunar calendar. Teaching English in Asia is a great way to experience Lunar New Year celebrations and different customs in the various Asian nations. Chinese New Year is the most important Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese moon calendar. Chinese New Year is a 15-day-long festival period with the Lantern Festival concluding the celebrations on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences My teaching experience began in a whirlwind. I graduated from college a semester ahead of my class, married, lived with my husband in my sister’s basement for two months, and moved to South Korea. We had no idea what to expect. Sure, we’d read the blogs, talked to the director of our school, and even talked with people we know who had lived and taught in Korea. It still didn’t fully prepare us for what to expect, how amazing it would be, and how hard. We lived in South Korea for 19 months teaching three through seven year olds daily and first through third graders several times each week. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Sarah S. When we first moved to Korea, our head teacher had to teach us how...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In my opinion, classroom management is the most important part of teaching. Classroom Management does not have only the skill of organizing and managing but also a relaxing manner. It is a critical skill. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Huyen P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Simply put, classroom management refers to the wide variety of skills and techniques that teachers use to ensure that their classroom runs smoothly, without disruptive behavior from students. According to me, it boils down to having a structured learning environment with clear rules that promote learning as well as consequences that diminish or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As babies and toddlers, learning a language is a natural thing. We listen, watch, learn, and eventually try speaking for ourselves. We make many mistakes. As a toddler, mistakes are adorable. Our parents, siblings, and grandparents can't get enough of our attempts at language. However, as we get older, mistakes are no longer cute and can become somewhat embarrassing, causing us to fear trying new things. This fear can make learning a new language particularly difficult as we get older. As teachers of foreign languages, it is important to help our students feel comfortable trying new things and even making mistakes. If our students can feel confident, even when they are wrong, they won't be afraid to try. This...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Motivation can be categorized into two types: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is a drive that comes from within a person. People are intrinsically motivated when they enjoy doing an activity. Extrinsic motivation is a drive that comes from outside of a person. People are extrinsically motivated when they want to gain a reward (like a prize or a good grade) or avoid a punishment. Motivating Students to Learn English with some Smart Tactics are as follows: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nigar S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One way to encourage students’ intrinsic motivation is to make class communicative. Part...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations TEFL Information The international EFL market is increasingly looking towards hiring seniors. This means it’s a now-or-never chance for many people of 50 and older around the world to change their lives completely. Take a TEFL course in an exotic location (or at home online) and start your teaching career abroad. Yes—You can teach English abroad when you’re 50’s+ Years of career and life experience is an incredibly valuable asset and many EFL employers worldwide prefer to hire teachers who have plenty of knowledge to share with their students. While it’s true that a lot of programs target those fresh out of college, there are no age restrictions for teaching English overseas. All you need...  [Read more]

Amanda Stern Destinations Alumni Experiences Are you planning on teaching abroad, but worrying about how you can get involved in the community and leave a memorable impression on the locals? Language barriers may make this seem like a harrowing task, but fear not, the following is a list of a few jumping-off points for those planning to take the plunge into their new community. Celebrating multiculturalism in a community is a worldwide phenomenon, even for unassuming towns. In our rural port-town in Japan, we have multiple events throughout the year to promote understanding and celebrate the various cultures and people who have made Japan their home, temporarily or forever. These events included Filipino traditional dance...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences To many students, the school can feel like more of a chore than a pleasurable experience. Whether it is struggling to pay attention to lectures or to complete homework assignments, all students will lose focus at some point or another. One way to make the learning process more pleasurable is by transforming the classroom into a game-like environment. This does not necessarily mean playing games in class, but it does mean applying similar concepts to the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Heather H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Many of the games we enjoy also happen to build real-life skills such as...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations TEFL Information Whether it’s a small present or a simple card - these cute sayings for teacher appreciation add a special touch to your gift! Your teachers will truly appreciate your thoughtfulness with these cute sayings. Around the world, there are several holidays dedicated to celebrating your teachers. In the United States, Teacher Appreciation Week is the first full week in May. Here is a list of when it is celebrated in other countries: “Thanks for helping our child ‘bloom’ “ or “grow” tag with a bouquet of flowers or growing plant “Thanks for giving our child a hand” tag with hand lotion “Thanks a ‘latte!” tag with a gift card from the local coffee shop, special...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas English has become a worldwide language, leading to early learning of English in the school context is becoming more common nowadays. It has been suggested that children should master their mother tongue before moving on to their second language. However, if you learn a language after the age of seven, you can never turn it into your mother tongue. You should learn it as soon as possible. After that age, they won’t learn it the same way as they do their native language. This is the reason why there are more and more kindergartens teaching English and what does a teacher need to put in mind when teaching EFL for children? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tran T. Please note that this blog...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Urban education can be described as a complicated topic for school reformists in America. With critical issues, such as inadequate funding, lack of resources, and uncertified teachers, the myriad of problems with public education has reached a new high. Many big-city public education systems have turned into melting pots by bringing together members of different racial, social, economic, and ethnic groups. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Crystal H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Per the Bureau of International Information Programs (2011), the...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Destinations A TEFL qualification allows you to teach English almost anywhere in the world, some countries are more popular than others for differing reasons. Some are popular because of the salary and benefits offered to teachers, others are popular because they offer a better quality of life and others are popular because they provide teachers with plenty of opportunities. The top most popular countries are all in Asia as the demand for English is so much higher here than elsewhere in the world. China, the first country, has the largest demand for English teachers in the world and an abundance of teaching jobs for newly qualified and experienced TEFL teachers alike. As such, salaries and benefits vary considerably, but experienced and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Many English language learners have different motivations, interests, and skills in learning a new language. In a classroom with diverse backgrounds and skill levels, it’s very important that a teacher strives to understand each of their students to the best of their abilities and support them along in their journey to learning English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tessa S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As we discussed in ITTT 120-Hour Course: Teachers and Learners teachers take on multiple and diverse roles in the classroom, sometimes during a single lesson. These roles include manager or controller, organizer,...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Visa and Legal Destinations TEFL Information Every year, thousands of Americans embark on their adventure of teaching English abroad. Many of them dream of living in Europe but are deterred by the seemingly unfavorable visa regulations and they head to Asia or Latin America instead. While it is true that a lot of employers in European countries prefer to hire teachers with an EU passport to avoid having to organize a work visa for those from other countries, there are other ways to legally work in Europe as an American English teacher. Here is our how-to guide for Americans to teach English in Europe. The first step for your adventure abroad, no matter which nationality you hold, is to get a...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Budget and Salary TEFL Information Welcome, I'm Linda from ITTT, and we are doing a live Q&A session today, so let me just check if this is working. Is anybody here if you're here, if you can see me if you can hear me. Please, leave a comment. That would be great so that I know that you are here. And, please, let me know where you guys are tuning in from? I would be super interested to see where you are tuning in from. I'm in South Korea. I'm about an hour and a half outside of Seoul, like in the middle of South Korea in a city called Cheongju. It's not that big. It is quite big, but it's not pretty well known, but um, I've been here for five and a half years already. So, hello, some people are here great! Hi,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Throughout the modern and ancient world, across all cultures and empires, generations have been inspired, entertained and educated through the process of storytelling. Before such modern practices of documentation, word of mouth was used to keep the spirit of generations alive, these served as a purpose of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and to instill a sense of morality into their young. Since the written word, our desire for storytelling has evolved and allowed us to reach and inspire further audiences on paper. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate florence c. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. To separate and...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas A multilingual class is a class where the learners speak a variety of first languages. A monolingual class is a class where all the learners speak the same first language. I have been working in international school setting for over 13 years. The classes are multilingual classes where students come from different cultures and English is the common language for them to communicate with their teachers and classmates. By contrast, English classes in local schools and universities in China are considered to be monolingual classes since the students use their first language, Chinese, to communicate. The teacher has to remind them to not use their mother tongue constantly during class...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Change is something that does not come naturally to us human. It requires us to go through the process of learning. It is especially hard for us to assimilate anything that is not so much used in our environment. I grew up in the French-speaking country that is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I have gone through the entire process of learning English not as a second, nor a third, but as a fourth one. And that is the case for most Congolese as well. Although it came quite naturally to me. Most of my classmates seemed to have been introduced to another world. It is easy to assimilate a new language when it is widely spoken in the area you live in. However, when it comes to the Congolese population English...  [Read more]

Umber Sherjeel Destinations Alumni Experiences Being in the teaching field for more than a decade and having taught in Saudi Arabia for the last 7+ years, I will give some pointers about my experience here as an English Language teacher. The education industry in Saudi Arabia is very blooming. There are many international schools, colleges, and universities - and the English education field in Saudi Arabia continues to grow and expand. Due to the rapid shift in the education system during the past few years, the country has established an insatiable appetite for ESL English Language teachers. English language learning has become mandatory in pretty much the entire school system. Since English is considered as a key skill for...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Good communication skills, I can say this is an important quality someone can be so educated but communication skill zero so the education can be useless. Communication skills like visual, nonverbal, verbal by using body language, speaking and so many more. The biggest part of the classroom is communication. Also explaining well if there are activities or assignments and also a good teacher through communication will know which student does not understand and will make an effort to talk to the student and help him or her individually. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Qiuyan G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. when you have...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching is a difficult occupation, Teachers play an essential part in training children, teenagers,... etc. although every great teacher has their own special, unique style, a good teacher must have some special qualities. Which are: knowledge, authority, confidence, empathy, sense of humor and passion. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Hajar E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Knowledge is One of the most important qualities for a teacher to have. A good teacher should understand the major concepts and have an understanding of the subject that they teach and be able to demonstrate a large knowledge of the subject matter, and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Foreign language experience is complexed on so many different levels, it is a window into a different culture, often a different country and even a different paradigm of thinking. There is a multitude of language experiences people can have, each with their own intricacies and uniqueness. As a native English speaker from South Africa, living in China has provided me with extraordinary foreign language experience. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Marlan S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Mandarin, the national language of the People’s Republic of China, as many would attest to is extremely challenging. One could argue...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Motivation has become a big subject in recent years. What does it mean to motivate? For me to motivate does not mean to scream on somebody or push somebody. To motivate simply means to provide a motive. Provide a reason WHY. When we look at motivation from a more scientific perspective we shall not ignore the concept of external and internal motivation. As teachers, we should be able to understand the basic psychology of our students. If we understand what are the motives and the drives we are more likely to adjust our teaching to their needs. To be able to understand the real desires and fears, we should listen carefully, only with the good analysis we may help to better articulate their WHYS. This post was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching techniques are a crucial aspect within the classroom and encompass all the different ways to take important information that a learner requires in understanding a specific topic and projecting it across a classroom/skype in a way that all the learners will listen, comprehend and apply. Teaching techniques come in many different forms. They can be in the form of simplistic games or the form of choral repetition. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brendan S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Different teaching techniques target different and specific areas of the subject and in the case of a TEFL teacher, the teaching...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have chosen this subject because I have some experience in teaching young learners and motivation has always been a hot topic of discussion with my peer teachers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lenuta M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Young learners have a short attention span and teachers or educators have to manage this issue in the first place. When dealing with teaching English to little ones, a first step is capturing their attention and interest since the intrinsic motivation is not yet developed. One method is to engage them using songs and movements. Even if they don't understand the lyrics, the rhythm and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Confidence - how many times we’ve heard about it. That it’s important, that we should have it, that we should build it, that we should help students or any other people develop it. But what does it mean? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Iuliia S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It’s been always difficult to explain what is it, as it’s something that comes from feelings of well-being, acceptance of yourself, belief in your abilities, skills, your own experience. I would say it’s a ‘self-power’, that lets you move through any difficulties, helps you to grow and become a ‘someone’. The Merriam-Webster dictionary...  [Read more]