Eliciting

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Motivation refers to a psychological process that gives purpose and direction. Motivation in the classroom helps students to be interested in learning. It's a process involved in the arousing and orientation of someone towards achieving a given goal. As a teacher, motivation in the classroom has a lot to do with my personality. I have to be a role model, a good leader and a good example for the students to follow. I have to listen to each and every student with keen interest, making sure I understand them and give them the attention they deserve. I'll also need to apply discipline as well as compassion. All this will help to maintain and ensure self-confident within the students. In addition, there are certain...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this article, some basic tips that can make online teaching a more convenient experience for both teachers and students are discussed. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas The receptive skills of reading and listening, generally get less attention than the other skills of speaking and writing. Here we look at some of the reasons they are avoided and why e should overcome these fears. Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas What are some of the considerations needed for...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this article, some basic tips that can make online teaching a more convenient experience for both teachers and students are discussed. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas The receptive skills of reading and listening, generally get less attention than the other skills of speaking and writing. Here we look at some of the reasons they are avoided and why e should overcome these fears. Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas What are some of the considerations needed for...  [Read more]

Mudita Yajnik TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Setting up the classroom is often overlooked by teachers - but it's oh-so important! In this blog post, we take a look at the importance of the ESL classroom setup. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas What are some of the most important reasons for planning our lessons? Covering these ideas will then inform us as to what we should actually put on our lesson plan. In this blog post, we cover both these aspects of lesson planning. Federico Riva TEFL Information In this blog post, we will consider three different categories of speaking...  [Read more]

Mudita Yajnik TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Setting up the classroom is often overlooked by teachers - but it's oh-so important! In this blog post, we take a look at the importance of the ESL classroom setup. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas What are some of the most important reasons for planning our lessons? Covering these ideas will then inform us as to what we should actually put on our lesson plan. In this blog post, we cover both these aspects of lesson planning. Federico Riva TEFL Information In this blog post, we will consider three different categories of speaking...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Here we're going to consider the use of visual aids in the classroom. Visual aids can include examples such as, real objects (which we call realia), the use of pictures and photographs and also the use of models. So let's consider some of the ideas surrounding the use of visual aids. First of all the use of a visual aid can reduce teacher talk time (TTT) which is always desirable. It is much simpler to just show a real object than to try to describe it, so that we could just ask the students, “what is this”? and they would say, “that is a pen” rather than trying to actually describe the pen. Again if we were eliciting names of fruit and vegetables, rather than to try and...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the major ideas when writing on the board is that we need to be aware of is that whenever we're using the board to write down information, we should not be talking. Also whenever we are talking we should not be writing on the board. When writing on the board we want our students to concentrate fully on what we are writing down. Speaking at the same time, especially when they can’t see your mouth (as you will write with your back to them) causes unnecessary interference of the message. This will inevitably lead to what's known as ‘dead time’ when nothing is being said. As we are putting information on the board this dead time is not a problem. We can also minimize it by...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A lesson plan is one of the English teacher’s most useful tools. A lesson plan makes a teacher think concretely about what they want the students to have learned by the end of the lesson, and the steps for making that possible within the allotted timeframe. It allows a teacher to estimate how long various activities will take, and to think about what students will ideally learn from each activity. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Katherine V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A lesson plan also functions as a record, helping a teacher to remember exactly what was covered, and when. Such a record will show the teacher...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The author and motivational speaker Hilary "Zig Zig" Ziglar wrote, "Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment." Drilling is defined as a teaching technique or method used when teaching a new language through extensive repetition by students, also aided through audio, oral, or even optical channels or props. As with other teaching methods, repetitive drilling has both advantages and disadvantages and has been deemed effective and ineffective over the years. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Terese H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I have never been a teacher in a formal school set up before and I have no experience or whatsoever, except that I have been involved with young people for almost about nineteen years, daily. In all that period, I have learned and realized the huge responsibility that this profession has and I would like to salute men and women who dedicated their lives to improve many lives throughout the generations. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tumelo S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Going through this course has opened my eyes even wider. To me, the role of a teacher is twofold: Professionalism and parenting/guardianship....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning a language is acquiring the ability to produce the language and to produce the language accurately, a student needs to learn the grammar of that language. So, what is grammar? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sheila A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Grammar is the study of the way words are used to make sentences. It is a set of rules that provides the structure we need to organize our ideas and convey our messages fully. It determines how words are arranged in a sentence for understanding. It gives us the ability to comprehend and produce language. When trying to acquire a language, learning the grammar of that...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When you teach English as a foreign language it’s important to pay attention to details that we sometimes ignore when communicating with other native level speakers, either in spoken or written English. Some people have got into the habit of writing in uppercase/capital letters, use abbreviations, and don’t think much about punctuation. We also tend not to be too critical of people’s spoken English as long as we get the point across. ‘There’s a lot of cars on the road today’ is grammatically incorrect for example. We also tend to enjoy speaking when we should be letting others speak. This is a particular issue in the classroom when you should be maximizing student talk time and minimizing yours. Here are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences For the past two months, I've been locked in on my computer studying the TEFL course. It has been a great experience, and as a teacher, it has given men clarity on several things I didn't have clarity on before. As a person who is already teaching English in a private language school, I can say that the TEFL course has boosted my teaching skills and confidence. The course provided me with valuable tips on teacher conduct and how to get students involved in classes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ngonidzashe M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The best thing I've learned from the course...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Business language is often used to affect another person’s behavior. However, it should be stated early that the language must be used to help the other person. It should not be used for mere financial gain. One may gain financially by it, but the persuasion, if acted upon, must have a positive effect upon the person who has been persuaded. One may be able to persuade an Eskimo to purchase ice, however, that makes the businessperson a swindler rather than an excellent salesman. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Bill C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Words mean things. A proper English sentence must have both a subject...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One common problem the EFL teacher may confront in the classroom is a group of learners who are confused, intimidated, or anxious. In a word, classroom stress has the potential to significantly hinder the prospects of a successful learning experience. What are some techniques the teacher can employ to overcome this obstacle or to prevent it from emerging in the first place? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brian J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A useful way to begin answering this question is by referring back to the two videos presented in unit 10 of this TEFL course. In the first video, one sees a classroom of confused and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Walking into a classroom for the first time can be an intimidating experience! It can be even more intimidating if the teacher has moved to another country to teach English, as communication can be quite a challenge. Also, the teacher is often in an unfamiliar environment and dealing with cultural differences. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Janet K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. So what makes a good teacher? Well, personality-wise, a kind and patient person who loves teaching and has a lively and entertaining personality would be an ideal candidate. Of course, a good knowledge of the subject and an ability to create a good...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are four basic skills in any language: receptive skills – reading and listening, and productive skills – speaking and writing. Usually, when we learn a new language, we tend to access our learning process and result by checking how our productive skills are and forget that before we can the product, we need to receive first. Data says that the production of every 100 words in writing needs a receipt of 1000 words in reading which means to be able to produce anything, one must get as much as 10 times receipt. Similarly in listening and speaking. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Josephine L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas “If you talk to a man in the language he understands, it goes to his head. If you talk to a man in his language, It goes to his heart.” This is an allusion to the effect of language to individuals especially when it has to do with eliciting emotions. One’s first language (L1) will always have a very big effect on how we react because it goes down to our innate desire to reach out. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Isiaka O. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Today, it is generally acknowledged that English has become native to so many countries even when those countries have other spoken languages. In 2015, there were 67...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Out of all the methods of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language, the ESA-structured lessons are the most productive with a balance of teacher instruction and student practice time. This method often includes others such as audio-bilingualism (drilling techniques), PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production), and task-based learning; but offering a wide variety of techniques within one method is the beauty of the Engage-Study-Activate lesson model. This lesson model has many benefits for students of English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first part of this lesson model is the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Out of all the methods of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language, the ESA-structured lessons are the most productive with a balance of teacher instruction and student practice time. This method often includes others such as audio-lingualism (drilling techniques), PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production), and task-based learning; but offering a wide variety of techniques within one method is the beauty of the Engage-Study-Activate lesson model. This lesson model has many benefits for students of English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first part of this lesson model is the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Creative writing classes are fun. Creative writing classes are rewarding. And sometimes, creative writing classes can be highly frustrating. I remember sitting down on a rainy day in Kunming, China, in front of me a cup of tea and a pile of homework assignments from my creative writing class. And I remember my disappointment as text after text turned out to be virtually identical, each one a variation of a popular Chinese fairy tale. Even the names of the characters seemed to have been picked from a very small pool of available names. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jan T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Creativity is not a...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences I have now taken both ITTT's 120-hour TEFL/TESOL course and the additional course for teaching young learners. Both courses have been very beneficial, and, although it is difficult to narrow the benefits down to one "best" thing, one of the most helpful things I have learned is the idea of reducing teacher talking time and increasing student talking time. I have found this concept to be particularly valuable as I prepare for a future TESOL position, and I have been very pleased to find that it has benefited me in my current teaching job in an American classroom, as well. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Erin S. First, and most directly, the idea of frequently engaging students in speaking is useful as I...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Every fresh teacher, once starting his or her career, has this question: how should I teach English? What is the best way to organize my classes to make sure students would not be bored and learn something? And how to keep them motivated and enjoy every lesson? I did have all these questions at the beginning of my teaching career, and by trials and errors, I found the approach this TEFL course is based on – ESA. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Angelina G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. My English journey began long before I became a teacher myself - as an ESL student. However, my own experience was not that enjoyable:...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The study stage, when the teaching is actually done, is the second phase of a straight-arrow ESA lesson plan. What needs to be taught in this stage depends on the course content and the source the teacher is expected to cover through a specific period. But generally speaking, languages are made of receptive and productive skills in addition to systems like syntax or grammar, vocabulary or lexis, and phonology. The content of textbooks is normally centered around these areas. Although the ESA method is supposed to be applied for almost every lesson, no matter if it is allocated to a skill or system, the details of the procedure may vary based on the aspect of language that is...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences The best thing I have learned from my TEFL course is the ESA method. I discovered this method in Lesson 2 of our course which, for me, is one of the best and useful lessons in the whole course. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Horacio A. In my previous experience, I had learned most of the methodologies explained in Lesson 2, but I had never had the chance to know about this method before. ESA stands for Engage-Study-Activate, the three stages or phases of this method. This method was introduced in 1998 by Jeremy Harmer. It is the most dynamic and creative method, suitable to any level. It is an eclectic method, because it combines the best of previous methodologies used in language...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Lesson planning is an indispensable part of successful lessons. Generally speaking, lesson plans have various functions that are conducive to the classes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Juan W. First and most importantly, lesson plans can help teachers think and deliver classes logically through different stages of the classes. It can also give teachers hints needed. When teachers plan lessons, there are several aspects that need to be taken into consideration, such as lesson objectives, possible difficulties and skill and so on. Second, It’s a record of classes that have been done and materials have been used. On the one hand, even though teachers have good memory, it is almost impossible...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Establishing rapport in the classroom is essential if you are going to have a successful class. In this paper, I will examine some of my classroom experience and compare my successful classes to my less-successful classes. In doing so, I hope to make an observation about “best practices” that I can implement in my English teaching. Along with using my own experience, I will be talking with other teachers that I know and using the provided text that I have been given for this course. The three areas I will focus on are: Beginning the course, student participation, and being positive. Beginning the Course. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Taylor C. How a teacher begins a course will...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The best thing I learned from the TEFL course cannot be explained in one thought or topic sentence because it was significant. However, for this essay, I will narrow it down to one concept. I am an experienced licensed teacher from the United States, but there is always more to learn. In the United States, I would have one or two students in my class each year that were not native English speakers. So, the idea of teaching a classroom of students where all the learners are not native speakers is new to me. I was unfamiliar with ESA's acronym (Engage, Study, Activate) until I took this course, and I appreciate this concept the most. ESA was the best thing I learned from this...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy TEFL Information Alumni Experiences In today's cosmopolitan world, the noticeable necessity of mastery over foreign languages apart from one's native language is motivating manifold people to consider improving this particular ability which results in an increasing demand for language learning courses and services. Among the major purposes of language learning, communication and language production are definitely much more measurable and outstanding, specifically through productive skills, including writing and speaking. In terms of pedagogy, the following is a suggested procedure that can be taken into account while teaching productive skills after the engagement phase is applied and learners are ready to start...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas For this Summative Task, I will be discussing the topic of teaching productive skills in the classroom. As opposed to receptive skills learned previously (reading and listening), productive skills focus on speaking and writing. Regarding writing, this function of language education is often the most neglected in the TEFL world, due firstly, to the fact that teachers and students don't want to monopolize class time with quiet individually driven work. Writing skills are mostly practiced in the form of homework which can often be neglected and completed without necessary focus and effort. Concerning speaking, this function requires a higher deal of language fluency as well as an understanding of the accent and...  [Read more]