Get Into Teaching

Charli HelloGrads TEFL Information Do you want to use your skills and knowledge to educate others? Do you feel that you could connect with young people and change their lives? If so, maybe teaching is the career for you. The HelloGrads team has interviewed a number of teachers (including TEFL teachers) to find out about their experience, the massive appeal of a teaching career, and the various training routes. Here are some of the things they told us: But more than this… ‘As a teacher, you really feel that you’re making a difference. Some of the children’s home lives are not so happy, or you ignite a spark in them. The visible results and reactions you see from the children can be so rewarding.’ - Sophie ‘Being a teacher gives you the...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Post-it notes are a great tool to incorporate into your English lessons and make them more fun for your students. Here are 7 simple but effective EFL activities with post-it notes your students will love! This is a very creative activity to get your students' creative juices flowing. Prepare several post-it notes with answers to different questions. It is then the students' job to use their creativity and come up with a question it might answer. Find a famous quote and write each word of the quote on a post-it note. Hand out the notes and have the students rearrange in a logical order to reassemble to quote. Another activity you can do with the same post-its is to group the individual words into categories like parts...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Most TEFL certified teachers abroad will come across adult students sooner or later in their career. While you might have already prepared a folder full of fun TEFL games that work like a charm for young learners, not all of them will be useful for adult students. That does not mean, however, that adults don’t enjoy games in the classroom! Here are our 5 favorite TEFL games for adult students. This activity is a great way to get adult classes going and it’s so easy to play! Have your students think of three statements, two have to be true and one of them has to be a lie. Next, the students share their three statements with the class and the other students, or the teacher, have to guess which statement is the lie....  [Read more]

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences Do you want to make your English lessons more exciting? We have the perfect teaching ideas for you! Here are 7 amazing activities to spice up your ESL classes. This is a great one to practice different tenses, especially the passive voice. Have your students come up with headlines for their class; such as “The teacher’s purse was stolen,” “the students were taught passive voice.” This also works for vocabulary lessons and other grammar structures. This one works well with intermediate and advanced students. Introduce a controversial issue, such as capital punishment, for example. Then, the students choose their “side” and group into teams. They do some research about the topic and take notes that...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Liven up your business English classes and encourage high student talk time with these fun and creative activities. In pairs students role-play a negotiation. Each side will be given a sheet listing demands and concessions. Each side of the negotiation is awarded points for the type of concessions they get from the other side. For example, if one side manages to get a 25% discount, they get 10 points and the other side gets 0. Also read: 7 Great Resources for Teaching Business English Telephone role-plays can be used with a variety of different topics such as leaving and taking a message, placing an order, arranging a meeting, making a complaint etc. The main point is to give students the chance to practice...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word quay. This word is used as a noun and refers to the platform used for loading and unloading ships. Synonyms for quay include wharf, pier or landing stage. The spelling of the word was influenced by the French spelling quai. 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. by far one of the hardest units I've come across this far. I will need to go back and review this again to get a better understanding...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The ITTT 120-hour online TEFL course is intended to provide the novice ESL teacher with the fundamentals for building an ESL teaching career. The course is divided into a total of twenty individual units. Half the units are concerned with the process of teaching English to non-English speakers. The other half of the syllabus is concerned with class content – i.e., what gets taught during an ESL class. Each unit is made up of a didactic section, a self-review section, and then a quiz – and the quiz gets submitted electronically to ITTT. An average grade of 75% or better is required on the quizzes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ray S. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas The grammar worksheet is an integral part of any English class. It’s straight-forward and gets the job done. Nevertheless, both teachers and students always welcome alternatives to the, often so boring, worksheets. Here you go - ten alternatives to boring English worksheets! These days, a lot of learning occurs visually and many more students respond to visual learning. Have your students make their own videos or research and show videos relating to an English grammar point to the class for a great alternative to a worksheet - it will really get your students excited! Also Read: 7 Activities for Teaching Passive Voice in the ESL Classroom Yes, interactive notebooks can be a lot of work, and teachers often lack the...  [Read more]

Shakira Moss TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Have you ever been in the middle of a lesson only to look up and notice that your student has a strong look of confusion on their face? The student may look blank, glazed over, or they may be nervously giggling. If your student is not answering your questions and is waiting for your prompt, then it may be because they do not understand. No worries, fellow teachers! Here are five things to do to help prevent confusion and to make learning more seamless. Have your students complete a level test prior to your session or class time. This helps you to gauge the different ability levels in your class or with 1-1 tutoring. If you are teaching a class,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas According to the Cambridge dictionary, motivation is the need or reason for doing something. Motivation is a way to get somebody to complete something that they might not aspire to execute on his or her own. Teachers have been using different forms of motivation in the classroom for years, which has been positive and negative. My parents used to tell me stories about their school time when the teachers would smack their hands with rulers if they didn’t do their homework. They would also use the same rulers to smack the students’ buttocks when they were misbehaving. When I was in school our motivation to perform satisfactorily in the class was to get decent grades. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

  Tim is from Hong Kong and he completed his 120-hour online TEFL course with ITTT. He enjoyed working independently on the course and enjoyed its flexibility. Now that he is qualified he is able to teach in schools in Hong Kong and had a great time working on the course. 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 tackles how teachers should approach teaching vocabulary, grammatical structures, and language functions in the classroom. The unit...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word nonage. This word refers to the period of youth of a person as well as the lack of maturity of a person. Synonyms for nonage are minority and infancy. 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. Unit Five discussed the various methods a teacher can use to maintain a classroom. This lesson went into details on how a teacher should conduct themselves in order to make sure the class stays on track in...  [Read more]

  In this TESOL review, Chris from France shows us the classroom he teaches in and talks about his experience on ITTT’s 120-hour TESOL course. Chris found that the course helped to structure his lesson plans and improved his teaching skills. He recommends the course to anyone considering teaching English as a second language. 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. I think this was also a challenging chapter to work through for me, particularly...  [Read more]

  This video provides a comprehensive overview of all the future tenses in the English language: future simple, future continuous, future perfect and the future perfect continuous. This is especially helpful for ESL teachers around the globe teaching speakers of other languages. 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 my opinion, authentic and created materials work better than course books. depend on the class type, it could be a newspaper or...  [Read more]

  This video provides a detailed overview of the passive voice of the English language. Watch the video to find out exactly what distinguishes the active voice from the passive and vice versa. 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 was short and sweet. It did have ample information on what to do when confronted with certain issues. However I believe there is no textbook answer as to how to deal with certain issues as all are very different...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word swashbuckler. This word is a noun and describes a swashbuckling person. The word has been used since the 16th century and is a combination of the words 'swash' and 'buckler'. 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. Here we learn how to draw a lesson plan and its various forms which could include detailing out on a piece of paper,jotting on a piece of paper or even on the margin of the text...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When the aroma of gingerbread and eggnog is in the air, you know it’s time to translate your love for the most beautiful season of the year into your TEFL classroom with winter ESL activities! While this is the perfect time to embrace winter in TEFL destinations with changing seasons, it’s also ideal to educate your students living in places with tropical temperatures and other cultures about the holiday celebrations. Here are 7 amazing winter and Christmas ESL activities your students will love! Tell your students to imagine the following: You wake up in your bed and look out the window when you see a brightly decorated Christmas tree. It’s cold and even looks like snow is slowly falling from the sky. The...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I have decided to choose the title "Teaching Vocabulary" as my short experience as an English teacher has been primarily about teaching vocabulary to young learners in a Primary school in Italy. Therefore, this summative task will be aimed at a group of children between the ages of 6 and 9. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alex V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I have noticed many peculiarities which I instinctively did as the TEFL course instructed, however, I have also noticed mistakes which I have made and alternatives which the course provided. When it came to selecting vocabulary there was not much input from my part...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Thom P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Lesson Objectives: Students will practice recognizing homophones and practice the correct, indefinite, and zero articles. Summary of tasks/actions Warm-Up: Vocabulary Review (10 minutes) Tell students that they will play a game to review some of the words that they talked about last week. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team stands at the back of the room, and one person from each stands by the board. Divide the board into four parts. Label each piece the...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Throughout this course, my favorite units have been the ones that teach us how to lead an effective lesson and have a fun classroom environment. I love all the suggestions and teaching ideas they give, and it excites me to think about using those for my future lessons. For that reason, I chose the topic of five activities with flashcards. This essay will be a perfect opportunity for me to delve further into my favorite part of this class and plan some fun things to do. When I move abroad I plan on teaching young children, mainly kindergarten-aged, so my five activities will be geared towards young learners. They need way more energy, fun, and excitement in their lessons than teenage or adult learners because their...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When teaching young learners, it’s important not to spend too much time on any one activity as they can soon lose interest. It is also a good idea to have activities that give younger learners the chance to move about and use the boundless energy they have at that age. Below we present a list of short activities suitable for young and very young learners of English. This is a good activity for practicing time with small classes. Clear a space in the center of the classroom and have a student stand in front of the board with their back to the class, this person is the wolf and the rest of the class stand at the back of the room. For each turn, the class asks the wolf ‘What's the time, Mr. Wolf?’ and the wolf...  [Read more]

Karah Musani Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas I started teaching online two years ago. With no training, it was a bumpy start. If there is one thing I want you to take away from this post, it’s this: relax. It gets better. Be ok with not being great when you start. Teaching is a craft. No amount of school can fully prepare you to teach. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t study before you start teaching. Studying can help you be better equipped when you do start. But there is an intuition you have to develop when you begin teaching. You will learn with practice how to connect with your students, how to identify what areas they are struggling with, and how to best teach different concepts. Odds are, your first classes...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review, Tatjana talks about her experience taking the 120-hour online TEFL course with ITTT. Tatjana thought the course was very beneficial, providing her with plenty of teaching ideas. She also found the videos that come with the tutor support course to be informative with regards to the theoretical side of the course. Tatjana recommends the course to all who are thinking about taking a TEFL course. 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. ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Coming into this, course I had a basic understanding of how a teacher prepares for and teaches a class. I had always thought it was easy for a teacher to teach; teacher walks in, teaches and goes home but I didn't know how much work would have to be put into a lesson to make the best out of it, and this is where I learned the best thing during my TEFL/TESOL course. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jason F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The best thing that I learned was understanding how to do an ESA lesson. I never knew beforehand that there was a way to breakdown a lesson and get as much out of it as possible. Knowing...  [Read more]

  There are some general Do's and Don'ts that need to be considered when teaching young learners. Watch this video to get more insight into teaching this special group of learners. 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. I have learnt that when teaching grammar it will be important to keep it simple and clear and not to overload the students with too much information in one session but to break it up with word games, repetition, and audio play. I...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflcourse.net Here the teacher gives a brief overview of the uses of the 'going to' future tense. This tense is formed: Subject + verb to be "am/is/are" + going to + base verb. The two uses for the 'going to' future are: To talk about future plans/ intentions made before speaking. They are going to watch a film. Predictions based on evidence. (Looking at dark clouds overhead) It's going to rain. The future tenses represent just one part of the grammar covered by ITTT's TEFL certification courses. ITTT's courses can be taken fully online, in-class or a combination of the two. Visit us at the link above to find a TEFL course that suits you. -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Are you ready to Teach English Abroad? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pcXD_GNR04 -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Below...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas We all know that exciting lessons make you learn things easier and faster. So how do we bring some life into the boring lesson? There are a lot of ways. Some teachers use songs and cartoons, which are great for kids. The others find class discussions and debates helpful. They are a good choice for older students. But what do all of us love? Of course, games! Both children and grown-ups enjoy playing games. They bring fun into the studying process and can be productive. Games can be used at every stage of the ESA lesson. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Oleh K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review video Danny gives us a brief tour of Hong Kong where he is teaching English. Danny also outlines his three reasons for choosing to earn his TEFL certificate with ITTT. The first is the great flexibility ITTT’s courses provide, with six months to complete the course students are able to work in their own time and fit their studying around any other commitments they may have. The second is the reviews he read about the course online. The third is the affordability of ITTT’s courses allowing you to earn a teaching certificate without stretching your budget. 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...  [Read more]

  The Business Language Testing Service (BULATS) refers to one of the world’s leading providers of language assessments and examinations aimed at students, employers and job applicants in business related fields. The service offers a range of testing programs that assess an individual’s language proficiency in English, French, Spanish and German. The system is widely used by higher education providers to assess the abilities of course applicants. It is also used by private and public sector companies for testing the suitability of job applicants or existing employees for certain foreign language positions. 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...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review video, Krystle talks about how she took the online TEFL course with ITTT. Now she has finished her course with ITTT, Krystle is planning to do some volunteer teaching with some local institutions to gain some classroom experience before she starts looking for a job teaching English abroad. Krystle notes that the course is very flexible and is reasonably priced making it an ideal option for those on limited budgets. 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...  [Read more]