Halloween Britain

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]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences British English versus American English are often discussed during the class, students frequently ask which one is the standard English to learn and would it cause any difficulties in communication. Both of them have differences and similarities, but individuals from the UK and the US can communicate without too much difficulty. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate JIN G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Besides, there is no right or wrong when the differences appear, the British may consider American do not speak proper English and American might think British people are too formal and serious. However, from my perspective,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Language is rarely uniform. Especially when spread out over a great distance, rifts form in a language which causes dialectical differences, which are sometimes extreme. Such is especially true of the English language: several qualities divide American, British, and Australian English. Many of these differences developed inevitably over time, due to geographic and cultural separation. However, several factors contributed to the language differences between these areas. This paper will examine these differences and the reasons for them, focusing on the dialects of Britain and America. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rachel B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences From the time of the American revolution and onward, there has been a distinctive trend for American English and British English dialects to move away from each other. Whether taught in American English or British English, most people of either type will have little trouble understanding each other. Unlike the many dialects of China, English is a pretty ubiquitous language across the board, with a spattering of unique regional words. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jeffrey G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The 2 most prominent English dialects were intertwined throughout their collective histories because the British...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas First of all, let us define the meaning of the phrase “global language”? I suppose a “global language” is the language suitable for communication among a huge amount of people around the world. We also can say it is the language of global meaning. After the Second World War and especially since the beginning of the 90th years of the twentieth century, English became the most common international language. Artificial languages, created specifically for international communication, for example, Esperanto, are also supposed to be multinational. Common characteristics of international languages are: a lot of people are native speakers; among the non-native speakers there are a lot of people who use this...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences For a student learning English as a second language, one thing they may notice is the difference in the accents between British English and American English, the difference is rather pronounced considering it has been less than two hundred and fifty years since the American Revolution. The American accent is likely to be more familiar to many students, thanks to many American movies from Hollywood. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anthony B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Unfortunately for students, the accents are not the only differences in the language but where did these differences come from? In England, in 1755,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As with many languages, English has so many different dialects. When one travels to a different region of the United States, for example, one will likely encounter different accents, vocabulary and different meanings of the same words. This is also true for British English and American English. For the purpose of this assignment, we will look a little deeper into these. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah Jane G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Many people enjoy traveling. In many parts of the world, English is the primary language, because of this, many people think if they pick places like the U.S. or the U.K. that they...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences When it comes to learning English, non-native speakers can feel quite torn on whether they should learn British English or American English. They have their similarities, but can contrast each other strongly. The differences can be confusing for English speakers as well. The diversity in spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary can really throw you off. In this article, I will be focusing on these three topics. Let’s explore spelling, shall we? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tabitha C. Growing up in the USA, I learned to spell in a simplified form. American English focuses on how the words are pronounced, therefore the words are spelled according to their sounds. Kələr in the British...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences It's quite weird and confusing that English is different in different places. Many students are being taught in one way, while others in another way. Sooner or later they all face some problems in real-life communication. So, the question is, do they need to learn different versions of English or not? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Taylor K. A student from rural China grows up learning British English in his local language school. He applies to a university in the United States and gets accepted. When asking for directions to his classroom he is told to go to the second floor, but cannot find his class because he is searching one floor higher than he should. During his class, he...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Every day, wherever we go and whatever we look at, we are exposed to the English language in some way. Even in the most basic daily activity, it is required a basic vocabulary in English. Each time we go shopping, whether on a store or online, signs and advertisements in English come up. If we are about to surf on the web or look for entertainment a basic English understanding is needed. All over the world, educational institutions from Kindergartens to Colleges, required to achieve a certain level of English to graduate. More and more companies require applicants to have a sufficiency in English to be hired. But in the past, English influence had not been so important. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

1. Introduction 2. History of Celtic Culture in Brittany 3. Language and Traditions 4. Contemporary Celtic Influence Welcome to our guide on the rich and vibrant Celtic culture in Brittany. This region in northwest France has a long and fascinating history of Celtic influence, which can be seen in its language, traditions, and even contemporary life. Join us as we explore the unique and enduring heritage of the Breton people. Brittany has a deep-rooted Celtic heritage that dates back over two thousand years. The region was originally inhabited by Celtic tribes known as the Veneti and the Osismii. These tribes were eventually conquered by the Roman Empire but managed to maintain their distinct cultural identity. In the 5th and 6th centuries, waves of Celtic immigrants from Britain and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas G.B. Shaw said, ‘England and America are two countries separated by a common language.’ The common language i.e. English taken by the British to America gradually evolved differently from its root language. Hence, the language spoken in Great Britain became the British English and the language spoken in the United States became American English. It wasn’t just the variation in pronunciation, the vocabulary and spellings for few words also changed. To understand the differences, we should take a look at the roadmap of British and American English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kritika T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT....  [Read more]

Sahil Gazi TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas How can being a linguist help you when teaching English as a foreign language? This blog post will explore this topic. Gianluca Costa Destinations Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Hong Kong is a popular destination for EFL teachers from across the world. If you are interested in joining the thousands of English teachers in the city, check out this blog post about what it's like teaching English to young kids in Hong Kong. Sahil Gazi TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this article, our TEFL expert shares a seven-step strategy to gamify an ESL classroom. If you want to encourage students to learn in an informal way, consider implementing such an approach to your lessons. Sahil Gazi TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Lingos are of significant interest to linguists because they exist within the subsets of linguistics, by observing the significance of individual words or sentences through semantics and their meaning in a broader social context through pragmatics. In this scenario, the...  [Read more]

Sahil Gazi TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas How can being a linguist help you when teaching English as a foreign language? This blog post will explore this topic. Gianluca Costa Destinations Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Hong Kong is a popular destination for EFL teachers from across the world. If you are interested in joining the thousands of English teachers in the city, check out this blog post about what it's like teaching English to young kids in Hong Kong. Sahil Gazi TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When I started my ITTT classes, I wasn't totally sure of the difference between British English and American English. I knew there were accents and pronunciation differences, but it seemed like no big deal. Then I learned more about grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and spelling. When you speak to someone who has never spoken or has very little knowledge of the two, I can see how things get really confusing. British English is a bit more formal and follows the Kings English, where American English is a little bit more laid back. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brian F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Kings English (noun) is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our TEFL experts share five Halloween decor ideas for your ESL classroom. Get inspired and create incredible atmosphere of this fun holiday. Elizaveta Pachina Budget and Salary TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post was written by an ITTT TEFL expert who shares 7 ideas on how to make money online as an English teacher. Online EFL market is boosting this year due to the global quarantine, thus, there are new ways to implement your skills and get profit sharing your personal EFL...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences British versus American English is a subject that encompasses a number of fields, including linguistics, history, archaeology, geography, and the study of the history of the English language. British English has a deep foundation that stretches back into time to the advent of the Indo-Europeans, and while America can claim this as well, the language was, for the most part, very close to its modern form by the age of exploration. That being said, many archaic forms of words and grammar were still in use during the age of exploration and spelling was not standardized when the great voyages and colonization of the Americas began. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Aaron T. Please note that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The United Arab Emirates though being a discrete country is a league of 7 states comprising people whose first language is Arabic. UAE being a prominent Arab country in Middle East homes to a myriad of Arabs from neighboring countries. Hence, the challenges that a learner's faces are also varying depending on the nativity of the person. I firmly believe there are four basic challenges that learners face in the UAE. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate MANJU A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Culture plays an important factor in learning a language effectively. Language defines the environment and vice versa. Hence, the traditions...  [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]

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 Alumni Experiences So, American English versus British English, which of them you should learn as a second language? In the next few sentences, I’ll try to explain why I think that the American variant of English is the best variant for learning. As a kid I used to learn British English and thought that it’s okay, Great Britain is closer to the country, where I was born, and all people in my country are learning British English in schools, universities, language courses and all, so in that area, this variety of English was more popular. But as we get older, we get wiser and since university, I’ve been learning American English, and now I’ll try to explain my point of view. This post was written by our TEFL certification...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Why are British and American versions of English so different? British and American English, while, broadly speaking, are mutually intelligible (each party can understand and communicate with each other), there are notable differences that make one wonder why there is a difference at all? In this essay, I’ll briefly discuss some key differences in these two dialects, and further, provide reasons and evidence explaining said differences. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Betsy W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. If you were to ask someone in America to say something in a British accent, you would likely get a response of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Reviewing is any process that helps you to make use of personal experience for your learning and development. These reviewing processes can include reflecting on the experience, analyzing experience, making sense of experience, communicating experience, reframing experience and learning from experience. The reasons for reviewing courses can be described as adding value to the experience, getting unstuck, achieving objectives, opening new perspectives, developing observation and awareness, caring, encouraging self-expression, using success, providing support and empowering people. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shaoline R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In speaking of any language is global, and in our case, particularly English, several categories could be discussed to give us more understanding. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Frederic S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first is the history of the language, where did it originate? If we say English was an obscure German dialect we can also say that without knowing more of the history behind it, there would be no way for us to plot its progression or understand its popularity. The second is the spread of the language, how and why did it occur? The third is economic, what were the factors that propelled its growth,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are a lot of teaching methods. Some of them are more popular, some of them less. But the theme of this summative task is about efficiency, not about the most interesting or the most popular method. So, is drilling an effective teaching method? If we want to ask this question, first, we need to consider the following question: “What is drilling?”. After this, we can discuss the pros and cons of this method. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dmitry S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In short, drilling is a classroom technique that used to practice a new language. In common sense, it involves modeling a word by the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences English, like any language, is first and foremost the mother tongue of a person. Languages often are influenced by or entirely derive from migratory groups of people. The original native tongue of France, for example, was Gallic. The Latinized French we know today was only born after centuries of Roman occupation and assimilation. More confusing still, the nation takes its name from the Franks, who were themselves a Germanic tribe which conquered the territory from Rome. Despite this, their native German tongue had an only minor influence on French, as Roman Gaul had a quite large population. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Cole T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A language is called a “global language” when it achieves the official position and education preference in every nation. A global language comes to be used by more people than any other language. The essential reason to make a language global or international is its power for people. The power includes the power of the military, politics, and economy. English is a universal language. It is the world’s second native language and the formal language in 70 countries. English-speaking countries are accountable for about 40% of the world's total GNP, while English is used everywhere in the world. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alexandra K. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas The following essay is based on my personal experience of teaching one-to-one English lessons to young children (ages ranging from 5-14), through online platforms and companies. Engaging students through a virtual classroom presents challenges for teachers for several reasons. The first being that throughout the time of the lesson the child sees only the teacher and the given background. In other words, there are no sources of distraction or points of interest besides the teacher herself/himself and, as is known, it is especially important for young learners that the environment and the delivery of the lessons be as interesting and fun as possible. For online lessons, this becomes of paramount importance as the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Imagine going back in time to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in Great Britain. If the question of whether it is proper to teach slang and idioms to students were posed to a teacher in that period, I do not doubt in my mind that any proper English teacher would frown upon the notion of it. If you were to ask an English teacher today, you would receive a much different answer. The gradual globalization of the English language has been driven by various factors, one of which is business. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Allison S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There is no doubt that English is the world’s...  [Read more]