Hardest Languages To Speak

Najwa Sabih Destinations Alumni Experiences Turkey is one of the most beautiful countries where you can have a lovely vacation. There are many touristic sites and fascinating places that will mesmerize you with the beauty of this country. Though, living in Turkey can be challenging. It is completely different from coming for tourism. When I decided to move to Istanbul almost two years ago, in October 2020, it was still the period of the covid-19 pandemic. This was really hard, as the companies were still closed, and everything was online, which made it hard for me to find a job. I was still an undergraduate back then, which was also a negative point for me to be able to have a job. Later, things turned out for the best. When I...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As a Spaniard in love with languages, I can’t start this essay without saying anything other than, "it’s not who the teacher is, but the will of teaching that they have". Through all these years of learning English, I just know for sure that a learner learns more when they live in and with the language throughout each day. They need to become hooked to it, and it does not matter if the person who transmits this feeling is a native speaker or not. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Andrea M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Nowadays we have much more information and knowledge anywhere we go. It has become easier to learn...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I think vocabulary is something that should be taught at the very beginning of the course. When you're starting with a brand new language, the hardest part of learning a foreign language from scratch is vocabulary building. This is because when one starts a new language, they typically don't know where to start. For example, should they learn how to say "Hi, how are you?" first, or should they learn some of the more substantial, yet basic vocabulary terms, such as "I give" "I eat" etc? At what point should you introduce grammar? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brandon S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I have studied 3...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I would like to start by saying that some jobs look simple and many people would deem they are easy at first sight. Alright, it is not completely true. One will never know how something tastes until tasting it his/her own. It is the same thing with the teaching task. Some people would say it is an easy peasy job; just stand right there giving instructions on the front of a couple of students. It is entirely the opposite, it is a tiring job, but the tire here is more related to one's psychology and inner side. However, it is relative for teachers depending on many standards like the age of the students, culture, or nationality. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate KWONG C. Please note that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Linguistics is the scientific study of the human language and its structure, and as any other science, it is divided into different branches or areas of analysis. One of these divisions examines the articulation of sounds and has a name that corresponds to its function: phonetics. Despite the crucial character it plays in its scientific field, the one it performs in teaching is considered roughly secondary. Nonetheless, a change in role assignment could improve the learning of the English language immensely. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Keilany G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Speaking is frequently considered the...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences I’ve taken four years of college Russian. Throughout my time at my university, I learned a few things about both learning and teaching a language that have helped me become a better ESL teacher. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Leif O. One crucial aspect of learning a language is making sure that everyone in the class is comfortable. While this is true with young learners, this is especially true for adults. Adults don’t want to make mistakes. Business professionals have devoted their lives to one of the hardest areas in which one can make money, and if they are doing it as a career, they are most likely succeeding at it. This means that the business professionals may very well be unaccustomed to...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas In any classroom, for students to successfully learn to the best of their abilities, they must be motivated to do so. If a student is not motivated to learn, they will not actively engage with the lesson, they will not focus on the information presented, and they will not retain the new material. This is why motivation is so essential for each student’s learning experience. A large part of achieving student motivation comes from the teacher inspiring this motivation. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alexandria A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Motivation is defined as the desire to act or move towards a goal. Everyone has...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I would say the hardest part about becoming a Teacher is having the confidence to face your students in the classroom. I speak from experience because this was a challenge for me in the beginning when I taught Spanish as a foreign language. My students were primary and high school students, essentially just kids, but this intimidated me the most about my job. In time you will indeed and should become more confident teaching in the classroom, as the saying goes…” practice makes perfect”, right? However, there are some things a new teacher can do or be aware of to help increase their confidence in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Genoveve C. Please note that this blog...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching beginner students is a very challenging task for anyone. Personally, I have always found teaching English to beginners as a tough prospect, whether it is monolingual group and you know nothing of their language or it’s a multilingual group and the only common language is English. However, with some work and knowledge, everything is possible to teach beginners the English language. And I believe this is one of the most rewarding to teach. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melinda K. The question now is How to teach English to beginner students? Here are the basic tips and techniques. In making instructions clear and simple, don’t use or say ten words if you can say or use only...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Troubleshooting is part of the teaching experience. A typical ESL lesson always presents problems. But, other problems arise when the teacher has to face particular situations. A good ESL teacher should be capable to diagnose these usual problems and work to fix them properly. Being a new teacher isn’t easy and regardless of how trained and skilled a teacher is, facing a classroom for the first time can cause nervousness. One of the hardest parts of being a teacher is to establish a rapport student/teacher and in the case of a new group, between the students themselves. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Daniela F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker TEFL Information Whether you choose an online format or an in-class option for your TEFL certification course, the overall goal is to provide you with all the skills and knowledge necessary to be an effective teacher in your post-course classroom. But what exactly are the skills and knowledge you will learn? While the exact content may vary from course to course, here we break down some of the general topics that you are likely to study. Also Read: Online or In-Class - Which TEFL Course Should You Take? What is the role of the teacher in a modern English language classroom? What are they there to achieve and how should they go about it? Should the teacher be a lecturer or a conversation facilitator? When should they correct errors...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Looking back at my teaching life, I’m very proud of the teaching experiences I’ve had. Even though my teaching experiences are limited to one culture, Korea, still they are all very special and unique in their own ways. I started my journey as an EFL teacher a couple of years ago, thinking that I could learn other languages myself. I thought that I would move from place to place, possibly different countries, and learn different languages and get various teaching experiences in different settings. However, it turned out to be Korea only. I could soak up Korean culture and learn the language more easily because of my origin. The more time I spent teaching, the more I got to love teaching children and feeling...  [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]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences As we all know, motivation is a core aspect of teaching and learning a language. Lack of motivation is perhaps the biggest obstacle that we face as students and teachers. If a student lacks motivation, he/she will not pay attention in the class or will simply find it boring. At the same time if a teacher lacks motivation to teach he/she will be unable to attract students’ attention and give them all they need. Let us be honest and say that intelligent students are those, who always eagerly attend class and enjoy the process. Here we need a highly motivated teacher who is willing help them. In this article I divide students into several categories because different situations require different approaches. This post...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Learning another language is one of the most powerful tools for connecting people around the world from different cultures. Opening an immeasurable amount of opportunities, learning English has many benefits including but not limited to expanding career options, exercising another part of the brain, and improving the ease of traveling to a foreign country. However, particularly for natives of Eastern countries, learning English may be very difficult due to the exoticism of sounds, writing, pronunciation, and structure. While Japan is unique in a sense, having a booming influence of Western culture after World War II, native Japanese learners face difficulties in learning English due to phonology differences,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have always loved and benefited from etymological definitions of words and always wonder sometimes even the etymological definition of a very simple word like “sorry” which leads to great insights and a better understanding of that particular word which in turn pays off in ways that have a great positive impact on both my personal and professional life. For that very reason, I have found the etymological definitions of both words “learning” and “techniques”. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mohammad S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. According to Etymonline website the word “learning” means "to get knowledge,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Susan T S G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Singapore is a multilingual and multi-ethnic society. We have four official languages Malay, English, Chinese (Mandarin), and Tamil, with Malay as our national language. English is used as the main medium of instruction in our education system and learning a second language is compulsory in school starting from pre-school age. Being Chinese, my second language is Mandarin. I also speak a third language called dialect especially to our parents who do not understand English or Chinese. Also Read: The Most Important Personal Qualities in the ESL...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How can a teacher motivate an EFL classroom? Motivation is a major part of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). There is more to motivation in the classroom than knowing English is a useful language to learn. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Aaron F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Students should be motivated to attend and pay attention in the classroom. Each student should be constantly reminded of their own, personal reason to learn English. Finally, the best motivation comes from instilling a drive into students to have a goal which requires them to learn and understand English well. By keeping students...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences My biggest takeaway from my TEFL certification course with ITTT is the topic of learning techniques. Learning techniques vary depending on race, gender, age, cultural background , past experiences and several other variables of the students involved. I will describe my personal past experiences in regards to the subject at hand. I would like to take a moment to thank the ITTT staff for putting together this highly informative and enlightening TEFL program. It is well written, easy to understand and well organized for new and experienced ESL teachers alike. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Svetlana V. One of the first things I learned during my 60-hour TEFL course was that children are divided into two...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English in China is exciting (sometimes) but teaching beginners in China can be a game-changer that is if you are up for the challenge. I mean of course if you weigh the options and if you are one of those people who are willing to compromise, learn and grow. Because honestly just like anything else it can be tough in the beginning but later you get the hang of it and end up loving it. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joan A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching beginners in schools and training centers differ a lot. I think many teachers freak out when they hear about beginner classes, but from my experience...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas While there are many things a teacher can do to prepare for the classroom, the way students interface with their teachers is something that can be both difficult and spontaneous. Building rapport with students is crucial to maintain a high level of energy and focus throughout a class session. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Matthew P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Even though a teacher may have an entire lesson planned out, if students do not feel comfortable participating in front of their teacher, the pace of the class becomes stilted. A well-constructed lesson plan may be filled with fun activities for the students,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teachers are facilitators of student learning and creators of the productive classroom environment. A good teacher has effective discipline skills and can promote positive behaviors and change in the classroom. A great teacher has the classroom management skills and can ensure good student behavior, effective work and study habits and over the sense of respect in the classroom. Teachers set the class of their classroom, build a warm environment, mentor and nurture students, become role models, and listen and look for signs of trouble. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ancy T. As the airline safety videos say: Put on your mask first. To learn effectively, your students need a healthy you,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the things of the English language that can make English hard to get to grips with. Vocabulary knowledge is highly correlated with reading comprehension and reading achievement. Vocabulary is required for students to achieve cognitive academic language proficiency. All good reasons to make sure that your vocabulary teaching is interesting, useful and effective. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Thao N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Make it interesting: this is often the hardest part of teaching vocab. We often use the flashcards (FCs) for teaching vocab to young learners. So we can use these techniques for vocabulary...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Chinese language is a tonal language can make learning English a real challenge for my students. The one thing I have on my side though is the fact that they are brought up to be dedicated at anything they do and hardworking. Although it's been mentioned that pronunciation is not the most important aspect of TEFL, it is to The Chinese Government. It’s something we’ve been told we need to cover deeply along with reading and comprehension. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Paula S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As just mentioned the Chinese language is tonal, meaning words with different “tones” which are like...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Every teacher wants to be good and effective when it comes to teaching, but what exactly are the qualities that make a good teacher? Are there specific characteristics, talents, and skills that a teacher needs to learn and acquire to be called a good and effective teacher? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sherry Ann G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Effectiveness in teaching is an elusive idea. How can we tell if a teacher is being successful in his or her field? Some people measure the effectiveness of a teacher by looking at his or her students’ achievements. Others measure it by the ratings their supervisors give. Do we...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Throughout one’s schooling, it is not uncommon to come across that particular teacher that resolves every type of altercation, or moment of class disturbance, with excessive shouting and loss of temper. Although these are the teachers we tend to recall the most when we are swapping stories with friends of our bygone school days, I feel that the number of “louder”, “loss-of-temper-type” teachers, however, is heavily outweighed by the number of easier going, mild-tempered teachers. Generally, teachers tend to have an understanding of younger learners’ behaviors and therefore occasional bouts in student behavior are expected and dealt with methodically and effectively. This post was written by our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Imagine you are a teacher of English, working in Russia. Your students are a small group of preschoolers starting their educational journey for the first time. It's September and the first day of school. All the children are dressed like little dolls. Parents quietly placed flowers on your desk in the morning, a traditional act of respect. Autumn is in the air, days are getting shorter, and the native birch trees are itching to turn golden yellow. Many Russians know this is the calling, the calling of long nights and snow-filled landscapes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lauren A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Your direct...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Of all the hard jobs around, one of the hardest is being a good teacher. So how is it possible to become a great teacher? And how can a teacher become great at helping young learners in a kindergarten class who have little to no experience learning in a classroom setting? Although challenging at times, it can be done. There are a few keys to being a great kindergarten teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Julia W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first key is to develop the right mindset before entering the classroom. It is important for a teacher to cultivate a sincere desire to care about each student in the class and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The range of roles EFL teachers plays to ensure that learning takes place is undoubtedly wide. Among these, we may see teachers as planners, deciding which aspects of the subject to teach and how to do it; as facilitators, providing learners with strategies to guide them in the quest for knowledge; and as managers, establishing the patterns of interaction among students and making sure they focus their attention on the lesson and engage in the proposed tasks. Considering these roles, I think the latter seems to be the hardest one to perform since it involves managing people’s attitude and behavior, which means establishing and maintaining discipline in such a way that it does not affect teacher-student rapport...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Even in the first language, it can be difficult to get children reading. There are many reasons they may turn their nose up at a book. In some way, I think most of those reasons can be boiled down to boredom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Bailey N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I have the privilege of remembering my journey to reading. When I was very young, my parents would read simple books to me, and I would enjoy looking at the pictures. I would enjoy the way they sounded especially when they rhymed. I remember the moment it clicked in kindergarten when I was so excited to understand the correlation between the words...  [Read more]