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Tefl-certificate
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
I have had the pleasure of living and teaching in Brazil over the past 2 years and in my time in this country I have learned a great amount about the difficulties that are seemingly unique to native Portuguese speakers trying to learn English as a second or even third language. There seems to be deeply ingrained assumptions within the way Portuguese speakers approach both the pronunciation of words based on their spelling, and their understanding of grammatical structures and the usage of said structures.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brian P.
The first and foremost point to address with respect to what the typical Portuguese speaker has ingrained as an instinct with respect to the... [Read more]
⏩ What should I teach English beginners? - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT TEFL & TESOL
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Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Once I arrived in Vietnam to teach the English language, I realized that poor pronunciation is common in Vietnamese students as well as teachers. These mistakes are similar, as it was obvious the Vietnamese teachers passed them to the students. In this essay, I am going to deliberate on the causes of the problem and suggest a few solutions.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mohammad E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
First, we will start with the problem origin. The Vietnamese language is monosyllabic. Vietnamese people are familiar with pronouncing monosyllabic words, thus it is considerably hard for them to pronounce... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
I have started teaching English in Turkey, since 2018. If you are planning to start your teaching career here, I would like to mention several pros and cons and problems of learning English for the speakers of the Turkish language.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Hanie s. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
First of all, learners expect teaching to be prescriptive rather than descriptive, which indicates, they tend to memorize the sample instead of learning through the examples and explanations. Secondly, students are occasionally, immersed in criticizing the politics but the teacher should not join, due to the fact that they... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Speaking like a native speaker is always expected from learners. However, they encounter many factors that prevent their success. Therefore, as an English teacher, I want to explore some common difficulties that Vietnamese students face when they learn to pronounce English so that I can teach effectively and help them communicate more confidently.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Thuong L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Four major features can cause problems for them. Firstly, the complexity of tense and lax vowels in English creates confusion for Vietnamese learners. Secondly, a variety of dialect differences and consonant... [Read more]
⏩ Tefl reviews - How To Pronounce Echo - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word echo. This word is used as a noun and as a verb. As a noun it refers to the sound caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the speaker. As a verb, it describes the action of a sound being repeated after the original sound has already stopped. The word comes from the Greek word ?kh? meaning ‘a sound’.
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.
As an English teacher you... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
William Noble
Destinations Teaching Ideas
I have been an online ESL teacher to Chinese students for over 13 years, mostly with primary students but also with secondary and adult students. I am also a father and have homeschooled my daughter over her primary years. Like many teachers, I’ve enjoyed teaching at this level of education as it lays the foundation in English. As it set the foundation, my teaching helped students to overcome common errors in production skills, speaking and writing. Teaching both my daughter and Chinese students at the primary level also helped me also to understand the different expectations between first language and second language students.
Since English is very different from China, many Chinese... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
For this assignment, I decided to research problems experienced by Colombian students learning English. I will be teaching English in Colombia and thought this subject would benefit me. My findings more generally reflect the difficulties of Spanish-speaking learners. The paper outlines the top ten difficulties for Spanish-speakers learning English (vocabulary, spelling/pronunciation, subject-verb-agreement, verb tense, dialects, subject omission, pronunciation, stress, slang, and literal translations) based on CCJK (2019). Where possible I relate this information to my experiences/examples and units in the TEFL course.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate David B. Please note that this blog... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
Grammar is the whole system of language. It includes a set of rules known as syntax. Occasionally when working on the computer you may get a message “Error Syntax; code 141” this means you have typed into the computer something that did not fit into the rules. This is not allowed and the computer will reject it and force you to obey the rules.
When speaking English we have no restrictions on the structure or form and no computer monitoring us to stop us from speaking incorrectly. We can say anything anyway we choose, well-spoken or poorly spoken. There are some common words which are frequently misused. They are, affect, that, and whom. This essay will look at each of these in an effort to clarify their use.... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
While both Americans and the British speak English, there are a few variations in the language which can cause some confusion for non-native speakers. Therefore, it is important to take a look at the most notable differences between these two versions of the English language.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph Bart van der K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
One of the key differences in the spelling of words. British English usually has their words in the same form as where they originated from, while American English tends to simplify the spelling or to spell them based on how the words sound when they are spoken.... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
People from different countries inevitably face problems when they are trying to learn English. Russia is no exception. Let’s have a quick look at some typical problems that my fellow countrymen face.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sergei S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
As you may know, Russian is written using the Cyrillic alphabet, and some may think that it can cause problems. In reality, the Russians are fine with understanding the Latin alphabet and can easily pronounce each letter. However, the Devil is in the details. When it comes to speaking it becomes problematic to pronounce [θ] and [ð] sounds properly.... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Jon ITTT
Alumni Experiences
For the native English speaker, English is easy. It is only when learning another language do L1 English speakers begin to see peculiarities in their own language. It is then compounded when beginning to teach English as a foreign language. Although the English language has commonalities with other languages, especially since English is derived from other languages, there are plenty of unusual aspects of English that can cause difficulties when learning and teaching the language. For example, English spelling, grammar, and pronunciation all contain such peculiarities.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tanya L.
Learning to read and write English is no easy task since English is one of the least... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Japan is a developed country, with well above 126 million inhabitants, that during the past decade has been gaining more and more popularity as a destination for travelers and as a residence for people from all kinds of countries. Yet its inhabitants often seem to struggle with gaining English language proficiency. In this essay, I’ll try to resolve the question, which problems students in Japan typically encounter when attempting to learn English.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Philipp S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
The first aspect of this issue is probably the most obvious one. The differences in grammatical... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
According to the EF English Proficiency Index, in the year 2017 Italy ranked last - among European countries - in English proficiency skills. Being an Italian myself and having studied foreign languages up to my Master's Degree, I have progressively grown aware of the main factors which cause Italy to perform so poorly. Other than grammatical gaps, which are not to be analyzed in this context, I have noticed how the extremely limited exposition to spoken words can affect not only the students’ ability to understand and follow conversations or arguments, but even the possibility for them to be understood when trying to speak.
This post was written by our ITTT graduate Gaia O.
During my university years, I have... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
As defined through the units of the course and through many linguistic books, pronunciation is to say a word in a language in the correct way. Although the correct pronunciation of words and even the correct intonation in sentences in English, is thought through course books all over the world and thanks to media students are exposed to the natural and correct pronunciation, numerous mistakes are observed inside the classroom and outside. The reasons for the problems in pronunciation might vary depending on the country. I have been teaching English in Turkey for a while and have witnessed many problems with the students which will be explained through this essay.
This post was written by our TEFL certification... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
When native Arabic learners attempt to learn the English language, they are faced with a variety of difficulties since there are fundamental differences between the two languages. Arabic words have a three-consonant root as its base, so all words are formed by combining the roots with either a fixed vowel pattern or and affix. The Arabic language has 28 consonants and 8 vowels which is three times less than the English language in terms of vowel sounds. Due to those differences, Arabic learners struggle in the following areas; writing, grammar, phonology, and pronunciation when learning the English language.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ayman E. Please note that this blog post might not... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Gökhan Yilmaz
Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
This topic is very dear to my heart as I have been an English teacher in Arab countries for a long time. Therefore, I am writing this article as someone who has experience in learning both Arabic and English. In my observation, most of these difficulties either have to do with the students' native language (Arabic) or their cultural backgrounds. Here are the 5 most common problems for Arab learners when studying English.
As Arabic is written from right to left, English looks very strange to Arabic speakers, which can cause them to find course books or lessons overwhelming. Adult learners, in particular, have a hard time in the initial stages of studying English compared to... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
English is one of the most widely spoken languages and it is taught in a lot of countries. Globalization, fast economic development makes many people study English. People learn English for different reasons: business, education, life abroad, traveling, personal interest. Chinese students are not an exception. With the growing economies of China, the need for learning English increased dramatically. What challenges do Chinese students face when learning English? What challenges does the teacher meet teaching Chinese students? What teaching approach can be found?
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Darya M.
Let’s talk about the most typical challenges when teaching Chinese learners and... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Learning a second language can be difficult, and this is especially true when the learners L1 and their target language are completely different in structure, sound, and tones. An English as a second language student who speaks French, German, or any other European language will have an easier task than one who speaks a language that is not of European origins. One such language is Mandarin Chinese.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ashley L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
The areas that native Mandarin speakers most often run into difficulty are pronunciation, tones, tenses, and sentence structure. A Chinese speaker might... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
In Vietnam, it is so important and popular that English becomes a compulsory subject for students at schools and universities. Working people also need to learn English for their job, to talk to English speakers or get a new well-paid job.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Huyen N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Generally, verbs and nouns are pronounced differently although they are written the same. There are too many students in every class and the schools don’t have standard classrooms for language classes. The students mostly study read and grammatical rules. They don’t have lots of chances to practice speaking and... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
I did not realize how difficult English is until I became fluent in Spanish. I am currently studying French and I am pretty good at French. I have a basic knowledge of Esperanto.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Wayne K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
I will just touch on each of these since a book could be written about each of these.
Also Read: Teaching Young Learners vs. Adult Learners - The Differences You Can Expect
I have found many poems(1) and articles on the internet discussing the insane way English is spelled and pronounced. On the previously sited website(ibid) an English instructor states that he has very often... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
There is nothing comfortable than being in your comfort zone, especially when speaking your language (native language). The feeling that comes with it, how you pronounce words, the use of jokes and proverbs, idioms, and other slang within it, no one can take that joy or even compensate it because it naturally comes from within. It makes you feel safe at home and confident even when speaking about topics that you have never seen or heard before simply because your brain is already rich with enough vocabulary. So it allows you to navigate, swim and tackle the issues from all possible angles.
As the world is changing and experiencing different... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Japan is an island nation and is a recognized homogenous society with a very small percentage of foreign permanent residence and more than half of the adult population lacks the necessary skills to speak English proficiently. Because of this, English as a Second Language is in high demand with young learners being a focus group in Japan. English is taught in the school environment during nearly all of a child’s primary education years, but this, unfortunately, doesn’t translate to a proficient English-speaking Japanese population.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Payton P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Children as young... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
By the time a child is a year old, they can differentiate between the sounds that make up their first language but can’t distinguish between sounds that aren’t found in their first language. Even in the case of sounds that children may not be able to correctly produce until they are six years old, such as the /r/ sound. So, it would make sense that by the time a child is just a year old the way they learn language changes, as stated in Dr. Ryalls’ class. Further on when a child is finally in school they have some grasp of grammar, even if it isn’t complete by the time the child is school-aged. This means that by the time a child is in school when they would most likely start learning a language, they... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
From the days of Chaucer and Shakespeare to the present the English language has been filled with some amazingly peculiar and bizarre examples of speech and grammar. As the English sailed around the globe colonizing it to the extent the “sun never set on the British empire” the number of words that were adopted by the language could not help but grow. Along with this vocabulary growth so to did the number of expressions and grammatical rules that seem to make no sense when actually examined. One could say that English has been beating up other languages in dark alleys, then going through their pockets for loose grammar and spare vocabulary for centuries.
This post was written by our ITTT graduate Jon C.... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
After China adopted the Open Door Policy, the English language not only gained popularity but also became indispensable in international communication and trade. It was introduced in public schools as an obligatory foreign language and English teaching centers started spreading across the country. Even though Chinese people approach learning English with a great dose of enthusiasm, it poses several challenges, both linguistic and cultural.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Weronika S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Chinese language (Mandarin) is an example of Sino-Tibetan language, whereas English belongs to the Indo-European... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Linda Dunsmore
Teaching Ideas
The simple past is one of the most important tenses in the English language. As it describes past actions, it's quite an easy tense to teach using a variety of fun and interactive activities. Here are 7 activities for teaching the simple past for the ESL classroom.
For more activities check out: 10 Exciting Activities for the Past Simple
For this activity, the students think of significant accomplishments in their lives. After sharing with the class what they have accomplished, the students should describe what they did in order to achieve this goal, for example they graduated college, studied English, took classes, etc. It’s important that the students use the simple past to talk about these actions.
Also read: 7... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
In this blog post, I plan to examine why English may be such a challenging language for Chinese speakers to master, namely in comparison to their European peers. For the purpose of this examination, I will focus on four main aspects, from quite glaring differences to other aspects that some may not initially consider: written language, grammar, vocabulary, and language exposure.
These points are drawn from my own experience of living and teaching English in China, from learning Chinese myself and from conversations with my students. I will be focusing on those who have not had experience in learning other languages before English, as I feel this constitutes the largest proportion of Chinese learners. This by no... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The accelerated growth of English as a global language has made people from all around the world realize how important this one is nowadays, even in our everyday life we find English words and content wherever we look, technology, movies, tv, business, and internet are only some of them. Therefore, people from different nationalities around the globe, show a lot of interest in learning the English language. This time we are going to focus on Latin and Hispanic students and the challenges that these Spanish speakers encounter when learning English.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dayana M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.... [Read more]
Tefl-certificate
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
The English language is a peculiar, fascinating beast to teach and to learn. It comes with a long legacy of Anglo-Saxon and Norman invaders, empire-building, and globalization of the 20th century. With multiple layers of rules and culture, it overflows with idiosyncrasies and peculiarities to confound native and learning speakers alike. Whether it’s pronunciation, grammar, or even just the system of time, English is a welcoming lingua franca and an intimidating coil of strangeness at the same time.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Zachary L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Any language has their culture imprinted on... [Read more]
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