Jessi Oh

  Here we have a set of five words, which all share one sound: the ?oh? sound, as in ?go?, ?show?, ?dough?, ?note? and ?boat?. They?re five different spelling patterns to tell our students so they can identify when to make the ?oh? sound. We can have a simple letter ?o?, ?ow?, ?ough?, ?o? with the magic ?e? which turns our vowel into what we knew as long sounds and the ?oa? as in ?boat?. Now, for a non-native learner, perhaps they can handle something like this. They remember that these spelling combinations help to produce the ?oh? sound and they can go about their business looking at the words and memorizing this knowing that these spelling patterns will produce the sound ?oh?. Now that?s okay until we get to a situation where we can also have words like ?to?, ?cow? and also...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information The following eight couples have traveled the world together and either started out as ESL teachers or supported their travels teaching English in different parts of the world. Some of them are still teaching, others have started their own businesses. Either way, these 8 traveling power couples are an absolute inspiration for ESL teachers and you should follow them right now! Katie and Jake are two budget world wanderers and ESL teachers. They both share a passion for exploring new and exciting destinations across the world. Follow their blog "Untold Wanderlust" to see their very long, round the world adventure whilst teaching. Rosie and Dave are two ‘high-school sweethearts’ who have been teaching and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Why are games important? Why do we play games? How do people play games in the class? These are the questions people usually ask. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jessie l. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Normally their concern is what they can learn from the games? In my opinion, playing games in the classroom is not only for fun but also for practicing and reviewing what you have learned. In my class I have always enjoyed playing games, I have used many different games as well. Students may be able to understand a new concept or idea. At the beginning of the class(Engage), you do not have to teach students the grammar in...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas ESA is a three-stage methodology where each of the letters represents a particular phase of the lesson. The first one being called the Engage phase, the second the Study phase and the final one the Activate phase. Tamara Jennings Teaching Ideas Are you an English teacher and trying to find suitable material for your lessons? This blog post focuses on media influences in assisting with ESL learning. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Developments in the study of Psychology starting from the 1950's led to new theories of learning. These...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There is a grander purpose of education in a society and a community. Education is the cornerstone of any social community or society. When you have the education you can understand and have a basis for political, religious, and economic points. Knowing is the basis of existence, remembering holds a legacy. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jessi H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The role of the teacher is to teach students how to think critically and objectively about the world around them, and to have an influence on the world around them. Another important role the teacher has is to teach the methods of learning so that...  [Read more]

Najwa Sabih Destinations Alumni Experiences Are you interested in teaching English in Turkey? Read this blog post written by an ITTT course graduate about her experience teaching English in Turkey. Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas When using the ESA methodology, there are a number of lesson formats available. In the second of this series we look at a Boomerang lesson. What does a boomerang lesson look like and for what level of student is it most appropriate? Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas ...  [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]

Margaret Paton TEFL Information Alumni Experiences So, you’ve got your shiny new TESOL or TEFL certificate in hand. What now? Like you, I’m a new starter to this career of teaching English to non-native speakers, so I wanted to share five tips on what not to do in your early days. In short, having been a K-12 teacher might not get you through, be flexible about your availability, you might need a police check and your skills might not be valued in particular countries. Build up some experience, even if it’s voluntary. Even before I enrolled in the ITTT TESOL course, I was already reaching out to agencies who were hungry for native English speakers for tutoring work. There must have been one too many of these sponsored...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, we will look at an actual example of an ESA straight arrow lesson plan. We will include examples of the activities used and their purpose. You can adapt this plan to a variety of other uses and levels. 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. Shirin Sophy Destinations Alumni Experiences Are you...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, we will look at an actual example of an ESA straight arrow lesson plan. We will include examples of the activities used and their purpose. You can adapt this plan to a variety of other uses and levels. 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. Shirin Sophy Destinations Alumni Experiences Are you...  [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 Teaching Ideas “My sweater. I cannot find my sweater. Can you help me look for?” I scratched my head. Sweater? I kicked myself for agreeing to help Rosa in the study hall. Our teacher, Mr. Randall, had told me she was struggling with basic grammar and thought I might be able to help since I had spent a lot of time in Mexico and had a good grasp of both English and Spanish. Now not only did we have to go over the nitty-gritty of grammar, but she also had a lisp or something. Great, as if the grammar wasn’t enough. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Moriah D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I shivered and wished for a jacket or at the very...  [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]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Whether in the classroom or at the grading desk, the word “corrections” might bring to mind an answer list or possibly a red pen. For English language, linguistic and spelling errors are generally the focus of these corrections. However, where English language acquisition is concerned, such a focus can interrupt the natural flow of conversation and even set the learning process backwards. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Petra W. In the classroom, a good first rule is to offer kudos before criticism. During lessons, major errors are best addressed during the portion of the lesson dedicated to study and practice. The nature of the skills being honed, as well as age...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations For many people around the world, it’s their ultimate dream to go and live abroad. A TEFL certificate is one way to reach this goal as it enables you to head overseas and teach English. South Korea is one of the most popular destinations for EFL teachers for a variety of reasons, including high salaries, a vibrant culture, and breathtaking landscapes. Most teachers live in the capital Seoul or another major city, like Busan or Daejeon - but there is so much more to see in South Korea than just the big cities! If you, too, are heading to South Korea to teach English abroad, be sure to check out these 5 weekend trips you have to go on while living abroad in South Korea. Korean cuisine has a worldwide reputation for...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When it comes to learning a new language, people have certain insecurity, fear or embarrassment about speaking in front of strangers, for making mistakes can be quite embarrassing. Learning a new language is always a challenge since you need to know a new grammar, a new culture and a language that is, in general, relatively different from yours. There are people who, until they get the hang of their new language, die ashamed to speak in front of others. Others are already more comfortable with whom they share doubts. But which is better? Individual or group class? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Claudia V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The experience of living and working abroad for sure will give us another vision of the world. If you have been in China, enough you will learn to be more patient and tolerant. Live with another culture is not easy, and we learn how to be flexible. We are different, we live differently, our environment is different, our beliefs, our politeness, our food, etc. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ana P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. “Good morning, how are you today? “- They have never asked each other how are they? Instead, they ask “Ni chi le ma?” Did you eat? These people were starving for so many years, and the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Most researchers agree that the learner’s first language influences the pronunciation of the target language and is a significant factor in accounting for foreign accents. So-called interference or interference from the first language is likely to cause errors in aspiration, stress, and intonation in the target language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vesna A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Some Chinese students tend to have difficulty with English sounds because they are deeply influenced by similar Chinese sounds. However, they are very different from each other. A particular sound which does not exist in the native...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences It has been the most extraordinary experience in developing my skills as a teacher. My own personal philosophy is that life has no finish line, it’s just a struggle uphill were you are continually overcoming adversity and constantly improving. This philosophy applies to many facets of life but few things better than the art of teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jack W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I think of the great teachers that I have had. I think of their various breadths of experience. To be sure some are born with a natural talent, a knack as it were, to teach and connect with pupils, but some of the...  [Read more]

  In this episode, Linda takes on the pronunciation of the word "anastrophe". Enjoy the episode! Linda is a German/American ITTT alumna, teaching English in South Korea. Be sure to like and share this video if you find it helpful. 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. Grammar is the complicated part in teaching any languages. In this unit, I think I have to put more effort on phrasal verbs. I've taken a lot of time to do the task sheet as well as...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Children going wild, shouting "O McDonald had a farm, eya eya oh, and a quack-quack here... and a...", chairs moving up and down the classroom, lights on and off, if you were in this situation, what would you do? I have seen Teachers crying and running out of the classroom, only to come back to find no one is in the classroom, where have they gone? Classroom Management is a vital skill that every teacher should have; a teacher without Classroom Management should not even teach. So where do we start? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Justin H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. You know that in the Teachers' Education curriculum,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas It’s my dream to be a teacher since I was a little girl. It’s so lucky, I became an English teacher after I graduated from school. I like my job, I always prepared a lot before my class, such as materials, flashcards, teaching plan and so on. Because I hope my students will enjoy my class and gain knowledge through my class. I heard that a good teacher must be a good actor. I really impressed by this sentence, it always reminds me, no matter how tired you are and how sad you are, once you enter in the classroom, you must be full of energetic and keep a smile. Through my teaching experience, if you want to be a good teacher, I think not only just read books and ask students to do drilling work, but also...  [Read more]

  http://www.tesolcourse.com Both the 120 hour TEFL/TESOL online course and the four week TEFL/TESOL in-class course cover the same academic content, i.e. grammar, phonology, teaching theories and methodologies. The difference between the two courses is the actual teaching practice component in the in- class course. During the in-class course trainees are given the opportunity to complete a number of observed teaching practice sessions. By having this practical teaching experience you are improving your job prospects. Follow the above link to find out more about the differences between our TEFL/TESOL online and in-class courses. -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Are you ready to Teach English Abroad? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pcXD_GNR04 -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Below you can read feedback from an...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences There are various thoughts among teachers on the use of lesson plans. Some believe that a lesson plan concentrates too much on the teacher and on what the teacher wants to accomplish and they think that this approach has the potential to neglect the students needs. On the other hand, some believe that a teacher should dictate what the students need most in a lesson. Personally, I believe that there needs to be a balance between a teacher being prepared by having a lesson plan but also have the flexibility to meet the students needs as the lessons progress. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ismael S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. ...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflcourse.net In this Online TESOL Course video we will look at a useful teaching idea for the past perfect tense. Students are given statements written in the past simple and will have to complete the statement with sentences in the past perfect. Each statement would have been cut out before the class and distributed to pairs or small groups. The student will turn over their card, read out the statement then complete it with their own past perfect sentence. For example: I didn't do my homework ... because I hadn't brought my book home. Teaching ideas such as this become an important part of an English teacher's resources, enabling them to create interesting plans when required. To learn more about this tense and others consider taking one of ITTT's online TESOL...  [Read more]

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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas If you think of Chinese ESL students it is safe to assume that most teachers would immediately worry about how they should teach phonics to Mandarin speakers. It is also true that the media has portrayed the Chinese accent as one of the most challenging to understand or even get rid of. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Graciela G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Usually, the first thing you will notice as an ESL teacher, speaking from experience, is the difficulty Chinese ESL students face when it comes to the pronunciation of certain English sounds. In this essay, I will address not only the most common but some of the most...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching English to non-English speaking students can be a big and challenging task. You need to be full of patience, understanding and passion if you decide to enter this vocation. I worked for ten years as a kindergarten teacher in the Middle East and at times it seemed like I was in a “jungle survival” competition. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alona J. I was really in shock when I entered into the classroom on my first day as I had students with zero-English and it was really hard to understand them all. There were also many parents sitting around with their children who were crying and having tantrums. Normally, each class should have an Arabic Assistant Teacher but at that time...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When students hear ‘vocabulary’, they may expect to hear the word ‘list’ next. More often than not, we associate the word ‘list’ with ‘boring’! We think of 2 daunting columns of black letters on white paper: one with the native language and one with the target language. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and for teaching young learners, it cannot be that way. Certainly, teaching vocabulary will involve lists that help learners to receive language methodically and thoroughly. But what a teacher does with the vocabulary lists can be creative and fun and, most of all, memorable! This post was written by our ITTT graduate Roxanne L. When teachers hear ‘vocabulary’, they should pair it with the word...  [Read more]