K 12 Teachers

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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The theory of multiple intelligences (MI) suggests that there are eight different areas in which an individual can be intelligent. This idea was developed by Dr. Howard Gardner, who thought using only one measurement from an IQ test limits one's potential. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ilma J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Theory eventually became popular with K-12 educators who were seeking new ways to reach students that were not responding to traditional methods of teaching. Also Read: Do TEFL Certificates Expire? Teachers naturally often come across such situations where a student is excelling in one area, like...  [Read more]

Anna Domiczek TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas English language learners at the preschool level comprise a significant percentage of all online. The number of ESL students is going to continue to increase in the coming years, and teachers who are interested in teaching ESL online/abroad need to be prepared to offer quality, age-appropriate English instruction. According to the data available, the early years English learning market in China is going to see considerable growth because the younger generation of parents have a high awareness of the benefits that English learning provides. Similarly, parents across the world are recognizing the advantages of learning a foreign language at an...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences My first language was French –-the language of my Cajun-born mother. She wanted to pass on her cultural heritage and therefore spoke to her first-born child, me, only in French. However, once I was put into kindergarten and was unable to communicate or understand any of my teachers or classmates, my parents reverted to English because they feared to set me back in school. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Madeleine K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Despite understanding their fear, I did not appreciate my parent’s decision. I was very vocal about that fact, in true teenage fashion, especially when I had to spend hours...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Poor student achievement is often attributed to a lack of motivation and rewards are given in an attempt to increase that vital student motivation. The statement, "If they would only try harder, then they would do better on tests, take more risks, or earn better grades" is often heard regarding the students. When rewards are given, they often have the opposite effect of what was intended. High student achievement comes from students who are motivated from inside. Therefore, instead of giving rewards, teachers need to consistently teach students to become intrinsically motivated. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nelida N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There are many fields in today’s industries that require growth and adaptation on part of the worker. Teaching is no exception. While it’s true that after a few years many teachers will recycle old lessons, the lessons need to adapt to the new classroom. Being outdated can lead students to boredom and teachers losing confidence in themselves. The question becomes not ‘why’ but ‘how’ can teachers develop their careers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Taylor K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Most teachers will begin their careers with a base level of certification or education. The most common would be through...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As in any profession, a worker must prove themselves capable of the task at hand. I find myself at various stages of my life needing to perform tasks I never thought I would have to master: managing a family of seven, running a marathon, milking cows, managing a horse barn, homeschooling K-12, teaching various online classes, providing my own tech-support, writing curriculum, the list goes on. With each task allotted for me, I have pulled on resources to gain knowledge for mastery. The education field is no exception to this challenge, for me or anyone else wanting to excel in the profession. Opportunities to stretch one’s capabilities can be a daily experience. If the challenge is embraced the educator gains a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I started my journey as a TEFL tutor by having classes online. I just tried my luck and applied for some random ad postings on social media. A few days later, I received a call and it turned out to be a phone interview. I got the job soon after that phone call ended and later that day I was introduced to my trainer. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate John K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Next, I was trained for just one day about the tools, the materials and how to handle classes online. Soon, I just need to pass the demo and I’m good to go. Without any background in teaching, I managed my way to become a top tutor with just...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Upon completing the teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) for business English (BE), the best things I’ve learned would have to be the section that covered ESA (engage, study, activate), including boomerang and patchwork lessons, and how the engage, study, activate methodology is the core of a great teaching syllabus. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kinsey K. The best thing I’ve learned from my TESOL business English course would have to be “Engage, Study, Activate” within the business English environment. I have seen ESA in the previous 120-hour TEFL course and my 50-hour TEFL young learner course, however, I had not seen it applied in a way to be used for the business...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are thousands of English coursebooks nowadays, and one might get confused while trying to choose a coursebook for the students. I have faced this problem as well, trying to choose the coursebook for private classes with a 7-year-old student who has already learned some English before. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Elena K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As far as I am concerned, Oxford University Press is known to be one of the best ESL coursebook «producers» in the world. One of their best courses is «Family and Friends» which had been developed into «Family and Friends 2nd edition», a highly-popular course...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Upon completing the 50-hour Teaching English to Young Learners Course, the best things I’ve learned would have to be the section that covered course development, including ESA (engage, study, activate), testing/assessment, and how they all come together to form a syllabus and ultimately an English language course. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kinsey K. I have seen ESA in the previous 120-hour TEFL course and my 50-hour Teaching Business English Course, however, I had not seen it applied in a way to be used specifically with the young learner in mind. Whenever a teacher is planning a course and a syllabus, the teacher needs to be able to ensure the material is at the appropriate level...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this essay, I will deal with the pronunciation difficulties of German learners of English. In particular, I will treat some issues at the segmental level. Although both English and German are Germanic languages, the sound inventories of these two languages are quite different, especially the vowels. In the following table, the sounds are listed which exist only in one but not in the other language: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gisella F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Consonants Consonants /θ/, /ð/ tʃ/, /dʒ/ /w/ /x/ /ҫ/ Vowels Vowels Monophthongs Monophthongs /y, yː/ /eː/, /ø, øː/ /oː/ /ɜ/ /ɔ/ /ʌ/...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This is not to say that I thought lightly of teaching English but when I just started considering becoming an English teacher, I thought what I would need for starting my career was passion and enough English skills for the level of students. That I could gain the other necessary teaching skills one by one through experiences in the classroom. Or maybe by reading some course books or from watching Youtube videos concerning teaching English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Youngku K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The only teaching experience I had was independently tutoring middle school students for 6 months and I...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The process of learning a new language is complex and time-consuming. As the demand for learning a new language increases or rather the process of learning the primary language in a given society is taken into consideration, methods to teach become variable, as the most optimal way of learning is sought after. This does not always result most efficiently, however. For this very reason, certain factors must be taken into consideration when evaluating the way a language is learned since the easiest way is not always the best way. The concept of a language is very detailed, meaning that because of this it is commonly very confusing, but if dialed up to the top of the branches one can see that there are two main...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The curriculum has been used in the past as a collection of topics and syllabuses for children and young people to be learned during their school years. However, this definition does not do justice to the wider outcomes required by the real world or to the complexity of what many teachers are actually doing to promote the well-being of children and young people. It fails to define the overall objectives that the program is supposed to serve. Learning is often greatly influenced by when and how success is evaluated and how the effects of measurement are used. Therefore, evaluation needs to be seen as an important part of the process of learning....  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences The roles of a quality or good teacher are more than just planning, making lesson plans or teaching. The teacher's roles in today's world are different from what they used to be. Teachers used to plan or were issued a specific curriculum to teach with, that provided them sets of instructions they were supposed to follow. However, that's not the same issue with today's teachers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Herman K. Teachers nowadays are like a "third parent". Simply because teachers spend much time with students and they can be a positive role model to students that lack a proper family foundation. Their job is to counsel students, inspire them and help them to utilize the knowledge they...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences If you ever find yourself driving in French Canada, you will be stopped by stop signs that say ‘arrêt’, which is stopped in French. Almost all drivers in North America would know that this means stop because it’s the same octagon red stop sign. In Japan it’s very different, stop signs are triangular with Japanese script on them but, beneath the Japanese, you can find English subtitles which read ‘stop’. In fact, if you travel anywhere in Japan, the majority of signs and announcements related to travel are offered in Japanese and English. English has been taught in Japanese schools since the American occupation after World War Two. However, according to an EF English Proficiency Index in 2017,...  [Read more]

  Mexico is one of the leading travel destinations in the world. What makes Mexico so appealing for travel? The food, the people, the culture, the natural beauty and so much more. Mexico offers its visitors a taste of every possible landscape that you can imagine, from sandy dune deserts to snow pine forests or buzzing cities to majestic beaches… you name it and Mexico’s got it. If sightseeing is your thing when you explore then take your pick; Mexico has Mayan and Aztec pyramids like Templo Mayor or Calakmul, colonial jewels like Museo de Bellas Artes and Castillo de Chapultepec. Mexico’s past is not all that glorious, but its future is brighter than ever. Impressive urban developments throughout the country place it as one of the most important economies in the world. Puerto...  [Read more]

Gianluca Costa Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences If you are thinking of moving to Hong Kong to teach English, this article is a great overview of how an ESL teacher's life in Hong Kong can be. English is widely spoken in Hong Kong, and even young children start their English education very early. Many parents place their children in English institutions early on, which shows how important English education is in Hong Kong. That's why Hong Kong offers many opportunities for ESL teachers, and you can find placements in a variety of school settings, from kindergartens, learning centers to private tutoring lessons. Most schools expect you to be in your classroom at 8:30, ready to welcome the...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Destinations TEFL Information Teaching English in 2021. A few people have told me about their teaching journey already, so keep letting me know what your plans are in terms of teaching English abroad or teaching English online. Somebody said they're interested in teaching online, so that's really cool. Someone new has just joined us from Laos, hi there. We have Margaret who is also teaching online, very cool. I’m going to talk a little bit about teaching English online in this presentation. Juliana says hi, I think you've watched before as I recognize your picture, thanks for tuning in again. It's really good to see new faces and old faces in our TEFL family today. I have prepared some visuals that I'm going to...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Hi, I am back for another live session this week. My name is Linda from ITTT. I took a break last week, I was traveling a little bit in Korea, not too far but I got to enjoy the cherry blossoms. That's why there was no live session from me last week. But I'm back this week and I'm super excited. Today we're going to have a Q&A session, so you guys can ask me questions about TEFL and TESOL, teaching abroad, teaching online, whatever you want to know about. So something a bit more casual, let's have a chat. I would like to get to know you guys better and you can get to know me, ITTT and TEFL. If you can see me and hear me please drop a hi or something into the comment box so that I know that everything is working...  [Read more]

  Immerse yourself in Ban Phe and immerse yourself in Thai life. Enchanting and exciting, taking a teacher training course in Ban Phe will no doubt prove to be a rewarding experience. This quiet and relaxing fishing village sits on the Gulf of Thailand’s beautiful beaches, yet has somehow escaped the tourist traps of nearby Pattaya and Bangkok. If an island adventure is on the list of things to do, Ban Phe is the jumping off point for idyllic, Ko Samet (Samet Island) while Ko Chang (Elephant Island) is only a morning’s journey away. Our tefl certification course in Ban Phe consists of a large office located near countless mom-and-pop shops as well as neighborhood restaurants and public transport links. All training facilities needed to successfully complete your course will be...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences American and German Augsburg, Germany 26 Bachelor’s of Science in Management Yes. Growing up in Europe with a German mother and an American father I had the opportunity to travel around Europe and the US. After studying Mandarin, I also spent some time in China. San Diego, California Being able to explore the world and making use of my foreign language skills in Chinese. I was concerned about the language barrier, especially in China where English is not widely spoken. Even though I studied Mandarin, I was worried that my language skills wouldn’t be good enough to be able to live in China and get by alone. However, everything went very well and I was able to improve my Chinese language skills immensely during...  [Read more]