Speaking Accuracy

  Before we move on to the planning of a lesson for speaking skills, something that we need to look at first is the idea of the accuracy versus the fluency of speaking. Accuracy relates to the correct usage of grammar and vocabulary, whereas fluency relates to our ability to continue speaking without any interruption. Now, ultimately within a whole ESA lesson or within language learning itself fluency and accuracy are equally important. Within an ESA lesson, however, depending upon which stage we're at in that lesson, then we're either focusing on accuracy or we're focusing on fluency. Remember in the ESA lesson, in the study phase, this is where we're looking at the target language where we're doing our language learning, so it's very important in this stage that we focus on the...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In this blog post, we will consider some important educational background theoretical and practical knowledge. The planning of a lesson for speaking skills (one of the two productive skills) requires us to look first at the ideas of accuracy versus fluency. We will start by defining our terms. 1) Speaking accuracy relates to the correct usage of grammar and vocabulary. 2) Speaking fluency relates to our ability to continue speaking without any interruption, such as thinking what the next word should be. If we consider language learning in general and an ESA style lesson in particular, then within the whole lesson fluency and accuracy are equally important. With an ESA lesson however...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the process of building a strong foundation for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), there are many items to consider. Some of these include parts of speech, theories and methodologies, tenses, lesson planning, and testing. One of the most important parts of this process is teaching productive skills, including speaking and writing, to students of all age groups. While the lesson planning for speaking and writing will be different, they are both used for the primary purpose of communication. When people are communicating with each other, they want to be able to say something through proper communication. They also want to listen and be able to hear what is being said. Productive skills can...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Productivity could be described as what someone or something creates or in other words produces. In the world of education, and reference to students, most tangible progress can be seen and heard through two specific means of production, the productive skills of speaking and writing. However, it is important to ask, how important are these productive skills? From the perspective of the teacher, they must understand that in the instances that individuals wish to converse with one another there is a cause, they have a purpose, a need to say something, a need to listen to something, or they are interested in what is being said. (ITTT, 2011) When a teacher can understand this, they can conjure and create a...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word armada. This word refers to a large fleet of warships. The word has been in use ever since the Spanish naval forces lost against England in 1588. 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. There is a science and a method to teaching children of all ages of the classroom. Ultimately, a teacher should try to be as engaging as possible to encourage students to practice their language skills. Without...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflonline.net This video explores the structure and usage of the past simple tense. The different structures of this tense are: Positive: Add --ed or --d to the base form of the verb She worked last night. Negative: Add did not or didn't before the base form of the verb He didn't teach yesterday. Question: Add did plus the subject before the base form of the verb Did she drive yesterday? The past simple tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past. For example: I watched television last night. In order to be a confident and successful English language teacher in the classroom, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the various English language tenses such as the one shown above. The best way to achieve this understanding is to complete a...  [Read more]

  This video diary entry outlines Chantelle’s experience of studying unit 8 of her online TEFL course. Unit 8 is another tense unit, this time looking at the future tenses. These include the future simple, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous and the ‘going to’ future. It also covers how the present simple and present continuous can be used to talk about the future. In this unit you will learn how the tenses are formed and used and what some of the most common errors students make. 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...  [Read more]

  In this video Linda breaks down the difference between ?aloud? and ?allowed?. 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. This unit covered the topic of productive skills. These skills are speaking and writing. Speaking English correctly and fluently is the ultimate goal of the students, and both accuracy and fluency are important. One cannot be taught exclusively. Writing can be a more difficult task, for some languages had completly different writing...  [Read more]

  For the lesson that even takes place, there are a number of things that you need to have considered. Obviously, you need a very clear idea of what it is you're expecting the students to have to do and they need to know why. It's very important before you ask them to do an activity that they have an understanding of the purpose of that activity. You should, secondly, have had a thought about what they already know. Linked to that is, will it be necessary to do any form of pre-teaching before I can expect them to do this activity and finally, we need to make sure that we have prepared all our materials and our instructions for this particular activity. So, we'll consider a straight arrow ESA lesson, the focus of which is to be speaking skills. So, we'll start with our engage and in...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "deterioration". This word is used as a noun and describes the process of something becoming progressively worse. Some synonyms for deterioration include decline, collapse or drop. 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. In this lesson, I have learned how to teach productive skills speaking and writing. The difference between accuracy and fluency activities, speaking activities in the classroom...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The productive skills, in my definition, are skills that require the students to articulate or produce words, sounds, speeches, or sentences either in written or typed form. The productive skills are speaking and writing. The productive skills are essential and are needed for communicative purposes in our day to day activities. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Taiwo B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Other skills are being taught in the English language, which is reading and listening (receptive skills). However, while these other skills are important, the most important of them are productive skills, particularly speaking...  [Read more]

  Lenin from the United States found our 120-hour TEFL course very helpful. He especially enjoyed looking into the grammar units and found the view from an English learner's point of view very interesting. He also found the units on lesson planning and classroom management very useful for his own future classroom. 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. Learning about different methods of teaching in this unit provided me with much more information on...  [Read more]

  In this ITTT TESOL review video Stratton talks about his TEFL experience in Phuket, Thailand. He talks about some of the course content including grammar, phonology and Thai culture and traditions. He also talks about the many advantages of doing the course, meeting new people and experiencing new adventures. 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. During this lesson, I have learned the productive skills of speaking and writing. I have learned that...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflcourse.net This video from one of ITTT's Teach English as a Foreign Language courses covers three teaching ideas for the future perfect tense. The future perfect is used to talk about things that will have been completed by a certain date in the future. The first idea involves asking students the following question "What will you have done by ...?" with an appropriate time in the future. For example: "What will you have done by the time you are 25?" "I will have become an English teacher". The second idea involves giving students monthly calendars to complete and asking them to say what they will have done by the end of the month. The last idea involves asking questions about a famous person and what they will have achieved in the future. "How many awards...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Most TEFL interviews are now conducted online. Whilst it is very important to think about what questions you may be asked and how you will answer them, of equal importance is being correctly physically set up for the interview. Here we will consider some of the major factors you need to consider before you say, “Hello”. Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post explores what criteria should be used to evaluate activities in an ESL classroom. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the most...  [Read more]

  Tyler recently found our 120-hour online TEFL course very organized and enjoyed working with his tutor. He found the feedback from the tutor very helpful to develop his skills. He is excited to start working as an English teacher abroad. 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. Future Perfect Tense and Future Perfect Continuous Tense were extremely interesting to me. I didn't have opportunity to come across them that often, actually I don't think I...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word inveigle. This word is used as a verb and refers to the action of persuading someone to do something through flattery or deception. The word comes from aveugler in Old French meaning ‘to blind’. 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. In this unit we learned about resources: songs, chants, music, games, stories, arts and crafts, seasonal activities, drama and movement. We learned what...  [Read more]

  This TEFL review was recorded by Volodymyr from Kiev in Ukraine. He is currently working as an English teacher in the Ukrainian Dance Academy. Having completed his 120-hour online TEFL course with ITTT Volodymyr wants to move to China to teach English and is looking forward to learning more about China as he pursues his English teaching career. 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. productive skills depend on speaking and writing skills .accuracy...  [Read more]

  Mohamed from Morocco is living in Germany and has completed an ITTT TEFL course. In his TEFL review Mohamed explains how despite already having several years experience as an English teacher in China, he still found that he benefited from the course many different ways. 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. This was a good unit because i learned more about the accuracy and fluency in language and what the difference is. i feel that now i know it...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "phreaker". This word is a noun and refers to someone who one who gains illegal access to the telephone system. The word become widely popular in the mid-1980s and is likely a combination of the words "phone" and "freak". Modern phreakers are very specialized hackers breaking into the phone system of large companies and corporations. 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. Drilling is a good...  [Read more]

  Greg took the 120-hour online TESOL course with ITTT to improve his teaching abilities. In his TESOL review video, Greg introduces us to some of his English students from all over Latin America and shows us some of the resources he is using in his lessons. Greg and his students seem very happy to be teaching and learning English together. 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. In this unit I was able to review the basic parts of speech and what each...  [Read more]

  Manuel from Germany took ITTT’s online 120-hour TESOL course. In this TESOL review video; Manuel describes how, as a father of two small children, the format of the course enabled him to study on his own terms. With six months to complete the course, ITTT’s online TESOL courses are a great option for those with busy schedules, allowing you to study whenever and wherever you are able to do so. 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. I...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflonline.net The teaching idea covered here is one that would be appropriate for adult English language learners. It involves students writing a CV including personal data such as where they were born, their education history and their work experience. This activity could be a precursor to a job interview activity where students interview each other for different jobs using information from their CVs. By taking one of ITTT's TESOL Courses you will learn useful teaching ideas such as the one covered in this video. There are number of options available to study from short 60-hour introductory courses to longer 120-hour TESOL Courses. It is also possible to take ITTT's TESOL Courses in-class at any one of our training centres around the world. Please visit the link...  [Read more]

  First and most common we added simply an '-s' for verbs like 'work', 'play'. This is what we typically see within our language. However, when we have verbs with spelling patterns such as ending in '-ch', '-sh', '-z', '-s' and our shorter verbs 'do' and 'go', we have to add our '-es'. Then for verbs the end in a consonant and 'y' we drop our 'y' and add our '-ies'. Finally, we have our irregular verbs 'be' and 'have'. For subject 'I', we use 'am', for the subject 'he', 'she' and 'it', we use 'is', whereas with 'you', 'we', 'they', we use 'are'. Finally, we have 'have', which stays as 'have' for these subjects: 'I', 'you', 'we', 'they' but for 'he', 'she' and 'it', we change 'have' to 'has'. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online...  [Read more]

  Iban is currently living and teaching at an English academy in Pamplona, Spain. In his TEFL review, Iban tells us that he took the 120-hour TEFL course with ITTT. Iban appreciated the support he received from his online tutor throughout the course and the fact that he was able to put what he was learning into practice with his teaching job. Now Iban has finished the 120-hour course he is looking forward to taking the business English course as well the OTP course offered by ITTT. ITTT’s OTP (Observed Teaching Practice) course is a series of modules that allows you to gain practical teaching certification to supplement an online teaching certificate without having to attend a training center. It is an excellent way to boost your CV when applying for teaching jobs. Below you...  [Read more]

  In this ITTT testimonial video Natalie from Scotland describes her experience during her TESOL/TEFL course in Corinth, Greece. She talks about the valuable experience of teaching real students during the course. ITTT has successfully trained thousands of teachers of all ages from a wide variety of different backgrounds. ITTT's graduates are provided with free lifetime comprehensive job support services. We are committed to providing continual support to our graduates during their teaching careers. 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...  [Read more]

  For statements in the negative form, what we have to do is add the auxiliary verb 'to do'. For subjects 'I', 'you', 'we' and 'they', we simply leave 'do' as 'do', use the word 'not', and keep the base form of the verb now for the negative statements. However, for 'he', 'she' and 'it', we have to conjugate our auxiliary verb into 'does'. We still use 'not' and we still keep the base form of the verb. The pattern performing questions is very very similar to the pattern performing negative statements. However, what we've done is invert our subject and our auxiliary verb so that the questions read the auxiliary verb first. Of course, again, we use 'do' for 'I', 'you', 'we' and 'they' and use 'does' for 'he', 'she' and 'it'. In both cases, we've left our verb form as the base form of...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post explores what criteria should be used to evaluate activities in an ESL classroom. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the most important concepts to cover in the use of the board is that of “dead time”. This is the time we are writing on the board and nothing is being said. Here we look at 7 top tips to reduce the dead time to a minimum. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In any lesson the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are important. When we focus our...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post explores what criteria should be used to evaluate activities in an ESL classroom. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the most important concepts to cover in the use of the board is that of “dead time”. This is the time we are writing on the board and nothing is being said. Here we look at 7 top tips to reduce the dead time to a minimum. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In any lesson the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are important. When we focus our...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post explores what criteria should be used to evaluate activities in an ESL classroom. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the most important concepts to cover in the use of the board is that of “dead time”. This is the time we are writing on the board and nothing is being said. Here we look at 7 top tips to reduce the dead time to a minimum. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In any lesson the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are important. When we focus our...  [Read more]