Speaking Lessons

  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]

  The final stage of the lesson will be the activate and the activate phase is going to form the main speaking activity within the lesson. So, it's very very important that here, we do a good demonstration of what it is that we're expecting them to do, that we elicit the type of target language we're expecting them to produce from the activity. So, one way we could go around it is to, firstly, form pairs. Each pair is going to be given a card and onto that card they're going to write the country and a month. What the teacher can then do, just to add a little bit of spice to it, is to collect all of the cards and shuffle them around and then redistribute them to the pairs so that they get a card that doesn't have their country or their month on it. What they're then going to do is...  [Read more]

1. Introduction 2. Benefits of English Conversation Classes 3. Our Approach to English Conversation Classes 4. Why Choose ITTT for English Conversation Classes Are you looking to improve your English speaking skills in Buenos Aires? Look no further! ITTT (International TEFL and TESOL Training) offers top-quality English conversation classes to help you enhance your fluency and confidence in speaking English. Our experienced and certified teachers are dedicated to providing engaging and effective lessons that will take your language skills to the next level. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced learner, our classes are designed to meet your individual needs and goals. Participating in English conversation classes can offer a wide range of benefits for language learners. Not only do...  [Read more]

  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]

  So, we'll focus first of all on a speaking skills lesson and perhaps a starting point for this would be to ask a question which is: Why do we speak to each other? The reason that it's important to ask ourselves this question is that whatever answers there are to this should be present in our lessons. So, why do we speak to each other? Well, there are a multitude of answers to that but when you boil them all down to their essence, they probably actually come down to one or two things. We communicate to each other by speaking because of either a need. We need something. We want something or a desire to achieve something. 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...  [Read more]

  Chantelle details her experience of studying the fifth unit of her online TEFL course with ITTT. In this unit she learnt about classroom management and the different ways you can arrange your classroom and group students according to the needs of the lesson you are going to teach and of the students themselves. The unit also deals with reasons for problem behavior within a lesson and the ways a teacher’s body language can be used to communicate ideas about language as well as to reinforce instructions and requirements of the teacher. 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...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas As teachers, one of our biggest goals while teaching English to a class or individual is to keep them engaged and motivated during the lesson while also making them feel comfortable and confident as they learn. There are three critical ways in which playing games in the classroom can help effectively promote speaking English. By playing "warming" games, students can become more comfortable around teachers and students, making them more likely to participate during lessons. They can also keep students motivated and play a significant role during the "Engage" and "Activate" phase of the ESA approach. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

  Neda took the 120-hour online TEFL course with tutor support and videos from ITTT. Neda tells us in this TEFL review video that she really enjoyed the course and found the units to be well organized. She thought the videos were very useful especially when completing the tests and tasks throughout the course but she would have liked to make more use of the tutor support. 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. Unit 12 covers the productive skills of...  [Read more]

  In this TESOL review Alistair describes his experience as a TEFL/TESOL student with ITTT. He shares how the four week in-class course was a life changing experience for him and how deciding to do the course was one of the best decisions he ever made. 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 chapter i have learned about the books and materials importance in the teaching and what is the advantage and disadvantage of the use of the authentic...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Lesson planning is an important skill and resource for teachers with benefits for the teacher, the students, and the institution accommodating them. By implementing this technique teachers are equipped with a guide that can instill confidence for themselves, as well as clarity for their students and employers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jason T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One of the primary and more evident benefits of lesson planning is that it creates a clear structure for the lesson. This means that the teacher and students are aware of the focus of each session, which would increase the likelihood of successful...  [Read more]

  This video is part of our video series on "Evaluation and Testing of Students". In this video, we look at some of the most common business English exams people take around the world. Many EFL teachers around the world need to prepare their students for these international proficiency tests. 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. Similarly to other grammar units, this unit was really helpful in that it helped me understand more clearly the...  [Read more]

Estefany Garduño TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas When you hear about English lessons, the first thing that comes into your mind is probably lessons taken from a book, answer lesson sheets, and talking in pairs applying a small group of vocabulary, and that’s all. Let’s change the game by giving a higher immersion of English to your ESL students without going to an English-speaking country to obtain more vocabulary, pronunciation, and speaking practice. Being immersed in English is the way of “forcing” oneself to use the language, hearing how others use it, thinking in English to give answers in English, stopping trying to translate all the time from English to the native language,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When it comes to teaching adults with higher levels of English proficiency, it is quite complicated to create lessons as most of the students usually have very specific needs and challenges. In this blog post, I would like to share a sample online lesson that I taught to an adult group of advanced EFL learners to train conversational skills. For presenting my materials online, I used Prezi for visual clues. Our class took place on Zoom. The whole lesson was structured in the form of a speaking club under the general topic of “feeling ashamed and uncomfortable”. Engagement is the most important part of any lesson. Advanced level adults are no exception. To build rapport and a comfortable environment, I started...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas For students to be able to communicate effectively, they need to be proficient in the four language skills. Productive skills are known SPEAKING and READING, then you have your receptive skills known as READING and LISTENING. All four language skills are of importance and should be combined during lessons as they are all of importance to teach students to communicate with others. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Natalie B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. If a student or a student comes to a language teacher, it means he/she has a clear goal to be excellent in productive skills. he/she undoubtedly wants to be perfect in either...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas As a teacher, our role is to be the leader in the classroom. However, this does not mean that we should be speaking in front of the class the entire class time. As the native-speaking teacher, the students need to hear our voices and hear our accents but what is equally important is that the students are all engaged in the lesson and that they all are practicing themselves. If a teacher speaks 90% of the time and students sit back and listen, then they will lose focus, not practice themselves, and the teacher will tire out. That is why I will propose two ways we can decrease teacher speaking time. This post was written by our TEFL...  [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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) working at an elementary school in Japan, I have to mainly work with seven different teachers and teams to teach the English lessons together. The number of teachers I work with more than doubles if I include the grades that I only teach occasionally and also the classes at the other school that I go to only once a week. It is no surprise that ‘flexibility’ is often mentioned as one of the most important traits to have to be an effective ALT. In this summative task, I would like to share some of my experiences and how I have learned to work with multiple teachers with different teaching styles. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Seong H. Please note...  [Read more]

Regan McAllister TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Learning another language can and should be fun. A primary focus as a teacher should be to create an engaging learning environment for students. One of the simplest ways to do this is by diversifying your lessons. Having a variety of teaching styles and activities is a productive way to ensure that you teach a combination of skills and touch on the interests of all students. Monotony breeds boredom. Having different activities and assignments will keep students excited, creating an ideal learning environment that inspires learners to excel. A class that consistently has the same formula can become repetitive, and students may get bored. If...  [Read more]

1. Introduction 2. Benefits of Using ESL Teaching Materials 3. Types of ESL Teaching Materials Available Online 4. How to Use ESL Teaching Materials Effectively In today's digital age, the internet has become a treasure trove of resources for ESL teachers looking to enhance their teaching materials. With just a few clicks, educators can access a wide range of resources to supplement their lesson plans and engage students in meaningful learning experiences. Using ESL teaching materials available online comes with a multitude of benefits. Firstly, these resources can help make lessons more interactive and engaging for students, keeping them interested and motivated to learn. Additionally, online materials can provide teachers with fresh ideas and perspectives to incorporate into their...  [Read more]

  Edina decided to take a TEFL certificate course with ITTT after joining an NGO providing English teachers to students in Turkey. In this TEFL review video Edina talks about the many benefits of taking the course, including the extensive materials covering grammar, classroom management and lesson planning, the post course support and the fact that the certificate is recognised around the world. 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 was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The more a teacher speaks the less attention the learners will pay. Decreasing teacher speaking time can be done with a few practical steps and wonderful teaching methods. It all starts with proper planning. When designing a lesson plan be sure to include assignments and activities that will engage your students and do not call for a teacher dominant role. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Johnelle M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Using activities in the classroom that engage the students is very important. For example, instead of going right into a lecture, using a pass the ball activity allows the students to get engaged...  [Read more]

  Dawn decided to take an online TEFL course with ITTT to enable her to take advantage of the high demand for English teachers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In this TEFL review video Dawn describes her experience of taking ITTT's 120-hour online course with tutor support. 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 there is a lot of material for teaching English to Young Learners. This material can be used if the teachers wants to improve young...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Programs in English as a second language (ESL) generally take place in countries where English is the dominant or official language. People participating in an ESL program likely immigrated to an English-speaking country from a non-English speaking county and so are learning English as a language to be used in their everyday lives. In contrast, programs in English as a foreign language (EFL) generally take place in countries where English is not the official or dominant language. People participating in an EFL program are likely still in their home country and may or may not ever use English outside of the EFL classroom. This fundamental difference between the two types of programs can lead to differences in...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When I first started as an EFL teacher two years ago, my senior colleagues would often advise me to create a lesson plan well in advance of an upcoming lesson. Having had no formal teaching experience back then, it surprised me because I assumed that simply creating lesson materials for students was sufficient. I did not think that lesson plans were necessary because when I was a student, I had never seen any of my teachers referring to them on the job. It seemed to me that teachers were natural improvisers and could deliver lessons without any referenced document. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Qi Lin L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the main differences between teaching groups and individual students is the lesson plan. Several factors need to be considered when planning a lesson for a single student: The aforementioned factors should be taken into account even when teaching groups but in one-to-one lessons they are crucial. Considering that the whole lesson is dedicated to one individual, material covered should be graded to his/her exact level to achieve the best result, giving the teacher freedom to make the lessons challenging to stimulate further self-study. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ivana P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Unlike...  [Read more]

  These 10 teaching ideas for the past simple tense will encourage your students to use the language in fun communicative ways. Grammar lessons can often be quite daunting and boring for students so it is important to have activities that students will enjoy doing. These ideas offer plenty of student-to-student interaction and allow students to draw on their own life experiences as well as encouraging them to use their imagination. 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...  [Read more]

1. Introduction 2. Benefits of ESL Teaching Resources in Beijing 3. Types of ESL Teaching Resources in Beijing 4. How to Access ESL Teaching Resources in Beijing Are you looking for ESL teaching resources in Beijing to enhance your English language teaching skills? Look no further! ITTT (International TEFL and TESOL Training) provides a wide range of resources to support ESL teachers in Beijing and help them deliver high-quality lessons to their students. Whether you are a new teacher or an experienced educator, our resources are designed to meet your needs and enhance your teaching experience. Accessing ESL teaching resources in Beijing can offer numerous benefits to ESL teachers. These resources can help teachers create engaging and interactive lessons, improve student engagement, and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Out of all the methods of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language, the ESA-structured lessons are the most productive with a balance of teacher instruction and student practice time. This method often includes others such as audio-bilingualism (drilling techniques), PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production), and task-based learning; but offering a wide variety of techniques within one method is the beauty of the Engage-Study-Activate lesson model. This lesson model has many benefits for students of English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first part of this lesson model is the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Out of all the methods of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language, the ESA-structured lessons are the most productive with a balance of teacher instruction and student practice time. This method often includes others such as audio-lingualism (drilling techniques), PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production), and task-based learning; but offering a wide variety of techniques within one method is the beauty of the Engage-Study-Activate lesson model. This lesson model has many benefits for students of English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first part of this lesson model is the...  [Read more]