Teaching Efl To Young Learners

  The next category we are looking at in our series on teaching special groups in ESL are young learners. We consider students aged 2 to 16 young learners. Find out the positives, negatives and tips when teaching young learners in this video. 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 is based on the explanation of the structure and the use of the modal verbs, the passive voice and the phrasal verbs in English.Phrasal verbs are very important to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the past, the emphasis on teaching a foreign language was, amongst other older techniques, Grammar-Translation, and is still used in some situation today. This method helped the student to learn ‘about’ the language instead of learning the language (ITTT Unit 3,3). Over time, and continuing today, more and more attention and research have been placed on the question of what makes a good language learner. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Cliff G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are considerable differences in age, gender, motivation, attitude, and culture. Different students assimilate differently. The environment...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In my experience gained the past few years, one of the most challenging experiences for me was to effectively teach beginner students. Since all my students were absolute beginners (learners who have had no contact with English at all), I had to find ways to make the learning effective, differently to teaching false beginners, who have some form of understanding of the English language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alida K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. To further add a challenge to my teaching methodologies, all my learners were very young. This essay attempts to describe the most effective methodologies I applied when...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences One of the pillars of the English language, vocabulary, could well be seen as an insurmountable challenge with no end for language learners, but it can actually be a rewarding one that opens up the very heart of the language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dawson N. With multiple, controversial estimates, putting the number of words a native English speaker knows from around 20,000 active vocabulary words and 40,000 passive vocabulary words up to 20,000/120,000 for highly educated speakers, and with some saying 5,000/20,000 words are needed for L2 language proficiency, this can seem an arduous and never-ending task for young EFL learners. Despite this, young learners are in a good position...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences As the world becomes increasingly globalized, EFL programs are nearing ubiquity. A substantial portion of EFL participants are young learners. Although there is a lot of crossover between techniques used for young learners and those used older children or adults, there are certainly strategies that can be employed to get the most out of a classroom of young learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kara C. A teacher’s initial lesson will help set the tone for the semester and should be warm and fun. Teachers should avoid teaching from the book and instead focus on making connections between teacher and students, as well as peer to peer. Icebreakers and simple games are a good way to...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching English to young learners is quite different from teaching English to adults in many ways. One of the differences is that young learners do not learn the language in a conscious process, mostly they acquire the language. For young learners, it can be said that it is easier for them to acquire and learn English as long as they are exposed to the language. Since learning languages differs from age to age, teaching styles and strategies also change accordingly. As English teachers, we have different approaches, methods, techniques, and tools which gravitate towards different needs and levels of young learners. So, as English teachers, we should address those needs. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas A good TEFL teacher must understand that there are a lot of differences between young learners and adult learners, but also they have some similarities. The following differences and similarities between these two types of students are the most common ones any teacher will notice having worked in both situations. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Daria K. One of the main differences between young learners and adult learners is their discipline and behavior during class. Adult learners are generally more disciplined, independent and organised than young learners. They do not need as much attention from the teacher which is why the teacher needs to adopt...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Learning is something essential in anyone's life, not only as a human being but as a species. As humans we start learning about everything in our environment the moment we come into this world and this experience of learning proceeds with us throughout our lives till the moment we leave this world. The more we learn the more knowledge we accumulate, which will help us, as individuals or societies, to improve our lives in every way possible as long as we use this knowledge that we have learned and apply it correctly in our daily lives. It is evident that learning happens through communication and interaction between an individual and his/her environment and the main tool for interaction and communication for humans is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Young learners and adults tend to have different modes when it comes to English learning due to several factors. This article is going to demonstrate some of the factors. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Fanchun M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Young learners are a special group of people in English learning and have to be treated differently because they are unique in several ways. First, young learners tend to be self- motivated as they are always curious, and curiosity is a motivation factor and important in new language learning. Second, young learners are less conscious of potential mistakes and have a sense of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas We are moving closer to becoming a Global Village in this more inclusive and competitive world, the need to be able to communicate effectively becomes a real necessity. Communicating effectively is no longer a nice to have skill but it is now becoming essential. Due to historical facts and the current geopolitical situation English has become the language of choice to progress, it is particularly and increasingly used in business, tourism, and social media environments. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shaun Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. English is a recognized global language whether it is a first language as in the UK...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Although the Classroom Learning Modes are affected by many variables, a large factor that instructors should be aware of are the differences and similarities between Youth and Adult Learners. Youth versus adult learners may vary in their classroom experience, energy, and sources of motivation, however, all students (regardless of age) can learn successfully if the teacher is cognizant of these dimensions as they design and deliver their course. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Julia J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Young English learners typically possess less classroom experience than more mature learners, however, this...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences People are under pressure to thrive in today’s world and the 21st century in many areas of our lives. Others use the term ‘millenials’ to refer to the group of people who grew up on computers, cell phones and other gaming gadgets presently popular among young people. This, of course, also happens in education introducing the 21st-century teachers and learners. Having access to any information possible does not require the teachers to spoon-feed the learners, but enables the learners to achieve independent learning by letting them experience making their own choices that result in better learning outcomes. 21st-century teaching is having a learner-centered classroom with personalized instructions accompanied...  [Read more]

Anna Domiczek Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In the education world, the potential and value of using stories and storytelling techniques have always been known and recognized, especially in the context of teaching younger students. Recently, more and more EFL teachers of young learners are integrating carefully selected children’s literature stories to teach English. Children’s literature is such a significant part of English language literature - using it for teaching English can be a very motivating tool for young learners. Stories chosen from children’s literature provide an excellent resource to develop a variety of language and learning activities, and the carefully selected materials can be appealing not only...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What are the pros and cons of teaching a language to adults and young learners? First of all, let us talk about learner groups. Adults are people 18 years of age and more and young learners are split into three groups: over 13, from 8 to 12, and under 7. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Phuong V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Obviously, the language is formed not only when we are born but partly during pregnancy. A baby in a womb can listen to sounds outside and when its mother talks to her baby every day, it can also feel touches and sweet words from its mother. The baby starts speaking by listening to and copying whatever...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I started my teaching career in 2016. I was an international student in London, doing a part-time job as a private Mandarin tutor for covering my living cost. In London, I was teaching Mandarin for young learners, age between 3-15-year-old from 2016-2018. After I came back to my country in 2019, I have started to teach English for Kindergarten students age between 3-8-year-old in a private English School. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nina S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When I started to be a private Mandarin tutor, I did not have any teaching experience. The reason that made me decide to teach young learners was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How important is it for EFL learners to learn slang and idioms? Let’s clarify what is slang? What is an idiom? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Laura B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Slang is an informal language and should be used only with people one knows very well. Slang can change constantly, appear today, disappear within month or year and some words have been used by English speakers since medieval times. Also Read: "How Can We as Teachers Motivate Our Students?" The earliest use of the word “slang” (eighteen century) referred to the vocabulary of “low” or “disreputable” people. Later, in the early...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Given that grammar is, unquestionably, one of the fundamental pillars of essentially any language, it is therefore of utmost importance to educate learners the correct grammatical rules, and even more preferably, when the learners are of a very young age, so that they can, presumably, have a better grasp of the underlying grammatical rules before they embrace on a pursuit of more advance intellectual knowledge. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate CHUN YAN T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Nonetheless, because English grammar is, by no means, the easiest to fully comprehend, not to mention the numerous grammatical exceptions...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas An instructor should adapt their instruction based on the student's needs and abilities, and should take into account the age of students as this is likely to affect factors such as student motivation, attention span, and openness to activities. An instructor should anticipate that young students may be less internally motivated than adult learners. Adult learners are likely to have longer attention spans than younger students, therefore the instructor should adjust lesson plans accordingly. Certain activities will be well received by very young students and poorly received by slightly older students or adult learners, this should be taken into account when planning. It is ultimately the instructor's...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nowadays there is an increasing tendency of hiring more and more native English speakers as ESL or EFL teachers. Being a native English speaker and belonging to a certain number of English speaking countries is a required qualification for teachers or graduates who want to work abroad, especially. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Irina P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Of course, nobody can contest that a person who is born or lives in a certain country has the chance to possess accents, pronunciation or intonation that a foreigner cannot have mastery of. But a language teacher is more than a person with a native accent. One...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Children are creative. Bringing games into an English language classroom to incite young learners’ attention and creativity is vital to keeping them motivated and entertained. Several games promote English grammar, memorization, and sentence building. These games can be reproductions of current popular games or manufactured by a teacher. Whichever method is chosen by the teacher there are still simple rules to follow. The game must be explained clearly and concisely, so the students have a full understanding of the game. An example round with the students is an effective way to ensure complete understanding. They can be a useful warmer activity to get students engaged in the lesson plan and bring a level of fun...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This summative essay will exam the importance of teaching the differences between American English and British English for EFL learners. I will examine the intention behind teaching these differences, and when these teachings should be applied, and to what effect and purpose. This essay will focus primarily on the problems of pronunciation and spelling, which are the two main differences. I am a British citizen, born and raised in London, England, and currently teach at a public high school in Tokyo. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Challis C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The most prominent differences in spelling would be...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas English as a global language, very young learners are becoming an increasingly bigger market in China. Children as very young learners are in a golden period of language learning. Relevant research supports children have a natural ability to learn a foreign language in the same way they learned their mother language. That's why most people are aware that children learn a language more quickly and effectively than adults. So when can children start to learn a foreign language? The answer must be the earlier the better. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sha J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For children in the Kindergarten,...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review, John from the Philippines tells us that he enjoyed taking the 120-hour online TEFL course from ITTT and found the information provided in the course units to be very helpful. During the course John learned about the ESA method of teaching English, reviewed his English language knowledge and picked up a number of tips and tricks for use in his lessons. The course also covers different levels of language learners and different types of classes such as one-on-one classes and business English classes. 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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas English learning is mostly thought by many is the sole role of the teacher to help build the skills and development and so many parents tend to neglect a lot as learning a language which is new and foreign might not necessarily be of importance to the parents and thus find no interest in it but that’s is not so as based on personal teaching experience especially dealing with students( examples based on children) because adult learners are more motivated and have made the decision to learn themselves that notwithstanding student leaving with parents some of the points below may still apply to them the role of the parent is of so much importance as it is through them and teachers, personal productive skills are...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences There are many learning techniques and the course covered four major groups – constructivists, maturationists, environmentalists, and others. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kathi Z. The fundamentals of the maturation theory is the natural biological process humans go through. There is a natural sequence of events that take place despite external stimuli. The fundamentals of the environmental theory is the environment in which we exist. How we behave is a response to what is happening around us. This idea is different from how maturationists believe that we will develop in a systematic way. Our behavior is a reaction to our surroundings. The constructivists believe that learning is a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Children love music and they love songs in the classroom. Using English songs in the classroom can be effective to teach your learners. Children can benefit from having a lively and cheerful classroom full of music. So how can we be productive using songs in the classroom? And how can we motivate children to learn new English words and improve their pronunciation by using songs? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Edgar R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Children learn with songs by listening to whole sentences and absorbing vocabulary and phrases the same as adults. When we listen to music we try to mimic the signer we are...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker TEFL Information The worldwide market for qualified English language teachers is simply huge and it continues to grow in many parts of the world. Right across Asia, from China and Japan to South Korea and Taiwan, there are always jobs available throughout the year. Dozens of other countries in Europe and Latin America also have plenty of positions waiting to be filled. However, if you want to be able to pick and choose the right job to suit you, it is a huge advantage if you are qualified in as many areas as possible. In addition to a standard TEFL/TESOL certificate, having specialized TEFL certification on your CV/resume will really make you stand out from the crowd and give you access to the widest variety of interesting jobs....  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas It was my first experience teaching in Taiwan and I was in charge of teaching ESL to 7th-11th graders. I had never taught out of the United States and never considered the possibility that my students wouldn’t understand, what I thought, was simple English. I asked my junior high students to “put on their thinking caps,” to “line up single file,” “to quit fooling around” and that English was as “easy as ABC.” I told my senior high students to “give me a show of hands” and told them if they “studied hard” and “hit the books,” they would “pass with flying colors.” I told my college students I would give them an “A for effort” if they “quit goofing off” and “skipping...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT TEFL Information Teaching Ideas As a newly qualified TEFL teacher the chances are you will be working for a school which supplies its teachers with all the resources needed to teach successful lessons based on a set course. This article shows a selection of the course books that are available for teaching general English course to adults from a number of publishers in the TEFL industry. There are several publishers involved in producing course books for the TEFL classroom. The main publishers are Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Pearson/Longman and Macmillan. These publishers produce course books across a range of EFL sectors including, young learners, adults, business English, and English for...  [Read more]