Teaching Through Movies

Mark Crocker Teaching Ideas One of the first things you should learn during a TEFL certification course is that delivering interesting lessons goes a long way to keeping your students happy and motivated in the classroom. And, if your students are stimulated by your lessons they are likely to progress quicker, which also makes the teachers job that much more satisfying. So what exactly makes a TEFL lesson interesting? There are many things you can do to make your lessons stand out, but one of the main ways to pique the interest of your students is to focus on things that they can actually relate to in their own lives. In this post we show you 5 great activities based on movies that you can use in the classroom, because everyone loves a good...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Several surveys, such as EF (Education First), have shown that France has the worst English level in the European Union. We shall explain, firstly, why French students have problems in learning English and what these problems are. Then, secondly, we shall share solutions to these problems. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mohamed S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Indeed, the difficulties that French students face are not recent but have deeper origins which are historical. As you may know, there has been a rivalry between the French and the English dating back to the Hundred Years War (1337-1453,) when the two countries...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Not only in an imaginative sense and for pleasure but also in the development of important literacy skills. Reading provides growth of knowledge, a pleasurable hobby to escape from our busy lives and the development of critical thinking. Developing a love for books in the early years will set your child up for reading readiness and help lay the basis for your child’s success inside, outside and beyond school. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Wang P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Choose books that are kid-friendly and have topics or stories that are relevant to them. Select books that are age-appropriate, such as fabric...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When I was a university student, my roommate was from Busan, South Korea. I loved spending time with him. We became incredibly close friends, and I also became close to the other students who came through the same foreign exchange program as he did. I helped them learn English regularly, checking and proofreading essays and explaining phrases to them. They left the United States after one semester, but they had already introduced me to other Korean students who would be there for two more years. I enjoyed learning about their culture and the cultural differences that we had. I also learned a lot about the obstacles that my friends faced in learning English, and worked to help them overcome those obstacles. This...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their story of becoming an English teacher. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on outdoor activities as a matter of ESL lessons enhancement. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This article is devoted to the problem of lesson planning. Our TEFL graduate shares their personal point of view. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their ideas on carrying out ESL classes through movies. ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate explains their point of view on English as a global language. They also consider some challenges for a teaching career. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their story of becoming an English teacher. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on outdoor activities as a matter of ESL lessons enhancement. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate explains their point of view on English as a global language. They also consider some challenges for a teaching career. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their story of becoming an English teacher. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on outdoor activities as a matter of ESL lessons enhancement. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas English is the most widely spoken language in the world. There is a horde of benefits of learning English in every aspect of life. Therefore, it doesn’t come off as a surprise that parents want their children to learn to speak and write English proficiently. It is unnecessary to send kids to an institute where they are taught how to master the language. Instead, they can take some steps at home that can prove immensely useful for helping their kids learn English. What are these steps? The writing service experts shared the best out there. Read on to find out: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mandy C. Please note...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Throughout this course, I have set my sight on becoming an online teacher for young learners. I have done extensive research on different classroom activities for teaching online and have found six different ones that I like. This summative is based solely on teaching online meaning both the teacher and student are doing 100% of the work online. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Danielle C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first activity I plan to use while teaching online is called my window, my world. This is great for the engaging phase of any lesson or the beginning of the very first class with the students. This...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences What is classroom management? Classroom management refers to all kinds of activities and measures taken by teachers in order to make effective use of their time, to create a good learning environment and to reduce bad behavior. In classroom teaching, in addition to the task of "teaching", the teacher also has the task of "managing", that is, coordinating and controlling all kinds of teaching factors in order to ensure the smooth progress of teaching activities. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shufang H. We all understand the importance of classroom management, so what can we do to effectively manage the classroom? Teachers' facial expressions, head movements, gestures, and body...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As with any subject, a student’s motivation can affect their interest in the subject matter. English is no different, in fact, I believe that motivation is the key difference in students who continue to progress and improve in English and those who don’t and discontinue English in their future. Now, this is not to say that all students with low motivation do not pick up any English through their learning, nor does it mean that a student with motivation will find English learning to be easy. However, I believe that motivation plays a key role in ensuring that a student remains engaged with the English language and eventually progresses into fluency. I wouldd like to present ideas that can add to student’s...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Most people consider English to be a global language because it is the one language that is spoken and understood by the majority of the population in almost every region of the world. What is a global language? While there is no official definition, it refers to a language that is learned and spoken internationally by native and second language speakers (Mastin, 2011). There are approximately 360 million native English speakers and almost twice as many speaking it as a second language, making English one of the topmost spoken languages in the world (Klappenbach, 2019). English is undoubtedly in just about every sector whether it is in education, medicine, business, technology, tourism, communication, and so...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The following essay is a summative task for my TEFL certification course. I have chosen the topic ”Problems for learners in a country of your choice” and the country of focus is China. In the essay, I would like to answer the question “How to help Chinese learners improve their conversation skills?” This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nastja S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The reason for choosing this topic and this title in particular is that while living in China I have come across many Chinese who are learning English tell me how they have been studying the language for a long time but still don’t feel confident...  [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 Alumni Experiences Parents play an integral role in the students learning of the English language. Parents are a large part of the foundation for the support system of the learning process. The student spends the majority of their time with the parents, so the environment and tone the parents set will influence the student’s ability and willingness to learn. If the home is supportive of English learning, it will aid in assisting the student in learning English more effectively then if the home or the parents was not supportive. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Angela H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Parents can be supportive by ensuring...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Stories are universal. They have existed in every culture and every period is known to modern man. From Neolithic cave art to Homer and from Virgil to Dostoevsky, humanity has been enthralled with stories. The most successful speakers constantly engage in bard-like tale-bearing, and, oftentimes, the songs that most resonate with listeners follow a story arch—albeit loosely. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ryan S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Total enthrallment with television and movies proves this theory to be true beyond a shadow of a doubt. People like stories; mankind loves them. It is for these reasons that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Online teaching has experienced a huge boom in recent months and many teachers have to teach online. The 6 ideas below will help you with engaging your students and grabbing their attention through the computer screen. These activities can be used as icebreakers and transitions between other tasks to cheer the learners up. For this activity, you need to prepare a shared Google document with several groups of three words depending on your students’ English level. Have them figure out what those words have in common. You can use cards from the “Tribond for Kids” game with younger students and more advanced vocabulary for teens and adults. E.g. French Fries, Cabbage, Soup (Food) Also Read: The Most Common...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Teaching Ideas Of the four language skills taught in an ESL classroom, listening skills are often overlooked as teachers can be unsure how to make these lessons interesting and relevant to their students. However, as listening skills are a fundamental part of the language learning process, it is vital that we give them the classroom time they deserve. The good news is that there are many ways to make listening skills lessons both fun and productive. Here are 6 ideas for livening up your lesson plans. One simple way to engage your students in a listening lesson is to use popular culture as a tool. Most students would much rather listen to music, TV shows, movies, or podcasts than sit through a dry monologue from a textbook. To add...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences English is causing many problems in Asian countries which can be seen just by the high demand for English teachers - including ESL teachers. One of the countries is Japan, a country with a good economy and a society well known for their kindness and politeness, but unfortunately also for the low number of English speakers. There are many reasons why English is likely to pose problems in Japan but there are many possibilities to improve the English lessons to offer lessons that help Japanese students to achieve a higher English level. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eileen Cathrin B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. So why...  [Read more]

Mudita Yajnik TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Classroom setup is an important part of setting up a welcoming and friendly environment. It is the foundation on which a teacher can build strong relationships with their students, and build a more student-centered class while incorporating their passions into their work. The way a classroom is set up is a great first impression for students, which means it’s important for teachers to put in an effort to make their classroom a welcoming environment. Moreover, a fun classroom set up can reflect your personality or what you’re passionate about as a teacher, and it can be a fun way to introduce yourself to the students. Even having speakers so that you can play music in the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As many scholarly articles define it, globalization is the idea that the world has become more interconnected. The simple outlook on it is that, in a way, the world has become closer through globalization. This is true in many aspects of the changing world such as economics, world trade, language, business, and education. When it comes to education, one aspect of it that has also changed and globalized along with the world is the ability to get an online education. Therefore, online education is a source of globalization. Globalization makes online education possible through the use of technology and people's desires to stay inter-connected. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vesa S....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Panama is a small country located in Central America with few people, but a bold culture and unique historical background. It is most notoriously known for the Panama Canal, which was controlled by the United States until quite recently. Naturally, because of the USA’s role in Panama, one would presume there are many English speaking citizens in the country. However, there is a large number of Panamanians who never had the privilege of being able to speak another language due to a wide variety of factors embedded in Panamanian society. Contrasting division of social and economic class, tough labor, and the mark the USA left on the country, are three of the biggest factors that cause problems for English...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas English is the most widely spoken language if viewed internationally and has become the most important language to people in many parts of the world. I believe that people who can tell a very superior English level have more chances of finding a good job and have more job opportunities. Thus, it will give them a big chance to work at an international company. The job market has a strong demand for English, and fluency of the language can add an advantage to a candidate's possibility to get hired. Most companies require their employees to be well-versed in the English language to communicate fluently with English-speaking guests, clients,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I am a Filipino. I was born in The Philippines and my first language is Tagalog. I remember my parents told me the first two words I ever learned or spoke were “mama” and “papa”. My parents were my very first teachers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gladiolus R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When we are young we acquire our first language through our parents, relatives, or from the things we see or watch. When we start schooling we then develop these receptive skills through reading, writing, listening and speaking. Most of the parents nowadays in the Philippines want their kids to know and speak in English, so...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As language acquisition through immersion goes, reading is positively amazing. Where movies may help with attitude and tone, reading allows us to see the words, form visual connections between them, and familiarise ourselves with spelling, punctuation, and structure. The best results, of course, are seen in readers who do it for pleasure, and for whom the point of reading is not simply to be done with it. How, then, do we get our children to read for fun when most of them seem to dread it? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Smaranda E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There is no child for whom the benefits of mandatory reading...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching grammar is one of the most challenging things for a teacher of English. As a student, it is essential to learn grammar as this gives you accuracy both in writing and speaking. This applies to every language, not only to English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Adrian D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In many ways grammar can be compared to Mathematics; they both have a set of rules and exceptions that have to be known and practiced until you become so familiar with them that you don’t have to think about them when solving problems in everyday life (for example when you make a simple calculation like 7x8) or,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Every language has its own rules and way of speaking. People that share a common language are united not only by the way they communicate but also in cultural experiences. Using language, whether it is sign language or spoken language, helps individuals experience the world differently. Teaching slang and idioms are an integral part of learning any language. For students learning slang and idioms is an extension of language learning, it offers a way to communicate better and it helps students experience the world through the native speaker lens. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Marie L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When I first began my career of teaching internationally I remember a very distinct moment. I was sitting at a dinner restaurant with friends who were all from different countries: Germany, the Netherlands, the US, Columbia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Montenegro. While we were all from very different and faraway places we could all talk and share with each other. The only way that was possible was because of our one connected, global language. 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. The term “global language” has never officially been defined. There has never been such a connection of...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences English language learners at high school and college levels in Mongolia face a variety of structural and cultural difficulties that often prevent them from moving beyond an intermediate or even-low level in spoken and written English. This post will look at a few of the core issues and examine some of the ways to help improve the type of instruction provided in Mongolia that could prove beneficial for future language students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ariel W. First and foremost, teacher training in areas like lesson-planning, teacher/student talk time, impromptu speaking and writing activities, and classroom management needs to be improved. This problem stems directly from the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are many views about learning English grammar. Many people think that learning English grammar is not important and unnecessary. This idea is not wrong because it depends on the purpose of your English learning. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate May T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For middle and high school students, learning English grammar is very important because it accounts for the highest score in the English test sections. Confirming that, to learn English well, you need to start from learning and consolidating English grammar. Thereby, we can see that English grammar is not a prerequisite and the most important...  [Read more]