Teenage Classroom

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Establishing a rapport with my students has been the most ‘natural’ part of my teaching experience. When I started my teaching career about ten years ago, ideas like classroom management and lesson planning were alien to me. I struggled immensely trying to learn strategies to excel in that area of education. Establishing relationships with my students was easy and always seemed to just happen for me. As the years have passed, I’ve been able to reflect on my time in the classroom and I’ve discovered some common denominators relating to me why exactly students are drawn to me (and me to them!). I think other people can learn from my interactions with the students who have passed through my classroom. This...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences ESL teachers must acknowledge that it is not equal teaching English Lessons to children, teenagers, and adults, there are some wide differences between the practices used in each case, classroom, population, levels, and country where English is taught, on this paper we will check how an ESL lesson may be affected by these variables, and how we could overlap them on the practices used in teenagers and adults English lessons. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Javier V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. To analyze all the practices and methods used in an ESL lesson differing from its population, we must clarify the first two...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT TEFL Information Teaching Ideas TEFL teachers both new and experienced will benefit from having a range of course books to draw on for their lessons. General English course books for young learners differ from those for adults in a number of ways. Obviously the types of topics will be geared towards the interests of younger people but there are also differences in the way the language is presented. Course books for adults will generally have sections with explicit presentations of a grammar point,whereas books for young learners do not usually cover grammar in detail. There are several publishers involved in producing general English course books for young learners. The main publishers are Oxford University Press,...  [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 Stories... we live in a world of stories. Every single day we have a story to tell. A funny story, a serious story, a scary story or even an upsetting story. These are the pictures we keep in our minds, like our own little movie playing in our heads. Attached to every story, is language. Language completes our story, it gives our story meaning. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lindie N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching language is giving someone the power to add another voice to their pictures, thus enabling the person to share their story with someone in that specific language. in this case - English. For me, stories...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the things I have learned in this course is the importance of motivation. Both teachers and students have to be motivated so that the teaching and learning environment in the classroom can be a fun and enjoyable experience. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Carol T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are many ways a teacher can motivate the student to learn, and one of the tools is the use of playing games in the classroom. Games are effective because aside from keeping the students interested, they are a great teaching tool. For example, for a beginning student, I would have them play “I spy with my little eye...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas At some point in a teachers' teaching career, the teacher will have to deal with misbehaving students and conflict which might occur during a class. This is where maintaining discipline get put into action. Disciplining is not as simple as it seems, there are many different factors to consider before conducting a punishment. The teacher will not have a problem with this if the teacher knows how to deal with them correctly or prevent them from happening in the first place. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Amelie R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When maintaining discipline, the degree in which they will be carried out all...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Every student requires something different to learn English successfully. Aside from one-on-one lessons, teachers usually will not have the time to dedicate extensive attention to each student, though. Not every English-learner will be given a unique lesson catered to their needs. However, teachers can develop plans that fit best for general types of students based on their profiles. Factors such as students' age, language level, and motivation for learning helps teachers identify a student profile and thus develop the best lessons to get them engaged. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jake E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences It is likely that at some point in every person's life they have experienced one, if not several, stressful classroom situations. Be it as a child, teenager, or adult, regardless of student or teacher, classroom dynamics, and the number of unpredictable situations that can occur can induce stress for all parties. Children, teenagers, and adults all experience different kinds of stress and while learning a new language there is a whole other dimension of unknown grammatical challenges and unrecognizable vocabulary to add to the energy, creating tension confusion. Is it possible for a teacher to create a stress-free learning environment? What can the students of EFL do to minimize their stress and achieve a...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences As we all know, motivation is a core aspect of teaching and learning a language. Lack of motivation is perhaps the biggest obstacle that we face as students and teachers. If a student lacks motivation, he/she will not pay attention in the class or will simply find it boring. At the same time if a teacher lacks motivation to teach he/she will be unable to attract students’ attention and give them all they need. Let us be honest and say that intelligent students are those, who always eagerly attend class and enjoy the process. Here we need a highly motivated teacher who is willing help them. In this article I divide students into several categories because different situations require different approaches. This post...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences For this task, I have selected Korea as a choice for some students having difficulty learning. Korea is one of the countries investing a lot in the field of English education. Also, results achieved by Korean students on the TOEFL test improved by 10 points over the past six years. However, there still seems to be less proficient skills in writing and speaking in English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Heejeong K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When I taught teenage students in Korea, I watched them being reluctant or struggling to speak and write in English even though they had more than average scores in reading and...  [Read more]

Lourien Prinsloo TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In the early days, the apple of one’s eye was referred to as the “aperture at the centre of the human eye” In modern days, it’s a famous idiom “the apple of my eye” meaning, a special favourite, beloved person or thing. When I was a teenager (more than 20 years ago), I was just that, the apple of my teacher’s eye, the special “kid” Perhaps, I was the product of a feeling or emotion experienced by the teacher that could have been easily prevented. Back then, did the class circumstances justify the teacher’s behaviour to have a supposed favourite? I think not! Now, I am in those very same shoes. I could not even have...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Since I was a teenager, I always loved the language of English and always loved to help my colleagues from school. I remember listening to some kids “I hate English” or “English is so difficult to learn”. I never understood those sentences because English had always been easy for me to deal with. So, in High School I started to help the other students from my class, I used to invite them to my place so I could share my knowledge with them, in that time I didn’t realize, but that was the beginning of my career as a teacher because I was teaching them, I was making them my students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Cristian M. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Throughout this course, my favorite units have been the ones that teach us how to lead an effective lesson and have a fun classroom environment. I love all the suggestions and teaching ideas they give, and it excites me to think about using those for my future lessons. For that reason, I chose the topic of five activities with flashcards. This essay will be a perfect opportunity for me to delve further into my favorite part of this class and plan some fun things to do. When I move abroad I plan on teaching young children, mainly kindergarten-aged, so my five activities will be geared towards young learners. They need way more energy, fun, and excitement in their lessons than teenage or adult learners because their...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences This post will focus on the differences English teacher face when they are working with a class of young learners compared to a class of adult learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rebecca M. First, it is necessary to define what we mean by adult learners and young learners in the TEFL environment. An adult learner is defined as any student over the age of eighteen who engages in English language tuition. A younger learner, therefore, is a student under the age of eighteen years old. There is a much greater variety within the young learner category due to the vast developmental changes that occur during this period. For example, a five- year- old is a very different type of learner...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When it comes to learning a new language, the way that we make it comfortable for us is to try and relate it to our language. How many times have you met someone from another country and you ask them how to use swear words or how to say something is cool in their native language. Since English is very commonly spoken all over the world, for students to learn idioms and slang is for them to not only learn how to say certain things but get a deeper cultural understanding. With that deeper understanding comes relativity to their own lives, which means they see the ways that we are more similar instead of different. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jessica Aliza D. Please note that this...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching is a very rewarding experience when you have enthusiastic and motivated students, regardless of teaching one student or a group of students. However, in my opinion, only very young learners seem to have the enthusiasm teachers crave for. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Carmen T. I have been teaching English in France without a qualification due to the great demand for English teachers and in my personal experience, one-to-one lessons have been difficult as I came across introvert adults and unmotivated teens. I have struggled to make them talk and engage in conversations so I ended up doing all the talking which wasn’t at all good for neither of us. Teaching groups offer a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas We live in an ever-changing world that is becoming smaller, more connected. Communication is faster and more diverse than ever. Computers, cell phones, and social media have increased the speed of communication. Therefore, the need for people to respond quickly and the language that has become synonymous with international communication is English. Thus, the demand for learning the language is increasing at a constant rate. But though people may have the need, they may lack the confidence to take on a new language fully. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Katherine R. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Confidence is a feeling of self-assurance from believing in one’s own abilities or qualities. It is indispensable if we want to succeed in doing anything, and learning English is no exception. Confidence enhances performance, making learning less stressful and remembering what is learned a lot easier. It gives English learners the courage to explore and discover the language with or without teachers. Confident learners are not afraid of making mistakes or challenging themselves. All these lead to success eventually, not only for the learners but also for the teachers. Therefore, ESL/EFL teachers (teachers) need to build confidence in students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Since my childhood, I have been frequently asked the same question "what kind of teacher do you want?" At different life stages, I have different answers. When I was a kid, I would say a teacher who dresses neatly and smiles nicely; when I was a teenager, I would prefer a "cool" teacher as a good teacher, who behaves differently from other boring and stereotyping adults; until I grow up, I think a good teacher should have sound subject knowledge, be fair and consistent with all of the students as well as being sensitive to the students’ reactions and providing necessary support, and until now I know being a good teacher has nothing to do with his/her appearances and dressings. This post was written by our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas An obvious difference between teaching English to high-school students and university students in the organization. Class sizes at a school are usually limited to about 25 students and we have to check the attendance because it is compulsory. The timetable and the syllabus are fixed. At a university, the groups are often much bigger, and the teacher can arrange the syllabus more freely. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mara B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In my opinion, the greatest difference is the age of the students and how the teacher must adapt to it. Most of the university students are over 18 years old. They are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Motivation has become a big subject in recent years. What does it mean to motivate? For me to motivate does not mean to scream on somebody or push somebody. To motivate simply means to provide a motive. Provide a reason WHY. When we look at motivation from a more scientific perspective we shall not ignore the concept of external and internal motivation. As teachers, we should be able to understand the basic psychology of our students. If we understand what are the motives and the drives we are more likely to adjust our teaching to their needs. To be able to understand the real desires and fears, we should listen carefully, only with the good analysis we may help to better articulate their WHYS. This post was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Cambridge dictionary defines troubleshooting as the process of discovering why something does not work effectively and making suggestions about how to improve it. In TEFL as in any other foreign language course, teachers are faced with lots of situations that make troubleshooting necessary. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Olivia L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. And the reason why it is an essential part of TEFL is due, in great part, to the fact that humans make up a primary part of the equation. Humans, in general, feel a profound need to forge associations with each other through social inclusion and as a result,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Destinations Alumni Experiences I have been in China for four years; I came here on 15, September 2015, as a student. During this time pursuing my Master’s degree, I taught English as a foreign language in training centers, elementary school, high school and currently teaching in a Polytechnics. English has become one of the fastest growing subjects in the country. Many Chinese students study the subject at schools and training centers. It is also interesting to note that most of the universities teach some other subjects in English. This attracts many students from other countries to study in China or have an exchange program. Life in China is very convenient because of the developed infrastructure. There...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The simple answer yes it is very important because a motivated student will often learn more quickly. There are many factors to consider when dealing with students and motivation. Such as class size, age ranges, reasons for being there, etc. When we talk about learning I do not think the subject we are teaching makes any difference but the motivation keeps the same importance for you and student. I already have 3 years' experience in teaching a particular subject which is Scuba Diving and I only teach in English too many different nationalities of all ages. I also have different environments in which I have to teach in such as classroom, swimming pool, and the open sea. Each has its unique challenges and problems...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have taught English in a classroom setting to large groups of adults for 4 years through a non-profit agency located in a mixed-race urban area of the United States. More recently, I have been teaching English to foreign learners on a one-to-one basis via video chat, also for four years. Given this background, I can speak from a wealth of personal experience to the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each. As my goal is to continue to teach individuals online, I was admittedly skeptical of what I might gain from a TEFL course, as most certification programs are geared toward classroom teaching abroad. Having completed the ITTT course, I find myself very satisfied with having gone through the process,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Flashcards are a simple, versatile, yet often underexploited resource, and they are instrumental in eliciting more obscure words. They are a great way to present, practice, and recycle vocabulary and some grammar structures. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Fatoş T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Flashcards can also be bright and colorful and make a real impact on visual learners. It is essential to appeal to visual learners, as a very high proportion of learners have this type of intelligence. When putting together flashcard sets, teachers should use...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences More or less,20 years ago students who tried to learn a new language used to have Mr.and Mrs. Brown books, cassettes,language labs or the lucky ones would have to have a trip to the countries providing language courses which promised them to teach English in a month or so. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Seda K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. But now the case is getting more different. With the improvement of technology, we have come to an age that the kids born after the 2000s, can not make a life without using these technological developments. The kids who are in their 15s, don’t know a life without cell phones,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The use of reading in the course of language acquisition is valuable and often underrated. Before undertaking a detailed explanation, I will first offer a general example to demonstrate the problem of teaching without it. Imagine you are teaching the word “ball” to an older student. You could ask them to say “ball, ball, ball” in a drilling manner. This can be inefficient and above all, boring for the student. But suppose that you do teach it enjoyably. How many words might they learn? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Peter C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For most teachers, they will give one or sometimes two...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Intelligence has been defined in many ways, including the capacity for logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be described as the ability to perceive or infer information and to retain it as knowledge to be applied towards adaptive behaviors within an environment or context (Wikipedia, 2019). This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Stephen A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. At a cosmetic level, language fluency and accuracy, that segregate socio-cultural groups is inconsistent with contemporary thought of...  [Read more]