Tefl Act

  When teaching business English classes you are expected to act and teach in a business-like manner. This does not mean that your lessons should automatically be staid and uninteresting but that your activities should be appropriate for and relevant to the needs of your students. Asking the vice-president of the company to stand up and sing ‘I’m a little teapot’ in front of his or her staff is not the best way to approach teaching English to business professionals or to ensure your contract is renewed. 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]

  The idiom "elbow room" refers to having enough room to move in or having the ability to act freely, for example: The concert was so crowded that there was hardly any elbow room at all. This means, there were so many people at the concert that you could barely move. 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. Conditional and Reported Speech could be two of the most difficult parts for students, even higher level students. Enormous mistakes and errors...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How do you define who a teacher is? In the general sense and definition, a teacher is a person who helps others to acquire knowledge, competence or values. In an informal scenario, someone who helps another learn something new can be called a teacher while in a formal setting, teachers are seen as educators as they teach knowledge through the curriculum to the learners through lectures for adults, lesson, small group activities or hands-on activities for the young learners. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jackline M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The education that the students acquire is key to determining the future of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The personality of a teacher, their attitude towards teaching and their relationship with the students have a major impact on the motivation of the class to learn a foreign language. Being kind, patient, entertaining and with a good subject, knowledge is some of the characteristics of a good teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vladislava B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Their ability to interact with the class, to involve all the students equally through the lesson, to correct them without offending or affecting their motivation and to give individual attention when necessary, proves that a good teacher cares a lot...  [Read more]

  In this episode, Linda takes on the pronunciation of the word "futile". Enjoy the episode! Linda is a German/American ITTT alumna, teaching English in South Korea. Be sure to like and share this video if you find it helpful. 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 chapter has the same importance as in the previous chapter. The future teacher learns the methodology and didactics to elucidate the learning phases of his students. I learned how to...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "thanatology". This word refers to the description or study of death and of the psychological mechanisms for coping with the phenomena of death. The word derived from Greek mythology where Thanatos was the personification of death. 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 think the contents of this unit have a direct effect on the preparation of our classes. It is very useful for teachers to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Education is one of the most important bricks at the foundation of every society and high-quality education can only be achieved with the help of well-prepared teachers who care about the learning of their students. A teacher should not only master and constantly be up to date with the changes in the field of the subject he/she is teaching but also be able to convey his/her message in such a way that the students understand and enjoy. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Catalina T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Depending on the stage of the lesson and the type of activity, lessons can be more student-centered or more...  [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]

  Zeki is from Turkey and currently working as an English teacher in Mongolia. He enjoyed working through the units and especially found the grammar units very useful. He highly recommends this certification course for anyone interested in teaching 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. This unit helps to understand better the basis of the English grammar. In my opinion a good teacher has to have a good grammar basis. In that way he/she will...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Class management is essential. I have been teaching art classes for three years now, and especially with art classes, a well-managed classroom is fundamental for a lesson to be successful. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Verdonck H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. At the beginning of my career, I thought that my students and I could act as equals, like friends, but that was not the case. Soon they began to think of my classes as being an hour of recess instead of a lesson. The problem with that is when something goes wrong the pupils don’t take you seriously anymore, and it is hard to adjust the situation once you made the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas While most of us think of mental disabilities when we hear “learners with Difficulties” there are many other kinds of difficulties that our students may be faced with. Some of these difficulties are to some extent, within a teacher’s control however most are completely out of the teacher’s control. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Karissa Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Seeking attention or feeling incompetent are difficulties that we may be able to help control. These things may cause students to misbehave or act inappropriately to get the attention they seek or get out of doing anything they don’t feel confident...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Discipline is an important aspect of any classroom working with younger students. I currently work at a middle school, and discipline is foundational to creating an inclusive, welcoming classroom environment. Adolescents at this stage are typically very confrontational towards authority and are testing the waters to what they can get away with, or disobey their teachers. I’ve noticed that teachers who set strict rules at the beginning of the year, tend to have an easier time maintaining authority in the classroom and keeping students engaged. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Veronica T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Evaluation is defined as the act of considering or examining something to judge its value, quality, importance, extent, or condition This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kum P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Other dictionaries will give several definitions but there few words we should be able to master or take away from all the definitions. The action to get a closer look at the value or importance is what should matter most from the various definitions. Evaluation can be done at various levels which we can list a few here; physical, detailed, brief, financial, medical, technical, and why not just a few. On the other hand,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences For many people who travel, considering the cultural norms of whatever country you are visiting helps ensure a smooth trip. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ryan A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It is quite unfortunate that travellers from the United States often have a bad reputation for being loud, inconsiderate, and oblivious. While this is the case, it is also the case for a lot of people from various other countries. Being a well-behaved visitor is not restricted to your region of origin, but is a voluntary path. Do not let other countries’ stereotypical ideas of you define how you act when travelling abroad....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In all times when we need to do some activity, we need to think about what to do first, what to do second and what to do last. The same thing when we want to teach; we need to think about the order and the content of this lesson. In other words, we need to plan our lessons. A lesson plan is a detailed tool gathered in a soft or hard form to give instructions to the teacher. So, why planning lessons is important? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mouslim E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It first starts with a pre-planning. It revolves around many factors; teachers should take to account the level of students so that they...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the most difficult aspects of English teaching is not grammar or even structure; it’s the externalization of ideas through the act of speaking with the teacher or students. The thought seems trivial but when put in an environment where the language taught overrides their own most students have a hard time organizing their ideas and thoughts to form coherent sentences that expresses what is on their minds. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alvin M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Most students struggle with the idea since it requires both an understanding of the English lexicon and the pronunciation required to...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Being a teacher is my everyday dream since I was a child. As I believe that the future is mainly based on education and students, how they can make a progress and improve their skills. So I decided to take apart in this great cycle hoping that one day I can leave a mark in student's life. The teacher's responsibility is not only about teaching students and correcting their pronunciation or grammatical mistakes; his/her responsibility includes a lot of roles. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dina I. Before talking about the roles of a successful teacher, I learned from my TEFL certificate that there are nine basic traits of a good teacher. These traits are divided to four points related to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Our Alumna shares their thoughts on the reasons to take a TEFL course. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on some important roles a teacher needs to act in the classroom. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Stories are very important for English learning. Our TEFL graduate explains their vision upon the topic. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the problem of teaching students with different learning styles. Elizaveta Pachina ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on some important roles a teacher needs to act in the classroom. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Stories are very important for English learning. Our TEFL graduate explains their vision upon the topic. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the problem of teaching students with different learning styles. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their ideas on teaching grammar. Elizaveta Pachina ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences One of the most crucial roles of the teacher is to improve students’ performance. In daily lessons, teachers are engaged in different classroom scenarios, performed teaching duties, and rendered extra effort to help maximize students’ learning. Another thing that adds to this noble task is the diverse roles of the teacher he/she has to play. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Glen Mar L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. With this, I thought of three basic roles that teachers need to portray in the 21st century. This Engager-Servicer-Activator (ESA) teacher roles serve as an important reminder for the teacher to this...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Attempting to learn a new language is a very challenging undertaking. An ESL student will face many obstacles and difficulties not only when they are a beginner but also throughout their entire English education. There are so many unique rules and intricacies to the English language that it can be very daunting to remember everything. Issues ranging from grammar to spelling to pronunciation; can add to a student’s stress level. That is why it is so vital for teachers to be aware of this when working with students. How a teacher speaks, acts, the actual words used, and many other things can impact students in either a positive way that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Classroom management refers to the wide variety of skills and techniques that teachers use to keep students organized, orderly, focused, attentive, on task, and academically productive during a class. Classroom management involves; grouping students, writing on the board, giving individual attention, teacher talking and student talking time, giving instructions, establishing rapport, classroom arrangements and maintaining discipline. When classroom-management strategies are executed effectively, teachers minimize the behaviors that impede learning for both individual students and groups of students, while maximizing the behaviors that facilitate or enhance learning. This post was written by our TEFL certification...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Kinesthetic learners are learners that learn through objects that they can touch and explore. They also learn best by discovering and experiencing and particularly enjoy physical activities that involve getting out of their seat and moving around. Unlike visual and auditory learners, kinesthetic learners can be tough to accommodate in the classroom because of their need to be physically active. Since they need to be active in their learning, they may get bored very quickly if you allow them to simply listen and look at your visual aids or video presentation. As teachers, we must always be versatile and understand how to incorporate different types of learners. Luckily, there are...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Teachers are people who help, motivate, and encourage students to acquire knowledge. Their role in society should not be underestimated, as they tend to have a significant influence on student achievement, discipline, and overall intelligence. Many personality characteristics can be linked with a good teacher, such as their ability to be kind, patient, lively, knowledgeable, and caring amongst many other things. Their primary role in the classroom, however, should be to effectively encourage learning. Almost everyone can name a teacher who stands out amongst the rest not because they gave easy A’s, but rather due to their ability to fully engage and inspire their class. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

  A first example of a teaching idea for the present simple tense will be a classic activity called 'Find someone who'. Here, we will be trying to find someone who has a general truth such as the ability to play a musical instrument or the fact that they have a brother and a sister. This results in students going around the room asking questions in the present simple tense, such as 'Do you play a musical instrument?' 'Are you a teacher?' 'Do you have a brother and a sister?' The answers resulting will also be in the present simple tense. They will be generally 'Yes I do,' or 'No I don't.' The students will go around trying to find somebody who fits the general truth and when they do, they will write their name in the appropriate space. The students will mill around the room for...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The steadfast force of globalization challenges the structures of local groups, nation-states, and societies. The cultural and economic connections between contrasting social groups require a mutually understood language for communication; whether through translators or an individual’s knowledge. In most cases, such as the United Nations, other political entities, and corporations, a common language is determined to facilitate communication. Sumerian, Greek, and French were languages deemed as the Lingua Francas in the past. As a result, political and economic connections began to flourish across regions. In this current era, the English language is the default language for communication between people...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences The roles of a quality or good teacher are more than just planning, making lesson plans or teaching. The teacher's roles in today's world are different from what they used to be. Teachers used to plan or were issued a specific curriculum to teach with, that provided them sets of instructions they were supposed to follow. However, that's not the same issue with today's teachers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Herman K. Teachers nowadays are like a "third parent". Simply because teachers spend much time with students and they can be a positive role model to students that lack a proper family foundation. Their job is to counsel students, inspire them and help them to utilize the knowledge they...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In 1945, globalization boomed and developing countries in Europe and Africa were quickly realizing that to become technologically advanced, English was the language to pursue as it was establishing itself as the international technological language. The first textbook to be published to educate students in a specified field of English was The Structure of Technical English (Herbert, 1965), which opened the door to the development of textbooks based on register analysis. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nicholas P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Strevens (1997) described the phenomenon of teaching Language for Specific...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The importance of a pre-planned lesson cannot be understated, having a plan is paramount to the success of the lesson and to achieve the desired teaching point in a structured way. Lesson plans act as a guide within a lesson so it should not be too complex in nature but should have enough detail to direct the teacher on the sequence and timing of the lesson. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gerard L. Depending on the experience of the teacher, it may be more heavily relied upon with a newly qualified teacher who is still finding their feet in the classroom, whereas a more experienced teacher is more likely to review it now and then. Although the lesson plan is a guide to the lesson it...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences L1 language refers to students’ first language or native language while L2 language refers to the language they are learning in particular. Hence, L1 has a ‘natural’ environment for the students to learn while for L2, the environment has to be ‘built’ and requires certain ways of catching up. Specifically, they are different from the following perspectives. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yixun C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. students are born in the L1 environment where people around are talking and learning in L1; but there may be little or no L2 sign in the environment where they grew up. Students may...  [Read more]