Tefl Course Notes

1. Introduction 2. Requirements for ESL Certification in Texas 3. Choosing the Right ESL Certification Program 4. Benefits of ESL Certification in Texas Are you interested in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Texas? Obtaining ESL certification is a crucial step towards a successful career in this field. In this guide, we will discuss the requirements for ESL certification in Texas, how to choose the right certification program, and the benefits of becoming ESL certified. To teach ESL in Texas, you must hold a valid teaching certificate issued by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Additionally, you will need to complete an ESL certification program approved by the TEA. This program typically includes coursework in ESL methods, linguistics, and cultural diversity. You may also be...  [Read more]

  Here we have a set of five words, which all share one sound: the ?oh? sound, as in ?go?, ?show?, ?dough?, ?note? and ?boat?. They?re five different spelling patterns to tell our students so they can identify when to make the ?oh? sound. We can have a simple letter ?o?, ?ow?, ?ough?, ?o? with the magic ?e? which turns our vowel into what we knew as long sounds and the ?oa? as in ?boat?. Now, for a non-native learner, perhaps they can handle something like this. They remember that these spelling combinations help to produce the ?oh? sound and they can go about their business looking at the words and memorizing this knowing that these spelling patterns will produce the sound ?oh?. Now that?s okay until we get to a situation where we can also have words like ?to?, ?cow? and also...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas To learn a language, most people would consider it important to understand the structure or rules that govern that language, if one is going to communicate effectively. Grammar can be viewed as the set of rules governing language. Online resources such as Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.), have referred to grammar as being “the study or use of the rules, about how words change their form and combine with other words to make sentences”. While this definition might clarify the meaning of the word, it falls short in terms of justifying the importance of grammar, especially about teaching English as a foreign language. When one teaches English one might have students whose first language is completely different in...  [Read more]

Mudita Yajnik TEFL Information Teaching Ideas What’s the best way to find out what your students know? Or, how much they’ve been paying attention, or what you need to revisit? Tests. Tests can be a great way to find out if the class is ready to move forward or if they need to revisit some ideas. They can be a great tool for finding out what your students need and how much they’ve been paying attention to. However, tests can be very stressful for students, especially if they have been asked to memorize information. Of course, I understand the argument that in “real life,” they won’t be able to use their notes, or they won’t have time to pause a conversation so that they can look up the correct words. Of course,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Business English skills are important for professional development, as they ensure that people are well equipped for the Business English world. According to Unit 2: Teaching and Learning students will gain knowledge of when Business English is used and what type of activities it is used in. This will prepare them for the future. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Emma M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Listening and reading and two productive skills; speaking and writing are used within Business English. According to Unit 2: Teaching Themes two examples of listening skills are; meetings and telephoning. In meetings, information...  [Read more]

  Our next consideration is going to be how we actually group our students. There are perhaps three types of grouping arrangements that we can consider and within those we'll have a look at the potential positive and negatives of those particular arrangements. So firstly, what arrangements can we use? We could arrange our group as a whole class so all of their activities will be done as a whole class. They could be working as individuals and the final grouping arrangement we'll consider is that of small groups or indeed the use of pair work. So for each of these types of arrangements what are the potential positive and negatives with that type of arrangement? For the whole class certainly one of the main positive features is that it gives that class a sense of belonging. Secondly...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences To begin with, our experiences both as students and teachers everywhere have shown that many teachers at all levels of the educational system take evaluation and testing for granted and therefore tend to be very casual in their attitudes in setting and marking examinations. It should be noted that examination and evaluation form an integral part of the educational process as a whole and benefit both the teacher and the student. The term “evaluation” is often used as though it were synonymous with testing. A test simply refers to a particular situation set up for the purpose of making an assessment. In order words, the term test is an instrument of measurement of educational parameters, usually related to...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences It was not until I was looking at the list of possible topics for this Summative Task that I realized how much I had learned from the two ITTT courses that I have just completed. After giving some more thought to the courses and the topic I have selected above, I will try to summarize the benefits for me, and I predict for others to follow. Four thoughts or broad categories of the benefits of the courses come to mind that I will discuss below. They are not in any particular order as I believe it is the combination of all of them that will produce the most future personal returns for me. I believe now that what I have learned from these courses will help me in my work, whether or not I am teaching English in a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Any teacher, new or experienced, might find there are times when he or she lacks confidence in the classroom. Maybe there is a brand-new class of students, human error has caused a fall in confidence, or the teacher is faced with a new topic. Whatever the reason, all teachers have an important job to do, and nervousness must be overcome. While teaching can be a daunting task at times, there are two key ways that a teacher’s confidence can be bolstered and held high: preparation, and experience. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Haley B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Confidence in the classroom is not only important for a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the most important traits a teacher can bring into the classroom is confidence. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Confidence is “a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or reliance on one’s circumstances” and “ faith or belief that one will act in a right, the proper, or efficient way”. When a teacher is confident in the classroom it will help create a more relaxed and trusting environment. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I have found that when I am confident in what I am teaching I am more flexible in the classroom to be able to truly meet my student's...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A resource I found invaluable for this essay was the website Cyborlink (2019a), a reference provided in the TEFL Young Learners course (ITTT, 2019). The TEFL course (Unit 6) discusses how cultural considerations are important when teaching abroad. This includes cultural sensitivity when interacting with the young learners themselves, as well as in interacting with parents and school staff (administration/teachers). This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate David B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Cyborlink is aimed at a more general audience of people doing business in other cultures, though of course has implications for TEFL...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word choir. This word is used as a noun and describes a group of singers, often part of church services, that perform in public. Synonyms for choir often include singers or chorus. The word originates from the Latin word chorus. 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 very helpful in building on the lessons I have already learned in the general TEFL teaching course, and helping me to...  [Read more]

  The acronyms IELTS and TOEFL are commonly used in the English teaching world. IELTS = International English Language Testing System TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign Language 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. Teaching special groups unit explains/give a tip that knowing the different categories of the term 'beginners' is a basic and helpful thing that will help the teacher to know what methodology and techniques he/she should use. The...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas ESL teachers can find themselves in various classroom situations. An ESL class may be advertised or posted on signs for students to show up at a learning center on a particular night. When the students arrive, they are most probably tested and grouped according to language level. What happens if many students are at the same level, but there is one student who is on a completely different level and has different needs? Other scenarios may put teachers in a situation where they are teaching one-to-one. Possibly, there is just a desire to tutor English language learners in a more personal setting. What are the advantages and challenges of teaching one-to-one? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A lesson plan is one of the English teacher’s most useful tools. A lesson plan makes a teacher think concretely about what they want the students to have learned by the end of the lesson, and the steps for making that possible within the allotted timeframe. It allows a teacher to estimate how long various activities will take, and to think about what students will ideally learn from each activity. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Katherine V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A lesson plan also functions as a record, helping a teacher to remember exactly what was covered, and when. Such a record will show the teacher...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The process of learning a foreign language is not an easy one because they are expected to cover various aspects, and the challenges faced could cause a learner to take a longer time to learn the new language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Payton P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One of the difficulties that learners face is their attitude towards learning the language. An individuals' attitude relates to how they feel about something. Some of the learners have to learn English for job purposes and their reaction towards the language may be negative. Their negative attitude may arise from stress, fear, or even anxiety....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas A Lesson plan has many important attributes which most definitely will assist the teacher in teaching (even though there have been theories about lesson planning arguing that it might not be flexible for the students). There is no doubt that coming to class prepared is essential whether with a lesson plan or without. It is very helpful for inexperienced teachers especially those who may lack direction. 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. There are three functions for writing a lesson plan; an aid to planning, a working document, and a record. Visually writing down the expectation and...  [Read more]

  This video is a review of the reported speech in the English language. We take a look at the necessary changes in terms of place, time and tense necessary. This video is specifically aimed at teaching reported speech in an ESL setting. 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. Even though this unit is simple straight forward and one of the shortest units so far to me, I think the details provided throughout the “concept of reading and...  [Read more]

  In this ITTT TEFL review video Ben shares his experiences of the second week of his TEFL/TESOL course. The second week brings more work for the students and Ben has had to cut back on some of his social activities. 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. Again this is tricky for a native speaker because whilst forming the sentence is easy, because it is habitual, it is not quite so easy to know why you have formed the sentence in that way. However,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Being a teacher takes great responsibilities and in order for one to because a business English teacher takes a number of factors to be considered such as who will you be working for and what they expect from you, the type of environment in which you will be teaching as different places have different cultures and it is every teacher’s duty to know the dos and don’ts of an environmental culture you in and in this essay, I will talk about the teacher’s roles in teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Albright M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As a teacher, ones bears much responsibility that goes with the contract one...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences TEFL Reviews & TESOL Reviews For ITTT, our community of students and alumni is the most important to us. That’s why we’d love to share what our course grads have to say! This will not only have others make a better decision in whether TEFL/TESOL is for them, but it will also help the ITTT community grow bigger and stronger! Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Post-it notes are a great tool to incorporate into your English lessons and make them more fun for your students. Here are 7 simple but effective EFL activities with post-it notes your students will love! Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences ...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word mugwump. This word is a noun and refers to a person who remains independent, especially from politc parties. This word comes from the Algonquian native peoples in Canada. It has been used in English since the 19th century. 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 I was able to see some dos and don'ts. The lesson was pretty straight forward. I was able to see what some acronyms stand...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning a new language can be incredibly challenging. To even attempt to learn a language that is not one’s mother tongue takes both incredible courage and humility, especially when the language is English. As a teacher of English, stress must be expected and prepared for in order to keep students feeling encouraged and wanting to try. These are my tips for doing just that. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate AmyJoy G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First, make sure that students know you care about them by building rapport with them as they begin the class. With this, it’s helpful to see that other’s aren’t perfect so...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The lesson plan is a structure of the course that you will give to your students, a clear guide as to what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it. A good lesson plan generally consists of learner objectives, personal aims, language points, procedure, phase, and interaction, etc. It is of great importance because it can help teachers to have confidence in class, make the class go more smoothly and help to improve the course. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yanfen G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Firstly, it can help teachers be full of confidence in class. As is well known to everyone, people will easily get...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Is it essential to do a lesson plan before a class? The answer is "YES." So why is it so important? And how can it help us with our English teaching? Outlined below is my analysis of why TEFL lesson planning is so important. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Qi Q. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In the first instance, TEFL lesson planning can help us set up the subject to be taught and the aim of each class, allowing us to follow our instructions. We teach the students about a grammar point, new vocabulary, or other parts of speech in each class. What you expect the students to achieve by...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the Chinese area, English as a compulsory course in school has to be learned by students for years. Since the government has strengthened the importance of English in Gaokao (College Entrance Examination ) these days, every Chinese family wants their children to start on English learning as early as possible. There is no need to highlight the importance of English to a Chinese family at all. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Xiaoyu Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. However, the parents’ English levels are different from each other leads to different ways to help students to learn English. For the parents whose English is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences For the past two months, I've been locked in on my computer studying the TEFL course. It has been a great experience, and as a teacher, it has given men clarity on several things I didn't have clarity on before. As a person who is already teaching English in a private language school, I can say that the TEFL course has boosted my teaching skills and confidence. The course provided me with valuable tips on teacher conduct and how to get students involved in classes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ngonidzashe M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The best thing I've learned from the course...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Different classes have different requirements for appropriate teaching materials. These requirements are influenced by several factors, such as the class's skill level, age, ability, a native language they speak, and the unique problems native speakers of that language have when learning English. Cultural factors also need to be taken into account. Course material could become problematic in a classroom if they deal with family relationships or gender so that a country's particular culture or the students may find it inappropriate. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Danila E. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflonline.net The teaching idea covered here is one that would be particularly appropriate for more advanced English language learners, those who can use different tenses accurately. The activity is a board game that focuses on comparing and contrasting the tenses, focusing on the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Continuous. Each student takes a turn at rolling the dice and moving around the board. For example a student could land on a square that says "Something you have been learning for a long time." An appropriate answer for the student could be "I have been learning English for a long time." The next student takes a turn and could land on a square that says "A beautiful place you have visited." This time the student could use the Present Perfect rather...  [Read more]