TEFL Doney Park

  In this video we explain the difference between 'compliment' and 'complement'. Both used as a verb and a noun, 'compliment' expresses something nice about someone, for example: I complimented my brother on his delicious cooking. In this example, the word 'compliment' is used as a verb. Let's take a look at a sentence where it is used as a noun: I gave my brother a compliment on his delicious cooking. The word "complement" on the other hand is used when two things go well together, or complete each other. The word is especially often used to indicate that two foods go well together. It is also often used in fashion, such as here: 'Her black dress complements her red hair,' or 'That wine complements the fish very well'. This should clear up any confusion. Below you can read...  [Read more]

  In this ITTT TEFL review video Leanne talks about her experiences in completing the challenging and rewarding TEFL/TESOL certification in-class course. ITTT's courses have been developed over time to ensure that we offer the best professional, practical and effective course as possible. We are confident that our TEFL/TESOL certification will assist in making you a suitable candidate for prospective employers. 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. ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Children are said to be wet clay that can be molded to give the desired shape. And, this shape can be collaboratively given by the parents and the school. Even though teachers play a great role to teach children, parents can do much more in their children’s education. Almost three-quarters of the time of a schooling child spent at home, which means most of the lessons & behavior is adapted by them from their family. Therefore, parents are always said to be the first teacher of a child. A home may lack most of the classroom materials and the environment, but also several ways can be implemented to help children learn. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Radha P. Please note that this...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas ESA is a three-stage methodology where each of the letters represents a particular phase of the lesson. The first one being called the Engage phase, the second the Study phase and the final one the Activate phase. In 1998 Jeremy Harmer published a book called, How to teach English and basically what Harmer did as a background to his book was to look through all of the different methodologies that have come about over the last 300 or so years. He highlighted for each of those methodologies, what was good about it, what was positive and what didn't appear to work. He then put all of the positive things into a melting pot and came out with this methodology which he called, Engage Study...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have been learning English my whole life and I have been teaching the language for the last nine years in three different countries, and in both roles (student and teacher) flashcards have been part of my learning and lessons; in fact, almost in every lesson. Most of the teachers and students with whom I have used these resources to work vocabulary and create different routines to learn and drill it, have really enjoyed it. It goes further than showing a picture and repeating the words which the teacher says: using flashcards opens up a wide world of possibilities to put into practice in our lessons. They can be games, drills, memory activities… It allows us to work either individually, in small groups, or...  [Read more]

  And now it's time to have a look at our first grammar unit. Grammar in its widest sense is the structure of a language. We as speakers of the language can structure our language without a problem. However, as teachers of the language we need to be able to better analyze the grammar and the grammar that exists within statements that we make. These basic parts of grammar are called parts of speech. Each part of speech has a certain function within a sentence. Our example sentence here is "My older brother lives in Tokyo." Each one of these words is a certain part of speech, which we'll have a look at in just a minute but let's just think about the words within this particular sentence. We have ?my?, indicating whose brother it is, we have "older", indicating which brother it is....  [Read more]

  Just to finish off this particular section on lesson planning, we're going to go through a couple of procedures that should take place during the study phase periods, particularly when we're doing the activities. It is quite important that before we actually go into a study activity that we go through a process of showing how that activity is going to work and one acronym that is often used for this is D-E-GO. The D part of this stands for a demonstration of the activity. Now, it's very important that you don't try to explain how the activity is going to work but rather you actually demonstrate the process. An example of the demonstration of the process of the activity could be something as simple as taking the first question and using it and writing it on the board. This will...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Self-assessment is a process through which teachers get to evaluate their work, learning and teaching progress. Self-assessment is a valuable learning tool as well as part of the general assessment process. Teacher self-assessment is important for the following reasons. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate TIEMAKO N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It is not enough to just teach the content as it is or as you know it. Self-evaluation is very important because it allows teachers to objectively assess not only their contents/knowledge but the way they teach it. This is an important step because students deserve updated teachers and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas It is inevitable that not all students in every class will get along. Unfriendly relationships can develop in the classroom, but they may also develop outside the class, or even exist prior to entering the EFL classroom. In any case, our first priority as teachers should be to improve the relationship between the two (or more) students who do not get along. However, if the antagonism runs deeper or becomes too disruptive to the class, it may be better to separate the students so that their dislike of each other does not bring down the atmosphere of the entire class. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Colleen W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas First lessons are always a little bit overwhelming because the students and teacher don’t know each other yet. That's why it’s very important to break the ice and help your ESL learners to relax. Plus, for future planning, you need to learn more about your students and their likes and dislikes. Get-to-know games are great for these purposes and work best if you play them during the first 3-5 lessons. For this activity, give your students two opposite words to choose between and ask a question “Are you more like 1 or 2?”. This way, you find out a little bit more about your students and the students also can bond among themselves. ...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Vocabulary has a direct impact on written and spoken language comprehension. All students come to school with differences in their vocabulary knowledge, and part of teaching them how to be successful in English is to teach them vocabulary. Vocabulary development plays a critical role in helping English language learners increase their ability to communicate in the receptive and expressive domains in English. This is why vocabulary must be explicitly and systematically taught. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gina A. Research suggests the following three big ideas about teaching and learning new words: Also read: 4 Super Easy Tips for Teaching Vocabulary to Young Learners There are two main...  [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]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Lesson planning is an indispensable part of successful lessons. Generally speaking, lesson plans have various functions that are conducive to the classes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Juan W. First and most importantly, lesson plans can help teachers think and deliver classes logically through different stages of the classes. It can also give teachers hints needed. When teachers plan lessons, there are several aspects that need to be taken into consideration, such as lesson objectives, possible difficulties and skill and so on. Second, It’s a record of classes that have been done and materials have been used. On the one hand, even though teachers have good memory, it is almost impossible...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflonline.net In this video we look at the last of three teaching ideas for the past simple. This is a two part exercise that involves students initially guessing the answer to a given question before taking a poll on what the real answers is. This is idea is one of many that can be learned on one of ITTT's online TEFL courses. There are number of options available to study from short 60-hour introductory courses to longer 120-hour TEFL courses. It is also possible to take ITTT's TEFL courses in-class at one of many locations around the world. Please visit the link above for more information about the courses ITTT provides to help you become an English teacher. -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Are you ready to Teach English Abroad? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pcXD_GNR04...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are 2 main test categories: internal and external. The main difference is that internal tests are always conducted in the language school. On the other hand, external tests are (usually) held by third party organizations in which school itself has no participation. Only the latter ones provide internationally recognized language certificates. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nemanja K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As it is often appropriate to give tests at different stages of the course, there is a particular test done at every stage. These are: At the beginning of the course, placement test usually takes place....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A lesson plan is the instructor’s road map of what students need to learn and how it will be done effectively during class time. Then, you can design appropriate learning activities and develop strategies to obtain feedback on student learning. Having a carefully constructed lesson plan for each 3-hour lesson allows you to enter the classroom with more confidence and maximizes your chance of having a meaningful learning experience with your students. A successful lesson plan addresses and integrates three key components: Learning Objectives, Learning Activities, Assessment to check for student understanding. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Elorm D. Please note that this blog post...  [Read more]

Lourien Prinsloo TEFL Information Alumni Experiences English became the undisputed lingua franca of the modern world. Having a common language, English has led to unprecedented periods of peace in the world and opened up a world of opportunities to people of all creeds, cultures, and backgrounds. Furthermore, English achieved fame through reaching large audiences and became a communication key. Effectively communicating in English quickly became a happy medium for trading, diplomacy, and human relations. Today more than 57 countries recognize English as an official language. As if this is not enough for the English language, it also enjoys another achievement. The most commonly studied foreign language, all around the world. To...  [Read more]

Michela Coticone TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Classroom management creates a set of rules and guidelines that helps to keep an organized classroom environment. Having a good structure for classroom management opens the door for the teacher to engage in the students learning and development. It would be almost impossible for the teacher to be able to do his/her job effectively if a classroom is disorganized and fails to have effective classroom management expectations in place. To practice good classroom management the teacher must be patient and set clear boundaries throughout the course This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah C. Please note that this blog post...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences As an English teacher, we have to learn many ways of teaching. One of the most important skills is to learn how to plan a lesson. For writing a lesson plan, some teachers like to use formal plans, some take down notes while others write details into their notebooks. So, what exactly is a good lesson plan? Four aspects should be taken into consideration. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mudi S. First and foremost, what is a lesson plan? A lesson plan is a plan that you make for the lesson you want to teach. It is an aid to planning which you need to write down what you want your students to achieve at the end of the lesson, how can you teach the lesson and how can you control the time....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What if students don’t like me? What if I forget my planning and ruin the whole lesson? What if I trip and fall flat on my face? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lizelle K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. What if this and what if that, these are the type of questions that go through a new teacher’s mind before they enter their first classroom. Stepping into a classroom for the first time can be overwhelming and a new teacher can easily feel lost when all the attention in the class falls on them. When studying to become an educator, be it for 3-year olds or 30-year olds, practical exposure to an active teaching environment...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I play video games. I’m not sure I would classify myself as a gamer, but I like to play and have as long as I can remember. I went to school before the internet was available, so I remember having to manually look up everything. I remember when computers were first introduced into classrooms, and what a difference it made. Now it seems like teaching can’t be done without the use of computers, as they have become such an integral part of the classroom. This has changed the way that ESL teaching is conducted. The question isn’t whether computers are necessary for a classroom or not. There are very few people let in the world who think that computers in the classroom are a bad idea. This isn’t about whether...  [Read more]

  Our final methodology is accredited to Jeremy Harmer and it's known by the letters ESA. Around 1998, Jeremy Harmer produced a book called "How to teach English" and basically what Harmer did, is a background to this book is to do what we have done today and to work through all of the different methodologies that have come about over the last 300 years. He highlighted for each of those methodologies what was good about it, what was positive and what didn't appear to work and then put all of the positive things into a melting pot and came out with this methodology, which he called ESA. It's a three-stage methodology, where each of the letters represents a particular phase of the lesson. The first one being called the engage phase, the second the study phase and the final one the...  [Read more]

  This video is part of our series on the past tenses in English. In this video, we take a look at the past perfect tense and suitable teaching ideas for this tense. We'll ask our students to describe what a person in a picture had just done before the photo was taken. 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 good in learning about the different materials teacher may use in the classroom to effectively teach their lesson. Materials can be...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Stories are an important part of any culture, English speaking or not. They can be oral or written and can showcase how culture works and their history. Whether old traditional stories or new popular current stories, the tales we share with young children can shape their developing ideas and values. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rochelle L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When working with young children in Early Childhood settings, stories help children to make sense of their world, safely express their emotions, and explore new ideas and values. For example, a story that focuses on friendships might help a child who...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching speaking skills is an important part of an ESL class. Sometimes, entire conversation classes are established that focus solely on speaking. Here are 7 great games for your ESL conversation class. Write down the names and key points about five celebrities and assign them to the same amount of students in your classroom. One by one, a student enters a “party” with another student playing the host. The host must then find out the identity of each guest by having a conversation with everyone. Have your students stand in a circle. Choose a specific grammar point and have the first person asks a question using the grammar structure. The student then throws a ball to another student who answers the question...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas It is undeniable that rapport between the teacher and students and between students themselves makes the class successful and enjoyable. However, some teachers face problems trying to establish rapport with the students. Being an experienced EFL teacher, I keep facing the same problem: it is hard for me to create a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom and keep a balance between being students’ reliable friend and their authority. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Elena K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. To begin with, it is important to create a warm relationship from the very beginning. Therefore, the first lesson should be more...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflcourse.net To be successful teaching English overseas you will need to come up with interesting teaching ideas for your students. This video from one of ITTT's online TESOL certification courses outlines a teaching idea for the present continuous when it is used to talk about future plans. In this activity students are given a diary and have to interview each other about their future plans. For example: Student A: "What are you doing on the 6th?" Student B: "I'm having my hair done." Students keep asking and answering questions until they find a date when they are free to meet. This idea can also be adapted to use with past tenses. On ITTT's TESOL certification courses not only will you learn how the different tenses in English are formed and used but you...  [Read more]

  So what we're going to do is to run through a series of methodologies that were created mainly in the 1900s that adopted the idea that language learning should be much more communicative, much more natural. The first one is called audiolingualism and it's also called the army method because of where it was developed. Basically, psychology, during the 1950s and 60s, was building up new theories about behaviorism. Perhaps the most famous experiments that were done in this particular area were by Pavlov, where he was showing that most animals undergo a stimulus response mechanism and he had a series of famous experiments, where by ringing a bell, he could cause a dog to salivate, that would be his response, in the expectation of getting some food. This behaviorist idea of stimulus...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences It is not easy to describe a nation or a country simply since people should be considered as individuals, but there are definitely some national characteristics in Thailand that make it very different from any other country. When in the Western world, especially in Europe, we need a lot of space and privacy and are often expected to be able to work unprompted, in Thailand things are done collectively. There are no “I's” in a team, literally. Understanding how these teams work and their sometimes not so obvious hierarchy it is much easier to adapt and be accepted as a part of them. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anniina R. This subject is very extensive and multi-dimensional and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I have decided to choose the title "Teaching Vocabulary" as my short experience as an English teacher has been primarily about teaching vocabulary to young learners in a Primary school in Italy. Therefore, this summative task will be aimed at a group of children between the ages of 6 and 9. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alex V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I have noticed many peculiarities which I instinctively did as the TEFL course instructed, however, I have also noticed mistakes which I have made and alternatives which the course provided. When it came to selecting vocabulary there was not much input from my part...  [Read more]