TEFL Fly Creek

arizona, known as ‘The Copper State’, is one of the most popular regions to visit in the United States as it offers unrivalled natural beauty. The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most famous natural sites in the world and it attracts millions of visitors every year. The park is one of the oldest in the country and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. While most visitors come to Arizona to explore the canyon, there is also a lot more to see and do. Sedona National Park is a beautiful example of the extraordinary natural features of Arizona. Here, visitors can explore stunning red sandstone formations that formed millions of years ago. Sedona is not only rocks and sand, but also features a number of waterfalls that are well worth taking a dip in. Oak Creek Canyon...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas For nearly a year, I have taught four to six-year-olds residing in the outskirts of Beijing. My students do not sit at desks. They instead sit side-by-side on a line of chairs, all of which face an interactive whiteboard complete with pre-designed flipcharts. As my students are still learning essential words for everyday English use, drills and flashcards are crucial within our lessons. However, drilling can quickly lose a young learner's interest. To remedy the monotony, I have used the following five activities: One-Step, Monster, Bomb; Hopscotch; Fly Swat Race; Tic-Tac-Toe; and Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament. Each game proved to be an...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, we will look at an actual example of an ESA straight arrow lesson plan. We will include examples of the activities used and their purpose. You can adapt this plan to a variety of other uses and levels. Straight arrow ESA Lesson Plan Class level: Elementary Number of students: 8 Lesson aim: After the lesson the students should be able to look at an animal and make sentences to say what it “can and can’t” do. Sample sentences when looking at the picture of an elephant. It can walk. It can’t fly. Show the students a video of animals and they are going to say what they like about those animals and try to create a list of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As a children’s English teacher, course materials are very important. There are many kinds of materials that we can use in the classroom, flashcards are the basic one. We can present the new vocabulary and practice with flashcards, and children can understand the word directly through the picture on the flashcard, which is very effective. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate YULUN H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Besides, there are many games with flashcards that we can use as activities in the classroom. Here I will list 5 of these games I often use in my classes. The musical chair is a fun game for group classes which need...  [Read more]

Hadassah Roberts Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas As an English teacher, you may find yourself accepting the call to teach in a remote village or town in any part of the world where the inhabitants are more or less secluded from urban society. Often you may also find that the house you move into is a dry cabin. A dry cabin is when a house has no well or septic and yet is deemed livable—my experience in a dry cabin. I used to live in a dry cabin because, in Alaska, there are many dry cabins. My house was clean, neat, and cozy, and at first sight, you would never have guessed it to be a dry cabin. It was fun to live there, and it helped me to appreciate many more things in life that I previously had taken for granted. At...  [Read more]

Kavinna Batra Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas English is a fun language to learn; however, it can even throw off the most professional learner with complex spelling rules and difficult grammar. Learning English quickly could seem difficult, even though it is considered to be accessible and reasonably easy for many to learn. I'm here to tell you that as long as you have the right plan, you can learn English quickly and easily. If you start to feel like you're not making ground, which at some stage happens to all learners, don't say, "I don't speak English," or "I'm never going to get this." Honestly, ban those words from your vocabulary! They just blur your comprehension of the progress you are making and remind you that it is...  [Read more]

Utah is home to red canyons, creeks, and rivers that make for the perfect outdoor wonderland. The ancient tribe of Ute-Aztecs, as well as the Navajo Native Americans, lived in the area for thousands of years and took advantage of the rich natural environment, just as the European settlers did many years later. Still today, Utah is a premier travel destination for Americans and people from across the globe. Over millions of years, the region has been shaped by water, wind, and time. If you really want to get the most out of your visit to Utah, you could visit all of the seven national monuments, five national parks, three national historic trails, two national recreation areas and one national historic site. Failing that, you can enjoy some of the finest hiking, biking, and horseback riding...  [Read more]

Located in the Great Lakes Region, Ohio is a wonderful destination for outdoor fun. Long before western settlers arrived, the people living in the area had left behind numerous fascinating mounds and earthworks that can still be visited today. The Great Serpent Mound, for instance, was built by early humans to keep track of the sun and solstices. Ohio’s fertile soil and favorably climate have also created a thriving eco-system that is home to a wide diversity of flora and fauna. Whatever you plan to see and do during your visit, the state of Ohio is a great destination for your next vacation. Ohio has four distinct seasons offering lots of opportunities for outdoor activities. Visitors from near and far can enjoy the unique environments found in the state’s huge number of parks, nature...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences "Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves." - Horace Mann Volunteering is one of the most satisfying human experiences. It gives one a feeling of relevance, of giving freely to those whose live those skills one has will be of an immense benefit too. A volunteer has been defined by the Business Dictionary as a person that that actively takes on a task, responsibility, or project on his or her own accord without needing to be assigned, ordered, or told to do so. Often a volunteer is not paid for the work that they provide. For example, a volunteer may desire to work at a company's charitable events with or without pay and may even request to do so without being asked or told to. This post was written...  [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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas “Birds fly, fish swim, and children play.”1 Play is the children's’ nature and the best way for a permanent learning process. They learn everything by doing and playing, so they also have to be actively involved in the learning process of EFL through play. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Cemile U. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching children is different from teaching older students or adults because children are still in the process of developing their mother tongue. In addition to that, children of kindergarten level are not yet able to read or write, they have to acquire the language mainly by listening and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Who doesn’t love a story? Stories are universal. Stories connect us all. Stories also transcend caste, creed, color, and age. From the beginning of time, to-date the medium may have changed but stories engage us with others because it is easy to see ourselves reflected in them and understand the message conveyed easily. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shaimuna C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching English using stories can be very effective in class. As an English teacher, I have used stories for classroom activities from Year 1 to 6 at the primary school level. The different age groups need diverse styles. Below are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In my summative task, I would like to speak about child development, covering some points why it is important to pay attention to the development of the kids while they are at the age of being taught. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Susanna M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. But saying child development we mainly understand physical, language, thought, and emotional changes that occur in a child from birth to the beginning of adulthood. During this period a child progresses from dependency on their parents to increasing independence. Child development also is strongly influenced by genetic factors. During my teaching years, I...  [Read more]

  Now an example of a straight arrow ESA lesson for our engage phase. What we're going to do is to show the students a video of animals and they are going to say what they like about those animals and try to create a list of some more. So, remember what we're trying to do here is to get the students talking and thinking in English. We're using a typical engage activity, which is to create a list and we try to make sure that all the students have been involved in some way in creating those lists. Moving on to the study phase, the first part is going to be the board work and the teacher is going to try to elicit from the students what each of those animals can and can't do. Typically, what the students will say is just single words, so "run," "jump," "fly," etc. What we would then...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas No matter how well-prepared a teacher may be, every classroom is different, which means each student is different, and each teacher needs to be able to adjust and be able to establish rapport with the new class. For some teachers, working in a foreign country may cause them to feel uneasy; however, a teacher needs to overcome this feeling to be successful in the classroom. Indeed, building rapport with all students will help. Although this is a continuous process throughout the term, the key to establishing a friendly learning environment starts on day one. Thus, the best way to build rapport is to know the students’ names and interests by the end of the day or week (depending on class size). This post was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas We all played them and we all loved them as children. We made them up and we bought them. It is still a large industry today. There are easy ones and hard ones. There are thinking ones and action ones. What am I referring to? Games! From hide-and-go-seek to Monopoly, there are all sorts of fun games to play. So why don’t we incorporate them into our TEFL lessons? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Samuel S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. You can create your games or adapt to the ones you already know and love. They can be used for all kinds of language purposes, from learning vocabulary to conversation starters. They can also...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Prior to engaging in this online TESOL course, my only experience with regards to any teaching or instructing was acting in the capacity of a flight instructor/teacher. Having been employed at a school located in the United States, many of the students traveled from around the world to train at our academy because it was very safe and relatively inexpensive. With this, came some difficulty with regards to the language barriers between student and teacher as well as difficulties in certain translations. The students were required to pass an English proficiency test prior to commencing the training, however some students still had difficulty with the language rhythms and cadence as well as certain vocabulary words,...  [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]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences For the native English speaker, English is easy. It is only when learning another language do L1 English speakers begin to see peculiarities in their own language. It is then compounded when beginning to teach English as a foreign language. Although the English language has commonalities with other languages, especially since English is derived from other languages, there are plenty of unusual aspects of English that can cause difficulties when learning and teaching the language. For example, English spelling, grammar, and pronunciation all contain such peculiarities. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tanya L. Learning to read and write English is no easy task since English is one of the least...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Songs are used as a pedagogical tool for many reasons, especially with young children. This approach to teaching can empower young students and it recognizes differing abilities and skills. Activities are designed to support the goals of the curriculum and will accommodate multiple learning styles. Songs are universal and used all over the world to teach cultural information and they play an important role in a young child's learning and development. The use of songs is a teaching method that helps students comprehend the information taught. Songs encourage fluency, vocabulary, structures, patterns as well as speaking skills. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Deborah M. Please note that this...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas 'One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is necessary raw material, but warmth is vital for the growing plant and the child's soul. Carl Jung This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anamaria P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teachers are a never-ending source of experience. They have already gone through all the difficulties that their students are going through, undergone what they will go through, and can pass along lessons regarding subject matters and studies on...  [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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Raijmond W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The liar game is a flashcard activity that can be used to drill vocabulary. This activity is ideal for vocabulary that a teacher is introducing as the activity involves repeating after the teacher. For this activity, the teacher should clap twice, point to a flashcard and say the vocabulary word. If the word and the flashcard match, students should clap twice and repeat the word. If the word does not match the flashcard, students should make an X with their arms and stay silent. This activity allows teachers to drill the correct pronunciation of the...  [Read more]

Amanda Stern Destinations Teaching Ideas Foreign language learning is a massively rewarding undertaking; going from stilted greetings to lively conversations can make you feel like a multi-million lottery winner. Of course, it’s also quite intimidating to start the learning process. In your home country, it’s simple to find a spot in a classroom with a native speaker, or for those who are more intrinsically motivated, self-study may be a viable option. You’re most likely here because you’re interested in teaching abroad, and may feel intimidated by the future language barrier. Fear not, learning a foreign language abroad where you’ll be immersed in the language is the best situation for quick absorption of vocabulary,...  [Read more]

Kayla Hill Destinations Hong Kong is a great place to teach, especially if it’s your first time living abroad. Known as the “fragrant harbor,” Hong Kong has been attracting tourists and professionals for decades. This innovative city is often considered to be “Asia’s World City” and is a major cultural hub in the region. Here are 5 reasons why you should teach in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary and enjoys a humid subtropical climate. This means that summers are long and the winters are mild. You can enjoy beach barbecues, boat parties, and beautiful hikes well into late November. If you enjoy traveling during public holidays and your summer break, Hong Kong is a great place to be if you want to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What do you know about speaking and teaching English? Well, the answer to the first part of the question goes back to early times. I started to study English when I was between ten or eleven years old. I can say that after a few classes, I was already able to say short, simple but probably still inaccurate sentences. However, teaching English appeared as a possible professional job a long time after that. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate marisol b. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. After my high school graduation, I decided to get a university degree in Tourist Business. By that time, my English skills had improved enormously....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards can be great tools for eliciting vocabulary, but teachers should not overlook the numerous other uses for these great tools. Flashcard games can add excitement to young learners’ classes. The following activities are aimed to drill the vocabulary in the second study phase of the lesson, after the elicitation of vocabulary. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kiyomi Ann H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The liar game is a flashcard activity that can be used to drill vocabulary. This activity is ideal for vocabulary that a teacher is introducing as the activity involves repeating after the teacher. For this activity,...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Having to organize and hold a winter camp is a daunting task, especially for new teachers who haven’t done it before. For these kinds of English camps, teachers typically create up to 10 lesson plans for the duration of the camp. Winter camps can last anywhere between one week to a month or even longer. The main goal of an English camp is to have a fun and memorable time with the students while practicing their English. However, there is a lot more to an English camp than just playing some games. Since most teachers need to create and prepare their lessons in advance, we have compiled a list of games and fun activities for teaching English winter camp abroad. Props will make your winter camp a lot more fun and...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Let us imagine. How if English teachers only conduct English lessons inside the class? Will the students have fun all the time? Many English teachers reflect on that so, in reality, they try to conduct English lessons not only inside the class but also outside the class. They think that conducting English lessons outside is also needed and important. Therefore, English teachers use some outdoor activities to help when teaching English. By doing so, English teachers believe that they can help their students to increase motivation. They also believe that outdoor activities can give students fun and joy. Here are some interesting activities that English teachers can use to teach English outside the class. This post was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Lesson planning means that the teacher establishes his/her credibility. It shows that you are organized, structured, have thought about what you are going to do, and understand your area of expertise. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Roberto G. Like all things in life that involve a group of human beings, 100% success is almost impossible. Improvising due to unforeseen circumstances is a skill a teacher needs but it is NOT a valid excuse for not planning your lessons. • You may find your lesson plan needs to be adjusted during the class. It is your call whether you let it happen or not. • If you really have to improvise and adjust the lesson plan, try to get back to the plan as soon...  [Read more]