TEFL Pencil Bluff

Charlotte Lam Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Due to the pandemic, distance learning has become the new form of teaching all over the words. In Hong Kong, teachers are trying to figure out ways to teach their students while having quarantine at home. In this post, I’m going to share some fun activities and games to play with kids by using Zoom so that you won’t run out of ideas when teaching through an online platform. If you’ve never used Zoom before, you must try it with your students, and it definitely surprises you. Teaching through an online platform makes it very difficult to manage the class because students are staying at home in a comfortable place rather than attending real classes in school. Therefore,...  [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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas It’s the first day at school, and the students are excited yet little nervous to meet their new teacher as he or she will determine how school life and daily routine will look like for the next six months. The teacher might experience the same feeling depending on her or his experience and personality. As a teacher, you should give a good impression on the first day of school. The clothes you choose to wear; the attitude you show in class, and tone of voice when speaking could play a determinant role in students’ judgment of you and their future behavior. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Youssef M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I would say the hardest part about becoming a Teacher is having the confidence to face your students in the classroom. I speak from experience because this was a challenge for me in the beginning when I taught Spanish as a foreign language. My students were primary and high school students, essentially just kids, but this intimidated me the most about my job. In time you will indeed and should become more confident teaching in the classroom, as the saying goes…” practice makes perfect”, right? However, there are some things a new teacher can do or be aware of to help increase their confidence in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Genoveve C. Please note that this blog...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas "Play is our brain's favorite way of learning" – Diane Ackerman. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Danila E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I could not agree more with the quote above as playing games in the classroom has many advantages: The main thing needed for a successful process of learning is, of course, motivation. And playing games certainly increases students' interest and their willingness to participate in the class. However, every teacher must ensure the group's understanding of the game rules and processes before starting the actual game....  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games and fun activities are a vital part of teaching English as a foreign language. Whether you’re teaching adults or children, games will liven up your lesson and ensure that your students will leave the classroom wanting more. Games can be used to warm up the class before your lesson begins, during the lesson to give students a break when you’re tackling a tough subject, or at the end of class when you have a few minutes left to kill. There are literally hundreds, probably thousands, of games that you can play with your students. EFL games are used to test vocabulary, practice conversing, learn tenses - the list is endless. Also read: The 5 Best TEFL Games For Adult...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Technologies are constantly evolving and improving. There are literally dozens of new technologies that can be applied to the modern classroom in 2019 that have not yet made their way into mainstream usage. New tech changes the way subjects are taught, how students learn and the way teachers and students communicate with each other. Everything from new types of interactive whiteboards, classroom response systems, use of social media, tablet computers and classroom websites to the more exotic and potentially cost-prohibitive techs such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality(VR) or even holographic projectors are commercially available for use in the classroom. Students in ancient Babylonia and Sumeria...  [Read more]

Hoàng Minh Huy TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Due to the pandemic, distance learning has replaced traditional classroom instruction worldwide. Teachers in Hong Kong are attempting to find ways to instruct their students while at home under quarantine. To help you stay inspired when instructing online, I'm going to share some enjoyable games and activities to play with kids using Zoom in this post. If you've never used Zoom, you must give it a try with your students; you'll be pleasantly surprised. Because students are staying at home in a cozy environment rather than attending actual classes in schools, teaching through an online platform makes it very challenging to manage the class. Therefore, establishing ground rules...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate EUNICE E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Players stand in a circle, with one player in the middle. Each player in the circle has a picture or word flashcard. Call out two of the picture card items. The two players holding these cards have to change places without the person in the middle taking one of their spots in the circle. When the person in the middle succeeds in taking a place in the circle, the other player hands over his or her card and takes a turn in the middle. At any time you can call out "All change!" and this means that everyone has to change places. Use this if you see someone...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Everyone and everything that exists in this world have what it is called or known by, and that automatically is the name of that person or that thing. We can then define a noun as a name given to persons, places, animals, objects, substances, qualities, actions, and measures. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate NICODEMUS U. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. This is a name given to each member of a group of persons or things that share some common characteristics. Examples: car, television, girl, boy, house, man, book, cup, student, home, watch, leg, hand, clothes, cap, goat, pen, chair, bulb, pencil, door, window, fan, marker,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Abraham F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching tools used for learners: One bucket with nontoxic learner-approved clay. Each bucket of clay will have five sticks, each stick a different color. Paper plates matching the color of the clay. Scissors and crayons. Learner approved audio about a rainbow song. The object is to gain the learners' attention. The learning environment created will be interesting, fun, and relaxed. Class level - children between the ages of 8 – 10 class volume 10 learners. Learners will be...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas A motivated student is a student who is eager to learn, and that means they are much more likely to absorb and retain what they are being taught than if they were disengaged or disinterested. This is why it is so important for teachers to foster motivation in the classroom and engage their students to be open to learning before the start of each lesson. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lindsay G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are many different techniques teachers can use to get their students in a learning mindset. Some common and effective approaches are mental warm-ups like word games, vocal activities like singing,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences “Teacher”, this word is linked with everyone’s life in a very sensitive and special way. Have you ever observed a child who has just started his/her school life? If you have, you will see that the child follows his/her teacher blindly. The very common reply a parent gets when they try to teach their child some new math technique or holding the pencil etc. is “No, my teacher showed me this way.” At home, they often start speaking the way (I would not say imitate) their teacher speaks with them. They admire them so much that they never stop talking about them after returning home. And a common role-play game we all play during our childhood is being a teacher. So, it’s quite understood how important...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This is a subject that many have spoken of at length before however new perspectives are put forward all the time which can and do have positive outcomes. This can happen even in an area such as “student motivation”. This is an area that has been under the academic microscope as far back as we can remember. I will now put forward my perspectives and hopefully add something new to the equation. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Padraig O B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I would like to complete an assignment encompassing all areas that affect student motivation which may include but not exclusively: genetics (nature),...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Reading and writing are sometimes taken for granted by adults who have mastered the skills-but looking at them from a toddler's perspective in Montessori classroom, they are skills of extraordinary difficulty. Literacy is a complicated, challenging process that includes the association of symbols with sounds, sounds with words, and words with ideas. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Abuduxukuer A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The Montessori approach uses a moveable alphabet, sandpaper letter, and objects to practice positive, natural learning experience to teaching reading and writing. as we know that the Montessori...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have taught English before in an English tutoring institute in Korea on two separate occasions. I am American but I grew up in South Korea. For extra money, I started teaching English for the first time at age 19. I taught very young children, from age 4 to age 7. It was extremely difficult because there were probably about 20 students and at those ages’ children have such different mental capacities. Therefore, teaching was almost impossible as the older children picked up everything very quickly and would become bored and loud, while the younger children would be too scared to talk and practice anything. It felt much more like a daycare than any English class. This post was written by our TEFL certification...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As an international language that is widely used around the globe, English has been important and increasingly influential in our lives over the years. Learning English seems to be an inevitable, prioritized task for many of us. This is also applicable to kindergarten children aged 4 to 6 years in many Asian countries. As a former kindergarten teacher who taught English, I have encountered several problems during my time teaching kindergarten kids in Asia. These problems could be attributed to child development and their social environment. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Wei L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Kindergarten...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When teaching English as a foreign language in a country where the native language is not English, it is easy to assume there are going to be some cultural differences between you and the students. The differences could be as little as what you eat for breakfast and which hand you pass things to someone with, or they could be as large as how you address someone and what you are allowed to talk about in public society. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shana H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Part of learning a language is learning the slang that goes with a particular language. When I say slang, I do not just mean the words...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The instructional lesson which was observed for this assignment was English as a second language classroom listening lesson. There were four students in the room during this lesson. These four students ranged in age from grades ninth through twelfth. Two students were male and two students were female. There was one instructor in the room. The primary teaching methodology used by the instructor in this ESL course was The Task-based approach to language learning. This instructor did well in explaining details, breaking down complicated topics, and conveying her message. But, she hindered her lesson by maintaining too stern of a tone for the duration of the class and maintaining no form of visual aid. This post was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Imagine a student walks into English class for the first time and sees the teacher [a woman - solely for example’s sake] fumbling for a cord and searching for an outlet because her lesson was based off a slideshow on her laptop, which ran out of battery power and she wasn’t prepared to have to plug it in. The student might get a negative first impression of the teacher, possibly thinking she’s disorganized and maybe even doubting her competency to teach the class well. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lindsay G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The above example illustrates the importance of being prepared in the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Learning and teaching process requires awareness of types of intelligence and learning styles. Some people use a mnemonic device Method of loci, or memory palace, to recall information. This method is based on spatial memory to learn by heart names, numbers, or objects. Others may need to move or use the so-called Total Physical Response that helps them to start thinking. Every student is unique and uses different learning strategies. One of the reasons is the variety of intelligences. Multiple intelligences concept helps to develop the abilities of different students. For example, the focus is on children learning English as a foreign language. If a teacher wants to design diverse and interesting lessons,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This essay answers the question for number 10 “what are the main problems for learners in the country of China?” I am a professor at Jiangnan University in Wuxi, China and share my observations. Our students are in the North American College (NAC), with partners in Canada at Lambton College and Northwood University, USA. Three areas are most interesting to their learning challenges: college preparation, listening and writing. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Annette P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Students enter NAC with a low score on the national gaokao entrance exam. The student body represents a culture where...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Managing a class involves organizing and controlling a class. It also involves having a relaxed manner and a sense of discipline. The class has to be interesting for the learners. A large class can be fun if managed well by the teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Esther O. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I would suggest an orderly row arrangement for a large class. This will enable the teacher to move back and forth. This arrangement also enables the teacher to keep eye contact with the learners. A large class requires a confident voice and changes based on the stage of the lesson. Learners can sense a teacher that is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I was an English teacher in Japan for over three and a half years. In that time, I gained a lot of experience teaching young learners. My students were aged from two to fourteen. As I taught these students, I learned a lot about how songs can be used effectively in the classroom. Songs can be used to teach sentence structure, routines, vocabulary, and help aid the understanding of instructions in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Megan B. Before students can even grasp the language, they can understand rhythm and music. When teaching the youngest students (two years old), we used a lot of chants. Chants are not necessarily music but work much in the same way. Generally,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas According to Wikipedia, Classroom management is a term teachers use to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly without disruptive behaviour from students compromising the delivery of instruction. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Oluchi O. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Classroom management is the procedures used to establish and maintain an environment where instruction and learning can take place using teacher efforts to oversee classroom activities, social interaction, and student behaviour. Managing of the classroom involves two major tasks: to facilitate learning among pupils and to establish...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Ever since I was a little girl, education has been a huge part of my life. My mother was a teacher at the elementary school I attended and also taught me and my sisters Japanese after school in our home. I have always been inquisitive, constantly asking questions to my parents and teachers about topics I was interested in and about things I didn't quite understand. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kim S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I always enjoyed learning and loved the feeling of accomplishment when I received high scores on tests and other assignments. My favorite subjects were reading, writing, and spelling....  [Read more]

  Our teacher training facility in Rome offers so much more than just a certificate for teaching. Rome is at the center of European history and Italian culture. For thousands of years, the city has played an integral part of European religion, history and culture. Attending our course in Italy’s capital is a once in a lifetime opportunity to absorb Rome in ways that an average tourist can only envy. ‘The Eternal City’ as it’s known, is breathtaking. Travelers can inundate their senses with leisurely strolls down cobblestone streets or by sitting in one of Italy’s famous city squares (piazzas). From touring sites that have witnessed a turbulent past, to a simple afternoon spent relaxing with a cooling portion of gelato (Italian ice cream), our trainees love it here. Rome is...  [Read more]

Simon ITTT TEFL Information It’s great to move somewhere new with your TEFL skills and to discover new places but, although traveling is exciting, there are times when you may want to do something without having to move too far from your new base. There are plenty of pastimes or hobbies that can be taken up when moving around from place to place, some of which might help you add variety to your English lessons for your students. For example, you can use your students to teach you about local cuisine to develop their vocabulary associated with food, language patterns for describing how to cook things, or how to give recommendations. They learn, you learn! Here are some other ideas for you to think about. When living abroad in a new culture,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Sometimes, it can be challenging for most of us to focus on specific tasks. It's normal to find your mind wandering when you should be focused on a particular thing. According to a 2010 study 1 by Harvard psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert, we spend nearly 47 percent of our waking hours thinking about something other than what we are doing. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate MANEL R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It's even more challenging for kids to stay focused on one task even if they are interested in it, especially...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Parents play an integral role in the students learning of the English language. Parents are a large part of the foundation for the support system of the learning process. The student spends the majority of their time with the parents, so the environment and tone the parents set will influence the student’s ability and willingness to learn. If the home is supportive of English learning, it will aid in assisting the student in learning English more effectively then if the home or the parents was not supportive. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Angela H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Parents can be supportive by ensuring...  [Read more]