TEFL Shepherd

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "bellwether". This word is a noun and describes someone who takes the lead and sets trends. A long time ago, shepherds hung a bell around the neck of one sheep of its flock designating it the leader. Therefore, bellwether is a combination of the words "bell" and "wether", a male sheep that has been castrated. 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. Tests are the basic form of evaluating...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have always loved and benefited from etymological definitions of words and always wonder sometimes even the etymological definition of a very simple word like “sorry” which leads to great insights and a better understanding of that particular word which in turn pays off in ways that have a great positive impact on both my personal and professional life. For that very reason, I have found the etymological definitions of both words “learning” and “techniques”. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mohammad S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. According to Etymonline website the word “learning” means "to get knowledge,...  [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]

Ahmed Taha TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas As an English teacher, who is best? Native speakers of English or non-native speakers? Given the widespread belief that native speakers make better English teachers than non-native speakers, Jennifer Jenkins writes, "we will begin by analysing why this should be true." Is it true that native speakers make better teachers by definition, or just that they have a better understanding of English as a second language? To begin, here are two researchers who argue against the notion that a native speaker is a better teacher: Teachers of English are expected to teach English as a subject, not as a broad linguistic phenomenon, but as a subject that stands...  [Read more]