TEFL Turner Colony

  The idiom "white elephant" refers to an expensive item that is costly to maintain, for example: Shortly after Tanya inherited her aunt's castle, it turned out to be a white elephant she could not afford. The phrase originates from a long time ago when white elephants where regarded as precious and even holy in Asia, especially in Thailand. When the king was displeased with someone, he would gift them a white elephant as the upkeeping would likely ruin them. 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...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As an EFL teacher, one is expected to create a proper and culturally sensitive atmosphere in the classroom at all times. Unfortunately, this does not happen in every instance because many different errors can occur. To prevent possibly contract terminable offenses, a special mindset and system of preparation must be instituted. When approached correctly, discussing difficult or even controversial ideas in a foreign country can be both culturally sensitive while also not needing excessive censorship. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate James S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first and arguably single most important way to...  [Read more]

Located on the Malay Peninsula, Singapore is a thriving, modern metropolis and the world’s only island city-state. Formerly a British colony, Singapore was once known as the “Jewel of the British Empire” and even though the city has changed significantly since achieving independence, its British history can be seen all over in its place names, monuments and architecture. Singapore sees visitors from all over the world, with direct flights from hundreds of countries as well as ferries bringing passengers from the numerous ports in the region. It is also a major shopping destination for people from other Southeast Asian cities and the world famous Orchard Road is home to many shopping centers and hotels. Singapore has plenty of interesting things to see and do. A visit to Sentosa...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences British versus American English is a subject that encompasses a number of fields, including linguistics, history, archaeology, geography, and the study of the history of the English language. British English has a deep foundation that stretches back into time to the advent of the Indo-Europeans, and while America can claim this as well, the language was, for the most part, very close to its modern form by the age of exploration. That being said, many archaic forms of words and grammar were still in use during the age of exploration and spelling was not standardized when the great voyages and colonization of the Americas began. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Aaron T. Please note that...  [Read more]

1. Introduction 2. Importance of ESOL in Hong Kong 3. Benefits of Learning ESOL in Hong Kong 4. Opportunities for ESOL Teachers in Hong Kong Hong Kong, a vibrant and bustling city known for its rich culture and diverse population, offers a plethora of opportunities for individuals seeking to learn English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). As the global language of business and communication, mastering the English language can open doors to a wide range of academic and professional opportunities in Hong Kong and beyond. In this article, we will explore the importance of ESOL in Hong Kong, the benefits of learning the language in this dynamic city, and the opportunities available for ESOL teachers. In Hong Kong, where East meets West, English plays a crucial role as a bridge between...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences English is learned and spoken by a large number of people worldwide. In Shakespeare's time, the number of English speakers in the world is thought to have been between five and seven million. According to linguist David Crystal, "Between the end of the reign of Elizabeth I (1603) and the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth II (1952), this figure increased almost fiftyfold, to around 250 million" (The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, 2003). It's a common language used in international business, which makes it a popular second language for many. English as a global language has made it impossible for cultural diversity to develop. English is easy to learn, has a high usage rate, is universal in...  [Read more]

GOTefl started as a division of SA-Recruitment, a teacher recruitment company established in 2004. SA-Recruitment has successfully placed hundreds of teachers internationally, and has a strong understanding of the opportunities - and challenges - of working overseas.​ The GOTefl division became so popular and we were regularly approached by potential candidates that did not fulfil the requirements for our SA-Recruitment’s mainstream teaching positions and these candidates were turned away. So, we decided it was time for it to become a stand-alone organisation managed by the same knowledgeable and experienced team of recruiters, offering the same high level of personalised service and ongoing support - now just in the TEFL space. GOTefl works with schools all over China and Thailand...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas To answer the question of what is effective classroom management it is firstly important to define what is meant by “classroom management”. ITT defines classroom management as: “the skill of organizing and managing the class, having a friendly, relaxed manner and maintaining disciple” (page 2, unit 5, ITT course content – which is also referenced throughout the below essay) To best answer this question, we shall now break this definition down into 3 parts before providing an overall conclusion at the end of the essay. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joe S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Classroom organization and...  [Read more]

Russ Tuff TEFL Information Alumni Experiences If you are already TEFL certified, there are a lot of great extra courses that can push your portfolio to the next level. Here are the 6 reasons that it’s a great idea to do additional TEFL Courses. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Grammar is daunting for many students. It happens especially due to different ways of acquiring it. Our TEFL graduate overviews the most common styles of learning grammar. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the overview of new and old games used in the classroom. Elizaveta Pachina ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Even though native speakers claim that it’s always possible to understand people speaking English regardless of their accent, sometimes it might be extremely difficult. My native language is Russian and I can tell for a fact that Russian and English are very different in multiple things – but right now I’d like to focus on pronunciation. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Viktoriia Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Russian learners of English tend to make the same mistakes due to peculiarities of their native language, which results in the infamous “Russian accent” we sometimes see on the movie screens. One of the...  [Read more]

Margaret Paton TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Are you interested in teaching English online? Like you, I’m a new starter to this career of teaching English to non-native speakers, so I wanted to share five tips on what not to do in your early days. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our TEFL alumna shares their course review and makes an outline of the content. Leo Salazar TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Working from home brings both opportunities and challenges. It’s time to get more in touch with family and to appreciate each other, especially during these...  [Read more]

Margaret Paton TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Are you interested in teaching English online? Like you, I’m a new starter to this career of teaching English to non-native speakers, so I wanted to share five tips on what not to do in your early days. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our TEFL alumna shares their course review and makes an outline of the content. Leo Salazar TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Working from home brings both opportunities and challenges. It’s time to get more in touch with family and to appreciate each other, especially during these...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Urban education can be described as a complicated topic for school reformists in America. With critical issues, such as inadequate funding, lack of resources, and uncertified teachers, the myriad of problems with public education has reached a new high. Many big-city public education systems have turned into melting pots by bringing together members of different racial, social, economic, and ethnic groups. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Crystal H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Per the Bureau of International Information Programs (2011), the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As the world has become more interconnected, particularly with quick international travel, modern communications, and globalized trade, the argument for a “global language” is often used. Arguably now more than ever, a global language or single lingua franca has never been more important. There are many international bodies such as the United Nations, World Bank, and UNICEF, which create a certain amount of pressure to establish a worldwide global language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tim W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In the past, there have been many constructed languages to try and provide a solution to the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I work in two schools. I am an assistant language teacher at one commercial (low-level English) high school, and an integrated (high-level English) academic junior high and high school. I have had experiences with different kinds of students, Japanese-English teachers, and classroom atmospheres. In Japan, students take an entrance exam to get into high school. If they scored low on the entrance exam, then they are placed in the lowest ranking class. Each school has a certain number of classrooms for each grade. Both of my high schools have six classes total for each grade. There are usually around forty to forty-two students in each class as well. Teaching forty plus students in a crowded classroom is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas English as a global language is increasing public recognition of the global position of English. We hear it on television spoken by politicians from all over the world. Wherever we travel, we see English signs and advertisements. English is now the language most widely taught as a foreign language in over 100 countries, such as China, Russia, Germany, Spain, Egypt and Brazil and in most of these countries it is emerging as the chief foreign language to be encountered in schools, often displacing other languages in the process. The statistics suggest that about a quarter of the world’s population estimated about 1.5 billion people, is already fluent or competent in English, and this figure is steadily growing. No...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When a class is managed well, there is a minimum of disruptions that distract from learning. This is more of an issue in a class for children, as opposed to adults. Nevertheless, in all classes, maintaining the comportment of the group to facilitate learning is the objective of sound classroom management techniques. Furthermore, it is also important to develop cordial and friendly relations with learners on an individual basis, and with the class as a whole. Having a rapport with students, and creating a classroom community that is based on shared rules and norms that are understood and reasonable for everybody, is an essential part of classroom management. When accomplished, this creates a classroom culture that...  [Read more]

Nadiia Dovbnia Destinations Alumni Experiences I have been working in China as an English teacher almost for half a year. When the outbreak began, I decided to stay in China. At first, I thought it would be like a seasonal flu quarantine back in my country, Ukraine, when schools are closed for just a week or two. However, the situation got worse and I realized that it might be safer to stay inside my city than to go through the train stations and airports. Shops gave no signs of opening after the New Year, busses were just passing by the stops on their way to the bus park, communities were closed for the non-residents, in one day you got more temperature checks that in a few months. Every movement has been noted down from the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences It is a well-known fact that the English language has big importance nowadays. According to Ethnologue, publication about the languages in the world by SIL intl., the English have placed between the three most spoken languages with more than one thousand million speakers of whose, four hundred million are native speakers and more than six hundred million have English as second language, therefore represents a very important communication channel worldwide. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gustavo L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Evolving with the years, became one of the most necessary tools to comprehend the daily world...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This paper will answer the question, "What are five flashcard activities for teaching English to young learners?" Young learners are defined as students attending elementary school, aged between six and twelve. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tristan K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. This activity is a great warmer and an effective way to introduce or review vocabulary. This activity works well with both small and large groups. Students sit in a circle with the teacher. The target language is elicited and chorally drilled. The teacher then shows one...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are many reasons why classroom management skill sets are really important for the basics of teaching generally. It effectively helps build a great classroom atmosphere for everyone in it as well as create rapport between the teacher and the student. 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. Few of the most important skills the teacher needs to acquire are the special details towards their eye contact, gesture, and the voice, as it is can determine the outcome of the class. It is essential for the teacher to always have good eye contact technique which will help in a number of ways...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflonline.net In this video we look at a TESOL teaching idea for the past continuous tense. For this activity students are put into groups and are handed pictures of people doing different activities. The pictures are placed upside down in a pile and the students take it in turns to turn them over. When they have turned over a card they must make a past continuous sentence based on the picture they have. For example: If they turn over a picture of a woman swimming they would say: She was swimming yesterday. For more advanced students this activity can be used to compare past continuous and past simple. For example: While I was doing the washing up, I broke three plates. Becoming a TESOL teacher enables you to travel the world experiencing new cultures while...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching English online is becoming a more and more lucrative career for many TEFL and TESOL certified teachers out there. You can work from home or go full digital nomad and travel the world while teaching a couple of classes of English a day. To help you create fun and interactive lessons, we have compiled a summary of 5 amazing props with investing in for teaching English online below. Who doesn’t love playing with plush toys? Having a good selection of the most common foods and animals can go a LONG way when teaching English online. Using plush props is a lot of fun and can be used in so many different ways: you can use them to teach numbers and counting, you can use them to talk about different colors and also...  [Read more]

Anastasiya Akpinar Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching online wasn't something totally unknown when many schools turned to distance education in 2020. Even before, many teachers had face-to-face or group lessons via different online programs. As well as webinars, courses, and conferences, online teaching took its usual part in modern life. So what has changed so drastically after the online school project has started? Why was it so confusing and hard to get used to? The answer is within us: daily routine, habits, style of teaching and studying were changed into a digital way. Some teachers and students found it easy and exciting to continue in this direction. Some of us couldn't get used to distance studying at all....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences From the time of the American revolution and onward, there has been a distinctive trend for American English and British English dialects to move away from each other. Whether taught in American English or British English, most people of either type will have little trouble understanding each other. Unlike the many dialects of China, English is a pretty ubiquitous language across the board, with a spattering of unique regional words. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jeffrey G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The 2 most prominent English dialects were intertwined throughout their collective histories because the British...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflonline.net For this TEFL Teaching idea we ask the students to look at a scene in a hospital where there are several people doing different things. Students are given time to memorise the picture before it is turned over. The students would then be asked to say what the people were doing in the picture. For example: A nurse was giving a patient an injection. A man was pouring a glass of water. As the trainer notes in the video, this activity can be adapted to make it into a competition by having students in teams compete to remember as many actions as they can. Grammar points such as this are often seen as fairly boring to most English language students, especially those who do not choose to study English. So being able to come up with ideas that encourage...  [Read more]

  The next thing we should look at is how our consonants are arranged for the top two rows we have P and F at the left side of our chart and G and J at the right side of our chart. They're arranged this way because if we analyze the way we speak we're using the front of our mouth to use these sounds as in ?p? and ?f? and I'm using my lips and my teeth to produce those sounds and as we move to the right on the chart slowly but surely we're making those sounds it towards the back of our mouth. We can use the examples of ?g?. The sound ?g? is produced further back in our mouth than ?p?. The next thing we'll notice about our chart is that some of our symbols are shaded. Notice that none of the symbols in the vowel sections are shaded but only a few are in the consonant section. The...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas It is effortless to get into a rhythm of teaching a certain way and relying heavily on your resources at hand. As a relatively new teacher, I spend a lot of time with the help (mainly books) I am provided, and in lessons, I teach the content necessary to complete a given objective. I often rely on the readers for additional activities, transitions, and traditional book work. While the students never spend the entire class with their noses in the books, I felt that we were not having quite as much fun as we could. Studies began to feel a bit stale, and interest seemed to be diminishing. So, I decided to conduct a small experiment and...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences I learned English when I was 20 after my family and I decided to immigrate to Canada from Brazil. I hadn’t had much exposure to the English language prior to the move. 25 years have gone by, and now I have the opportunity to teach English back in my home country of Brazil! Take our 4-week in-class course in Natal, Brazil, and start your own TEFL adventure! This post was written by our ITTT graduate George K. After coming back to my small hometown in the Brazilian countryside a couple of years ago, I met one of my childhood friends, Rodrigo. He had just opened a small English school in town and after a quick chat, I told him that I have decided to come back to live in Brazil after having lived abroad for more...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas David Brooks once said, “The point of being a teacher is to do more than impart facts, it's to shape the way students perceive the world, to help a student absorb the rules of discipline. The teachers who do that get remembered.” In my experience as a teacher, I have had students from different backgrounds enter my classroom. I have come to acknowledge that each one is an individual who has needs and a personality shaped by external factors such as their family life, social interactions, and beliefs. Nevertheless, I have also discovered that positive discipline in the classroom creates a healthy environment which not only promotes learning but gives each student an equal opportunity to be challenged and excel....  [Read more]