TEFL Van Lear

  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]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Over the span of time, many educators from around the world have been using different techniques to encourage and productively teach students about any topic at hand. Oftentimes, various games or activities are incorporated, along with academic courses, to create more fun and encouraging the atmosphere for students to effectively acquire more knowledge from. Over the years, the format for classroom games has changed drastically, and now there are many more options that incorporate the use of technology and interactivity. Although this can be very challenging, and time-consuming, interactive games tend to motivate, collaborate, and encourage student participation in the learning process. This post was written...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Self-confidence has been seen as a major contributor to a person learning a language. As a teacher and a counselor, I agree with Jack Welch’s quote: Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do because then they will act. Confidence exists of three realms: who I am, what I can learn, and what I can do. These are steps that can be taken to help Chinese Business English students improve confidence in these realms. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate William N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Self-confidence is the total of attributes which enable the use of acquiring knowledge and application of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Should teachers punish students for bad behavior? In my psychology class at university, we learned that there are many ways to curve or modify behavior, one method involves 2 different types of punishment. When we think of punishment in a classroom we typically think back to corporal punishment, which would be classified as Positive Punishment (when something is added to diminish behavior). This is quite frankly unacceptable in a classroom. This can have a great and direct psychological effect on the student's motivation to learn a language. Even if the behavior is not related to language learning, a student might subconsciously relate the punishment with learning English. There are far better ways to improve...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post was written by a recent ITTT TEFL graduate their experience of working with kindergarten EFL students. ✅ Read this article to learn about the main challenges and benefits of teaching kids of kindergarten age. Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post was written by a recent ITTT TEFL graduate who shares their best flashcard games for children. ✅ Read this article to learn several more exciting activities for better ESL classroom experience. Elizaveta Pachina ...  [Read more]

Asia Ridley TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Are you interested in teaching English in Japan? Working as an Assistant Language Teacher in a Japanese school is a great way to get move to Japan. This article gives an in-depth look into the life as an ALT in Japan. Mohammad Jabary TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Course books are an essential part of any English language class. But did you know that using course books too often can actually harm your class? Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog we are going to...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, we will consider the classification of ESL materials into, authentic and created. We will then look at some of the major advantages and disadvantages of using each of them in the ESL classroom. Etienne Van Rooyen TEFL Information Alumni Experiences There are three types of senior high schools in Japan. Each senior high school (grades 10, 11, and 12) has a different purpose and students attend it. Understanding this helps us learn how English language learning in Japan is differently yet similars each school. With this knowledge, as an Assistant...  [Read more]

Mohammad Jabary TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Course books are an essential part of any English language class. But did you know that using course books too often can actually harm your class? Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog we are going to consider the types and use of dictionaries. Which is the best dictionary for the different levels of student to use and what are some of the things we should and should not do with them? Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The use of songs in teaching English to children is an effective method that many parents and teachers are now teaching their children. Because of the benefits that teach him through song. Children love to listen to children's music because of their cuteness and closeness. Therefore, if children start to familiarize themselves with English songs, they will surely learn easily. The fun, lovely melody of the song will help your child not be bored. Also, it will help children practice pronunciation more accurately. English songs often use familiar, familiar phrases in everyday life. Therefore, music helps children to have good listening and reflexes when communicating with foreigners. This post was written by our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences “Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.” are the words of Joyce Meyer. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Snehal A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A teacher is often seen as a role model, who inspires and encourages students to strive for greatness, live to the fullest potential and see the best in them. A teacher also called an educator helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue. Teaching is a process in which the learner, the teacher, the curriculum and other variables are organized systematically and psychologically to attain some pre-determined goals. Also Read: 2...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph Van H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When acquiring a new language, the skills required can be split into two main categories; receptive and productive. These can be split again into reading and listening (receptive) along with writing and speaking (productive). Many decisions around the planning of lessons such as learning materials, activities, student participation levels, etc. are all heavily influenced by the students’ receptive skill levels and as such, they must always be taken into account if planning is to be effective. Receptive skills are particularly valuable to a student...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences While both Americans and the British speak English, there are a few variations in the language which can cause some confusion for non-native speakers. Therefore, it is important to take a look at the most notable differences between these two versions of the English language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph Bart van der K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One of the key differences in the spelling of words. British English usually has their words in the same form as where they originated from, while American English tends to simplify the spelling or to spell them based on how the words sound when they are spoken....  [Read more]

Etienne Van Rooyen TEFL Information Alumni Experiences There are three types of senior high schools in Japan. Each senior high school (grades 10, 11, and 12) has a different purpose and students attend it. Understanding this helps us learn how English language learning in Japan is differently yet similars each school. With this knowledge, as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) you can adapt your lessons plans, materials and style to fit your school/s. There are three main types of high schools in Japan with sub-categories: Note: There are also Special Needs schools, which teach students with physical and mental disabilities. These schools will be covered in another blog post. Purpose: These schools focus on intense academic...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The following essay is a summative task for my TEFL certification course. I have chosen the topic ”Problems for learners in a country of your choice” and the country of focus is China. In the essay, I would like to answer the question “How to help Chinese learners improve their conversation skills?” This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nastja S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The reason for choosing this topic and this title in particular is that while living in China I have come across many Chinese who are learning English tell me how they have been studying the language for a long time but still don’t feel confident...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Many students of English as a Second Language (ESL) find that, of the many struggles they have with the language, pronunciation is the most difficult to master. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sophie M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Pronunciation is an extremely important ability to have to sound more fluent in English. By gaining the knowledge and skill of proper pronunciation, an ESL student can come across at a much higher level of English ability and intelligence. However, this is easier said than done. In South Korea, for example, certain sounds aren’t used in their language but are used in English. Because these...  [Read more]