TEFL Wind Point Village

  Another point that students find difficult to understand is that modal auxiliary verbs have no tense. Some modals cannot be used to talk about the past or the futures. Watch this video to find out more about this topic. 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. The descriptions and comparisons of the various tests available was interesting and helped me understand how and when each should be used. I didn't know about the many external exams that...  [Read more]

  Before we move on to the final methodology for today, let's just recap and see where we are at this point in time. We're looking at different learning methodologies. Each of those methodologies takes its premise from being somewhere on this particular spectrum of ?nature versus nurture? and where we are on this spectrum gives us a starting point for the background or theory to that particular methodology. So, we?ve had a look starting in the 17th century and the classical method and moving on as the ideas of psychology developed to various methods, such as audiolingualism, the silent way, Suggestopedia and TPR. Each of these showing a development as knowledge about learning increased and each of these takes a different starting point on our English spectrum. Below you can read...  [Read more]

  "In terms of the things that are negative about it, we've already said that it doesn't develop speaking but perhaps the biggest negative point about this particular methodology is that it's very unnatural. Ok, so despite the criticisms of this particular method, and particularly the fact that is unnatural, this particular methodology was in use all the way through the 17th, 18th and 19th century and indeed it's still in use today. However, Gouin in the 1880s and Berlitz in the early 1900s decided that this particular methodology was so unnatural that they wanted to come up with something new. The method that they came up with, they called the direct method. You will also sometimes see it as the natural method. What these two people were saying is that if we wish to learn a...  [Read more]

  So, we'll focus first of all on a speaking skills lesson and perhaps a starting point for this would be to ask a question which is: Why do we speak to each other? The reason that it's important to ask ourselves this question is that whatever answers there are to this should be present in our lessons. So, why do we speak to each other? Well, there are a multitude of answers to that but when you boil them all down to their essence, they probably actually come down to one or two things. We communicate to each other by speaking because of either a need. We need something. We want something or a desire to achieve something. 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...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching speaking skills is an important part of an ESL class. Sometimes, entire conversation classes are established that focus solely on speaking. Here are 7 great games for your ESL conversation class. Write down the names and key points about five celebrities and assign them to the same amount of students in your classroom. One by one, a student enters a “party” with another student playing the host. The host must then find out the identity of each guest by having a conversation with everyone. Have your students stand in a circle. Choose a specific grammar point and have the first person asks a question using the grammar structure. The student then throws a ball to another student who answers the question...  [Read more]

  So, the document itself needs to contain some general information about the class, for example the name of the teacher, the date and time of the lesson, what level of class is being taught and in what room, how many students are we expecting, this is important, when we've got things like photocopying and materials to do, what is the context of the lesson, in other words, what is the lesson actually about, what vocabulary or grammar point is this lesson covering and sometimes it's also useful to write out what the focus of the lesson is. So, in effect, the context of the lesson is telling us the grammar point, for example, that might be the present continuous tense, whereas the focus is telling us how we're going to go about teaching it. Another example to illustrate this: Let's...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This blog post is devoted to the problem of motivation. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on how to increase motivation in the classroom. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our TEFL graduate considers some common challenges that students from Japan face when learning English. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Student-teacher relationship play an important role in the learning process. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on the point. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Business English is extremely...  [Read more]

Enrol on our ITTT course in the USA and experience learning and living in the richest and most powerful country on earth. With a diverse culture, beautiful and varied landscapes, magical cities and warm, friendly people, this really is an exciting place in which to take our TEFL course. The many immigrants pouring into the country each day and throughout recent history provide it with a diverse cultural heritage and a huge sense of national pride. New adventures await every visitor to this wonderful country also known as the ‘land of the free’. This country has a real need for quality English language teachers and those of you who choose to take our internationally renowned course here should have no difficulty finding employment following successful completion of the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Lesson planning is not a task that should be taken lightly; it is the foundation for all EFL classes and plays a significant part in determining how successful students will be. While motivation and desire to learn are factors in each student’s success, a good teacher should be able to inspire motivation through interesting and student-centered lessons. However, this can only be achieved through careful consideration of all lessons. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Natalie M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First, teachers need to understand the general format for EFL lessons. Lessons should always begin with an Engage...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information In the teaching of productive skills and the teaching of receptive skills activities will usually involve some form of game and our consideration here will be the use of games in the classroom. We can start with a definition of what we actually mean by a game and basically this has three components. 1) Has rules 2) Should have (for its use in the classroom) a teaching point 3) Should include an element of fun So that will be our working definition for a game that we are going to use in the classroom. There are many different types of games and they range between the competitive, where we are working individually or as a team against others. Or those that are co-operative, requiring people to work together as...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Are there any challenges for ESL students when it comes to variants of English? In this blog post, our TEFL graduate considers American and British English and how it influences the learners of general English. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Student-teacher relationship play an important role in the learning process. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on the point. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Do you think drilling is a useful technique? Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Business...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When teaching young learners, it’s important not to spend too much time on any one activity as they can soon lose interest. It is also a good idea to have activities that give younger learners the chance to move about and use the boundless energy they have at that age. Below we present a list of short activities suitable for young and very young learners of English. This is a good activity for practicing time with small classes. Clear a space in the center of the classroom and have a student stand in front of the board with their back to the class, this person is the wolf and the rest of the class stand at the back of the room. For each turn, the class asks the wolf ‘What's the time, Mr. Wolf?’ and the wolf...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas You are already back after the summer vacation and students should be excited to start a new semester full of interesting activities. But how to impress them from the very beginning if they barely know you? The answer is this: choose one of these stylish outfits and sway into your TEFL teaching like a superstar! If you are an EFL teacher in a university or a high school, this outfit is what you need. These styles perfectly correspond with the atmosphere of institutions like this. Plus, neat-looking teachers are always admired by parents, especially in modest Asian cultures. For a really elegant, classy look choose basic items in pastel colors with classic cuts and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards on its own is an easy method to apply when teaching beginners, teenagers even adults because they can match the words to the pictures and it's an easy way to remember new vocabulary. I think this is the best way of acquiring a new word of a second language because identification and recognition is the key. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sombong V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The whole class can take part in this activity. The objective is to use sight words to make up questions. How to play: Photocopy and cut apart the word and picture cards. Layout the word cards face up. Mix up the picture cards and place...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas “Who wants to play a game?” I would ask my students this question whenever I start a lesson. The resounding answer would always be, “Me!” In all my years of teaching, I have yet to see a student refuse to play a game. Games are effective teaching tools because it makes learning interesting and fun. I can tell you more reasons why games are good for teaching. Now let me give at least six of them. Firstly, games make you practice a lot. As the saying goes, ‘practice makes perfect.’ In everything you do, whenever you play a game over and over, your mind gets better at it too. For example, when students play ‘Boggle,’ they have acquired many three- and four-letter words by playing numerous times. When...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences The two TEFL courses I took with ITTT provided a comprehensive coverage of English teaching to non-native speakers. The 50-hour young learners course and the 120-hour TEFL course taught language points such as grammar and tense structure. The courses also went into depth on topics related to teaching English such as classroom management and lesson preparation. These aspects are very important to teaching English as well as mastering the English language itself. A skilled teacher must know how to handle different types of classes. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Jeffrey G. This course explained how teaching English requires vastly different methodologies depending on who is being taught. For example,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In today's emphasis on quality education and the development of communicative competence in English, "English grammar "seems to be a big taboo when talking about English teaching. Most English teachers feel comfortable teaching a conversation lesson or a lesson that integrates other skills such as listening, reading, or writing. They show creativity in those lessons and include various ideas to help students improve their language skills. how ever this, however, more difficult when teaching a grammar topic. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Zhang Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The goal of grammar lessons is to present the...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Two years ago, I found myself in a remote village deep into the Himalayan Mountains in northern India. I had traveled there with the intention of volunteering in a daycare center in a Thibetan village. When I got there, I was informed that the daycare did not need help, but would I be willing to teach English to the monastery's young monks? I was very nervous at first, as I had no experience with this! Seeing their need, however, I reluctantly agreed. So I spent the next three months teaching what I could, however I could, albeit in a very disjointed and unknowledgeable way. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Char H. Please...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards are considered to be an effective means to introduce new vocabulary in the ESL classroom. They are vivid, easy-to-use and they are considered to stimulate active recall method which helps us to retain the vocabulary for long periods. Some teachers consider that flashcards can to be used for young learners only. In my opinion, even adults will benefit from using flashcards. They can help to reduce TTT while introducing new vocabulary, can be used as a revision activity, and when adapted, can even be applied to practice vocabulary in complex grammar structures. Flashcards are easy to find. You can buy ready-made flashcards, use cutouts from old magazines or draw your flashcards. You can even ask your...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas To be an excellent English teacher, who has the most potential for a long term successful career as an English teacher, I believe numerous personal qualities are important, if not necessary, to have. The thoughts laid out here are my opinion, based on teachers I have had in the past, as well as more specifically, the type of qualities in a teacher that I think would help to make learning English as a foreign language more easy, enjoyable, and effective, were I a foreign student learning English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rio R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For a teacher to have a friendly way about them, a quick...  [Read more]

Join our TEFL course in Peru and experience life at the nexus of prehistory and modern culture. Cusco is undoubtedly one of the best locations to take your TEFL course in South America. As if that isn't enough, once your course is finished, we will provide you with lifetime assistance finding employment. Teaching English in Peru is a great experience and our TEFL course in Cusco has proved to be increasingly popular. Considered the gateway to Machu Picchu, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Cusco is a wonderful city to visit and explore. Though many people think of it as a small village, Cusco is actually a bustling city of 400,000 people. There is a plethora of museums, markets, cultural and historical sites within the city limits that are easily accessible and visited....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas People say that language is a tree and the vocabulary is the leaf of that tree. Therefore teaching vocabulary items are indeed an essential part of any English learners’ growth. Especially for younger students, who are motivated to learn the basic words, they need to get by in the language. There are many different ways to teach vocabulary. Using flashcards is one of the most suitable media in teaching vocabulary. Because learners can easily memorize and understand the meaning of vocabulary through flashcards. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Huong Hoang T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Students sit in a circle with a...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas We all know what it’s like to teach a class with reluctant students who don’t want to talk. It’s like pulling teeth. However, with these 7 awesome ESL conversation activities, you can really get your students talking! For this activity, you simply use a tumbling block game such as Jenga and write 1 simple ice breaker question on each block. Before a student places a block on the stack, they must first answer the question on the block. This activity is especially great for small ESL classes or for small groups in a big class. Also Read: The 5 Best Ways To Build Rapport With Your TEFL Students First, take a few minutes to brainstorm characteristics a person might have. This could be something like “has flown in...  [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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the problem of effective classroom management. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this article, our TEFL graduate contemplates upon the problem of classroom management influencing students progress. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post was written by our TEFL graduate who shares their thoughts on the problem of classroom management. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post overviews the problem of classroom materials. Our TEFL graduate shares their...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas During my career as an educator, I have had the opportunity to teach English as a second language using both classroom and private tutoring platforms. My undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison led me to a major in Communications. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One course, in particular, required an internship at a local elementary school where I worked with students of diverse backgrounds. Although I had not majored in education at the university, that one course inspired my desire to teach, especially to children who had language barriers. Before college I...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review, Athena talks about her experience on ITTT’s online TEFL course. Athena completed the 20 units of the course over a period of 3 weeks. Athena chose to do the online course because she was already working as a teacher and she needed to be able to fit her studying around her job. 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. This unit was about productive skills which are speaking and writing. I learned about guidelines for...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas We are moving closer to becoming a Global Village in this more inclusive and competitive world, the need to be able to communicate effectively becomes a real necessity. Communicating effectively is no longer a nice to have skill but it is now becoming essential. Due to historical facts and the current geopolitical situation English has become the language of choice to progress, it is particularly and increasingly used in business, tourism, and social media environments. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shaun Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. English is a recognized global language whether it is a first language as in the UK...  [Read more]

  The next item that we're going to consider is the use of resource books. There are many different types of resource books available and within those books there tends to be a general pattern and typically the resource book pack will come in a three book series and typically that three book series will be in the form of the student book, a workbook and a teacher's resource book. So for example here are those three books for this particular series called ?Total English? and in the student book the type of information that we can gain from here is the actual background to the teaching points themselves plus some additional information in terms of short worksheets and so on and so forth and tape transcripts at the end for listening activities, which these days often come on a CD...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post was written by our TEFL graduate. It explains several points important for classroom management. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This article is devoted to the problem of teaching phonetics. Our TEFL student shares their point of view. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this article, our TEFL student tells about their experience of working with Chinese learners. They explain some common challenges Chinese people have when learning English. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our TEFL graduate expresses their...  [Read more]