What Is Accuracy In Reading

  Before we move on to the planning of a lesson for speaking skills, something that we need to look at first is the idea of the accuracy versus the fluency of speaking. Accuracy relates to the correct usage of grammar and vocabulary, whereas fluency relates to our ability to continue speaking without any interruption. Now, ultimately within a whole ESA lesson or within language learning itself fluency and accuracy are equally important. Within an ESA lesson, however, depending upon which stage we're at in that lesson, then we're either focusing on accuracy or we're focusing on fluency. Remember in the ESA lesson, in the study phase, this is where we're looking at the target language where we're doing our language learning, so it's very important in this stage that we focus on the...  [Read more]

  Greg took the 120-hour online TESOL course with ITTT to improve his teaching abilities. In his TESOL review video, Greg introduces us to some of his English students from all over Latin America and shows us some of the resources he is using in his lessons. Greg and his students seem very happy to be teaching and learning English together. 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. In this unit I was able to review the basic parts of speech and what each...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Communication is essential for everyday life activities. It's impossible not to communicate. Even when you don't speak a word, you communicate. That's because communication represents the way we express put thoughts, our ideas, and our opinions. It is as much about effective listening and reading as it is about speaking and writing. Communication is built on these four important skills which are divided into Productive Skills (speaking and writing) and Receptive Skills (reading and listening). This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Valentina D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Of the four skills, speaking is the most important but...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching skills in the classroom can be a very challenging experience, but it is essential (at least for any English teacher) to learn how to do it properly and effectively. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lucas B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As it was shown in the Units 7 and 8 of this ‘60-hour’ ITTT course, there are 4 (four) basic skills in the English language (and in any other language as well), and these skills are divided into two groups: Receptive skills, which include reading and listening. And productive skills, which include speaking and writing. Both groups (and all of the skills) are very important and...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Most TEFL interviews are now conducted online. Whilst it is very important to think about what questions you may be asked and how you will answer them, of equal importance is being correctly physically set up for the interview. Here we will consider some of the major factors you need to consider before you say, “Hello”. Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post explores what criteria should be used to evaluate activities in an ESL classroom. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the most...  [Read more]

Amanda Stern Alumni Experiences Globalization has been changing our world. Once foreign cultures have become more and more familiar, and some even hit the global mainstream, such as Bollywood film and the recent wave of K-pop. One thing aiding in bridging this gap would be the rise of interest in bilingualism and multilingualism. Many children are in education systems where a second language is mandatory to study from a young age. For example, In Canada, my home country, French is taught in the Anglophone provinces from grade 4 (about 10 years of age). In Japan, my current address, the English curriculum is changing, and now students will begin learning from 三年生 sannensei, about 9 years of age. Of course, many more curriculums of multitudes...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Productivity could be described as what someone or something creates or in other words produces. In the world of education, and reference to students, most tangible progress can be seen and heard through two specific means of production, the productive skills of speaking and writing. However, it is important to ask, how important are these productive skills? From the perspective of the teacher, they must understand that in the instances that individuals wish to converse with one another there is a cause, they have a purpose, a need to say something, a need to listen to something, or they are interested in what is being said. (ITTT, 2011) When a teacher can understand this, they can conjure and create a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The above is a topic that I want to particularly used to teaching reading to young learners. There are some points given below, they are. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Angeline J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Children's songs and nursery rhymes aren't just a lot of fun—the rhyme and rhythm help kids to hear the sounds and syllables in words, which helps them learn to read. A good way to build phonemic awareness (one of the most important skills in learning to read) is to clap rhythmically together and recite songs in unison. This playful and bonding activity is a fantastic way for kids to implicitly develop the...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In this blog we will consider how best to use the teaching material course book that often accompanies a course. There are a number of stategies we can adopt to get the most out of the book in different situations. You should try to use these books to help you create a balanced lesson in terms of the range of skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) that are being taught and the actual types of lesson material such as the grammar or vocabulary. Secondly don't use them all the time, particularly with things like suggested activities, we can create our own materials and we can tailor those materials much more specifically to the actual class that we're teaching. Very often...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas In this blog we will consider how best to use the teaching material course book that often accompanies a course. There are a number of stategies we can adopt to get the most out of the book in different situations. ### Watch the video about this topic There are a number of factors that you should take into consideration when using ESL teaching course books. You should try to use these books to help you create a balanced lesson in terms of the range of skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) that are being taught and the actual types of lesson material such as the grammar or vocabulary. Secondly don't use them all the time, particularly with things like suggested activities, we can create our own materials...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The study stage, when the teaching is actually done, is the second phase of a straight-arrow ESA lesson plan. What needs to be taught in this stage depends on the course content and the source the teacher is expected to cover through a specific period. But generally speaking, languages are made of receptive and productive skills in addition to systems like syntax or grammar, vocabulary or lexis, and phonology. The content of textbooks is normally centered around these areas. Although the ESA method is supposed to be applied for almost every lesson, no matter if it is allocated to a skill or system, the details of the procedure may vary based on the aspect of language that is...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post explores what criteria should be used to evaluate activities in an ESL classroom. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the most important concepts to cover in the use of the board is that of “dead time”. This is the time we are writing on the board and nothing is being said. Here we look at 7 top tips to reduce the dead time to a minimum. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In any lesson the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are important. When we focus our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching skills can be summarized in four key concepts: communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Of course, when describing these skills we aren’t just talking about teaching English but these skills can be used to prepare students in order to be able to express and communicate themselves independently and with groups in a globalized world as well as being capable to be adaptive, flexible and think creatively. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jorge P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. This might go beyond the basics of the English language classroom but teachers are not just teaching a language or a...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post explores what criteria should be used to evaluate activities in an ESL classroom. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the most important concepts to cover in the use of the board is that of “dead time”. This is the time we are writing on the board and nothing is being said. Here we look at 7 top tips to reduce the dead time to a minimum. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In any lesson the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are important. When we focus our...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog post explores what criteria should be used to evaluate activities in an ESL classroom. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas One of the most important concepts to cover in the use of the board is that of “dead time”. This is the time we are writing on the board and nothing is being said. Here we look at 7 top tips to reduce the dead time to a minimum. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In any lesson the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are important. When we focus our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning a new language is an inherently challenging task. One important way for ESL teachers to help beginner students learn English is to focus not only on teaching language concepts but on building their confidence to experiment with the language and persist with their learning. This essay will firstly examine why building confidence is important in ESL teaching, and different strategies teachers can employ to do this, including how they interact with students and the content they choose for classes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Emily U. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Different groups of beginner learners might be...  [Read more]

  Teaching English in South Korea has become increasingly popular over the last decade and it is no secret that the country offers some of the best salaries for foreign teachers to be found anywhere in the world. English teachers in Korea can expect to earn between $1,500 and $3,000 US per month and it is certainly possible to save up to half of this depending on your lifestyle. On top of the basic salary you can also expect other benefits such as paid airfares, free housing and an end of contract bonus. Unsurprisingly, the high salaries and good benefits on offer have led to a high level of competition for the best jobs. If you have any teaching qualifications and experience in the classroom, you will find you have the pick of the available jobs. However, thanks to a continually...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Being able to listen and read is an indispensable part of being a fluent user of the English language. I have been teaching business English since 1993 and know that the primary tasks of my students are acquiring exposure to the English-speaking business environment, immersing themselves in anglophone culture and being able to comprehend complex ideas in their professional fields through different media. As broadband Internet connection becomes ever more pervasive, students are switching from printed information sources to video and text content available online. Learners’ increasing demands represent an even greater challenge for me as an EFL tutor. The question then becomes, how do I tackle this challenge in my...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the realm of English language learning, whether grammar is important or to what extent grammar should be learned has been the most debatable topic. As a non-native English speaker, the questions alike once have been circling in my mind like the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy uttered by Prince Hamlet. Compare to practice speaking, listening, and memorize vocabulary, learning grammar appears to receive less emphasis. Is it true learning grammar is not that important? Of course not! When it comes to a second language or foreign language acquisition, learning grammar is extremely vital. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Chiang M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Admittedly, learning grammar may not be the most appealing part when learning a new language. It usually connects with conjugations, tenses and in some languages, the position of the verbs, for example, German. Grammar itself can cause a huge problem for both the teacher and students to carry out the language class smoothly. People might argue that unconscious imitation is the best approach to learning a language since it is the most natural way. I would like to say this is the idealist method. Truth speaking, not many students are able to enjoy the bilingual or even multi-lingual background. Moreover, even with the mother tongue, people will encounter grammar courses in school. This essay focuses on the...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Lesson planning is vital to ensure a smooth lesson. If you are new to teaching English as a foreign language, lesson planning might seem daunting at first. However, after reading through this comprehensive guide, you should already feel a lot more confident! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Betty S. A lesson plan is like a set of notes. It tells us what we are going to teach and how we are going to teach. A lesson plan is important because of several reasons. Mainly, it is a road map to help the teacher know where s/he is going in the lesson. With a lesson plan teachers are more confident because they know what to do in every step of the lesson. It provides a systematic outline to induce...  [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]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When you teach English as a foreign language it’s important to pay attention to details that we sometimes ignore when communicating with other native level speakers, either in spoken or written English. Some people have got into the habit of writing in uppercase/capital letters, use abbreviations, and don’t think much about punctuation. We also tend not to be too critical of people’s spoken English as long as we get the point across. ‘There’s a lot of cars on the road today’ is grammatically incorrect for example. We also tend to enjoy speaking when we should be letting others speak. This is a particular issue in the classroom when you should be maximizing student talk time and minimizing yours. Here are...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas In this blog post on crucial teaching skills we will look at the specific skills of: Pronunciation, Grammar knowledge and Teaching methodology. Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Ice breakers as the name implies are activities (often games) used to introduce the teacher to the students, to each other and vice-verca. These activities allow the group to get to know each other in a friendly, fun atmosphere as we will describe. Ice breakers can be used for all levels of ESL student. Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning is always hard especially learning something new such as English learning. English is a different new language compared with Chinese, so when we are learning, definitely we will meet all kinds of difficulties in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate XIAO J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Due to the lack of vocabulary, beginners can not get the main idea of a story. They usually expect to know every single word and if they miss some words, they will become extremely nervous so that they lose their confidence at all. The best way to avoid it is to pre-teach some potentially...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas For this Summative Task, I will be discussing the topic of teaching productive skills in the classroom. As opposed to receptive skills learned previously (reading and listening), productive skills focus on speaking and writing. Regarding writing, this function of language education is often the most neglected in the TEFL world, due firstly, to the fact that teachers and students don't want to monopolize class time with quiet individually driven work. Writing skills are mostly practiced in the form of homework which can often be neglected and completed without necessary focus and effort. Concerning speaking, this function requires a higher deal of language fluency as well as an understanding of the accent and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas For many years, drilling has been used in foreign language classrooms. This approach to language teaching places an emphasis on repeating structural patterns through oral practice. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jazmin W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When using the technique of drilling, if used appropriately, it can be a very productive and proactive way for students to memorize and retain vocabulary and structural context within a sentence. It could be argued that when learning a foreign language, the thought that repeating phrases correctly lots of times can lead to master that language. Yet, it dials down to a far...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Lesson planning is an indispensable part of successful lessons. Generally speaking, lesson plans have various functions that are conducive to the classes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Juan W. First and most importantly, lesson plans can help teachers think and deliver classes logically through different stages of the classes. It can also give teachers hints needed. When teachers plan lessons, there are several aspects that need to be taken into consideration, such as lesson objectives, possible difficulties and skill and so on. Second, It’s a record of classes that have been done and materials have been used. On the one hand, even though teachers have good memory, it is almost impossible...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Out of all the methods of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language, the ESA-structured lessons are the most productive with a balance of teacher instruction and student practice time. This method often includes others such as audio-bilingualism (drilling techniques), PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production), and task-based learning; but offering a wide variety of techniques within one method is the beauty of the Engage-Study-Activate lesson model. This lesson model has many benefits for students of English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first part of this lesson model is the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Out of all the methods of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language, the ESA-structured lessons are the most productive with a balance of teacher instruction and student practice time. This method often includes others such as audio-lingualism (drilling techniques), PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production), and task-based learning; but offering a wide variety of techniques within one method is the beauty of the Engage-Study-Activate lesson model. This lesson model has many benefits for students of English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first part of this lesson model is the...  [Read more]