What Is Student Centered Teaching

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There is no one way to teach English online, there are programs where the teacher doesn’t have to do much aside from showing up given that the lessons are pre-planned like with Qkids and VIPKid, which I’ll call company-centered programs because the company sets the curriculum. While other programs, such italki, and Palfish, rely on teacher-created lesson plans, which may be more stressful for the teacher, but ultimately are a great boon for the students they teach as the lessons can be tailored to each student, I’ll refer to them as teacher-centered programs because of that. Each has its merits and I will discuss some of them here for you now. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate...  [Read more]

Zareena Younis Alumni Experiences Teachers in the Middle East are used to the traditional method of teaching, the teacher-centered approach, because this way is easier to manage the class, and it is what they are used to. However, over the last few years, there has been a greater shift towards the student-centered approach, which is still new for both teachers and students. The traditional way of learning starts with memorization, the lower level of Bloom’s taxonomy, and focuses on “learning to pass” rather than being able to independently use the knowledge in the long term. Thus, the teacher is the focal point of the class, and the student’s role is secondary. The teacher will prepare the lesson based on content to cover and not...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The teaching techniques and approaches, as well as activities that teachers employ in teaching in the classroom, is known as teaching style (Cooper, 2001). Grasha (2002) defines teaching style as the continuous and steady actions of teachers in their relationship with students in the course of teaching-and-learning. Jarvis (2004) considers teaching style as containing “evidence of beliefs about values related to and attitudes toward all the elements of the teaching-learning exchange" (p. 40). Teachers' styles of teaching represent their behavior in the classroom. These definitions indicate that teaching styles are the methods, activities, and approaches that are employed by a teacher in the classroom or “the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Nowadays being a teacher means more than just executing lesson plans while standing up at the front of the class giving explanations; we were used to this type of teacher when the traditional schools were “teacher-centered” so the students assumed a passive and quiet way to access the knowledge. It seemed not worked out well regarding English as a second language learning, and for this reason, most schools adopted a more “student-centered” approach in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Aline S. The “student-centered” approach occurs when the teacher gives students choice and voice and finds ways to provide a learning environment where the interests of students...  [Read more]

  In the TEFL review, Matt describes how he was living and working as an English teacher in Japan when his employer asked him to get TEFL certified which he did through an online TEFL course with ITTT. Policy changes around the world mean that many countries now require their English teachers to have at least a 120-hour TEFL/TESOL certificate. ITTT's online courses are a great way to gain certification without having to take time off work. 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...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word hidebound. This word refers to an unwillingness to change because of a tradition. Some synonyms for hidebound include conservative, conventional and reactionary. 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 correlated with what I learned in my Early Childhood Education degree. This unit gave a variety of ways to arrange a classroom as well as how to use your body language and voice to build...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Cooperative learning is one of the successful methods of teaching that enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills. Moreover, it encourages the learners to be more dependant and use their language effectively. Hadassah Roberts Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas As an English teacher, you may find yourself accepting the call to teach in a remote village or town in any part of the world where the inhabitants are more or less secluded from urban society. Often you may also find that the house you move into is a dry cabin. Zareena Younis Alumni Experiences ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this article, our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on similarities of teaching business students and adults. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the most common issues faced by Chinese students in English learning. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Parents can give a hand to their students in ESL learning. Our TEFL graduate explains how. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This article contains information on the important classroom management skills. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Our TEFL graduate explains what roles and responsibilities a teacher fulfills in the classroom. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the most common issues faced by Chinese students in English learning. Maria del Carme Domínguez Félez TEFL Information Alumni Experiences The main aim of the TEFL course is no other than to present you with a wide range of options that you can incorporate in your teaching. This goes from learning how to effectively manage a classroom, planning a lesson, or coming up with new games to learning that the methodology and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas People might think that teachers' job is easy and anyone can do it as effectively as they can. In reality, they have lots of duties and responsibilities to play and fulfill. In fact, teachers play a very special role in education. The education system wouldn't be possible without them. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Julie Ann P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Even before the class starts, teachers are PLANNERS and DESIGNERS. They plan for every day's lessons and design activities that will be effective for his/her students. This requires time and careful designing. If the plan is not carefully made, the whole lesson will...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This unit tells us about how to be an effective teacher, what are the skills and characteristics that the Teacher should have and responsibility that is putting on to their shoulders. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joan G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The very first question that you will probably read about is, what makes a good teacher? Here they had conducted a surveyed to some of the teachers and students to get their opinion and the most common answer that they got is about teacher personality. While some say about the relationship between the student and the teacher. There are a lot of answers but a simple and...  [Read more]

Shakira Moss TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Do you want to work as a teacher? These 7 tips to prevent confusion for your students will make a huge difference in your classroom! Estefany Garduño Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, we discover the world of teaching English for Specific Purposes, in short ESP. Estefany Garduño Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas If you are a teacher of English as a foreign language, this article is perfect for you! Read on to find out more about different learning styles and the multiple...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences I have been a teacher with 51 Talk for three years now and to improve my career and teaching skills I have learned some things on this TEFL course that will help me brush up my skills in teaching. Though I have been a teacher’s aid before, as well as a bright student who used to tutor others during my school years, it was now that I realized how hard teachers used to work for us to become good learners in school and understand the subjects. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Saba S. Also read My Experience Taking the 50-hour Teaching English to Young Learners TEFL Course from ITTT I used to not really like tests that much but now I realize how important they are for teachers to learn about where...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Traditionally, education in the classroom has largely employed a teacher-centred approach. Focus is on the teacher who talks, rather than on the students, who exclusively listen and are discouraged from collaboration. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Christie T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In recent years, however, more emphasis has been given to student-centred education: instructors share classroom talk time with learners, allowing them to communicate with their teacher and each other. By minimizing teacher domination and increasing student speaking time, students have a chance to direct their learning and build their...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As a new teacher, grammar was initially very difficult for me to teach. It was difficult to demonstrate grammar patterns succinctly. Luckily, the school that I work for has provided help by having an established curriculum. The key to teaching grammar, however, has been teaching variable inputs in otherwise unchanging structures as part of student-centered games. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Stephen W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. If I were to teach the pattern, “What does Billy like?/ He likes _____”, then I would have several options. I could read the pattern and have the students listen. This would be ineffective...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There is no doubt that a teacher plays a vital role in the classroom. To become a good teacher, the teacher should pay full attention to their teaching and students’ learning. In particular, teachers serve many different roles in the classroom rather than just convey linguistic lessons such as Controller, Organizer, Assessor, Prompter, Participant, Tutor, Resource, Model, and Observer. Over the years, there are a great number of changes in the teaching approach along with the learning strategies. The classroom becomes ‘student-centered’ rather than ‘teacher-centered’. This will largely depend on which type of activity and what we wish the students to achieve. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching a real class, first, we need to mention the rapport between teachers and students. What makes a good teacher and a good learner are tend to be “student-centered” class than “teacher-centered”, which means teachers’ talking time is less than students’. Being a good teacher will always remind and encourage learners about their learning motivations and interests. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Crystal D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Before teaching a class, we need to plan a class and what you expect students to achieve by the end of the class. In a lesson plan, we need a learning objective what do you...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teachers are facilitators of student learning and creators of the productive classroom environment. A good teacher has effective discipline skills and can promote positive behaviors and change in the classroom. A great teacher has the classroom management skills and can ensure good student behavior, effective work and study habits and over the sense of respect in the classroom. Teachers set the class of their classroom, build a warm environment, mentor and nurture students, become role models, and listen and look for signs of trouble. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ancy T. As the airline safety videos say: Put on your mask first. To learn effectively, your students need a healthy you,...  [Read more]

Ahmed Taha Alumni Experiences What is effective learning? After context and objectives have been developed, the word "effective" makes sense. When is it most effective? What is it that makes it effective? Who is it that says this? The students? The teacher? Learning is a reflective process that allows a learner to use prior experience to understand and analyze the present in order to influence potential behavior and form new information. (Watkins, p.1, 2002) Some meanings of learning consider it to be a passive method of knowledge acquisition that is evaluated by tasks. Learning is a process that requires both reflection and assessment. The model can be used to explain the process of a single learner actively making sense of a learning...  [Read more]

Mudita Yajnik TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Classroom setup is an important part of setting up a welcoming and friendly environment. It is the foundation on which a teacher can build strong relationships with their students, and build a more student-centered class while incorporating their passions into their work. The way a classroom is set up is a great first impression for students, which means it’s important for teachers to put in an effort to make their classroom a welcoming environment. Moreover, a fun classroom set up can reflect your personality or what you’re passionate about as a teacher, and it can be a fun way to introduce yourself to the students. Even having speakers so that you can play music in 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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas For this task, I have selected the course structure. As a teacher, a lot goes into the daily operation of the classroom. They need to consider their classroom setup, their management style, and the students they will teach. However, one very important facet of teaching is lesson design and teaching students appropriate standards to help them in their English acquisition. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Heejeong K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Even though there are lots of teaching methodologies such as grammar-translation, audio-lingual approaches, task-based learning and PPP (presentation, practice, and production), it...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This is a subject that many have spoken of at length before however new perspectives are put forward all the time which can and do have positive outcomes. This can happen even in an area such as “student motivation”. This is an area that has been under the academic microscope as far back as we can remember. I will now put forward my perspectives and hopefully add something new to the equation. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Padraig O B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I would like to complete an assignment encompassing all areas that affect student motivation which may include but not exclusively: genetics (nature),...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Every fresh teacher, once starting his or her career, has this question: how should I teach English? What is the best way to organize my classes to make sure students would not be bored and learn something? And how to keep them motivated and enjoy every lesson? I did have all these questions at the beginning of my teaching career, and by trials and errors, I found the approach this TEFL course is based on – ESA. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Angelina G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. My English journey began long before I became a teacher myself - as an ESL student. However, my own experience was not that enjoyable:...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas ‘You can only give what you have’, so the adage by Leo Buscaglia says, likewise the holy lore brings it out as well to emphasize the truth in it. This is true when it comes to teaching. The teacher can rightly or wrongly offer what he/she has or has not. In a class setting, the teacher is often expected to be in the frontline at all times by the learners. The various activities that are geared towards helping the learners achieve their goals or dreams in an institution of learning all depend on the input of the teacher or properly called the role of the teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate David K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Education is one of the most important bricks at the foundation of every society and high-quality education can only be achieved with the help of well-prepared teachers who care about the learning of their students. A teacher should not only master and constantly be up to date with the changes in the field of the subject he/she is teaching but also be able to convey his/her message in such a way that the students understand and enjoy. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Catalina T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Depending on the stage of the lesson and the type of activity, lessons can be more student-centered or more...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Grammar is a very important piece of learning English. Students need grammar as it gives them a handle on the language, helps them to become reflective of the language and to build fluency. The goal of a grammar lesson is to present the grammar, help the students comprehend the main points and to move into practice, which starts as controlled practice and passes to free practice. The goal for the students is to develop fluency through the grammar structure, presenting the grammar in a meaningful context. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Natalja S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It is important to set up the grammar and the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences What is the role of the teacher in English learning? Although ‘teacher-centered education’ was taught in the past, ‘student-centered education’ is more emphasized in the modern era. Accordingly, the role of the teacher is also changing from the teacher who delivers the knowledge of the subject to the teacher who facilitates students’ successful learning. It is important to recognize that teaching and learning are an integral part of each other. (Harmer, 2007). Teaching practice should not be simply ‘one-way’ delivery of knowledge to students. Teachers should play a role in motivating students to participate in learning. A variety of learning methods should be tried to enjoy the process of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences According to the Oxford Dictionary, motivation is 'the desire or willingness to do something.' On the one hand, most of the students who take a foreign language course should have the desire and enthusiasm to learn and develop their skills in that second language; for future career prospects, travel purposes, to study or live in a country whose local language is different from their mother tongue, etc. On the other hand, a few of them won’t have any interest at all and they will attend the lessons with neither intention nor motivation. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ruben Garrido G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Lesson planning is, at least to some degree, a vital function of teaching. The degree to which a lesson plan is necessary is often directly proportional to the teaching experience of the teacher. The less experience the teacher has the more necessary and beneficial the lesson plan is and vice versa. Lesson plans give the class structure, hold the teacher accountable, and function as a helpful aide, overall adding to the effectiveness of the class and the student’s opportunity to learn. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Katie A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Unit 9 from this course points out that lesson plans can range...  [Read more]