What It Takes To Be A Teacher

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 Being a teacher is an art that should be learned with a lot of patience, devotion and a great wish. It should embrace many years of constant self – development, training, willingness for knowledge, stable mind and character. It is an interesting profession that takes time and experience to achieve and accomplish. It is not only about finishing a degree in teaching, but it is also a psychological lifetime training. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tatiana P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As a teacher, I can state that working with people is interesting and difficult at the same time, especially when it comes to teaching....  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teachers are no different from anyone else when it comes to feeling nervous about embarking on a new venture. Whether it’s an inexperienced teacher walking into his/her first classroom, an experienced teacher to teach English to foreign students in a foreign country, or a person walking onto a stage to address an audience of his/her peers for the first time; they are out of their comfort zone, moving into a place that they’ve never been to before, not knowing what to expect or exactly what will happen. There is a churning feeling in the pit of their stomachs and an almost overwhelming fear of failure. The most seasoned of professionals will tell you that this nervousness never goes away completely, it just...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The role of a teacher is to help students acquire knowledge so that eventually, they can be competent in understanding and communicating in English. A good teacher is a successful teacher. The success or failure of a teacher lies not only on his/her teaching styles, but more importantly, the learning of the students. To a certain extent, the personality of the teacher may affect the learning of his/her students, but what is more indispensable is the relationship between the teacher and the students. A non-threatening relationship with the students can help to build the students’ interests in learning, and create an atmosphere that is conducive and light-hearted for learning. A good teacher is also a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Designing the syllabus of a course is one of the greatest challenges a teacher has to face and undertake way in advance to the actual implementation of the said syllabus – and before the actual beginning of any language course. When a teacher starts to plan a syllabus, he/she may not even have an exact, clear and set idea of what is expected of him/her and the students to achieve and complete during and by the end of the course. Still, planning is essential as it can save a lot of time for everyone involved, eliminate many problems, and provide the teacher with a framework and a starting point for plans and modifications. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Zalán Palotai-K. Please note that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In everyone's life, there is at least one person that can be called a teacher, and it doesn't matter who is it — our older neighbor living next door or the person standing at the blackboard in a classroom for hours and trying to give you a piece of knowledge in some way. Anyway, we get something in the result. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ivan S. The teaching profession is very difficult. Teachers are people who play a big role in the formation of personality. Any teacher needs to realize what a huge responsibility he has. He can reach out to every child, pass on his knowledge, and even become a good friend. Trying to find the answer to the question «Who is a teacher» I would...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Why complete a TEFL course? For me there was never a question, never a doubt on why I should complete this TEFL course. I want to be the best teacher possible and with the help of the TEFL course, I know I can achieve my goals. Though no substitute can be given for actual classroom experience, what I have found throughout this course is that TEFL shows and explains the core basics of nearly everything. Any topic and any subject and aspect that comes with or accompanies teaching within a classroom is covered through this course and to a degree I found to be most astonishing. Not often have I read things this accurate and with this much detail. Its reputation proceeded it well, though at times I did have my doubts....  [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 Teaching Ideas I believe the motivation of students is the most important way to get the best out of a student. It has always been an easy task but most teachers don’t take advantage of this because they do not know how to motivate, they aren’t aware of its importance and some teachers believe it takes so much time. There are two types of motivation. The extrinsic motivation which is caused by an external factor like, the fear of failure, materialistic rewards and the reputation of the student. We also have intrinsic motivation which comes from within the student like the love of knowledge, the enjoyment of the learning process and inner satisfaction. While extrinsic motivation is temporary, intrinsic motivation is...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas It is highly likely that at some point in a teacher’s career they will be faced with the task of managing the behavior of a child with additional needs. However, managing students with challenging behavior can be extremely stressful for all those involved. It is critical that when problems arise in the classroom, teachers take the appropriate steps to address any issues. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Ashleigh S. In order to effectively manage student behavior in the classroom, teachers need to be aware of the impact that the environment plays in meeting or hindering the needs of these students. The implementation of appropriate instructional strategies can also be used to assist teachers with promoting...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Being a teacher takes great responsibilities and in order for one to because a business English teacher takes a number of factors to be considered such as who will you be working for and what they expect from you, the type of environment in which you will be teaching as different places have different cultures and it is every teacher’s duty to know the dos and don’ts of an environmental culture you in and in this essay, I will talk about the teacher’s roles in teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Albright M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As a teacher, ones bears much responsibility that goes with the contract one...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Where do I begin? I have learned so much from my 60-hour TEFL course with ITTT. I have learned about everything from what it takes to become a great teacher and of course what not to do in the classroom. I also learned a lot about what makes a student a great learner. I believe this is very important as well since good learners progress more rapidly in the class. That rapid learning makes good learners and most of all more successful students. In turn that builds confidence in the teacher on behalf of the students. Of course, the teacher ends up with more confidence in their teaching abilities too. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Michael A. The goal is for the student is to learn English and I believe...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Classroom management is a topic that is so broad, so overwhelming that it’s hard to know where to begin. A group of people coming together to learn a common subject or topic under the guidance of an instructor is called a class. The people taking the instructions are called learners and the place where the instruction takes place is called the classroom. Ensuring the smooth and uninterrupted learning environment in a classroom so that teaching takes place successfully is called classroom management. Progressively I will be discussing the strategies used to achieve effective classroom management. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Modestine A. Please...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Learning the English language during adult years is a specific process when a student has reached a certain age, got some kind of profession (occupation), and decided for some specific reasons to learn (improve) English language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dinara Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For example, the first category of students I came across decided to learn the English language and attend lessons because they needed to pass a governmental exam (YDS English), which could provide public officers with certain advantages such as promotion, salary bonuses and /or appointment abroad. The second category of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences From both taking this course and my experience in teaching Japanese children English, I have seen the importance and impact of establishing rapport with students right at the start of the class. Starting from the first lesson, a teacher must establish what kind of relationship they desire to have with the students. That relationship must often be with a relaxed atmosphere where the students can feel that they are supported by the teacher. Thus from the very first lesson, the teacher must get to work on getting to know basic information about the students. What kind of interests do they have? Why are they learning English? At what level are they currently in with regards to their English skills? Knowing this...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teachers are facilitators of student learning and creators of productive classroom environments, in which students can develop the skills they might need at present or in the future. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alfonso R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. However, before we begin to understand the evolving role of an ESL teacher, let’s outline some of the most popular teacher roles. Harmer, J. states that ‘it makes more sense to describe different teacher roles and say what they are useful for, rather than make value judgments about their effectiveness.’ As a controller is in complete charge of the class, what...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The main goal of reducing teacher talk time or TTT is to have the teacher speaking less and the students engaging more. This essay will explore the benefits of doing this for the teacher and student, complications that could arise and how to deal with them, and how this can be implemented into any ESL lesson. It will cover a few key areas in an ESA lesson such as planning, questioning, student participation, silence, and instructions. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Benjamin R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One of the first things as teachers that we can do to reduce teacher talk time is to give clear instructions....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas “You speak too much in the class,” “you always finish their sentences,” “you answer back to the teens,” “the classroom is a mess,” “your lessons are boring.” That was the feedback I would usually get in college during my teaching practice. So the final questions were always the same, “When am I going to be a good teacher?” What does it take apart from reading the theory?” “Why am I failing?” In this essay, I will briefly describe some of my experiences when teaching and the struggles on the way. I will also mention the importance of applying specific methods and techniques, taking different roles and the relation between lesson planning and the material to be used in class. This post...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas A lesson plan, developed by a teacher, is a detailed description of the lesson. It can be also considered as a guide providing step-by-step the direction in which the teacher designs his/her lesson. Is it really necessary for an effective lesson? If so, What makes it so crucial? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Beste D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As mentioned above, being a teachers' route-map, a lesson plan sheds light on the procedures of teaching in a definite way. It benefits teachers in more ways. First, it maintains perfect time management. As organized teaching saves time. When a teacher comes to the class with a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Being an English teacher is a very important job and takes a special kind of person. A teacher of any kind needs to have the qualities that ensure student success otherwise they should not be in this role because it would be unfair to the students and inevitably hinder their learning experience. Some of the main qualities a good teacher should possess are creativity, patience, confidence, and supportiveness. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Paisley H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. An English teacher needs to have a good level of creativity because you cannot predict what the strengths and weaknesses of your group of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A lesson plan is a teacher working document which serves as a step by step guide that provides a detailed description of a course or what the students are supposed to learn and how effectively it can be done during lesson time. Over time there have been lots of description as to what a lesson plan should look like or how a lesson could be planed. It is very important to plan a lesson because it is very difficult for inexperienced teachers to be flexible in a lesson without a teaching guide. However, planning a lesson should be carefully done so as to avoid making the teacher less flexible to meet up with the needs of the students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mireille L. N. We...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How can I be a good teacher, that is the question that we, as prospective teachers should be working on and should never stop asking ourselves. It is important, first of all, to know what makes for a good teacher. What kind of skills do you actually need to succeed in your goal and what things should you keep in mind walking towards it. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vjorela P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. You should want to improve yourself otherwise everything else might become pointless. Be kind and patient with your students, don’t make them feel inferior, rather make them see mistakes as a way to improve and learn....  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'If I were' and 'If I was' as their usage is often confused. 'If I was' is used for things that could have happened in the past or now, for example: If I was rude, I apologize. 'If I were', however, is used when we speak about imaginary situations or things that are contrary to fact, such as here: If I were a dog, I would sleep all day. 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. Conditonals and reported speech in...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Hello and welcome, Linda here again. Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's live session. If you're listening to this as a podcast episode, thanks so much for the download. We always turn our live sessions into podcast episodes so if you're into podcasts check that out. You can find us on any podcast platform, you can just search for The TEFL and TESOL Podcast from ITTT. We are live on Facebook and on YouTube as always, so thanks so much for tuning in. I see there are a lot of people joining. What we're going to do today is I am going to show you what it looks like when you take an online TEFL course with ITTT. I’m just making sure that everything works properly because I need to share my screen and show you...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Being an aspiring online teacher, I have done some extensive research on how to properly teach online to ensure that my students are learning to the nest of their ability. One of the subjects I was most interested in learning about was what different types of techniques can I utilize while teaching online? While going through the courses and different units, as well as, some online research I have come across five different techniques that I believe online must know. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Danielle C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One technique that I would recommend online teachers to try is initializing a flipped...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Lesson plans are a guiding document created by teachers for a specific learning objective for a target group of learners. Lesson plans are essential to every teacher, whether you teach young learners just starting or adult students business language. Lesson plans are necessary because they are a guided plan, visual and written documentation to work from, and a historical record. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jennifer C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Lesson plans are guided plans created for your specific students. It starts with a learning...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences As an English teacher, we have to learn many ways of teaching. One of the most important skills is to learn how to plan a lesson. For writing a lesson plan, some teachers like to use formal plans, some take down notes while others write details into their notebooks. So, what exactly is a good lesson plan? Four aspects should be taken into consideration. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mudi S. First and foremost, what is a lesson plan? A lesson plan is a plan that you make for the lesson you want to teach. It is an aid to planning which you need to write down what you want your students to achieve at the end of the lesson, how can you teach the lesson and how can you control the time....  [Read more]