What To Do Instead Of Teaching

  Connected speech is also an important element of phonology and it's involved in joining words together in an effect to make our speech more efficient. Some might say it's a product of being lazy but nonetheless it's what we all do and we want all of our non-native speakers to speak as naturally as possible, so we have to be aware of these things. Here are a few of the more common examples. We have linking, dropping, changing and extra lettering. An example of each would be with linking, we link our words together so that they almost in effect become one word. Instead of saying ?What do you want to do,? we typically will say ?Whatdoyou want to do?? Then, we can also have dropping. Rather than pronouncing each and every consonant, we can sometimes, especially in certain accents,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The more a teacher speaks the less attention the learners will pay. Decreasing teacher speaking time can be done with a few practical steps and wonderful teaching methods. It all starts with proper planning. When designing a lesson plan be sure to include assignments and activities that will engage your students and do not call for a teacher dominant role. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Johnelle M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Using activities in the classroom that engage the students is very important. For example, instead of going right into a lecture, using a pass the ball activity allows the students to get engaged...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What opportunities do learners have to practice these core skills in the lesson? This question is often expressed by teachers when teaching a new language whereas learners do not need to produce language but receive it. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Domenica G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are different types of text which may be used for this purpose such as authentic texts which are written for any purpose other than language learning and are intact instead of being processed, adapted or simplified. However, not only is the text itself authentic, but also its context and related tasks as well. It may be a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The origin of many non-native English speakers can be recognized by their accents. For instance, Indians, French, and German people are easily identified by their accent. However, there are accents that are not easily recognizable, and one of them is the Brazilian accent. We can recognize Brazilians while he or she speaks English by 6 mistakes in the pronunciation that only Brazilians make. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Monica D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First, one thing that Brazilians do in many words that is so unique to Brazilians is to add the sound of “ie” in English words that there is not “ie” in the...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences It is not a secret for anyone that native speakers of any language always easily identify “non-native” when they hear at least a few words spoken by them. Often native speakers are able to fairly accurately determine the country from which the person came, based on his pronunciation. This happens due to the fact that it is common for all of us to use the sounds of our native language in the pronunciation of words of a foreign language, as well as to use articulation models we know from childhood the position of the organs of speech (lips, tongue, etc.). This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mariia L. We pronounce words with stress characteristic of the native language and speak with intonations...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The experience of living and working abroad for sure will give us another vision of the world. If you have been in China, enough you will learn to be more patient and tolerant. Live with another culture is not easy, and we learn how to be flexible. We are different, we live differently, our environment is different, our beliefs, our politeness, our food, etc. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ana P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. “Good morning, how are you today? “- They have never asked each other how are they? Instead, they ask “Ni chi le ma?” Did you eat? These people were starving for so many years, and the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In my experience teaching elementary and junior high school level English in Japan, several different pronunciation problems appear frequently. The Japanese phonemic inventory is smaller than English’s phonemic inventory, and the sounds present in each language differ from each other quite dramatically. Because of this, it can be difficult for native Japanese speakers to learn and master English pronunciation, but there are a few teaching techniques that can help students overcome this difficulty. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vladlena H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Several consonants are difficult for native Japanese...  [Read more]

Margaret Paton TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Are you interested in teaching English online? Like you, I’m a new starter to this career of teaching English to non-native speakers, so I wanted to share five tips on what not to do in your early days. Leo Salazar TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Working from home brings both opportunities and challenges. It’s time to get more in touch with family and to appreciate each other, especially during these difficult times. It can also provide a positive environment to grow, learn and focus. Instead of spending valuable time traveling to and from work, you can set your own schedule. Russ...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Moving abroad to teach English has become a widely popular career path for many people of all ages and backgrounds around the world. A quick Internet search reveals a seemingly endless array of job offers for TEFL certified teachers. But how can you make sure that the advertised job is legit? This article shows you exactly what scams to look out for when looking for TEFL jobs. While the individual motives can be varied, most of the time, scammers try to take advantage of teachers looking for jobs overseas for pure financial gain. Some try to get you to pay for an application or visa fee, while others may go as far as stealing your personal and credit card information. One of the most common scams involving TEFL...  [Read more]

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Catia Pereira dos Santos Teaching Ideas What kind of teacher do you want to become? Can you picture it in your mind? Well, I did it! When I first started my journey as a Portuguese and English online tutor, I asked myself this question and it landed me on a few ideas which are also present over some units of the ESL teachers course. I've been a student for a while, and I am still today. This year, I merged in the education field, taken this bright decision had brought me a lot of joy. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Catia P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. During my TEFL/TESOL teacher course lessons, I recognized some of the do's and don't's of my past...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences J.K. Rowling, the brilliant author of the Harry Potter series, is extremely talented and her writing encouraged young adults and children to enjoy reading. This, however, does not necessarily mean that she will be equally successful if asked to teach writing to a group of students. Teaching requires specific skills of its own. The way a teacher manages a classroom can undoubtedly affect how many students in that class learn. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ana L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A lesson will run smoothly as long as the teacher’s classroom management skills are strong. There are a couple of things to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This topic, in particular, is of great interest to me as someone who managed to acquire two languages (Mandarin Chinese and English) at a high level. For me the journey was completely painless and the word ‘acquired’ is fitting since I personally never felt I had to actively undergo a ‘study’ to learn either language, but this statement is dependant on how we define studying and learning languages, and in turn: teaching languages. People often use the phrase ‘It’s like learning a whole new language’ when trying to express how difficult and confusing it is to learn something, yet learning new languages shouldn’t be harder than learning any other subject or skill. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Let’s remember the latest class you’ve had. What were you doing? Were you explaining a new rule? Were you answering your students’ questions? Were you telling a story from your life? Weren’t you talking too much? Let’s discuss how to decrease teacher speaking time (TST) and increase student speaking time (SST). This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate DALER R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. According to the communicative approach, TST shouldn’t be greater than SST, moreover, it must be much less than the last one. Why? There are several reasons. First of all, we have to mention that the more a teacher talks the less...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Giving directions as a teacher to non-native English speakers in an EFL classroom often requires a set of techniques to ensure the students truly understand the directions and can follow them how you want them to. The following 10 tips to help your students follow directions when teaching English abroad work for students of all ages and levels but are especially useful for English learners of young ages or low levels. Before starting an activity, be sure to take some time to explain the instructions carefully to your students. This starts by making it clear that the students should now pay attention as you will give the directions. If you don’t make it clear that you are about to explain an activity, some students...  [Read more]

Mudita Yajnik TEFL Information Teaching Ideas What’s the best way to find out what your students know? Or, how much they’ve been paying attention, or what you need to revisit? Tests. Tests can be a great way to find out if the class is ready to move forward or if they need to revisit some ideas. They can be a great tool for finding out what your students need and how much they’ve been paying attention to. However, tests can be very stressful for students, especially if they have been asked to memorize information. Of course, I understand the argument that in “real life,” they won’t be able to use their notes, or they won’t have time to pause a conversation so that they can look up the correct words. Of course,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Before a student is going to succeed, they have to want to succeed. Students have to find their reason why. As an English teacher, it is important to be able to help someone discover what motivates them, and help them use it as a driving force. Students from all around the world will have different reasons for wanting to learn English. It is not a teacher’s job to give students a reason, it is their job to remind them of that reason and support them throughout their English learning journey. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nikki T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Ways to do that are: learning and remembering their...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Educators have debated on the topic of classroom management since the first class began. In the same way curricula and teaching cultures vary, as do the intricacies of classroom management. A topic that is, in my opinion, not taught enough in the realm of TEFL, is finding ways to manage a full classroom of young students for an entire day. As the trend for “kindergarten” prep courses rises in China, the void for managing 20+ five-year-olds has been dark and silent. Because many principals in these prep centers refuse to allow Mandarin in the classroom and the fact that these students do not initially understand basic commands in English, this creates a sense of chaos that hampers the learning process. This...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas My personal opinion is that teachers should not “punish” students for bad behavior. That said, I also believe that if words or actions transpire in the classroom that is not allowed, or are inappropriate or disruptive, the teacher should address the situation to reduce the risk or likelihood of it happening again going forward - however, in a positive, constructive, solution-based way. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lindsay G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Punishment can take many forms and degrees, from being sternly spoken to, being assigned extra work, having a reward or privilege taken away, being sent to the...  [Read more]

  Our next consideration is that of giving instructions to our students. In order for those students to effectively carry out an activity, we need to make sure we have given clear and unambiguous instructions. It's also very important to check that the students understand the activity before you start. If you've done that work correctly then the teacher shouldn't need to say anything once an activity has started because the students are very clear about what they're supposed to be doing. So some ideas when giving instructions. As we've mentioned use simple language. Secondly, rather than trying to explain an activity, then do a demonstration which is visual. Thirdly, try to use wherever possible common words that come up within every activity. These would be things like ?look?,...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas When I had completed approximately thirty percent of the TEFL course I decided to go to a local school here in the North East of Thailand, where I live, and my friend, who is a Canadian national, is the English teacher at that particular school. I had already arranged with him, that I would take his English lesson acting as a visiting English trainee teacher, and he would assess me. I gave a lesson to the students in the English language sentence structure. On completion of the lesson I approached my friend and asked his assessment of my teaching abilities, and he replied that I taught to a satisfactory standard apart from the fact that, I was a little bit nervous and the students didn’t speak much at all. Although...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I chose the topic, "How to teach English to children online" because this is ultimately what I want to do with this TEFL certificate. This topic also incorporates a few of the other topics. I will however just focus on teaching children and how I can be the best teacher to them and help them achieve their goals. I will mainly refer to what I have learned in Unit 19, Teaching special groups. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Zahn-Mari T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It is my understanding that being teaching for younger students is very rewarding, because not only do you help them develop and grow, you get to see and follow...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Confident teachers can make confident learners. A confident teacher would have a positive impact on his or her students' attitude. Teachers' belief in their teaching capabilities could affect how they perceive, approach and teach their students. Having confidence as a teacher can improve your overall effectiveness as well as your well-being. Unfortunately, students can be quick to spot a lack of confidence, which can lead to issues with classroom management. Everyone needs a confidence boost from time-to-time, whether there is a new teacher or a teacher gracing classroom for years. There are a few ways to boost confidence in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ami M. Please note...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As a teacher, your job is to give your students the best education that you can give them. This is achieved by a number of different methods and techniques. When I was teaching before I did this course I just used a bund of different techniques but I never realized exactly what they were called or their importance to the classroom and the lesson as a whole. One of the things I have now learned is the art of managing equipment and teaching aids. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Prudence R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching aids are any object that is used by the teacher to enhance a lesson. Еhere are many different...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Most teachers come to China to teach English with only a general idea about Chinese culture and language which they should have to deal with as soon as they arrive in China. The reason I chose this topic is that I am fluent in Chinese and have experienced Chinese culture in all its facets for over than seven years. But let’s not beat around the bush and get down to the nitty-gritty. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ruben M. Chinese people often seem to be shy or introverted, especially in front of foreigners or in the classroom. However, they are not always. Chinese society is built on 关系 Guanxi, which means “relationship(s)” and can be described as any kind of connection...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas This blog will discuss how to stand out on online teaching platforms as they are getting more and more competitive, especially the big names out there. Most teachers want to teach on the most popular platforms and competition can get fierce. There are a number of things that you can do to make sure you stand out from the crowd and so that students can book you to be their teacher. When it comes to teaching online there are two main ways you can teach. One is an online teaching platform, a general online teaching platform offered by a company and the other one is a tutor marketplace platform. The main difference between an online teaching...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Speaking and writing are the two productive skills taught in the classroom. Although they both are developed in different ways, they are used to measure the communication competence that the students have. However, most of the times teachers and students cannot get the most out of these productive skills. Let´s take a look at techniques from experience that can help us develop these skills efficiently with students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Diana M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Writing and speaking might be seen by teachers as the chance to build a rapport with the students. When you built a rapport with students they...  [Read more]

Hadassah Roberts Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Having a growth mindset can be life-changing. As an English teacher, you can teach your students to have growth mindsets, and this will undoubtedly be very helpful to them for the rest of their lives. I used to have absolutely no idea what a growth mindset was, but when I learned what it actually is, I realized how much I had been missing out on. I put what I had learned into practice, and my life started to improve a lot. Now I want to share with others what has made my life so much more beautiful. I see the special opportunity that we, as English teachers, have to spread the growth mindset in our students all around the world. A growth mindset believes that your talents can...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How can a parent help an ESL teacher to facilitate the quality of English learning of their children, which was always debatable, has now become more controversial? Some people assert that parents should give their children enough space or even leave them alone to have them develop without restriction, as they believe children need their room to grow up and experience something new. However, from my perspective, parents’ involvements are considerably crucial for ESL children’s development. To better articulate my reasoning, the relevant arguments will be elaborated as follow. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mingzhao C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]