White Board Activities

Jon ITTT TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Unless you are working in some really impoverished regions of the world, the chances are you will have access to some form of classroom technology. This may be as basic as a chalkboard and tape player or as advanced as a class of children with tablets that connect to an interactive whiteboard. In this article I look at some of the most common forms of technology that you are likely to encounter in the TEFL classroom. Interactive whiteboards or IWBs are large touch sensitive boards that can be used both as a traditional whiteboard and a large computer screen. They enable you to connect your computer or the computers of the students to the whiteboard in order to show images, video, access...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This article will explain how varying class grouping, visual aids, and student-to-student interaction can help manage a large class. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Natasha A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching English to a large class can seem like a daunting task, because the students may have different levels of English learning at the beginning of the class, and will likely each learn at their own pace. Unlike tutoring one-on-one, in a large class, the teacher does not have the benefit of being able to listen closely and identify personalized issues for each student. What one student may do well, another might be...  [Read more]

  This video is part of our series on the past tenses in English. In this video, we take a look at the past continuous tense and how it is formed and used. This tense is used to indicate that a certain action was in progress at a particular time in the past. 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. I have learnt that the intelligence of a student alone is not enough but requires a teacher's input for them to learn English.A teacher can teach using...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards are a proven way to learn new information. Their use however, does not need to be monotonous or boring. Make your own, play a game, show the card, and combine it with art, put them in sequence, or create and fill-in sentences. These ideas will stimulate both sides of the brain by combining thinking and doing. This will also keep the students attentive. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Corby K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The students will get twice as much exposure to the words if they create the flashcards themselves. They learn while creating and also later when using them. One way to use this idea would be...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Holding a summer camp can be an intimidating challenge for new and experienced teachers alike. For these kinds of English camps, teachers typically create up to 10 lesson plans for the duration of the camp. Summer camps can last anywhere between one week and a month or even longer. The main goal of an English camp is to have a fun and memorable time with the students while practicing their English. While this might sound easy, English camp is so much more than just playing a couple of fun games. If you want to hold a successful camp session, you’ll have to do a lot of research and preparation. The following games are great activities for teaching English summer camp abroad. Props will make your summer camp a lot...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teachers' ability to manage their time, relationships, attitudes, material, students' rapport, and the progress happening in their classroom is referred to as the art of classroom management, which undoubtedly is one of the most significant requirements and features of a successful teacher. All of the decisions a teacher makes in terms of lesson planning, seating arrangement, monitoring, reacting to critical moments, working with other people, and all of the actions based on these decisions eventually lead to lessons that can be fruitful or dull based on the quality of these decisions. In order to manage a successful course, a teacher also needs to have management skills and...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy TEFL Information Teaching Ideas How the seats are arranged in a classroom can convey numerous implicit messages about the pedagogical approaches and methods employed in a specific school and the teacher who works there. A well-designed seating arrangement not only facilitates the interaction between the teacher and the learners but it also enables the students to interact together, which is a paramount feature of a student-centered class effectively. There is a wide variety of interaction patterns that each can be appropriately applied considering the aim and objective of a lesson and the ongoing task; however, a well-adjusted seating arrangement may pave the way for the flow of the information during the lesson...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas It’s Black History Month! Now, Black History often falls short in EFL classrooms but if you are able to include it into your EFL curriculum abroad (and you should!) here is an important reason to do so: You get to focus on the amazing culture, history, and contributions of Black people, something a lot of EFL students would never otherwise learn. Hold a class meeting to introduce the topic and explain why a month of Black History is needed and brainstorm some famous Black people the students know. This is also a great time to read aloud “Our People” by Angela Shelf Medearis. In this book, a father is telling his daughter about the history of their people - how they were kings and queens and invented amazing...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Speaking activities are essential for English learning as they give a chance to learn new linguistic points, including grammar and real-life listening skills. Unfortunately, teachers often omit communicative tasks in the classroom because they feel that it is difficult to manage them. There is also a lack of time to practice speaking; many course books provide ESL speaking activities only at the end of a unit. The educational system requires reading and writing skills to succeed in tests, so the value of communicative speaking is often underestimated. In this blog post, we offer you 5 engaging ESL speaking activities for English learners to enhance their communication skills....  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Having to organize and hold a winter camp is a daunting task, especially for new teachers who haven’t done it before. For these kinds of English camps, teachers typically create up to 10 lesson plans for the duration of the camp. Winter camps can last anywhere between one week to a month or even longer. The main goal of an English camp is to have a fun and memorable time with the students while practicing their English. However, there is a lot more to an English camp than just playing some games. Since most teachers need to create and prepare their lessons in advance, we have compiled a list of games and fun activities for teaching English winter camp abroad. Props will make your winter camp a lot more fun and...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word sprightly. This word is used to describe a person, usually a little bit older, who is full of energy. 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 is based on the various teaching equipment that teachers have at their disposal like projectors, white and black boards and dvds just to mention a few. we also at their advantages and disadvantages and how they and be helpful to the activities...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A seating arrangement sometimes called a seating plan is used by teachers to organize their classrooms. It indicates the placement of desks and chairs that work best for both the students and the teacher. Here we will be seeing the different seating arrangements and how each of them affects learning or classroom dynamics. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Emilie J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When we think of a classroom, the usual image that comes to mind is one of a classic class with rows of desks one behind the other. However, if you step into a classroom today, chances are you’ll see a different setup that is...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Most EFL teachers abroad will - at some point in their career - teach children. The English education market catered to young learners is a billion dollar business and many countries hire teachers to fill this need. What you can do to brace yourself besides taking our 50-hour specialized TEFL course in Teaching English to Young Learners is to take the following 10 tips to heart. Teaching numbers and colors seems like the easiest job in the world, right? Wrong! The truth is, teaching children demands a great deal of energy and creativity. Kids are always on the go and will keep you on your toes. These classes can be exhausting but also extremely rewarding! Also read: 5 Activities for Using Movies in the ESL Classroom...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games are one of the most important components in the classroom. They include activities that have goals and rules at the same fun time. There are lots of benefits to playing games in the classroom. Students can practice important skills by playing an educational game in a small group or with a partner. Whole class games are great means to review skills for a test or at the end of the unit. When students need a brain break or during an inside recess, action games work perfectly. Games can be given for homework to provide fun, engaging and differentiated practice. Games can be played in all subjects and at all grade levels. Games are fun as well as beneficial. Here are important benefits that we should use games in...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A teacher has an important responsibility to get to know his or her students to ensure that they are engaged with the lesson on a daily basis. Learning another language is not easy so it is imperative that a teacher does everything in his or her power to get to know their students and become as familiar with them as possible. One of the most effective ways a teacher can begin to do so is by establishing rapport with their students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kathyrine L. Establishing rapport with students is ideally something that should happen at the beginning of the course. It is better to get to know your students as soon as possible rather than later. There is much to be...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas One important factor to consider when teaching English abroad is how you arrange the seating in the classroom. Space in a classroom can be limited at times so it's important to maximize what you have available. There are multiple ways to arrange a classroom and knowing which ones will provide the most benefit is important. To ensure the best environment for the students and teacher it is essential to have an understanding of the options, as well as when and how to use them. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alex C. As a rule a classroom will generally consist of at least four walls, an entrance, a surface to write on and desks for the students. Even with only...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the most important elements of an efficiently run class is the seating arrangement in the classroom. There is a lot that is taken into consideration when managing a class, such as a teacher’s voice, hand gestures and eye contact, which are crucial when teaching TEFL class. Although there are other factors, the seating is one that will really set the environment for the activities that the teacher will introduce to the students throughout the course. There are many distinct possibilities for seating arrangements. These arrangements include ones that can be in smaller groups, larger groups, a class as a whole or even individual seating arrangements. However, each possible plan for a seating arrangement has...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the most important elements of an efficiently run class is the seating arrangement in the classroom. There is a lot that is taken into consideration when managing a class, such as a teacher’s voice, hand gestures, and eye contact, which are crucial when teaching TEFL class. Although there are other factors, the seating is one that will really set the environment for the activities that the teacher will introduce to the students throughout the course. There are many distinct possibilities for seating arrangements. These arrangements include ones that can be in smaller groups, larger groups, a class as a whole, or even individual seating arrangements. However, each possible plan for a seating arrangement...  [Read more]

Hoàng Minh Huy TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Due to the pandemic, distance learning has replaced traditional classroom instruction worldwide. Teachers in Hong Kong are attempting to find ways to instruct their students while at home under quarantine. To help you stay inspired when instructing online, I'm going to share some enjoyable games and activities to play with kids using Zoom in this post. If you've never used Zoom, you must give it a try with your students; you'll be pleasantly surprised. Because students are staying at home in a cozy environment rather than attending actual classes in schools, teaching through an online platform makes it very challenging to manage the class. Therefore, establishing ground rules...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas For nearly a year, I have taught four to six-year-olds residing in the outskirts of Beijing. My students do not sit at desks. They instead sit side-by-side on a line of chairs, all of which face an interactive whiteboard complete with pre-designed flipcharts. As my students are still learning essential words for everyday English use, drills and flashcards are crucial within our lessons. However, drilling can quickly lose a young learner's interest. To remedy the monotony, I have used the following five activities: One-Step, Monster, Bomb; Hopscotch; Fly Swat Race; Tic-Tac-Toe; and Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament. Each game proved to be an...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas If you have already switched to online ESL teaching, you've definitely been using an online board. There are many good options out there, but I prefer using Miro over the others. Miro is a convenient online whiteboard with lots of fun and interactive tools to use during the class and outside. In this blog post, I'd like to share several interactive ideas to enhance your online ESL lesson. At the beginning of the online ESL lesson, start with a warm-up conversation. Ask your students about their mood, day, weather, etc. Just do some small talk of any kind. To support the conversation, you can encourage your students to draw pictures on Miro...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Lesson planning is very important for all teachers but is especially useful for a teacher at the beginning of his/her career. A lesson plan is an aid for teaching, a working document, a record, and a guide for what should be included in the lesson or entire subject during the term. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Costas P. Aid to planning will help the teacher decide what he/she wants the students to achieve by the end of the lesson and how the teacher will make that possible. For example, your objective could be that by the end of the lesson students will make sentences using the affirmative form of the present continuous tense. This can be done by having fun activities such as...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I have 3 years of experience in teaching English in a few kindergartens in Beijing, China and some experience in teaching adults in a training center. When I started in kindergarten, it was very difficult because I didn’t have enough information about how to make a proper lesson plan. I didn’t have enough materials, games, songs, and it took me a lot of time to collect all the necessary information for teaching and creating my teaching plan. Without experience, it wasn’t easy for me to build a good rapport between me and my students. It took me a while to build a connection between me and the kids. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lidiia L. Please note that this blog post might...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the next year, I’ll be working as an English Teaching Assistant in Zadar, Croatia on a Fulbright grant where I’ll be working with university level students as well as with middle school students. I’ll be hosting workshops for middle school students on life and culture in America. I hope to utilize storytelling activities to both engage the class and provide an opportunity for language acquisition. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gabrielle K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For the engage phase, I might ask students to tell the class, in English, about their favorite Croatian holiday, having them include descriptions...  [Read more]

  In his TESOL course review video Wenming tells us about his experience taking the 120-hour online TESOL course with tutor support and videos from ITTT. Wenming felt he learned a lot while studying his course and he was most impressed by the lesson planning task at the end of the course. Although his first attempt at the final lesson planning task was not successful he took on board the detailed feedback he received and his second attempt was successful. 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...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Online teaching has experienced a huge boom in recent months and many teachers have to teach online. The 6 ideas below will help you with engaging your students and grabbing their attention through the computer screen. These activities can be used as icebreakers and transitions between other tasks to cheer the learners up. For this activity, you need to prepare a shared Google document with several groups of three words depending on your students’ English level. Have them figure out what those words have in common. You can use cards from the “Tribond for Kids” game with younger students and more advanced vocabulary for teens and adults. E.g. French Fries, Cabbage, Soup (Food) Also Read: The Most Common...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Today's pedagogical approaches put considerable emphasis upon the importance of providing students with the opportunity to have a joyful educational experience through adding enough and well-located variety to the lessons. One practical way to do so is designing and adding aimful games to your plan in order to inject positive energy into your lessons, improve the mood of your class and make your lessons stick in students' long-term memory. Since not only young learners but also grownups enjoy playing fun games while taking English lessons, teachers, therefore, are always trying to come up with games that serve this purpose. So here are some ESL game ideas that you can adapt to your...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Throughout this course, my favorite units have been the ones that teach us how to lead an effective lesson and have a fun classroom environment. I love all the suggestions and teaching ideas they give, and it excites me to think about using those for my future lessons. For that reason, I chose the topic of five activities with flashcards. This essay will be a perfect opportunity for me to delve further into my favorite part of this class and plan some fun things to do. When I move abroad I plan on teaching young children, mainly kindergarten-aged, so my five activities will be geared towards young learners. They need way more energy, fun, and excitement in their lessons than teenage or adult learners because their...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas As an ESL teacher, getting your students talking can be one of the most difficult things to accomplish. English learners often lack the necessary confidence to speak openly and freely in English. The following activities are perfect for getting your students out of their shells! Pair up your students and let them write a short dialogue. After all the pairs are done, they go in front of the class and perform their dialogue like a play. Hand out a role-play scenario and let two students perform the role-play in front of the class. After they have been talking for a while, freeze the conversation, and choose two new students to pick up and continue the play. Do this several times. Interviews are a great way for students...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Within the past 20 years we have seen great advancements in technology. Mobile phones and laptops that are thinner than a short novel, voice activated software systems, robotics, high speed internet etc. Much of the world is now technologically developed, but often the ESL classroom is less so. However, in many areas there has been a gradual introduction of newer, more educationally oriented forms of technology in the classroom. From the introduction of the overhead projector and cassette players to modern day equipment such as Smart Boards and laptops. So what has been the effect of this technology in language learning? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joshua P. With the inclusion of...  [Read more]