Collocation Challenge

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas One of the most intimidating requirements for many English teachers is teaching English grammar. This is due to the many components of English grammar, including, but not limited to, parts of speech, as well as past, present, and perfect tenses. Conditionals, direct and reported speech, modals, and phrasal verbs all fall under the English grammar umbrella. Understanding the Components of Grammar Navigating Tenses and Verb Forms Exploring Voices and Modals Mastering English Grammar Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author, an alumni...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here's a Christmas board game focusing on sentence building, either spoken or written. To practice speaking, let students say sentences (make sure to correct pronunciation when needed); to practice writing, let them write sentences (adapt the game to your students' level).   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This essay answers the question for number 10 "what are the main problems for learners in the country of China?" I am a professor at Jiangnan University in Wuxi, China and share my observations. Our students are in the North American College (NAC), with partners in Canada at Lambton College and Northwood University, USA. Three areas are most interesting to their learning challenges: college preparation, listening and writing. Exam System Lexical Units Digital Autism Writing Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Annette P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Students enter NAC with a low score on...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The world is becoming a global village and as English is an official language for many of the countries, it is a need for people to learn English to be able to make communications and networking. While learning English, it is important to get a good teacher using good teaching methods. However, it is not an easy task to teach or learn English in a country in which people mainly use their mother language which is not English. In Myanmar, likewise, there are many obstacles for students to improve their English language skills even though English was taught since their kindergarten. Education System The Lack of Resources The Lack of Practice Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English in kindergarten is more than just teaching a child how to pronounce words. If you want to be a dedicated teacher, and you want to successfully teach the children, it is essential to teach them how to follow rules and instructions. The following paragraphs will try to equip you with the most important ingredients required to be a successful kindergarten teacher. With having more than 2 ½ years of experience teaching English at a kindergarten, I am certain that the most important thing a teacher has to do is to build a strong rapport with the children. Behavior Management and Classroom Rules Teaching Phonics to Children Building Relationships or Rapport with the Children Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Several surveys, such as EF (Education First), have shown that France has the worst English level in the European Union. We shall explain, firstly, why French students have problems in learning English and what these problems are. Then, secondly, we shall share solutions to these problems. Origin of Typical Difficulties Global Status of French Lack of Exposure to English Academical Importance Common Vocabulary Tenses Pronunciation Lesson Ideas Ways to Engage Grammar and Vocabulary Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mohamed S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Indeed, the difficulties that French...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Destinations Alumni Experiences I have been in China for four years; I came here on 15, September 2015, as a student. During this time pursuing my Master's degree, I taught English as a foreign language in training centers, elementary school, high school and currently teaching in a Polytechnics. Weak Language Foundation Late Start: Weak Language Acquisition Device: Teen Development Problems: Curriculum Structure Combined Topics Per Lesson: Student Placement: Course Materials: Lack of Motivation Testing of Students: Student Placement: Poor Language Training Institutions Teaching, Learning, and Business: Unprofessional Teachers: Lack of Regular Training: Are you ready to take your TEFL course? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: English has become one of the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching English as a foreign language presents several opportunities as well as choices for a teacher. Certainly, there are numerous teaching positions around the world in traditional, classroom settings, and most ESL teachers will spend time in those settings. For many teachers, the classroom setting is a fulfilling endeavor; however, other outlets exist for teaching English, including teaching business English. Business English teaching vs. teaching for other purposes Teaching experience Running an Activity Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Robert E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Every learner of a foreign language may face pronunciation problems now and then. Languages that belong to one language group have more in common in phonics and are usually easier to learn to pronounce correctly. But such languages as English and Chinese are so different, that Chinese learners (and I bet English speaking learners of Chinese too) often have many difficulties in pronunciation. State of the problem Common pronunciation errors How to correct pronunciation problems Learn how to teach pronunciation effectively! Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Evgeniya S. I have been working in China as a teacher for more than six months now. When I arrived in this country, I hardly knew...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English as a Foreign Language to adult Italian students within the corporate environment presents a variety of specific challenges, both for the teacher and the students. These include issues about the actual language acquisition and problems relating to particular company dynamics. Learning Experience English Environment Shaming Women vs. Men Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Flavia C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First of all, we must consider the students' specific learning background: in Piemonte, a region in the North-West of Italy, people who are now in their forties and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Each student faces their difficulties when it comes to English pronunciation depending on their country of origin. This essay will focus on the pronunciation difficulties facing ESL students in France and will also propose some solutions to help students overcome these difficulties. French Sound System IPA Difficult Sounds The Dark /L/ Sound Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kerri M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The number of English vowel sounds greatly outnumbers those found in the French language. As such, French students will have to produce sounds that they have never produced before....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Daisy C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Grammar Pronunciation Japanese schools Japanese culture Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: One problem facing many Japanese students learning English is differentiating between countable and uncountable nouns. In the Japanese language, the same word is often used for 'much' and 'many'. In English, 'much' is used to describe countable nouns, and 'many' is used to describe uncountable nouns. A problem facing many EFL learners, especially Japanese learners, is idioms. The English language has thousands of idioms, which are used in everyday life. These are...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In the realm of education, the debate between one-to-one teaching and traditional classroom settings continues to thrive. The advantages of tailoring lessons to suit individual needs, nurturing confidence, and forging strong teacher-student relationships are enticing, yet the downsides of limited peer interaction and potential constraint on exposure to diverse learning styles must not be overlooked. Pros of One-to-One Teaching Tailored Learning for Individual Needs Building Confidence and Motivation Enhanced Teacher-Student Relationship Accelerated Learning and Continuous Assessment Cons of One-to-One Teaching Limited Peer Interaction and Collaboration Reduced Exposure to Diverse Learning Styles Challenges for Teachers in...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Susan W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. 1. Self-introduction 2. Reasons for practicing as an EFL Teacher 3. Ways in which EFL will guide me achieve my goals 4. Games and activities in the classroom 5. Planning my New Lesson Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: I am Susan and I'm 40 years female from Kenya and I have graduated with a bachelor's degree in Art in Education. I have been teaching young learners in Kenya for two years and I was invited to teach English in southern China and I am ready for the new challenge teaching abroad. I decided to do a TEFL test online so that I can acquire the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One to one private English teachers are commonly sought after in some Asian countries. Parents often hire English tutors for their kids as young as 10 months old, to get their children ahead of everyone else. There are many benefits to teaching one on one, however, there are also many disadvantages. Benefits Drawbacks Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joyce L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching one on one is great for the teachers to act as their own boss, and work out a schedule directly with the student's parents. However, it could be problematic if the parents constantly reschedule or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have taught English in a classroom setting to large groups of adults for 4 years through a non-profit agency located in a mixed-race urban area of the United States. More recently, I have been teaching English to foreign learners on a one-to-one basis via video chat, also for four years. Given this background, I can speak from a wealth of personal experience to the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each. As my goal is to continue to teach individuals online, I was admittedly skeptical of what I might gain from a TEFL course, as most certification programs are geared toward classroom teaching abroad. Having completed the ITTT course, I find myself very satisfied with having gone through the process, as I have gained many new resources for my...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Developing effective classroom management skills is an ongoing process that evolves as teachers encounter diverse teaching contexts. This article delves into various models for managing disruptive behavior in the classroom, addressing contributing factors and proactive strategies for better classroom management. Explore key models like Kounin's approach and the ABC Model, and discover how pre-intervention strategies and thoughtful instructional delivery can create a conducive learning environment. Classroom Management Challenges and Their Impact Disruptive behavior can be categorized as: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT MODELS Conclusion Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sheneil J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Problems with Consonants Problems with Vowels Problems with Rhythm and Stress Problems with intonation Minimal Pairs Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Chinese does not have either of the "th" sounds (like "that" and "this"). Most other languages do not have these sounds and they are problematic for most learners of English. The difficulty is the point of articulation- the tongue has to be between the teeth, not behind them. Many people say that English speakers look like they're sticking their tongues out all the time because of the "th" sounds. It...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences One of the most important problems encountered while learning a foreign language is undoubtedly pronunciation. Knowing a language fluently may not always be enough. Fluency level may be open to discussion if an accurate pronunciation is not used. Therefore as teachers, we must teach our students how to use the correct pronunciation. However, pronunciation can be a nightmare for some students, especially for young learners. Common Errors in Pronunciation /h/ Sound Ways to Fix Errors Articulation Simple Way to Overcome the Problem Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Selin K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Over the past three years, I've had the privilege of teaching English as a foreign language online for a company called Education First. The format would normally be an internationally diverse group in an audio-only platform. During these sessions, I found that my students from China would have specific challenges in pronunciation that many of my European and Brazilian students would not. I recognized their tendency to add an "a" at the end of words that clearly ended in a consonant. Unfortunately, I was not educated enough in the specific challenges that Mandarin speakers faced in their attempt to learn English. I'm scheduled to begin teaching in China later this year, and it has become clear to me that I need to drill into the specific challenges faced...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas China is one of the leading countries in the world that has been in the search and quest to learn the English language. In recent years the demand to learn English has been on a rise. Every school tries to have a teacher who can teach the language to the learners. However, in this process of learning, many learners encounter a series of problems which make the language learning process not an easy task both for teachers and students. However, we are going to be looking at very common problems students learning English as a foreign language face in China. First Language Lack of Interest Pronunciation Difficulties Ways to Solve The Abovementioned Problems 1. Speak English to Students Only 2. Work on Building Students' Confidence Do you want to teach...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Back in 2014, I worked at a nursery school here in South Africa. I was the English teacher for the three to four-year-olds at this school. There were 32 students in my class. My class was so small that during nap time two students had to sleep on one mattress. There was no space to leave the class once the children had fallen asleep. I had to make sure that all my belongings were out of the class once the students came in for their naptime or I had to leave whatever was forgotten behind once I was one my way to my next job. In unit 3 on page 21, they talk about the whole class grouping pros and cons and that is really explained well where they say "class grouping is suitable for activities where the teacher needs to be in control" or "have the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I work in two schools. I am an assistant language teacher at one commercial (low-level English) high school, and an integrated (high-level English) academic junior high and high school. I have had experiences with different kinds of students, Japanese-English teachers, and classroom atmospheres. In Japan, students take an entrance exam to get into high school. If they scored low on the entrance exam, then they are placed in the lowest ranking class. Each school has a certain number of classrooms for each grade. Both of my high schools have six classes total for each grade. There are usually around forty to forty-two students in each class as well. Teaching forty plus students in a crowded classroom is difficult. And unlike many stereotypes of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences English is considered a universal language, mainly because it is widely spoken all over the world. English was originally the language of England. Its expansion became imperative due to the dominance in world trade, religion, technology, tourism, education and so on. UK expansion and incursion of the USA as the first world power saw the migration of the English language all over the world. About 70 countries adopt the English language as their official language and statistics have it that the English language is one of the easiest languages to learn when compared with other languages like Chinese, French, German or Spanish. English Prevalence English in Asia ESL Career Difficulties Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The following essay will discuss the problems that students of different nationalities will face in the classroom. We will look into the instructional process as well as the cultural sensitivity upheld in the group, and in one on one classroom settings. Cultural Challenges Historical Challenges National Peculiarities Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Chandler J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First of all, international students will face many problems abroad and in classrooms that are mixed nationalities, as cultures will clash. In my experience within the government sector and military,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas If you think of Chinese ESL students it is safe to assume that most teachers would immediately worry about how they should teach phonics to Mandarin speakers. It is also true that the media has portrayed the Chinese accent as one of the most challenging to understand or even get rid of. Personal Experience Phonetical Errors Grammar Challenges Problems Due to Geographical Origin of Students Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Graciela G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Usually, the first thing you will notice as an ESL teacher, speaking from experience, is the difficulty Chinese ESL students face...  [Read more]

hey guys it's lizzy here and today we are going to discuss a really crucial issue uh so i would like to uh draw everybody's attention to the problem of getting a job as a non-native esl teacher uh for some reason um i get constantly asked about this situation and people usually say like i got tefl certified but i can't find a job or in general i can't find a job without any reasons and i don't know what to do so um i believe that this uh point uh is super important to uh cover that is why uh today i decided to have this q a session uh with you and address your problems and try myself try try my best to help you out to overcome this trouble to overcome this problem so um what we are going to do is um we are going to communicate via the chat box so uh make sure uh that if you have a...  [Read more]

hello hi everyone linda here from itt back with another live session this week how is everybody doing hope you're doing fine thank you so much for tuning in and spending um taking some time out of your day to spend it with me today as always uh we go live and our live sessions take about 45 minutes sometimes even an hour depends on how many questions you guys have at the end we always have a q a part so this is a time where you can ask me your questions about teaching abroad about tefl about tesol about our courses about anything teaching related that's on your mind that you want to know and today's topic is dedicated to new teachers so i'm going to be sharing 10 pieces of advice that you need to know as a new tefl or efl english as a foreign language teacher if you're going abroad or also...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I was born in Saudi Arabia and I had to finish my education from kindergarten to high school in Jeddah and other cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The history of teaching English English Level Problems Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: As a student and a resident for more than 12 years there, I think that I have some experience in the education system in Saudi Arabia. I will try here to explain English learners' problems in Saudi Arabia with my personal opinion and experience. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Hesham Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It started in 1927. Then, development spanned from 1944 to the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this essay I will be discussing the problems for young Japanese learners of English, and what problems Japanese learners often encounter as well as explaining some of the reasons why teachers can run into problems while teaching in Japan. I will be referring to the book "The Smart Guide to Teaching English in Japan' by Charlie Moritz and Martin Bragalone, as well as drawing from my knowledge and experiences of studying and volunteering in Japan. Japan can be a challenging but rewarding country to work in, despite stereotypes of Japanese people being polite and studious so it is important to consider that reality can be different when teaching in Japan. Eikaiwa Juku ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) Kindergarten/International preschool Do you want...  [Read more]