Comprehensible Input Definition

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This ESL worksheet with Christmas definitions is great for teaching your students more about Christmas, its customs, and how it is celebrated.   1. An imaginary creature that looks like a small person and has magical powers is a pixie. 2. A fat man with a white beard and a red suit who gives toys to children at Chriswtmas is Santa Claus. 3. Animals that are in front of Santa's sleigh are reindeer. 4. A shiny ball hung on a Christmas tree is a bable. 5. Wax formed into a stick with a string in the middle is a candle. 6. The "green" thing you decorate is called a Christmas tree. 7. Tinsel is shiny metal strips. 8. The red-nosed reindeer is called Rudolph. 9. Something you give to someone special is a present. 10. A...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Let's explore the present continuous tense in English with useful examples! Learn the definition and how to form the present continuous tense with this infographic.     The present continuous is a verb tense in which the action is on-going/still going on and hence the name "continuous". We use the present continuous tense to talk about actions that are happening at this current moment.     Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!   So what exactly are relative pronouns? Let's take a look at relative pronoun definition, useful grammar rules with examples sentences and an ESL printable infographic below.   A relative pronoun is used to join or relate two different clauses together by referring to the noun in the previous clause using the following pronouns: who, whom, whose, which and that.   "Which" and "that" are generally used for objects; while "who" and "whom" are used for people, and "whose" is used to show possession. Let's take a look at some examples: In this example, "which" joins the two related clauses about choosing a color and a color which would look good on everyone.   In this case, "that" joins the two sentences...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! What does e.g. mean? Let's take a look at the definition and usage of this expression with this ESL infographic. Learn how and when to use this abbreviation to enlarge your vocabulary word and improve your English conversations.   The term ‘for example’ gets abbreviated as ‘e.g.’ in the English language. It is only used in written language, such as in magazines, newspapers, essays or texting.   The abbreviation ‘e.g.’ is from the Latin expression ‘exempli gratia’ and means ‘for the sake of an example’ or more commonly ‘for example’.   Let's take a look at some examples of ‘e.g.’ being used in a conversation:   Person 1: Hey do you like desserts? Person 2: Yeah. Person 1: I...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!   Let's take a look at the different types of Articles in English! Learn article definitions and how to use definite and indefinite articles in sentences with the ESL infographic below.   An article is defined as a word that modifies or describes a noun. Adjectives are used before the noun to show whether it refers to something specific or not. So, in a way, articles can also be described as a type of adjective as they also tell us something about the noun, just like adjectives. There are two types of articles in the English language, they are indefinite articles (a, an) and definite article (the).   Definite means to be clear, exact or obvious about something. It is called definite because it is used in relation...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word meticulous. This word refers to the action of showing great attention to detail, as well as being very careful or precise. Some synonyms for meticulous include careful, diligent and conscientious. The word comes from the Latin meticulosus meaning fearful. 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. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This unit is teaching the future tenses and how to...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Destinations TEFL Information Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a game-changer across various industries, including education. The integration of AI tools in the classroom has the potential to revolutionize the way students learn and teachers teach. One such tool is ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that simulates conversation with human users. In this blog post, we will delve into what AI and chatbots are and how ChatGPT can be used in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. We will also explore the benefits and challenges of using AI tools like ChatGPT in education. Watch the live webinar about this topic Defining ChatGPT, chatbots, and artificial intelligence So what is ChatGPT? The Benefits of Using A.I. in the EFL Classroom Personalized learning...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Many language learning theories are proposed based on certain linguistic theories. In fact, knowledge in linguistics lies at the root of understanding what language learners can learn, how they learn and what they learn ultimately. Therefore, linguistics has always played an important role in the studies of language acquisition and learning. For example, as Ellis (1994:1) points out, "whereas much of the earlier second language acquisition work focused on the linguistic and, in particular, the grammatical properties of learner language and was psycholinguistic in orientation, later work has also attended to the pragmatic aspects of learner language and, increasingly, has adopted a sociolinguistic perspective. So, linguistics has indeed been relevant to...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Vocabulary has a direct impact on written and spoken language comprehension. All students come to school with differences in their vocabulary knowledge, and part of teaching them how to be successful in English is to teach them vocabulary. Vocabulary development plays a critical role in helping English language learners increase their ability to communicate in the receptive and expressive domains in English. This is why vocabulary must be explicitly and systematically taught. Learn how to teach vocabulary effectively with a TEFL course today! Listen to this blog post Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gina A. Research suggests the following three big ideas about teaching and learning new words: Also read: 4 Super...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Lewis (1993) claims that "Lexis is the core or heart of language" (p 89). Indeed, it is one of the basic steps of mastering a foreign language. Vocabulary knowledge is what makes verbal communication between people possible. Most teachers face problems when teaching new items. They feel the need to use techniques to have an effective lesson. Over the years, teachers have tried to find the most effective and practical strategies to teach vocabulary. They have been applying several methods like fill in the blank definitions, pre-teaching unfamiliar words and stressing high-frequency words. This essay will just focus on three strategies that can help teach vocabularies such as using visual aids, highlighting vocabulary in context and vocabulary practice....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Whom a student is defined within about same parameters by different sources. The Collins COBUILD Advanced Dictionary also has two definitions of the word student. The Basis of the Article Useful Tips Program Core Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: The Merriam Webster dictionary (online) has two definitions of students which are as reproduced below: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate PAUL D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For this summative assignment, the second definition by the Merriam-Webster and Collins COBUILD Dictionary will be used. Using the second definition as just stated, a beginner student will be one who is new to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences What does it mean to learn a language? Generally, when we talk about learning a language, we mean a process that starts with a person not knowing a language but ends up knowing it, regardless of the number of languages a person might already know. Of course, this is an overly simplified definition, but it gives us a decent starting point. So why are our experiences and the mental image of acquiring our first language so different from one of learning a foreign language? In this essay, I will consider the perceived difference between first and second language acquisition. Learning a Foreign Language Age Way of learning Focus Research in the field Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Grammar plays a very important role in learning and teaching a foreign language. What is grammar? Crystal describes grammar as "the business of taking a language to pieces, to see how it works" (as cited in Bentsen, 2017). Definition of Grammar Explicit Grammar Teaching Williams believes that meaning-focused instruction Communicative Approach Nunan defines communicative language teaching as Larsen-Freeman's recommended that grammar teaching Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Meral B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. According to Swan ''grammar is essentially a limited set of devices for...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Successful acquisition of a first language (otherwise known as an L1) has almost a 100% success rate. Aside from a few people that are unable to read or write everyone can communicate fluently in their L1. Successful acquisition of a second language, however, does not occur nearly as often. Why is this so and can anything be learned from first language learning to improve second language fluency. Variations in the English Language Form Language Acquisition Process Second Language Acquisition Process Teaching Ways Children and Language Acquisition Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rebekah I. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas It is an undeniable fact that English nowadays has become the most influential language in the world. Many throughout the world seek to learn it as knowing it is now a must to find a good job or find good opportunities in one's life, which is why we can find countries that are rife with various English courses. This is especially true in Turkey. Where English is in high demand as everyone in the country is starting to realize its importance. It is also worth noting that the vast majority of the country do not have adequate English skills, especially in speaking, mastering said skill is a dream for many Turkish people. Students' Attitude Issues in the Educational System Unmotivated Teachers Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Listening is possibly the least covered of the four skills needed by ESL learners in most classrooms. As it is a fundamental skill, teachers should try to create as many listening skills lessons as they do for the other three skills: reading, writing, and speaking. Challenges of Listening Compared to Reading The Stages of Listening The Receiving Stage: Hearing and Attending The Understanding Stage: Decoding and Comprehension The Evaluating Stage: Forming Opinions and Thinking Ahead The Remembering Stage: Processing and Storing Information The Responding Stage: Verbal or Written Answers Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials!...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'principal' and 'principle'. These two words often cause confusion for English learners due to their similar spelling. The word 'principal' can be used as a noun and as an adjective. As a noun, it refers to a person of authority, like a school principal, the head of a school. When used as an adjective, it means 'leading' or 'primary', like a principal cause or reason. The word 'principle', on the other hand, is only used as a noun and refers to a moral or standard, like the principle of free speech. 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...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Throughout this course, it was mentioned that language does not happen in isolation. It is a product of the various aspects of culture, values, and context that make up the environment in which the language is used. Language can be used in vastly diverse and varied manners, and within different contexts have unique meanings. In the same way, slang and idioms are created based on specific contexts that exist within a society or group within a culture. Cultural Awareness Creativity and Fun Motivation Aspect Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Temi O. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Proverbs,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the following essay, I consider something like a continuum from task to the game to assessment, but only in the bookend learning moments of "input" and "output." I often think of learners in my classrooms as a gray box—not quite a "black box," the inner workings of which are completely mysterious, but a thing into which we only ever have uncertain, provisional insight. We can do all sorts of theorizing about language acquisition and psychometry but will never have anything as exact as a litmus test. However accurate my notion is, it motivates me to focus on things that are much more knowable and observable: the inputs and outputs of a learning situation. My Personal Experience Teacher as a Medium of Real Life Communication Activate Phase of The...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word assailant. This word is used as a noun and refers to a person who physically attacks another person with the goal of doing harm. Some synonyms for assailant can include attacker, mugger and assaulter. 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. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This was an enjoyable unit for me. I personally love the past tense, and this chapter gave me greater insight...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Weather and whether are a pair of homophones which means they sound the same, but they have different spellings and meanings. Here we explain how to use these words correctly.   WEATHER Definition and Examples Weather can be a noun or a verb. WEATHER Examples: WHETHER Definition and Examples Whether is a conjunction, which joins two words or phrases together. WHETHER Examples: Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  Elias is from the United States and recently completed our 120-hour online TEFL/TESOL course. He was very impressed by the course. Even though he had teaching experience for over 20 years in various countries worldwide, he still learned a lot of new methods and techniques. He thought all units were well designed, well planned and comprehensible. The tutor support was also very effective and helped him deepen his knowledge. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  Once we're satisfied that all the students have been engaged and that they've been given the opportunity to say something, we can move on to our study phase. Here, it may be necessary or useful to actually pre-teach some gaps in knowledge that have been shown from the engage phase and those gaps in knowledge may include actual grammar structures or indeed useful vocabulary and it's very important that, before we move on to doing any forms of activity, we check their understanding of this material. So, we need to do some study exercises. It's also very useful if you leave this information up on the board through all that study period. Those study activities can just be the normal types of gap fills or matching activities and, as always, we need to demonstrate those activities,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Classroom management refers to how things are generally carried out in the classroom. It deals with ways on how things are supposed to be done. This includes procedures and routines among others. New teachers, however, tend to mistake classroom management and classroom discipline. Whereas classroom management is as stated above, classroom discipline is the specific management of students' behavior. By definitions alone, we can respectively differentiate the two as being the building blocks of any successful lesson and the reactive actions we take to maintain the rules that had been set through known procedures and routines. Definition Goals Teacher's behavior in the classroom Classroom environment Student-Teacher relationship Do you want to teach English...  [Read more]

  Elias is from the United States and enjoyed working on our 120-hour online TEFL course. He enjoyed the 20 units and learned many new teaching skills. He is excited to start working abroad teaching English as a second language. 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. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! I have been teaching for sometime now. The different levels of teaching styles are very helpful. The European council framework is a new...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review, Tatjana talks about her experience taking the 120-hour online TEFL course with ITTT. Tatjana thought the course was very beneficial, providing her with plenty of teaching ideas. She also found the videos that come with the tutor support course to be informative with regards to the theoretical side of the course. Tatjana recommends the course to all who are thinking about taking a TEFL course. 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. Register...  [Read more]

  Mary from the US took the 120-hour TEFL course with tutor support and videos after being recommended the course by her friends who are already teaching. In this TEFL review video, Mary discusses her experience of taking the course. Mary found the course videos to be helpful in presenting the course materials in a more visual way, which helped her to better absorb the information. She also found the tutors to be very responsive to her questions often replying within 24 hours. One of the main benefits of the course was that Mary was able to study in her own time enabling her to fit study around her job. 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...  [Read more]

  Throughout section on the teaching of productive skills and the teaching of receptive skills our activate activities will usually involve some form of game and our final consideration here will be the use of games in the classroom. We can start with a definition of what we actually mean by a game and it basically has three components. A game is an activity that has rules it should have for its purpose in the classroom a teaching point and by nature to the fact that it's a game it should also include an element of fun. So that will be our working definition for a game that we're going to use in the classroom. There are many different types of games and they range between the competitive and those will require cooperation and there are all sorts of games that involve both of these...  [Read more]

  So, the document itself needs to contain some general information about the class, for example the name of the teacher, the date and time of the lesson, what level of class is being taught and in what room, how many students are we expecting, this is important, when we've got things like photocopying and materials to do, what is the context of the lesson, in other words, what is the lesson actually about, what vocabulary or grammar point is this lesson covering and sometimes it's also useful to write out what the focus of the lesson is. So, in effect, the context of the lesson is telling us the grammar point, for example, that might be the present continuous tense, whereas the focus is telling us how we're going to go about teaching it. Another example to illustrate this: Let's...  [Read more]

  This video is the first of two that looks at the structure of the Present Perfect tense. Positive: subject +auxiliary verb have/has + past participle I have played. / She has played. Negative: subject + auxiliary verb have/has + not + past participle I have not played. / She has not played. Question: auxiliary verb have/has + subject + past participle Have I played? / Has she played? This verb tense requires the use of the past participle. With regular verbs the past participle is the verb plus ed, for example work - worked. However there are many irregular verbs that do not follow this pattern and have to be learnt from memory. For example, eat- eaten, drink-drunk, teach-taught. Most good grammar books will provide you with lists of irregular verbs. The tense system is just one of...  [Read more]