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Pronunciation Problems for Learners Speaking Chinese as their First Language - TEFL Blog
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
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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]
Board Game - Name it, Spell it - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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With this fun board game, you can practice vocabulary and spelling in an enjoyable way with your ESL students.
The questions can be adapted to make it more challenging should it prove to be too easy. Make learning fun with this board game.
For higher-level learners, you can ask students to name 2 or 3 answer instead of just one.
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How Mandarin Chinese Helps Me in Teaching English - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Foreign language experience is complexed on so many different levels, it is a window into a different culture, often a different country and even a different paradigm of thinking. There is a multitude of language experiences people can have, each with their own intricacies and uniqueness. As a native English speaker from South Africa, living in China has provided me with extraordinary foreign language experience.
The Most Difficult Language
Benefits of Mandarin Experience
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Marlan S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Mandarin, the national language of... [Read more]
Troubles Faced by Students from China When Learning English - TEFL Blog
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
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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]
How Learning Chinese Made Me A Better English Teacher In China - TEFL Blog
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
The following blog post is about an ITTT graduate who shares his story on how learning Chinese helped him to become a better English teacher in China.
What do you call someone who speaks only one language?
"My insights into their language and culture were incredibly helpful."
"Many Chinese are anxious about speaking English with natives - more so than is to be considered normative."
"The best ESL teachers are the ones with experience with the native language of their students."
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Now it's your turn to get TEFL certified!
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph S.
A common saying imparted to me by one of my professors goes like this: "What do you call someone who speaks three languages?... [Read more]
How to Build Confidence in Chinese Business Students - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Self-confidence has been seen as a major contributor to a person learning a language. As a teacher and a counselor, I agree with Jack Welch's quote: Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do because then they will act. Confidence exists of three realms: who I am, what I can learn, and what I can do. These are steps that can be taken to help Chinese Business English students improve confidence in these realms.
What is self-confidence?
Who am I?
What can I learn?
What can I do?
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today!
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate William N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.... [Read more]
The Typical Challenges for Chinese English Learners - TEFL Blog
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
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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]
English Speaking and Writing Errors made by Chinese Primary Students - TEFL Blog
William Noble
Destinations Teaching Ideas
I have been an online ESL teacher to Chinese students for over 13 years, mostly with primary students but also with secondary and adult students. I am also a father and have homeschooled my daughter over her primary years. Like many teachers, I've enjoyed teaching at this level of education as it lays the foundation in English. As it set the foundation, my teaching helped students to overcome common errors in production skills, speaking and writing. Teaching both my daughter and Chinese students at the primary level also helped me also to understand the different expectations between first language and second language students.
Speaking Errors
Phonetics
Dark L
Aspiration
Consonant Clusters
Suprasegmentals
Intonation
Psychology
Writing Errors... [Read more]
CHINEASE Ltd. - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Chinease is an international education group supported by Northumbria university. We currently work with over 80 Chinese and British Universities and institutions to provide teaching jobs, manager positions in education. And served over 200 excellent teaching vacancies for you.
We not only provide a large number of high-quality working opportunities but also one-step humanized services. We always accompany with you from resume to final entry without placing burden on you. And our Chinesae department will arrange post-entry docking and a full range of settling in services, to help you experience and understand the amazing Chinease culture to integrate into the local environment.
Find out how we can help you secure your dream teaching job in China. Please do not hesitation to contact us. We... [Read more]
How to Help Chinese Native Speaking Students in Their ESL Practice - TEFL Blog
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]
English Learning Problems For Chinese Native Speakers and Solutions - TEFL Blog
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.
Shyness/lack of confidence:
Grammar issues:
Pronunciation issues:
Th: /s/ instead of /th/
V: /w/ instead of /v/ (mostly with southern Chinese)
Lt: /t/ instead of /lt/
Intonation:
Lack of learning structure:
Do you want to teach English in China?
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ruben M.
Chinese people often seem to be shy or... [Read more]
3 Things to Consider When Teaching University Students in China - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Teaching English to foreign students can be challenging, yet one of the most rewarding experiences. Providing education on the English language to young, middle-aged, or older individuals can be an eventful experience, shaping an instructor's portfolio and personal life. In this report, I explore possible advantages and disadvantages of teaching English to university students in China from a prospective instructor's perspective.
Individual Needs
Working on Personal Qualities
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Enjoying The Process
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dhanisha N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Teaching, in general, can be an action-packed... [Read more]
How to Help Chinese Native Speakers to Follow English Grammar Rules in Speaking - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Grammar is the rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in a natural language. Simply put, grammar is the general rule of a language. Language is logical; grammar tells us in which order we say words. It's about how words become phrases; how words and phrases become sentences and how sentences become language.
The Essence of Grammar
Different languages have different grammar rules
How to teach grammar (EFL: how to teach Chinese students English)
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yang S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Some of these rules are acquired naturally in... [Read more]
Problems for Young English Learners in Public Schools in China - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Since the opening of China to the Western world, Chinese society and economic prowess have both continued to grow at exponential rates. This has led to its status as a rising power, culturally and economically, and an international power increasingly interconnected with many parts of the globe. As Chinese educational infrastructure tries to match pace with the rapidity of the country's progress, one educational mandate that has persisted in importance over time has been that of English learning for all young learners across the country. The government sees English proficiency as a matter of national economic competitiveness, in fact requiring that English is taught as part of the public school curriculum as preparation for China's 高考 (gaokao),... [Read more]
Peak Education - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Peak English head office located in Guangzhou City, our company is fully-licensed by municipal and provincial government, therefore we are able to issue proper work visa. Our company is well-known in the city for its standards of teaching and the quality of its instructors. Our students range from pre-school children to adults. Contracts are available for 6 months or 1 year. We will provide professional training for all new teachers. If you are passionate about education, don't hesitate to contact us.
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Problems for ESL Learners in China - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
The English language has become so essential in china because the country wants to successfully promote internationalism and keep the lines of communication open for trade and business matters. As one of the global powers, it's in the country's best interest to keep afloat of shifting trends in international matters.
Governmental decision
Spelling
Pronunciation
Singular / Plural Aspect
Gender
Articles
Lack of opportunities to practice
Word order
Individual differences
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ramy M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
The government has recognized that English is now... [Read more]
Problems for Learners in China and How to Help Teachers Overcome Them - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
After spending five years in China as an ESL teacher, corporate trainer and university lecturer I would like to share a few of the most common problems for Chinese learners and ways for teachers to overcome them. I will focus on problems regarding cultural differences, pronunciation and first language interference.
Social challenges
Pronunciation
First language influence
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Michal W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Despite China's opening to the outside world in recent decades, it is still a very closed society with only anecdotal knowledge of Western culture (by... [Read more]
How Can Knowledge of First Language Acquisition Aid Successful Second Language Acquisition? - TEFL Blog
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
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rebekah I. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the... [Read more]
Problems for Learners of English in Mandarin Speaking China - TEFL Blog
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]
Education in China: What a Prospective EFL Teacher Should Know - TEFL Blog
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.
Habits and Traditions
Performance Evaluation
Responsibilities
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
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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... [Read more]
English, The Universal Language - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Over a hundred years ago, in the late 19th century, a Polish-Jewish eye doctor named Dr. Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof wanted to bridge the gaps and misunderstandings between different ethnic groups that he grew up around. Being from a Polish city that, at the time, was a polyglot, multi-ethnic mixture of Poles, Russians, Jews, Lithuanians, and Germans, he saw there was a great deal of distrust between each group, and he believed it was due to the language barriers that each imposed. To create a common ground between every group, he created an international, universal language called Esperanto (Yaffe, 2017). While it was a great idea to create a language that did not belong to any ethnic group and could be used universally, it did not take off in the 20th... [Read more]
The World Status of The English Language - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
A global language is a language spoken internationally, the most popular one being English. It is learned by many people as a second language.
Word Origin
Global Communication
Language Structure
Cultural Importance
Challenges For Learners
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Damian B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
A big part of the lexical units in the English language was taken from German, Latin, French, and other European countries. People think that languages have a strong relation between dominance and cultural power.
Also read: What to Watch Out for Before Signing Your TEFL Contract... [Read more]
Tips for Polite and Diplomatic Language - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!
As a teacher of English as a foreign language, it's a good idea to teach students polite words and expressions right from the start. While diplomatic language often includes difficult vocabulary, it's actually not that hard to add some polite spice to a simple sentence - even for beginner students.
Of course you can make sentences a lot more polite by using the two magic phrases "please" and "thank you". However, there are a lot of other ways to use more polite language when speaking to others.
For English leaners, the problem mostly comes down to the fact that words and expressions that are considered "kind" in one language, aren't always kind in another. English uses a lot of language strategies to express politeness that... [Read more]
All Types of Verbs in the English Language - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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Verbs are one of the most important parts of speech in English and incredibly important for learners of English. The below infographic showcases all types of verbs in the English language.
Generally speaking, a verb is a word that shows an action, state or an event. It is an essential part of a sentence and is known as the soul of language. For example:
"They study English grammar." (Action)
"We celebrate independence day." (Event)
"I sleep at night." (State)
Following are the different types of verbs:
When a verb's past tense (2nd form) and past participle (3rd form) is created by adding ‘d’ or ‘ed’, it is called a regular verb. Some examples of a regular verb include:
Walk
Walked
... [Read more]
How Can Reading Influence Language Acquisition? - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Language acquisition is a process that engages different skills and is therefore influenced by them. Reading, which is among the four main language skills, is considered to be influential in this process in many ways. In my opinion, it is one of the best contributors to the journey of learning a new language and although its advantages seem to be exclusive to reading comprehension, it involves other skills to a high degree as well.
Reading Resources
Benefits of Reading
Speaking Skills
Reading as a Way to Master Speaking
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Faezeh C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of... [Read more]
How Grammar Influences a Language Acquisition - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Teaching a language seems to have its roots precisely in teaching grammar: one of the first learning methodologies in history was grammar-translation. Used to translate Greek into Latin, it was inefficient for speech development, yet it remains one of the most popular teaching methods in education. Unfortunately, even from my own experience as a student, this is the preferred teaching method and it wasn't until recently that a more interactive way of learning was introduced in schools.
Reasons to Learn Grammar
Approaches to Teaching Grammar
1. Deductive approach
2. Inductive approach
Young Learners
Adult Learners
Potential problems
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This post was written by our TEFL... [Read more]
A Road Map to Language Acquisition - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Just as a map is a guide to a territory, grammar is the guide to a language. A language course ought to include such guidance, through which the student perceives direction. The ability to read a map, and, as a result, delineating the goal´s location, facilitates the endeavor to set the student onto the right path. When a learner understands the universal logic of language, he can put his native language into context within every foreign language. This comparison of languages will reveal similarities. To learn that all languages are alike will make the acquisition easier. If the teacher wants the student to understand that languages are closely related he has to present grammar as a common aspect of all languages. Grammar describes principals of... [Read more]
TEFL Peru - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ Language Support Specialist
Date posted:2024-04-19 | Writer: Newton College | Email: [email protected]
Newton College is looking for a talent who can be our Language Support Specialist in Upper School (Secundaria).
Requirements
Hold a degree (Licenciatura) in Education, Special Education, Applied Linguistics or related field.
English level: CPE or bilingual
Certification in teaching English as a second language (TESOL), English language teaching (CELTA) or equivalent.
Minimum 3 years' experience teaching a foreign language.
At least 2 years of IB Program experience
Experience working with students who have language-based learning differences or second language learners.
Responsibilities
Actively participate in collaborative spaces with colleagues, including observation of student work/data to adjust... [Read more]
The Difference between Formal and Non-Formal Language - TEFL Blog
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
When approaching formal and non-formal language it's imperative to keep in mind that people are by nature designed to be different, therefore arguing which is more important is a waste of time. Based on cultural upbringing and life experience both play an important role in regards to teaching a student. Formal and informal language are used daily, though, both habituate different societal spaces and their ratios change. Either can bleed into each other when language becomes really interesting.
The Use Of Formal Language
The Use Of Non-Formal Language
Things to Keep in Mind
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Listen to this blog post
This post was written by our ITTT graduate Thomas H.
Defined simply formal language avoids "I",... [Read more]
1st Language vs. 2nd Language Acquisition: How and TEFL Instructors Must Learn from the First to Better Teach the Second - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
The contrast between primary language acquisition and second language learning interests professional linguists, language pedagogues, and ordinary students alike. To say that the processes are distinct and involve very different learning processes, as well as even altogether different spheres of the brain is an understatement: these are indeed different functions (Limacher, Ute "Language Acquisition Versus Language Learning" ).
Differences between the two types of acquisitions
Language structure and learning process
Personal experience
The Consciousness of language acquisition
Classroom setting
Natural environment
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brett... [Read more]