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The Benefits of Larger Classes in EFL Teaching - TEFL Blog
Federico Riva
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences
Bigger is better, right? It's a concept most of us have grown up with. A bigger house is better than a smaller one, a bigger car is better than a smaller one, and a bigger motorbike is oh so much better than a smaller one. The list is almost endless. So, we all agree then, bigger is better! Or is it?
Challenging the Perception: Bigger is Better?
A Different Perspective on Class Sizes
Comparing Class Sizes: UK vs. Vietnam
The Role of Apprentice Teachers in Larger Classes
Conclusion
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author, an alumni of ITTT... [Read more]
The Striking Differences Between BrE and AmE - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
When we talk about the English language, we are referring to its base form or proper English as the Brits would say. American English is a version of British English, which has been modified over time and has thus been altered to suit the different geographical locations, different culture and so on.
Lexical Differences
Grammar Structure
Spelling
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There are several areas of the English language which present the most noticeable differences and these are in vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kristian B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
There are hundreds of... [Read more]
The Secret Strategy on ESL Learner Motivation - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
I feel that this is a very important topic and part of the teaching experience, one of my biggest worries is that I won't be good enough at creating a classroom where the students feel encouraged, motivated and comfortable participating, of course, there are a lot of things that go into this, such as the way you teach the material and what you choose to teach, the way you maintain discipline in the classroom, how to create good rapport with all the students in your class, how to make the class "fun" and interesting for the students without trying to be TOO fun and derail from the point of the lesson, so I worry about a lot of these issues.
Why is it necessary?
Ideas to motivate students
Setting up goals
Establishing a positive atmosphere
Knowledge race... [Read more]
The Principles of Working on Student Motivation - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Besides the thousands of things they have on their minds (personal problems, health issues, daydreaming, etc.) and the temptation to just chat with their neighbors in the classroom, students can also be easily distracted by their smartphones. Distraction is not the only obstacle to the class, boredom and absenteeism don't help the class either.
1. Build rapport with students
2. Make the class interesting
3. Have fun!
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To prevent those behaviors, students need to be motivated, which is every teacher's challenge. While all students have different backgrounds and expectations, the teacher still has plenty of resources to tease students' attention and increase their participation.
How do you keep... [Read more]
Problems for English Learners in Russia - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
People from different countries inevitably face problems when they are trying to learn English. Russia is no exception. Let's have a quick look at some typical problems that my fellow countrymen face.
Pronunciation
Grammar
Meaning
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sergei S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
As you may know, Russian is written using the Cyrillic alphabet, and some may think that it can cause problems. In reality, the Russians are fine with understanding the Latin alphabet and can easily pronounce each letter. However, the Devil is in the details. When it comes to speaking it... [Read more]
Problems of First Lessons and How to Overcome Them - TEFL Blog
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
Challenges are inevitable especially if you want to be successful at what you do and teaching EFL is not devoid of them. In fact, teaching English as a Foreign Language can be very much exciting but also very challenging as it comes with lots of problems. Among these problems are what to do for the first lessons and how to get students motivated for the EFL course. These problems like many others have solutions and this essay seeks to highlight the problems and provide some practical solutions to them.
First impressions are the most lasting
Overcoming this issue
Getting your students motivated
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Listen to this blog post:
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Belinda S.
What to... [Read more]
5 Challenges of Teaching EFL to Kindergarten Level Students - TEFL Blog
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
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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]
Advantages and Disadvantages of Teaching Phonetics - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
This will be a discussion aimed at presenting both the advantages and disadvantages of teaching phonetics. We will show how teaching phonetics help create approachability and reinforce language similarities. Inversely we will look at how English suffers from inconsistent phonetic rules and the conflict between words as written and words as said. We will also look at methods to mitigate these issues.
Self-awareness
Noticing language similarities
English rules
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mitchell D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Teaching phonetics help create an approachability towards... [Read more]
Games as a Teaching Method for Adult ESL Students - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
When we start to learn new things as children, we tend to do that with the help of games. That is why in many classrooms of young learners, we find games to be a highly popular medium amongst educators. It is a way of absorbing and processing a piece of information in a fun and educational way. But when we grow up, we somehow forget the necessity of games in the classroom.
Ice Breaker
Ways to Include Games into Your Lesson
What Games to Choose?
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anna B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
When it comes to learning a second language, children immerse themselves in... [Read more]
Ways to Improve Discipline in the Classroom - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Good discipline is one of the keys to an effective lesson. Not only new teachers meet difficulties to manage students, but some veterans in this profession also can face problems. In this summative task, I will share my experience on how to maintain classroom discipline with young learners.
How to find a common language? There are some tricks below:
1. Teacher's good mood.
2. Start the lesson with something interesting. It can be a short video, song, dance, unusual toy, mask or even costume. Something bright, which attracts kids.
3. During the first class establish main rules, for example:
4. Use the different activities to figure out the main interests in the group and each kid.
5. Good discipline does not mean complete silence and absolute domination... [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
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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]
The Real Meaning of Teaching Skills in the ESL Environment - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Teaching skills do not only refer to lesson handouts and specific classroom ideas/techniques—although both are part of, and important to teach— but also cover qualities teachers should possess, and the various roles the instructor will (at some point) need to fill.
What makes a good instructor?
Motivation strategies
Roles of a teacher
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Carly G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
The first unit of the course began by identifying qualities that make for a good instructor. These qualities are as follows: teachers must be kind, patient, lively and... [Read more]
What Are The Problems For English Language Learners In Saudi Arabia? - TEFL Blog
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
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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]
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
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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]
Most Common Problems for English Learners in Spanish-Speaking Colombia - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
For this assignment, I decided to research problems experienced by Colombian students learning English. I will be teaching English in Colombia and thought this subject would benefit me. My findings more generally reflect the difficulties of Spanish-speaking learners. The paper outlines the top ten difficulties for Spanish-speakers learning English (vocabulary, spelling/pronunciation, subject-verb-agreement, verb tense, dialects, subject omission, pronunciation, stress, slang, and literal translations) based on CCJK (2019). Where possible I relate this information to my experiences/examples and units in the TEFL course.
Vocabulary difficulties
Spelling and Punctuation Difficulties
Subject-Verb Agreement
Verb Tense
Dialects
The omission of the Subject... [Read more]
British vs. American: Which English Accent to Choose? - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
British English versus American English always sparks a lively discussion. I have read some articles so far as to compare these 2 languages and gather the information from the online resources.
Personal experience
The history of English
Vocabulary challenge
Teaching implications and classroom problems
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Zahra J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
I am Iranian and have many American and British friends and I have been living abroad for about 6 years. As an English speaker as a second language, it took me a while to learn what is British and what is American English.... [Read more]
Why TEFL Teachers Should Work on Establishing Rapport - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Establishing rapport with students is a crucial part of any successful teacher because it allows teachers to teach their students more effectively and in different ways. Rapport is defined as, "the ability to maintain harmonious relationships based on affinity...is more colloquially thought of as what happens when two people "click"—they connect, interact well, and respond to each other favorably" (Weimer, facultyfocus.com).
Connection
Motivation
Communication
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dominic D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
This "click" is the ability of a teacher to... [Read more]
Pronunciation Problems in Ukraine - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
It is not a secret that pronouncing English sounds easily and correctly is a big challenge for non-native speakers. Of course, the complexity of English pronunciation consists not only of particular sounds but also of several other aspects such as intonation, stress, rhythm, and timing. I would like to analyze one of the biggest and most obvious pronunciation problems for Ukrainian speakers of English which, in my opinion, is sound differences and the way of pronouncing sounds.
Sound System
Articulation
Aspiration
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Hanna H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
There are a number... [Read more]
Teaching Roles and Functions in ESL - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Teaching can be defined as the action of a person imparting skills or knowledge, giving instructions, the job which requires teaching, the profession of great responsibility and specific character. The teacher is not only the person who gives knowledge but can be a model of competence. The role of the teacher is significant as they teach more than lessons in a book, try to teach how to think and how to choose the right above the wrong, to differentiate deeper things than peoples' outlook. The teacher is a manager of creating a special atmosphere in the classroom conducive to learning, this person guides the south of the difficulties.
Social Responsibility
Psychological Responsibilities
Management
Delivering Information
Planning and Other Things
Do you... [Read more]
Evaluation and Testing: What is the Necessity? - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
During the grammar lessons of learning English, the aspect of tenses is inevitable. Tenses could be passed, present or future which could further be broken up into simple past, simple present or future continuous just to highlight a few. The past tense is important because it gives one some background information about an event when such an event is assessed.
What is testing?
What is evaluation?
Why is it important for students and teachers?
Course review
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate David K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Testing is a process that can be done using a particular scale... [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]
The 3 Typical Problems For ESL Students from Different Countries - TEFL Blog
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
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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]
Problems Japan Faces in Developing English as a Second Language - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
There are several challenges Japan faces when it comes to learning English as a second language. Japanese culture is a bubble. Everything, including their ad signs, TV, games, government, studies, work and even the internet is filled with one language; Japanese. In a world of globalization, where your goods and services can come from literally any part of the globe. Japan is one of the few remaining homogenous cultures where English is still seen as an optional language. As the global economy becomes more global, the English language will likely become less optional, but essential. In addition to the cultural issues, Japan's English curriculum in the school is largely unchanged from the '60s according to my Japanese cousins and uncles still living in... [Read more]
The Most Common Problems Students in Laos Face When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
Learning a second language is never easy but the problems that each learner faces are not all the same. Sometimes the grammar of your first language is completely different from your second language. There might be sounds you do not know how to make because your first language does not have them. You might have limited access to fluent speakers of the language you are learning. All of these are true for Lao learners trying to acquire English as a second language.
"Teaching students new vocabulary and how to pronounce it requires patience and creativity."
"Spoken and written grammar are huge hurdles."
"The Lao writing system is completely different compared to English."
"The exposure to English is very limited in Laos."
Are you ready to teach English... [Read more]
The Factors Influencing a Foreign Language Acquisition - TEFL Blog
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
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This post was written by our... [Read more]
Am I on the Right Track? Forking the Paths of Teaching - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
"You speak too much in the class," "you always finish their sentences," "you answer back to the teens," "the classroom is a mess," "your lessons are boring." That was the feedback I would usually get in college during my teaching practice. So the final questions were always the same, "When am I going to be a good teacher?" What does it take apart from reading the theory?" "Why am I failing?" In this essay, I will briefly describe some of my experiences when teaching and the struggles on the way. I will also mention the importance of applying specific methods and techniques, taking different roles and the relation between lesson planning and the material to be used in class.
The Natural Way
Teachers all-inclusive
Planning Creativity
Do you want to teach... [Read more]
Problems for Czech Learners of English - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
I have moved to the Czech Republic with my girlfriend who is Czech after we met in New Zealand, where I am from. Teaching English here was a business idea that she came up with because she taught English here before for 8 years. In Czech people are more interested in taking English lessons from a native speaker and they also like New Zealand over here. So from this perspective, it makes a lot of sense for me to do this course. Since I am going to be teaching in Czech to begin with, I have already started to see some issues with the language learning that I will be faced with.
Grammar
Receptive Skills
Productive Skills
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate... [Read more]
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 ESL Learners in Turkey - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
I have started teaching English in Turkey, since 2018. If you are planning to start your teaching career here, I would like to mention several pros and cons and problems of learning English for the speakers of the Turkish language.
Expectations
Syntax
Usage of the First Language
Students' Efforts
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Hanie s. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
First of all, learners expect teaching to be prescriptive rather than descriptive, which indicates, they tend to memorize the sample instead of learning through the examples and explanations. Secondly, students are... [Read more]
The Common Problems for Learners in Turkey - TEFL Blog
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]