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What are TEFL acronyms? - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ TEFL FAQs
Acronyms are an essential tool used in all professions and technical writing. They are powerful tools to reduce word content. However without knowing what the acronym stands for, they can form a barrier to understanding. In the ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching world there is certainly no shortage of acronyms. Here we look at a few and one in particular, TEFL.
Some useful teaching acronyms are:
ELT: English Language Teaching. This is a general term for teaching English and applies to the teaching of English to both native and non-native English speakers.
ELL: English Language Learner. This is a general term for anyone learning English and applies to learners of English who are native or non-native English speakers.
ESL: English as a Second Language: This relates to the teaching... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - English Grammar Past Perfect Teaching Ideas 2 Online Tesol Course - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
In this Online TESOL Course video we will look at a useful teaching idea for the past perfect tense. Students are given statements written in the past simple and will have to complete the statement with sentences in the past perfect. Each statement would have been cut out before the class and distributed to pairs or small groups. The student will turn over their card, read out the statement then complete it with their own past perfect sentence. For example: I didn't do my homework ... because I hadn't brought my book home. Teaching ideas such as this become an important part of an English teacher's resources, enabling them to create interesting plans when required. To learn more about this tense and others consider taking one of ITTT's online TESOL courses. Follow the link above... [Read more]
7 Activities for Teaching Reported Speech in the ESL Classroom - TEFL Blog
Linda Dunsmore
Teaching Ideas
When teaching reported speech the potential for mistakes, errors, and the general difficulty is enormous due to the number of changes that are made with verb tenses, patterns, pronouns, questions, time expressions etc.. It's important to cover the subject slowly with lots of verbal practice at every opportunity. There are plenty of standard 'change the direct speech to reported speech' activities, but your students will soon tire of these if you overuse them. Here are some ideas which have worked well in the EFL classroom and will give your students a good amount of talk time in a variety of ways.
Listen to this blog post:
The Go-Between Game
The Lying Game
Pelmanism ("Concentration")
Guess Who
Reported Speech "Tennis"
Who Asked What?
Find Someone... [Read more]
The Role of Diagnostic Tests in an ESL Curriculum - TEFL Blog
Federico Riva
Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
This essay will present a 'teleological analysis' of the use of diagnostic tests in ESL curriculums as a means for achieving larger course objectives. Diagnostic tests are usually given to students at the beginning of a class or at periodic intervals after completing course units as a means which provide a critical link in attaining certain larger course objectives in an ESL course. An ESL curriculum has the objective of introducing and familiarizing speakers of an L1 to an L2, with the final goal of enabling each student in the class to attain the highest possible proficiency in the essential four aspects of language proficiency.
The Hierarchy of Means and Ends
Aristotle's Concept of Teleology
The Material Cause
The Formal Cause
Assessing... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Teaching English Esl Efl Tips/reported Speech Ideas - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
This video presents a teaching idea for reported speech. The activity includes having the students walk around the classroom asking other students for various bits of information. At the end of the activity, the students will report back the answers in reported 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 convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next.
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This unit is about teaching receptive skills. These skills are reading and listening and both... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Some Vs Any English Grammar Teaching Tips - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Some and Any are two words that often cause confusion, which is why we have decided to take a closer look at the difference of the two words in this video. Firsly, some is a determiner used for positive statements while any is a determiner used in questions and negative statements. Consider the following situation: I asked the teacher if he could give me some paper. I said ?Excuse me, have you got any paper?? Unfortunately, he didn?t have any. The first statement is positive and therefore requires us to use some. The second sentence is a question and therefore, we need to use any. The third and final sentence is a negative statement which also requries us to use any. It's worth noting that we do sometimes use some in questions and we also use any in positive statements. For... [Read more]
What is the highest TEFL qualification? - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ TEFL FAQs
When it comes to ranking educational qualifications by their difficulty level, many countries have their own ranking system. For example, there are 9 different levels that courses can be classed as within the UK.
Examples of actual UK qualifications at each level are given below:
The four routes to a PhD
Level 1: GCSE - grades 3, 2, 1 or grades D, E, F, GLevel 2: GCSE - grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, CLevel 3: A levelLevel 4: Certificate of higher education (Cert HE)Level 5: Diploma of higher education (Dip HE)Level 6: Degree with honors - for example bachelor of the arts (BA) honsLevel 7: Master's degree, for example Master of Science (MSc)Level 8: Doctorate, for example doctor of philosophy (PhD or DPhil)
Depending on which National Qualification Framework (NQF)... [Read more]
What is the official TEFL website? - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ TEFL FAQs
The British Council estimates there are 1.55 billion English language learners around the world, and at least 10.2 million English teachers.
www.theguardian.com/education/2013/nov/07/tefl-for-british-language-learners
A fair proportion of these learners will be taught in language schools and through private lessons, including online teaching.
There do not appear to be any official figures as to the number of TEFL and TESOL training centers worldwide, but it would be a fair guess to say they number in the thousands.
Most countries in the world control education through government regulation and oversight. This is also true of private education provision. This means that each country's government tends to make the rules and regulations concerning the training standards required of ESL... [Read more]
The Best Ice Breaker Games Every EFL Teacher Should Know - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
hi guys hey linda here from itt with another live session this week i'm so happy to be here again hope to see many of you guys today thanks so much for joining if you're listening to this as a podcast episode thank you so much for the download we recently just hit 3500 podcast downloads which is super exciting thank you so much for your support and um yeah today's topic i'm really excited about because it's something a little bit different than what i'm usually talking about and today i'm going to share with you the the best icebreaker games that every efl teacher should know so yeah i'm gonna be showing you guys what fun games you can play in your classes i know that some of you are already teaching and you probably know some of these games or you know versions of these games so feel... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - The Esa Methodology Of Teaching The Study Phase - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
This video is part of our ESA Methodology series. The ESA methodology consists of three stages. In this series, we look at the individual purposes of each stage and typical activities for each stage. This second video introduces the study phase of ESA. The purpose of this phase is to cover the actual teaching of the lesson and to check the understanding of that material.The second stage or phase of the lesson is known as the study phase and really the purpose of this phase is to cover the actual teaching of the lesson and to check understanding of that material. Typically in an ESA lesson, the study phase will have two parts. The first phase of the study is to cover the actual teaching component in what's known as the board work and what we try to do in the board work phase is to... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Productive Receptive Skills/receptive Skills Overview - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
This presentation is going to have a look at the idea of receptive skills and how we can go about teaching receptive skills lessons. There are two receptive skills and they are reading and listening. If we think about first of all, why do we read or listen, then there are probably two main answers to that. Firstly, it could either be for entertainment or it could be for a specific purpose. Within the reading and listening areas there are a number of sub-skills that we can teach our students. Firstly, what we can do is to show different examples of reading. So, let's say, for example, that we have just bought ourselves a new video camera and along with that video camera came a whole book of instructions. In order to find out how to get that camera working, then we would need to very... [Read more]
Guide to Teaching Receptive Skills in the EFL Classroom - TEFL Blog
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
When students learn English as a second language, there are two types of skills that they work towards obtaining proficiency of: receptive and productive skills. As an EFL teacher, you need to understand how to incorporate the learning of these skills into your lessons - and this guide will help you with that.
Listen to this blog post:
Receptive Skills Definition
Motivations for the Students
Challenges for the Students
Planning Your Lessons Considering the Motivations and Challenges
Great Resources for Teaching Receptive Skills
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This post was written by our ITTT graduate Leah B.
Within the category of receptive... [Read more]
The Journey of Completing a TEFL Course - TEFL Blog
Federico Riva
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences
Embarking on a TEFL course journey wasn't easy, filled with doubts and uncertainties. However, the desire for a fulfilling career and the inspiration from a former tutor led to the decision to pursue teaching English abroad. This personal account explores the motivations and reflections that shaped the decision.
Seeking Fulfillment and Purpose
Inspiration from a Life-Changing Experience
Rediscovering the Joy of Teaching
Researching Teaching Abroad
The Importance of a TEFL Course
Conclusion
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 of... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Tesol Tefl Reviews Video Testimonial Paul - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Paul from Australia is currently living in Manila in the Philippines. Paul took the 120-hour online TESOL course without tutor from ITTT. In this TESOL review video, Paul tells us that he found the course to be challenging and rewarding and had a great time completing but feels it would have been better to take the course with tutor support. Since completing the course Paul has been able to observe ESL lessons at the local international school and is looking forward to starting his new career as a TESOL teacher.
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... [Read more]
TEFL vs TESOL - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
The generally recognized acronym for the field of teaching English is ELT which simply means:
English Language Teaching.
Within this huge field there are a number of specialisms. One such specialism is the teaching of English to learners for whom English is not their first language. Three common acronyms that are often used when applied to this scenario are TEFL, TESL and TESOL.
By defining the terms we will show that the idea of comparing one versus the other, i.e. “TEFL vs TESOL” is not particularly useful. So what do they mean?
When the English teaching is to non native speakers and takes place in a country where the first language is not English. Examples would be teaching English in Peru or teaching English in Taiwan.
TESL applies when teaching English to non native speakers in a... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Tesol Tefl Reviews Video Testimonial John - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
John tells us in this TESOL review that he completed his teaching course with ITTT while living in Mexico City, Mexico. The flexibility of ITTT's online courses mean that you can study anywhere in the world and fit your studying around your other commitments.
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 has been very beneficial because it has taught me all about modal verbs and phrasal verbs. By... [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]
Tefl reviews - Overview Of All English Tenses Present Tenses Present Continuous Teaching Ideas - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
And now we'll take a look at a few teaching ideas for the present continuous tense. The present continuous tense is quite a visual tense. We use it to describe actions that are happening at the present moment. So, we could give our students a picture, such as the one seen here. It is important that in the picture there are many activities going on. The teacher can give a time limit to pairs or small groups. In that time limit, the pairs or small groups will make various sentences based upon what they see in the picture. These sentences may include 'He is taking a picture,' 'He is throwing a boomerang,' 'They are playing with the ball,' 'He is digging a hole.' At the end of the time limit, the teacher will ask for some feedback and get feedback from the pairs and the groupings to... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Tesol Tefl Reviews Video Testimonial Roby - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Roby from the US share her experiences of completing ITTT's 120 online TEFL/TESOL certification course in this TESOL review. She talks about how best to complete the course and she outlines the support that was given to her by her online tutor. She also talks about the ongoing job support that ITTT offers to all its graduates. Roby plans to complete ITTT's two specialized courses, the Business English course and the Teaching English to Young Learners course. These two additional teaching qualifications will greatly improve her career options when she moves to Japan.
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... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Pronunciation And Phonology/intonation - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Whereas stress is typically concerned with one individual word, intonation is generally concerned with the variation in volume and pitch throughout an entire sentence. Intonation carries the message of a sentence. It's particularly important when questioning or agreeing, disagreeing and confirming statements. It's also very important when expressing emotions and feelings. The normal pattern for intonation is the rise-fall. Few examples would be ?I haven't seen him for a week,? or a simple word as ?okay?. With the falling intonation, we?re indicating that we're finished speaking. Again, ?I haven't seen him for a week? and ?okay?. A few more examples would be ?I'll see you at six then,? or a question of information ?How do you spell rough?? These are straightforward statements that... [Read more]
What is the difference between TEFL and TESOL? - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ TEFL FAQs
Where are TEFL and TESOL primarily utilized?
TEFL finds its main application in the UK and Europe, whereas TESOL is the preferred terminology in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Despite their interchangeable usage, these terms reflect regional preferences for English teaching accreditation. Nonetheless, both TEFL and TESOL certifications offer comparable training and qualifications.
What are the technical distinctions between TEFL and TESOL?
Should I get TEFL or TESOL certified?
Why get TEFL / TESOL certified.
Video Testimonials.
TEFL and TESOL, though frequently interchanged, possess distinct technical scopes. TEFL is geared towards teaching English to individuals in non-English speaking regions, typically for purposes like travel, business, or personal enrichment. In contrast,... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - English Grammar Past Continuous Teaching Ideas 2 Tefl - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
For this TEFL teaching idea we ask the students to look at a scene in a hospital where there are several people doing different things. Students are given time to memorise the picture before it is turned over. The students would then be asked to say what the people were doing in the picture. For example: A nurse was giving a patient an injection. A man was pouring a glass of water. As the trainer notes in the video, this activity can be adapted to make it into a competition by having students in teams compete to remember as many actions as they can. Grammar points such as this are often seen as fairly boring to most English language students, especially those who do not choose to study English. So being able to come up with ideas that encourage students to practice the grammar in... [Read more]
How to Use Neither and Either - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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The words "neither" and "either" are often confused by English learners around the globe. The word "either" sometimes has a similar meaning as the word "neither" but they are often used incorrectly. Below, we take a look at the differences so you can use (and teach!) these words correctly and with confidence.
When both words are used as adverbs the meaning is almost exactly the same:
neither (adverb) used to show that a negative statement is also true of somebody/something else, for example:
“She didn’t remember to bring an umbrella and neither did I.”
A: “I don’t like mushrooms.”
B: “Me neither.”
either (adverb) used after negative phrases to state that a feeling... [Read more]
Figures of Speech - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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A figure of speech refers to a word or phrase used in a non-literal sense for rhetorical or vivid effect. Below, we will take a look at the 10 most common figures of speech in English.
A figure of speech is used to make writing more interesting as it expresses something in another way than its literal meaning. Here are the 10 most common figures of speech in English.
A methaphor is a comparison between two different things, which share something in common. For example:
The world is your oyster.
This refers to a phrase that is replaced with another phrase with a similar meaning used to describe something in an indirect manner, such as:
I remain loyal to the crown.
Onomatopoeia is a word... [Read more]
The Basic Types of Adverbs - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ Usage & Adverb Examples in English
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Let's take a look at the six basic types of adverbs in English. Learn useful usage, example words, and example sentences of different adverbs types in English with this printable ESL infographic.
Usage: Describes when or for how long a certain action happened.
Example words: Already, ago, before, yet, never, soon, yesterday, soon, lately
Example sentences:
Usage: Describes how often something occurs, either indefinite or indefinite terms.
Example words: Always, usually, normally, often, sometimes, occasionally, once, seldom, rarely, never
Example sentences:
Usage: Tells about where something happens or where something is.
Example words: Here, everywhere, near, nearby, down, away,... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - English Grammar Present Perfect Structure Tesol - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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]
The Differences Between TEFL, TESOL, DELTA and CELTA - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
hello hello uh it's liza here um while i'm waiting for uh more people to join us let me introduce myself for those who will watch it um as a recording so my name is lisa i am a tefl expert uh at itt team and i am also a self-employed online esl teacher i am a non-native speaker and i am based in ukaterenburg russia so i hope that today's session will be useful for as many people as it is possible because it basically covers one of the most controversial topics uh in tefl certification so uh to be more exact uh the main point of today's session is uh what are some differences between tefl tesol and uh the other certifications which are celta and delta and uh right now please let me know if you can hear me clearly and see me well uh there is a chat box uh so you can communicate with me via... [Read more]
How to Effectively Integrate Slang and Idioms into TEFL - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Intelligence has been defined in many ways, including the capacity for logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be described as the ability to perceive or infer information and to retain it as knowledge to be applied towards adaptive behaviors within an environment or context (Wikipedia, 2019).
Considering Language Habits
Iconic Approach to Teaching
Why Slang?
Verb First Clauses Usually Play one of Three Roles:
Teaching Slang and Idioms
Incorporating Idioms and Slang into English language Teaching
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate... [Read more]
The Dependence of Teaching on Students Motivation - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
A highly motivated student is one who is goal-oriented, driven by passion and focused. He/she does things from the bottom of the heart. Motivation can be viewed as an internal impulse that brings us to complete an action. Without motivation, there is no action. Motivation is what moves or inspires the learner to achieve set objectives. It's the motor that drives the student to achieve pedagogical objectives. Hence it's an essential tool to equip students with, so that whatever they do it effectively and with perfection.
Behavior and Motivation
Efforts and Motivation
Get to Know Your Students
Get Your Students Involved
Vary Your Activities
Choose The Best Strategy
Find Perfect Materials
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
Related... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Furhter Vs Farther English Grammar Teaching Tips - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
The two words "farther" and "further" are a pair of words that is often used interchangeably to talk about distances. However, not many know that there is actually a slight difference between the two. "Farther" is used for physical distances. So we would use it in this example: "Tokyo is farther away than Beijing". When using "further" we talk about non-physical, figurative distances, for example "I'm falling further away from my goals". As you can see, the two words have slighty different usages. However, in spoken English the two words are often used interchangeably without a difference. However, if you are keen to use them properly, you should stick to the rules mentioned above.
Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL... [Read more]