Most Complicated Language

  There are certain words that need backshifting when using reported speech. In this video we look at backshifting places in reported speech. This video is specifically aimed at teaching reported speech in an ESL setting. 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. This unit was about the pronunciation and the phonology of the English language and how to teach it to student. Pronunciation is something that most students find very difficult in the...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified in Russia? Are you interested in teaching English in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Russia? Check out our opportunities in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English in your community or abroad! Teflonline.net offers a wide variety of Online TESOL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Here Below you can check out the feedback (for one of our units) of one of the 16.000 students that last year took an online course with ITTT! Unit 18 focuses on modal auxillary verbs, phrasal verbs, and passive voice. The section I found most challenging focused on phrasal verbs, and being able to identify and formulate the...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified in United States? Are you interested in teaching English in Eugene, United States? Check out our opportunities in Eugene, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English in your community or abroad! Teflonline.net offers a wide variety of Online TESOL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Here Below you can check out the feedback (for one of our units) of one of the 16.000 students that last year took an online course with ITTT! Unit #18 provided a great review of modals, phrasal verbs, and passive and active voice. I felt the grammatical distinctions between modals was well stated and easy to digest. However, I...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "hobbit". This word was invented by J.R.R. Tolkien for his 1937 novel "The Hobbit". Today, the word is widely known because of the immense popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien's books and the movies made from them. 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. From my point view, unit 10\" could be considered as one of the most important parts of the course so far as it is a visual aid to comprehend all...  [Read more]

Before we address the main question it is best to first give a brief outline of the different types of class levels that English language classrooms adopt around the world. Although there will be different names used for the different levels taught in some countries, the five standard teaching levels indicated by the main resources books available (Reward, New Headway, etc) are: Now that we have established the general language levels of our students, we can now look at the four skills of the English language. As an ESL language teacher it is vital that we are aware of the four skills required by any student who wishes to become fluent. Reading and listening (receptive skills) and writing and speaking (productive skills) are all as important as each other when it comes to learning a...  [Read more]

  Before we move on to the final methodology for today, let's just recap and see where we are at this point in time. We're looking at different learning methodologies. Each of those methodologies takes its premise from being somewhere on this particular spectrum of ?nature versus nurture? and where we are on this spectrum gives us a starting point for the background or theory to that particular methodology. So, we?ve had a look starting in the 17th century and the classical method and moving on as the ideas of psychology developed to various methods, such as audiolingualism, the silent way, Suggestopedia and TPR. Each of these showing a development as knowledge about learning increased and each of these takes a different starting point on our English spectrum. Below you can read...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word lampoon. This word can be used as a verb and as a noun. Used as a verb, it describes the action of criticizing a person or a topic by using ridicule. The noun lampoon refers to the actual speech or text used to critize someone or something. The word was taken from the French word lampon. 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. Future system is one of the most complicated and challenging tens....  [Read more]

  "In terms of the things that are negative about it, we've already said that it doesn't develop speaking but perhaps the biggest negative point about this particular methodology is that it's very unnatural. Ok, so despite the criticisms of this particular method, and particularly the fact that is unnatural, this particular methodology was in use all the way through the 17th, 18th and 19th century and indeed it's still in use today. However, Gouin in the 1880s and Berlitz in the early 1900s decided that this particular methodology was so unnatural that they wanted to come up with something new. The method that they came up with, they called the direct method. You will also sometimes see it as the natural method. What these two people were saying is that if we wish to learn a...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word quiescent. This word refers to a state of inactivity. Synonyms for quiescent include inactive, idle, at rest, and quiet. 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. This was the most challenging unit of them al. I had a hard time with the mouth diagram, the syllable chart on page 8, and the Manner and place of articulatio. I understood the lesson when I pronounced the words and said aloud a...  [Read more]

In the vast majority of cases, ESL teachers will need to obtain some form of visa to enter their destination country. What specific visa you need is wholly dependent on the rules and regulations of your host country, so you should contact the relevant embassy or take a look at their website to make sure you have all the correct information. Below we outline the most common forms of visa you are likely to come across. Tourist visas are typically issued to people who only plan on a short visit and do not intend to work or study. This type of visa comes in many different forms depending on the host country and your own country of origin. The 'upon entry' tourist visa is the most common and this is issued upon arrival at the airport immigration desk. For example, US citizens arriving in...  [Read more]

The Taiwan government has recently stated its ambition is for the country to become bilingual Chinese ? English by the year 2030, which is certainly going to provide a huge amount of opportunities for ESL teachers. As well as having a booming job market, Taiwan also offers high salaries, excellent benefit packages, a relatively low cost of living, and an international reputation as one of the world?s most friendly nations. In order to work as an ESL teacher in Taiwan you need to be a native English speaker from the USA, the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia. You must also be over 20 years old and possess a degree in any subject. A TESOL qualification is not a legal requirement for finding a teaching job, however, the majority of employers expect their...  [Read more]

Every teacher makes mistakes in the classroom, particularly at the start of their career. As we learn to identify these mistakes we actually become better at our job, unless we fail to recognize these mistakes at all of course. Here we look at some of the most common errors made by new teachers and how to avoid them as we gain experience. Talking too much during lessons is probably the most common mistake made by inexperienced ESL teachers. The bottom line is that ESL students need to take every opportunity possible to speak the language as this is how they make real progress. However, if the teacher dominates the conversation any progress will be cut considerably. Only say what you need to keep the lesson moving forward and avoid chat that is not connected to the point of the...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified in Canada? Are you interested in teaching English in Canada? Check out our opportunities in this beautiful US state, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English in your community or abroad! Teflonline.net offers a wide variety of Online TESOL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Check out which city/town you may be more interested in and start your journey| We usually meet students who have have got good grammar but struggling to write and sometimes it's the other way around. I believe in language learning we need to try our best to make both reading and The unit is much more complicated than what's on the headline, so many new...  [Read more]

  A final example is going to be an example of a patchwork ESA lesson and remember we said the form of this particular lesson will start with and engage always and will finish with and activate and there'll be some variation of E, S and A within the brackets here. So we're going to generate our patchwork ESA lesson as follows. Starting with the engage, the students are going to look at holiday photos and talk about what they like and don't like from what they see. From that, we're going to move directly into an activate phase and what the students are going to do is to make comments about holiday brochures and try to act out a role-play between the travel agent and a customer. Again, as this is taking place, the teacher will be moving around and looking for gaps in knowledge in...  [Read more]

Mexico is one of the leading travel destinations in the world. What makes Mexico so appealing for travel? The food, the people, the culture, the natural beauty and so much more. Mexico offers its visitors a taste of every possible landscape that you can imagine, from sandy dune deserts to snow pine forests or buzzing cities to majestic beaches… you name it and Mexico’s got it. If sightseeing is your thing when you explore then take your pick; Mexico has Mayan and Aztec pyramids like Templo Mayor or Calakmul, colonial jewels like Museo de Bellas Artes and Castillo de Chapultepec. Mexico’s past is not all that glorious, but its future is brighter than ever. Impressive urban developments throughout the country place it as one of the most important economies in the world. Puerto Vallarta...  [Read more]

  This unit tackled different ways on how to evaluate students' levels and progress. There are three ways to do it namely tutorials, evaluation by the students, and tests. Tests were discussed more in-d This three part unit was different in that it addressed the competing modes of communication in a classroom. Many of my experiences have been with teaching speech, while the head teacher mainly lets w Material use in the classroom is important to move students from beginners with created materials to an intermediate level with authentic materials. Comfort of created materials allows for more shy st The video unit was very interesting. The unit provided two videos of an ESL lesson with very different vibes. The first showed a seemingly unprepared instructor who mumbled through much of...  [Read more]