I Speak Chinese

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences How Learning Chinese Made Me A Better English Teacher In China 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. Table of Contents 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." Listen to this blog post Now it's your turn to get TEFL certified! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph S. What do you call someone...  [Read more]

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How English as a Mother Tongue influences Foreign Language Acquisition When I chose this topic, I asked myself what a foreign language is. Is it just a language spoken in another country that's not similar to one's own? Or does a language spoken in another city or district in one's country qualify as a foreign language? According to Wikipedia, a foreign language is originally from another country than the speaker. Table of Contents English as a Mother Tongue French Experience Exposure to Chinese Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nafuna M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of...  [Read more]

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Common Difficulties in Teaching English to Native Mandarin Speakers Learning a second language can be difficult, and this is especially true when the learners L1 and their target language are completely different in structure, sound, and tones. An English as a second language student who speaks French, German, or any other European language will have an easier task than one who speaks a language that is not of European origins. One such language is Mandarin Chinese. Table of Contents State of The Problem The Chinese Language Structure Tenses Sentence Structure Do you want to teach English in China? Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ashley L. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Accreditation Course TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Accreditation Course TEFL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts A. J. & J. S. - USA said: English as a global language English is used all around the world. Most commonly, it has dominated the business world. As someone with an anthropological background, this is a very difficult concept to rationalize. Currently there are approximately seven thousand spoken languages in the world. This number is constantly dwindling as the last speaker of that language dies. This is evident when looking at the Native American tribes. When...  [Read more]

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Personal Teaching Experience in China and Russia In this topic, I will be talking about my own "Personal Teaching Experience" in two Asian countries that I've had the privilege to work in and teach such as, China and Russia. So you might want to ask yourselves, What's the difference between teaching Chinese and Russian students? Well honestly there is a huge difference so let's get started. Table of Contents Culture Assistance Personal Experience Teaching Materials Teaching Methods Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jhonatan J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Culture First...  [Read more]

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences 4 Things To Keep in Mind When Teaching EFL in a Kindergarten As a kindergarten teacher working in China I have a lot of experience dealing with students, fellow teachers; Chinese and foreign, management and parents. Table of Contents Potential problems you might face in a Chinese kindergarten You can call on other foreign teachers for advice and support Getting to know your students will help you teach them Parents like to be involved Start your journey as an English teacher in China today! Related Articles: Listen to this blog post A few years ago I came to China to learn Chinese. To pay for my living expenses I started teaching young learners. Pretty soon I got a full-time job in a kindergarten and I fell in love with the work and I...  [Read more]

Wed, 08 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Pronunciation Challenges Students Face in China Every learner of a foreign language may face pronunciation problems now and then. Languages that belong to one language group have more in common in phonics and are usually easier to learn to pronounce correctly. But such languages as English and Chinese are so different, that Chinese learners (and I bet English speaking learners of Chinese too) often have many difficulties in pronunciation. Table of Contents State of the problem Common pronunciation errors How to correct pronunciation problems Learn how to teach pronunciation effectively! Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Evgeniya S. State of the problem I have...  [Read more]

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Difficulties and Rewards of Teaching Chinese Students For the past twenty years, I have had the pleasure of teaching English to Chinese students of all ages in both Taiwan and mainland China. The following are my observations: Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: Ancient Culture Differences in Students' Behavior Lack of Confidence Acceptance Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eugene E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Listen to this blog post: Ancient Culture If one were to argue that Socrates was the beginning of modern Western Civilization, one could...  [Read more]

Tue, 14 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How I learned Basic Teaching Skills in China I have been working in China for more than six months now and it's been a very interesting time for me not just to learn more about the country and its people, but also to enrich my teaching skills and grow professionally as a teacher. Table of Contents Specific Approach Assistance Teaching an extremely large classroom Total physical response Do you want to teach English in China? Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Evgeniya S. Specific Approach When I arrived in China, I hardly knew anything about specific features of teaching in that country, so I thought that the knowledge I had was quite enough to handle the classes in kindergarten or primary...  [Read more]

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Global Benefits of English as a Second Language At a very early age, I was amazed by the sounds of English. I used to listen to songs in English while one of my parent's friends was cleaning his car. He used to play them out loud and I wanted to know what the lyrics said. Several years later I had the chance to go to China to be part of a cultural exchange program to learn Chinese. My accepting interview was completely in English rather than Chinese or even my native language Spanish. All paperwork was done in either Spanish or Chinese depending on where I was. Either here in Latin-American or on the other side of the world, the medium of communication was English. Table of Contents Personal Background The Importance of Learning...  [Read more]

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 Dorothy Brown Smith Destinations Alumni Experiences Ten Things I Have Learned During My First Year Teaching in China I have always wanted to travel and go abroad. I talked about it with family and friends on many occasions. When the opportunity came for me to teach in China, I immediately said, "NO!" I was thinking of traveling to places like South America, France, Italy, Greece, etc. because I had romanticized these places in my mind from what I had seen on television and read about in magazines. China was not even a thought in my mind! The opportunity kept coming to teach in China. I would see advertisements, run into people who had just came back from China. I even met someone studying Chinese to be an interpreter! I kept running into people who had some kind of...  [Read more]

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching Monolingual vs. Multilingual Groups: What You Need To Know A multilingual class is a class where the learners speak a variety of first languages. A monolingual class is a class where all the learners speak the same first language. I have been working in international school setting for over 13 years. The classes are multilingual classes where students come from different cultures and English is the common language for them to communicate with their teachers and classmates. Table of Contents Common Difficulties Common Culture Exposure to English Mother Tongue Are you ready to take a TEFL course? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post By contrast, English classes in local schools and universities in China...  [Read more]

Fri, 08 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Why the Chinese Accent is so Difficult to Minimize in English As an aspirant teaching English to Chinese children, I chose 'Pronunciation problems of Chinese people' as the most attractive and the most useful topic for my summative task at this moment. Table of Contents So let's begin from the very beginning. The Second difficulty in pronunciation is so-called dark L or L's with no vowel sound after them. How can the teacher help students to correct this? Different Approaches Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: As resources of this joyful and useful research on the internet, I have used three videos on Youtube made by the three experienced teachers of the English language. Only one of them...  [Read more]

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The Most Common Challenges For Chinese Learners of English I am a lifelong ESL student myself. Every day I am learning something new from the books, from the things around me, and my students. For the last few years, I've been teaching the English language here in China, which is why I chose this topic. China is a great country with beautiful sceneries and very hard-working, enthusiastic, and friendly people. Learning any language is not an easy job. It requires patience, practice, and of course, a desire. Table of Contents Chinese Students' Strongest vs. Weakest Abilities Pronunciation Motivation Are you ready to teach English abroad or online? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say...  [Read more]

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to Deal With Problems That Learners of English Face in China Nowadays, English is becoming more and more popular and significant in China because of globalization. In big cities, parents send their kids to all kinds of organizations/schools to study English in their early three years. Some capable parents even use English as their communicative language from the first day the baby was born. No matter how early Chinese starts learning English, it's still not our mother language and the atmosphere is still in Chinese, which makes learning English not as easy as those in English countries. Table of Contents Different Dialects Aims of Learning Useful Methods 1. Environment 2. Role Model 3. Games 4. Family guidance Do you want to...  [Read more]

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Useful Teaching Ideas for EFL Kindergartens in China Working as an English teacher in the kindergarten is very entertaining and challenging, as the teacher will deal with the children who don't have even a basic knowledge of English, have the very short attention span and very different in terms of their behavior. Before I moved to China, I haven't prior experience in teaching the kindergarten level students, because I always thought that teaching the young learners would be annoying, hard to discipline and far too energy-consuming. So what I had learned was just through my own experience. Table of Contents My Experience Rapport Building Lesson Planning Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: ...  [Read more]

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Should Chinese ESL Students Have Explicit Phonetic Instruction? During nine years of teaching English as a Second language, I have discovered how important phonetics is in learning the correct pronunciation of the English language, and in fact, in any language. Derwing and Munro (2005) emphasize, "It is essential to have an accurate understanding of the target language phonological system to enhance the quality of pronunciation". Table of Contents We should look at some of the problems that L2 learners have when trying to produce accurate L1 language patterns. We also have to take into account the students. Chinese students are very reluctant to speak in a classroom setting. So what pronunciation mistakes are most common? Do you...  [Read more]

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Typical Challenges for Chinese English Learners 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. Table of Contents Exam System Lexical Units Digital Autism Writing Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Annette P. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Drastic Problems of Chinese Learners in English Language has always played an important role in communication between people. Today, in the globalization, the importance of mastering a foreign language has become increasingly prominent. English is the most widely used language in the world. Table of Contents English Status in China Reasons for Low Results in English Economical Challenges Differences in Two Languages Cultural Background Lack of Proper Study Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Xiao W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. English Status in China In the 21st...  [Read more]

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English at a University in China Teaching English is a challenging undertaking, and your students are looking to you for guidance. I am writing this summative to the reference to my teaching journey in China at a university. I was a master's student in English language and Applied linguistics at Central China Normal University. One day, I have been offered by the dean of the English department, if I can teach English in the department to some group of Chinese students. It was my first experience of teaching abroad and enthusiastically, I accepted and started teaching English. Therefore, I have taught the English language in various levels, ages, and different nationalities such as Africa, France, Bahrain, Turkey,...  [Read more]

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Differences of Acquiring Mandarin Chinese as the First Language and English as the Second This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Susan T S G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Table of Contents Background Definition of First vs Second Language My Own Experiences with Acquired vs Learning Languages Sentence Structures Verbs and Alphabets Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Background Singapore is a multilingual and multi-ethnic society. We have four official languages Malay, English, Chinese (Mandarin), and Tamil, with Malay as our...  [Read more]

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What Are The Differences Between Foreign Language and Mother Tongue Acquisition? I chose this topic because I have first-hand experience with my trilingual child. She is 3 years old now, we are a couple of Romanians living in China, and my husband is a middle school English teacher. My daughter was born in China and I can both speak Chinese. 'What language will my daughter learn first?' Was one of the questions that haunted me and I thought it would be the greatest challenge of motherhood. Well, the reality proved me wrong – it was the easiest task and now my daughter can speak perfect English, she can understand and speak Romanian very well and she understands Chinese and can speak when she has to. Table of Contents There is...  [Read more]

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Reasons for a Lack of Confidence in English Students from China Many Chinese students face the common problem that although they spent 10 years studying English at school, they can't pronounce an English sentence correctly, and they are not confident enough to communicate in the language. Table of Contents Challenges in Developing Productive Skills Drilling Family Background Personal Issues English Environment Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mengru W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Challenges in...  [Read more]

Mon, 13 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences English Learning Problems For Chinese Native Speakers and Solutions 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. Table of Contents 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? Related Articles: ...  [Read more]

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences 5 Big Problems for English Learners in Beijing, China It is generally agreed that education is one of the most important issues in every country these days and China is no exception. Table of Contents English is a must to enter better schools and find better jobs in China. Overcrowded classes lead to nonexistent English practice. The Chinese education system doesn't focus on English. Mandarin Chinese and English have very few similarities. The teacher student relationship isn't very close-knit. Are you ready to teach English in China? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ekaterina G. It's a well-known fact that China is the most populated country in the world with a...  [Read more]

Easy TEFL Lessons Check out tefl tesol about Easy TEFL Lessons and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts C. P. - U.S.A. said: Problems for Learners in ChinaTeaching English in china presents a unique set of difficulties to an expatriate teacher from a western country, as there are numerous difficulties facing learners of English in china. Some of these problems are cultural, while others are caused by lack of exposure to English and English speakers, or the enormous differences between English and Mandarin chinese (for the purpose of this article, it should be assumed that references...  [Read more]

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Common Struggles of the Chinese Native Speakers Learning English Most researchers agree that the learner's first language influences the pronunciation of the target language and is a significant factor in accounting for foreign accents. So-called interference or interference from the first language is likely to cause errors in aspiration, stress, and intonation in the target language. Table of Contents Phonetics Unusual Sounds Language Structure Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vesna A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Phonetics Some Chinese students tend to have...  [Read more]

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Problems for ESL Learners in China 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. Table of Contents Governmental decision Spelling Pronunciation Singular / Plural Aspect Gender Articles Lack of opportunities to practice Word order Individual differences Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ramy M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Expectations From Teaching English in China As someone whose parents and grandparents are ethnically Chinese, but lived in Canada ever since I can remember, there has always been a disconnect in terms of the two cultures I am stuck between. I hope to use my background as an advantage to find TEFL jobs in China, and this task will be part of my research to learn about the problems learners and I may face while engaging in English lessons. Table of Contents Speaking Challenges Difficult Sounds Attitude Toward Teachers Chinese Culture Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph Kevin Y. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Fri, 31 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Destinations What It's Like Being a Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher in China The Chinese education market has been growing for the recent ten years. As the country is getting more and more open towards the rest of the world, the demand for proper English training becomes ubiquitous. Table of Contents My Responsibilities School Life Team Building Relationships With Kids and Parents Will you consider working in China? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: Compared to the Russian system, where English starts to be taught in primary school, in China, they try to include English as early as the nursery. The difference in culture, language structure, and the lack of proper training of the school staff open the doors to expats. If you find a...  [Read more]