Intermediate Story

Elizaveta Pachina Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job. Read my articles How to Implement Games in a Young Learner Classroom | ITTT | TEFL Blog Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post contains information on effective usage of games in an ESL classroom. Classroom Management Strategies For Teaching Youngsters | ITTT | TEFL Blog Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to teach students of younger age? Our TEFL graduate shares their ideas in this blog post. A Sample Lesson Plan for a Pre-Intermediate EFL Classroom | ITTT | TEFL Blog Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our TEFL...  [Read more]

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 Federico Riva Alumni Experiences 7 Teaching Ideas to Spice up your ESL Classes Listen to this blog post: Do you want to make your English lessons more exciting? We have the perfect teaching ideas for you! Here are 7 amazing activities to spice up your ESL classes. Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: 1. Headlines 2. Controversial Issues 3. Twenty Questions 4. My Routine 5. If I Were Rich 6. Grammar Story 7. Plans and Predictions Which is your favorite teaching activity? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! 1. Headlines This is a great one to practice different tenses, especially the passive voice. Have your students come up with headlines for their class; such as "The teacher's purse was stolen," "the students...  [Read more]

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Importance of Using Online ESL Games in TEYL When it comes to learning ESL, most learners associate it with memorizing spelling rules, doing countless grammar exercises, making abstract speaking topics, and translating sentences from L1 into English. In these, there is little or no listening and speaking practice involved, making English just one of the numerous boring school subjects. However, there is so much more to learning and activating the language if the fun element is involved. This doesn't only include traditional classroom games but also learning both at school and home with the usage of modern technology. Most children born in the 2000s have grown up using iPads and mobile phones, which makes them much more...  [Read more]

Course Books for Business English  Business English is an area of English language teaching and learning that is part of the wider category of English for Specific Purposes. Unlike general English, business English focuses on the language students need in order to function in an international business setting. Students taking business English classes will generally already have a reasonable level of English language ability and course books tend to be aimed at pre-intermediate level students and above.   There are several publishers involved in producing course books for the business English classroom. The main ones are Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. These two publishers produce business English course books across a range of levels in British,...  [Read more]

Program TEFL Online Check out tefl tesol about Program TEFL Online 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 F.C. - Canada said: Songs in the ClassroomUsing songs in the EFL classroom is a great way to help establish a relaxed and fun environment, as well as engage in culture. Music and group singing in particular, are an innate part of society -- people are known to sing at parties, events, religious services, school, in the car, or while taking a shower. Although some students may be reluctant at first, if the teacher is enthusiastic about it, usually the class will soon follow...  [Read more]

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Top 5 Activities With Flashcards Flashcard is an indispensable tool that every teacher needs during the studying process. Regardless of the age of the students, it can be used effective equal with young learners or adults. Usually, in the ESL classes, the teacher uses flashcards when they need to teach new or review the previous vocabulary. It's also one of the easiest ways to add some games into your lesson, cause mostly it doesn't need special preparations. Young learners especially like flashcard games because usually it's active games and allow them to have fun during the lesson. Table of Contents 1. Flashcards hunt 2. Flashcard Story Prompts 3. Cups game 4. Memory matching 5. Active game Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a...  [Read more]

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas TEFL Ice Breakers: What You Need to Know What are ice breakers and when and where do we use them? In this blog post, we will cover these issues and give actual examples of activities you can use with your classes. Table of Contents Watch the video about this topic We are going to consider five different activities. Two Truths and a Lie Word Chain Positive, Negative, Crazy Would You Rather Finish the Sentence Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Watch the video about this topic Icebreakers are games or activities that are designed to 'break the ice'. Typically you would use these kinds of games or activities at the...  [Read more]

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Important Ideas to Consider when Teaching Vocabulary In my personal opinion, vocabulary learning is the basic and most substantial part in any language learning. It's like the bricks for building a house. Moreover, the process of vocabulary learning is the most difficult and time-consuming. It requires not only memorizing skills but also a good understanding of the word, and constant practice. Table of Contents Problems for Chinese English learners The importance of careful vocabulary selection Knowing what to teach Choosing an appropriate teaching method Learn how to teach vocabulary effectively with a TEFL course today! Listen to this blog post Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dan W. Problems...  [Read more]

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Extreme Difference Between Teaching Individual Students and Groups Throughout this course and my professional career as an online English teacher, I have learned that there are many differences between teaching one to one, but to teaching to groups of students as well. I work with an online company, and I teach one to four students that live in China for about thirty minutes daily. Each lesson is different with different students every time, so I get to experience a wide variety of students at different levels every day. However, the content of the lesson can differ greatly depending on if I have one or four students in that class. My teaching can change drastically by the number of students I have assigned to certain...  [Read more]

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Stories for Teaching English to Different Groups of Students Reading is one of the key elements for all English learners. By reading authentic stories and books, not only do we learn reading and understanding the text we are working with, but we also expand our vocabulary by discovering new authentic words you wouldn't be able to find in your course books, and more importantly, you can see it in context which makes it easier to remember and use those words and structures in the future. Table of Contents Younger Students Teens and Adults Resources Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Julia P. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to Teach Slang and Help Students Incorporate Them in Their Speach? What do you normally hear when you walk into a convenience store? Do you hear a man tell you, "Hello, how are you doing today?" or "Good morning?". The answer is likely no. More often than not you hear someone say "Sup, dude!" or "What's happening?" or some other kind of non-conventional English that would normally not find its home in the ESL classroom. Therefore, it is vital to teaching the students slang and idioms so that when they get into a real conversation outside of the classroom, they aren't thrown off or left in the dust by a few turns of phrase. Table of Contents The English Language Fluidity One Example Slang in the Classroom Part of the Program Do...  [Read more]

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 Anna Domiczek Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching Preschool ESL: Songs Songs and music are such an important part of an ESL preschool curriculum. Not only are they fun, but they are also very powerful tools to help young students learn English in a fun and entertaining way. Learning a second language at the preschool level needs to be experienced through engaging activities - words and actions need to go in tandem. Songs allow the children to move along and learn in a pleasant, fun way, in accordance with the TPR technique. They also serve as a tool to lower students' affective filter - according to the famous linguist Stephen Krashen's theory (1983), students can develop a blockage/filter toward their study because of a negative emotional attitude. When that...  [Read more]

Thu, 30 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Ways to Teach Vocabulary Effectively Vocabulary, as one of the three main elements (The other two are pronunciation and grammar) of a language, is essential in language acquisition. Teaching vocabulary is always being a great concern for any English language course. Quite a lot of teachers are really focused on how to make a vocabulary lesson more interesting and memorable for students. New vocabulary has to be introduced in such a way as to capture the students' attention and place the words in a practical way. Table of Contents How to teach vocabulary interesting and memorable How to enlarge students' vocabulary Practice makes perfect Are you ready to teach English to ESL students all over the world? Related Articles: Listen to...  [Read more]

Cost TESOL TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Cost TESOL 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 B.P. & J.A. - U.S.A. said: Review-Critique of Enric Llurda StudyEffects of intelligibility and speaking rates on judgments of non-native speakers? personalities Review/Critique of a Study I?ve chosen to review ?Effects of intelligibility and speaking rates on judgments of non-native speakers? personalities? by Enric Llurda. This study analyses the response given by 28 American undergraduate students at an American university to a passage read by 10 ESL speakers of 5 different L1...  [Read more]

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Reading to Activate Second Language Skills The use of reading in the course of language acquisition is valuable and often underrated. Before undertaking a detailed explanation, I will first offer a general example to demonstrate the problem of teaching without it. Imagine you are teaching the word "ball" to an older student. You could ask them to say "ball, ball, ball" in a drilling manner. This can be inefficient and above all, boring for the student. But suppose that you do teach it enjoyably. How many words might they learn? Table of Contents Course Structure to Accept English Vocabulary Stephen Krashen Reference: As much as this practice is gaining ground around the world, two major drawbacks should be assessed. Do you want to...  [Read more]

College Week TEFL Check out tefl tesol about College Week 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.S. - U.K. said: The difference between teaching one to one groupsI have looked at some areas of EFL teaching and from my limited experience tried to highlight how my approach to teaching individuals or groups would vary. Motivating the student/students Every group, whether it consists of young learners, mixed ages, children, business students, mono lingual. multilingual, beginner, intermediate or advanced level students will very soon develop its own group dynamics. I have found...  [Read more]

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching English as a Second Language in Small Communities in America There is currently a need for more people willing to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) across America. Several small communities have accepted immigrants from other countries. Although children of school age will learn English in school, the parents and grandparents struggle to learn English as they continue their daily lives and earn a living. This is a challenge as most Americans do not know any other languages as they do in Europe, so the immigrant needs to communicate in English to accomplish anything. This leaves the older generation feeling isolated and causes problems in everyday life, such as going to the bank. In...  [Read more]

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 Estefany Garduño TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Creating your Own English Immersion Experience for ESL Students When you hear about English lessons, the first thing that comes into your mind is probably lessons taken from a book, answer lesson sheets, and talking in pairs applying a small group of vocabulary, and that's all. Let's change the game by giving a higher immersion of English to your ESL students without going to an English-speaking country to obtain more vocabulary, pronunciation, and speaking practice. Table of Contents What is an English Immersion Experience? How could I start? Select a topic according to your students' English level Include as receptive as productive skills. Build confidence in students Time to expand during the...  [Read more]

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 Laura Payne Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas "Authentic" English: 3 Tips for Implementing Authentic Materials in Language Classrooms Authentic materials are media that native speakers of a language encounter in their everyday lives, which are not specifically created for language students. TV programs, newspaper articles, books, songs, YouTube videos, and more all fall under this term. Table of Contents 1. Take advantage of pre-teaching. 2. Focus on a single language point and give your students a clear goal. 3. Vary the role authentic materials play in your lessons. Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Incorporating authentic materials into ESL classrooms has numerous merits, but the high language level required to understand...  [Read more]

Tue, 12 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How and When to Reflect on Classroom Teaching Reflective teaching is not a contemporary science however, to find evidence of when this science began it would be an impossible task, like accessing the Vatican library. One could presume the first person which taught another something resourceful dedicated some time to reflect on its delivery and considered observing research, and planning. Table of Contents Let us first consider the benefits of reflective practices deployed by the teacher. As Schon explains: REFLECTION-IN-ACTION CRITIQUES OF REFLECTION-IN-ACTION THE SCIENCE OF REFLECTIVE TEACHING TOOLS FOR REFLECTIVE TEACHING CONCLUSION Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was...  [Read more]

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Best Way to Teach Grammar and Vocabulary in an ESL Class Students from many different backgrounds with various skillsets, native languages, cultures, and experiences daily enter my Level 3 Low-Intermediatlow-intermediate Some students come having been exposed to English from a young age watching American television or listening to popular songs. Some of these students feel comfortable speaking in simple, broken sentences but communicating, nonetheless. Others step into the ESL classroom timid and insecure. They've just recently learned the Roman alphabet and have difficulty understanding simple directions or piecing words together. Regardless of where students come from and their prior experience with the English language, there...  [Read more]

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Top Ideas on How to Improve English Skills as a Non-Native English Teacher Hello everybody, it's Liza here. We are just about to start today's live session that is devoted to ideas on how to improve English skills. While I'm waiting for more people to join me let me just tell you about these live sessions. So we are doing them weekly and right now there are a lot of videos to check out on our YouTube channel and our Facebook group. If you missed any of these live streams you can go to our social networks and see any of them there. Table of Contents Watch the live session here Are you ready to teach English abroad or online? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video...  [Read more]

Top Ideas on How to Improve English Skills as a Non-Native English Teacher   Hello everybody, it's Liza here. We are just about to start today's live session that is devoted to ideas on how to improve English skills. While I'm waiting for more people to join me let me just tell you about these live sessions. So we are doing them weekly and right now there are a lot of videos to check out on our YouTube channel and our Facebook group. If you missed any of these live streams you can go to our social networks and see any of them there. Welcome to the new session and if you haven't heard already my name is Liza and I'm a non-native English teacher from Russia. I can see that there are some people from the Philippines here. Aaron, am I pronouncing your name correctly? Welcome from the...  [Read more]

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Approaches to Teaching English Vocabulary to ESL Students Learning new vocabulary is considered as an integral part of learning a new language. Even children who learn their mother tongues learn isolated phrases and words before making complex sentences. Similarly, in second language learning, teaching new words and phrases plays an important role in helping learners' communication. Based on David Wilkins "without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed". If learners spend their time on learning grammar, their English will not improve greatly. However, if they learn more words, phrases, and expressions, they can express almost anything (Thornberry, 2002; Watkin, 2005). Table of Contents...  [Read more]

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Five Quality Flashcard Activities and When to Use Them The benefits of using flashcards in the ESL classroom are well-documented. When teachers use flashcards, they typically provide their students with three learning pathways: visual, kinesthetic, and audio (assuming that the exercise requires the students to say something related to the flashcard). Table of Contents Reasons to use flashcards 1. Charades 2.Concentration 3. Heads Up 4. Complete the Cube 5. Slap Do you want to teach English abroad or online? 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 Joseph O. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Problems for Learners in France and How to Overcome Them Being an American living in France has given me firsthand experience as to what it is like to struggle with learning a new language. I studied Spanish for six years, in Junior High and High school. Language acquisition was easier then. I can attest to the fact that younger learners learn more quickly. For me, the two major problems with learning French are the tenses and not being able to understand what people are saying. I get stuck in the present tense, often forgetting to change tenses in conversation. I also need to hone up on my listening skills. Table of Contents What problems do native French speakers have with the English language? The other big problem that people...  [Read more]

Mon, 06 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How Learning Languages Help Me In Teaching I have had the opportunity to study several foreign languages, some in a formal setting, some self-taught. Through my personal experiences learning other languages, I have developed some insights into language learning. I would like to describe some of my experienc| ITTT | TEFL Bloges, and some of my thoughts on what I have learned from them, and from this course. Table of Contents How I started learning languages How my job influenced the language interest Challenges of learning on your own Benefits of the ESA teaching approach How to distinguish a skilled teacher Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Benefits of Implementing Songs and Music in the ESL Classes For the summative task for this course, I decided to research the use of songs in the classroom. The use of songs interests me because it seems that this is a good medium to provide some variety in the classroom and develop interest. Songs and music can also be used with all age groups, although of course whereas singalongs may be more appropriate with very young learners, other activities such as lyric breakdown are still very useful for older learners. Table of Contents Motivation The 9 Benefits by Lynch Pronunciation Training Developing Language Aspects Using Songs with Older Students 6 Steps to Make a Song Accompany the Lesson Context Songs for Adults Do you want to...  [Read more]

Top Tips for Improving English Skills as a Non-Native English Teacher 03/10/2021 hello everybody it's lizzy here so um we are just about to start today's live session uh devoted to some ideas on how to improve english skills and while i'm waiting for more people to join me uh let me just tell you uh about this live sessions so we are doing them weekly on the regular basis and right now there are um a lot of uh videos uh to check on our uh youtube channel or facebook group uh so if you missed any of these live streams um you can go to our social networks and see those live streams hello everybody uh welcome to the new session and um if you haven't heard already my name is lisa i'm a non-native english teacher from russia and i can see that there are some people from the philippines aaron...  [Read more]

All About ITTT's TEFL Lifetime Job Support 07/28/2021 hello there uh it's time for a live stream so uh i'm super glad to welcome you uh at today's live stream uh as usually i and my name is lisa i'm a tefl and t soul expert at itt and an online esl teacher who is also a non-native speaker so today's live stream is devoted to a really popular question of itt's lifetime job support so if it is something um interesting to you stay tuned stay with me here and we will um have a discussion over this topic uh by the way uh if you watch me right now if you watch me live could you please send your greetings to the chat box and let me know where you guys tuning in from uh i'm staying in russia uh so i'm located uh in in central russia pretty far from moscow uh and what else i usually go live on...  [Read more]