Past Tesol Conventions

English Grammar - Past Continuous - Teaching Ideas - TESOL   In this video we look at a TESOL teaching idea for the past continuous tense. For this activity students are put into groups and are handed pictures of people doing different activities. The pictures are placed upside down in a pile and the students take it in turns to turn them over. When they have turned over a card they must make a past continuous sentence based on the picture they have. For example: If they turn over a picture of a woman swimming they would say: She was swimming yesterday. For more advanced students this activity can be used to compare past continuous and past simple. For example: While I was doing the washing up, I broke three plates. Becoming a TESOL teacher enables you to travel the world...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Perfect - Teaching Ideas 2 - Online TESOL Course   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...  [Read more]

10 activities for the past simple Having a variety of interesting and fun activities to draw on is an important part of keepingyour lessons fresh and your students engaged in learning, especially when it comes to teaching grammar points. In this graphic we look at 10 different activities for the past simple. The aim of these activities is to provide high student talking time using the target language. They should also encourage the students to produce the language themselves with varying amounts of creativity. Matching Pairs’ is a great activity for recognising irregular past simple verb forms. The activity helps students remember the different forms and encourages them to produce their own sentences. The ‘Diary’ activity encourages students to use...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Simple - Teaching Idea - TESOL Courses   The teaching idea covered here is one that would be appropriate for adult English language learners. It involves students writing a CV including personal data such as where they were born, their education history and their work experience. This activity could be a precursor to a job interview activity where students interview each other for different jobs using information from their CVs. By taking one of ITTT's TESOL Courses you will learn useful teaching ideas such as the one covered in this video. There are number of options available to study from short 60-hour introductory courses to longer 120-hour TESOL Courses. It is also possible to take ITTT's TESOL Courses in-class at any one of our training centres around...  [Read more]

English Grammar -- Present Perfect Continuous -- Usage -- TESOL Course   This video explores the usages of the Present Perfect Continuous -- the tense that relates past activities to the present. It implies that the activity is likely to continue in the future or that the activity was in progress for some length of time, or both. The first usage is to talk about an incomplete and ongoing activity, when we want to say how long it has continued. For example, "I have been teaching for ten years." It talks about an action that started in the past and is continuing now. The second usage is to describe recently finished activities that have present results. For example, "He is tired because he has been chopping trees." It is talking about an action that was continuing until very recently....  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Perfect - Usage - Online Teaching Course   The past perfect is used as the past in the past to talk about events that happened in the past before another past event. For example: The concert had started before I arrived. The past perfect is covered in more detail in ITTT's 120-hour online teaching course. There are other courses available from 60-hour courses covering teaching skills to a 250-hour Diploma in TESOL. You can also take a specialisation teaching young learners or in teaching business English. Whatever your requirements are, if you are looking to become qualified to teach English from your own home, ITTT will have the right online teaching course for you. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! What were they doing? Past Continuous Worksheet This worksheet is great for practicing the past continuous tense. Students need to use a verb in the simple past and a verb in the past continuous.   Are you interested in teaching English as a foreign language? ​Get your TEFL certificate with ITTT. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

English Grammar -- Present Perfect Continuous -- Structure -TESOL Course   This ITTT video outlines the structure of the Present Perfect Continuous tense, the tense that is used for events which started in the past and are still continuing, or which have stopped, but whose effects are still ongoing. This one of two videos -- this one focuses on the structure of the positive and negative forms. Positive form: subject + auxiliary verb 'have'/'has' + been + present participle I have been working for ten years. Negative form: subject + auxiliary verb 'have'/'has' + not +been + present participle She has not been working here for some time. It is essential for any TESOL Course to provide teachers with a sound knowledge of the English language tense system and to give teachers the...  [Read more]

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas 7 Activities for Teaching the Simple Past for the ESL Classroom The simple past is one of the most important tenses in the English language. As it describes past actions, it's quite an easy tense to teach using a variety of fun and interactive activities. Here are 7 activities for teaching the simple past for the ESL classroom. For more activities check out: 10 Exciting Activities for the Past Simple 1. Preparations For this activity, the students think of significant accomplishments in their lives. After sharing with the class what they have accomplished, the students should describe what they did in order to achieve this goal, for example they graduated college, studied English, took classes, etc. It’s important that the students...  [Read more]

The Past Tenses - Overview - Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous   In this video, we provide you with a useful overview of the various past tenses. We focus here especially on the differences between the past perfect and past perfect continuous. 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! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Past Simple Wh Questions Roll of the Dice Here's a fun past simple Wh questions ESL game to help you teach your students how to make questions in the past simple tense.   To play the game, divide the students into pairs (A and B) and give each student a corresponding part of the worksheet and each pair two dice. Student B begins by rolling the dice and adding up the numbers rolled. Student A then formulates the past simple question that corresponds to the number on their worksheet. For example, if Student B rolls a two, Student A asks question two on their worksheet, i.e. 'What did you wear yesterday?' If Student B answers correctly, Student A crosses off the question. If Student B makes a grammatical mistake or...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Simple -- Usage - Online English Teacher   The usage of the past simple tense as explained in this video is when you talk about completed actions at a definite time in the past. For example: I completed my TEFL course last year. When did you complete your TEFL course? ITTT's online TEFL courses cover tenses such as the past simple discussed in this video as well as other grammar points such as modal verbs, conditionals, reported speech etc. making sure that you as prepared as you can be before stepping into your first classroom. Once you have completed a TEFL course and are considering your options for teaching jobs it is worth considering becoming an online English teacher. As technology becomes increasingly more available around the world the demand for...  [Read more]

The best TEFL TESOL Course - ITTT (International TEFL and TESOL Training)   Which is the best course for me? A typical question asked by prospective trainees. It is not always an easy question to answer as it really depends on one's background, financial situation and time constraints. Where a person wants to teach can also be a factor in the course you select. For example in some regions the 120 hour online course is the basic requirement by employers but in other regions the 4 week in-class course is basic requirement. Contact us if you need assistance in deciding the right course for you. We will be happy to provide you with the relevant information you need to meet your particular needs and requirements. Go to our web site or follow the link above. Are you ready to live and...  [Read more]

The Past Tenses - Overview - Past Simple and Past Continuous   In this video, we provide you with a useful overview of the various past tenses. We focus here especially on the differences between the past simple and past continuous. 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! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Perfect Continuous - Teaching Ideas - TESL   In this TESL training video the teaching idea for the past perfect continuous tense involves giving the students a prompt and asking them to finish it with a sensible answer in the past perfect continuous tense. For example: I didn't have dinner last night... because I had been snacking all day. She passed the test... because she had been studying hard. The past perfect continuous is a rarely used tense and is often quit confusing for learners of English as well as new English teachers. Taking a 120-hour online teaching course with ITTT will give the knowledge needed to make sure you know how to explain such tenses to students the moment you step into your first TESL classroom. Below you can read feedback from an...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Perfect - Teaching Ideas - Teaching English Overseas   This teaching idea for the past perfect involves matching pictures of historical events with the appropriate sentence and describing what had just happened in the picture using the past perfect tense. For example: A picture of the Titanic would be matched with the sentence "hit an iceberg" and the student should say "It had just hit an iceberg". As the trainer notes in the video; the scenarios in this activity are western centric. When teaching English overseas it is important to bear in mind how you can adapt your activities to make them more suitable or more interesting to your students. Learning about the local culture and history can make your lessons more relevant to your students and therefore more...  [Read more]

TEFL TESOL Online Courses - TEFL TESOL Combined Courses - What is the difference?   ITTT's in-class four week TEFL certification course can be studied at one of our international locations. This intensive course covers the principals, theories and methodologies of TEFL and is given face to face in one of our training centers. On this course you are given the opportunity to teach local students thus gaining practical experience teaching English in a supervised environment. All teaching sessions are observed by qualified trainers who will provide you with valuable, constructive feed back after each of your lessons. Our combined course offers the main benefits of both the online course and the in-class course. The online component covers most of what is delivered face to face on the...  [Read more]

TEFL TESOL Online Courses - TEFL TESOL In-class Courses - What is the difference?   Both the 120 hour TEFL/TESOL online course and the four week TEFL/TESOL in-class course cover the same academic content, i.e. grammar, phonology, teaching theories and methodologies. The difference between the two courses is the actual teaching practice component in the in- class course. During the in-class course trainees are given the opportunity to complete a number of observed teaching practice sessions. By having this practical teaching experience you are improving your job prospects. 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...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Tenses Review - Teaching English Abroad Programs   This video reviews the past tenses. The past tenses form one part of ITTT's online TEFL courses. During the section on the past tenses you will learn the structure of each tense in its positive, negative and question forms as well as the usages of each tense. You will also learn some useful teaching ideas for the tenses. Past Simple: Subject + verb in past simple form I played Past Continuous: Subject + was + present participle I was playing Past Perfect: Subject + had + past participle I had played Past Perfect Continuous: Subject + had + been + present participle I had been playing To learn more about the past and other tenses check out our other videos online and consider taking one of our TEFL courses. A...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Continuous - Structure - teaching english online   This video covers the structure and usage of the past continuous tense. This structure of this tense is: Positive: Subject + was/were + present participle. She was working last night. Negative: Subject + was/were + not + present participle. He was not teaching yesterday. Question: Was/were + subject + present participle Was she driving yesterday? The past continuous is used to talk about actions that were in progress at a time in the past. For example: I was watching television last night. One option that may not occur to most TEFL graduates is that of teaching english online. Not only can you earn your certificate online, but you can also earn your wages by teaching english online. ITTT has many different...  [Read more]

The Past Tenses - Past Simple - Usages   This video is part of our series on the past tenses in English. We start off the series with the past simple tense. In this video, we focus on the usages of the past simple tense, which mostly include completed actions at a definite time in the past. 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! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

The Past Tenses - Past Simple - Teaching Ideas   This video is part of our series on the past tenses in English. We start off the series with the past simple tense. In this video, we focus on useful teaching ideas for this tense. A great idea to practice this tense is a picture story. Here, the teacher provides the students with various photos or images and the students are asked to piece them together to make a story in the past. 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...  [Read more]

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 Jon ITTT Teaching Ideas 10 Exciting Activities for the Past Simple Grammar lessons can often be quite boring for students so it is important for us as TEFL teachers to have fun activities that encourage the students to use the target language creatively and foster high student talking time. Below is a list of 10 activities that can be used for lessons on the past simple. Matching pairs The teacher creates a set of cards with present simple verbs and a set with the past simple form of the same verbs. The sets are mixed together and placed face down on the desk. Students take turns to turn over two cards. If the two cards match i.e. both forms of the same verb, the student has to make a sentence with the past simple form before they can keep the cards. If they cannot...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Perfect -- Structure - teaching english online   In this video we look at the structure of the past perfect tense. This tense is formed in the following way: Positive: Subject + had + past participle. I had Negative: Subject + had + not + past participle. Question: Had + subject + past participle? You can earn your certificate in teaching english online from ITTT. We have many different courses available suited to your needs. Whether you are starting out as an English teacher or if you are looking to expand your skills with a specialised course in teaching young learners or business English and if you are looking for something more advanced, there is the TESOL Diploma course. To start the process of getting your certificate in teaching english online, visit us...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Simple - Structure -- TEFL Course   This video explores the structure and usage of the past simple tense. The different structures of this tense are: Positive: Add --ed or --d to the base form of the verb She worked last night. Negative: Add did not or didn't before the base form of the verb He didn't teach yesterday. Question: Add did plus the subject before the base form of the verb Did she drive yesterday? The past simple tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past. For example: I watched television last night. In order to be a confident and successful English language teacher in the classroom, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the various English language tenses such as the one shown above. The best way to achieve this...  [Read more]

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas 7 Activities for Teaching the Past Progressive for the ESL Classroom Teaching grammar patterns often involves a lot of classtime and the more activities you have up your sleeve as a teacher the better. The following 7 activities for teaching the past progressive for the ESL classroom will help your students pick up the tense in no time! 1. Memory Challenge Pull up an image with a lot of actions going on, for example, people engaging in different activities at a park or another public place. You can either hand out printed images or show it to your students on an overhead projector or TV. After having your students analyze the image, turn off the TV or collect the prints and start asking what the people in the photo were doing. Also...  [Read more]

The Past Tenses - Past Continuous - Structure and Usages   This video is part of our series on the past tenses in English. In this video, we take a look at the past continuous tense and how it is formed and used. This tense is used to indicate that a certain action was in progress at a particular time in the past. 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! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

The Past Tenses - Past Simple - Structure   This video is part of our series on the past tenses in English. We start off the series with the past simple tense. This tense is used to express completed actions in the past. In this video, we focus on the structure of the past simple. 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! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

The Past Tenses - Past Continuous - Teaching Ideas   This video is part of our series on the past tenses in English. In this video, we take a look at the past continuous tense and suitable teaching ideas for this tense. The past continuous is very conducive to using pictures and talking about actions. We give our group of students cards with images and ask them to create sentences for what the people in the picture were doing at a certain time in the past. 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...  [Read more]

English Grammar - Past Perfect Continuous - Usage - Teaching Jobs   In this video the teacher trainer looks at the usage of the past perfect continuous. The past perfect continuous is used to talk about a past action that was continuing up until another point in the past. For example: Before moving to Korea, I had been teaching in Thailand for three years. ITTT's TEFL Courses provide you with the opportunity to find Teaching Jobs all over the world. Whether you want to work amongst the long history of Europe or spend your free time living the beach life in Southeast Asia, teach professionals business English in a thriving metropolis or teach kids out in the sticks, earning yourself a TEFL certificate with ITTT will make the right type of Teaching Jobs available to you. Below you...  [Read more]