Simple Speaking

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Past Simple Irregular Board Game This board game is a great speaking practice on some past simple irregular verbs.   Students take turns asking and answering questions about actions which happened in the past. They can practice some prepositions of time as well for more advanced students.   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]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! What do they like This is a fun practice on hobbies and Present Simple. Once the activity is completed, it can be used for speaking purposes.   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]

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas A Lesson Plan to Practice Speaking With ESL Adults When it comes to teaching adults with higher levels of English proficiency, it is quite complicated to create lessons as most of the students usually have very specific needs and challenges. Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: Engaging People Into a Lively Conversation Studying Without Realizing That You Actually Study Wrapping Up 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! Listen to this blog post: In this blog post, I would like to share a sample online lesson that I taught to an adult group of advanced EFL learners to train conversational skills. For presenting my...  [Read more]

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 Mark Crocker TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Why Teachers Need to Complete a TEFL Certification Course Before Heading Overseas English has quickly become the leading language of the world. Whether we like it or not, most countries have chosen English as the language of business and international interaction, and because of this, many are pushing their people to learn English as a second language. To help guide this initiative, many businesses, schools, and private households are hiring native English-speakers to teach English to those wishing to learn. While learning directly from a native speaker is the ideal way to learn a new language, unfortunately, it is common for many English speakers to go abroad and hope to be able to teach effectively with no prior...  [Read more]

The Future Tenses - Review of the Future Tenses - Additional Tenses in the Future   Besides the four future tenses in English (future simple, future continuous, future perfect and the future perfect continuous) there are three additional tenses we can use when speaking about the future. These include the 'going to' future, the present continuous and the present simple. This video gives you an overview how to use them for future statements. 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...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Tips for Polite and Diplomatic Language As a teacher of English as a foreign language, it's a good idea to teach students polite words and expressions right from the start. While diplomatic language often includes difficult vocabulary, it's actually not that hard to add some polite spice to a simple sentence - even for beginner students.   Of course you can make sentences a lot more polite by using the two magic phrases "please" and "thank you". However, there are a lot of other ways to use more polite language when speaking to others. For English leaners, the problem mostly comes down to the fact that words and expressions that are considered "kind" in one language, aren't always kind in another. English uses a lot of...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Speaking Tips C1-C2 Levels in English Are you about to take an English speaking exam or simply want to improve your speaking skills? These advanced C1-C2 level English phrases are going to spice up your English conversations and make you sound more professional at the same time.   What to say when you don't understand the question We've all been there. You're in a conversation and get asked a question but you have no idea what to answer or don't understand the question. Instead of giving a blank stare or blurting out "huh?", there are some more professional things to say when you don't understand a question: Personal Preferences Getting asked about things you like and dislike is part of almost every conversation....  [Read more]

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences The Most Common Problems Portuguese Native Speaking Students When Learning English I have had the pleasure of living and teaching in Brazil over the past 2 years and in my time in this country I have learned a great amount about the difficulties that are seemingly unique to native Portuguese speakers trying to learn English as a second or even third language. There seems to be deeply ingrained assumptions within the way Portuguese speakers approach both the pronunciation of words based on their spelling, and their understanding of grammatical structures and the usage of said structures. Table of Contents English is highly analytical, whereas Portuguese is intrinsically inflective Are you ready to take a TEFL course? Related...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Glossary of ESL Cooking Terms This page has a glossary of ESL cooking terms several tasks for you to do to help you remember these vocabulary words. Being able to cook is a useful skill, and it is also good to be able to talk about food and cooking. It is also a great topic to talk about with EFL students around the world because everyone likes to eat. The vocabulary on this page will let you explain about cooking and the kitchen.   Talking about eating, cooking and food in general is a great skill for English learners because it's something everyone does and can related to. The following five activities are perfect for brining cooking into the EFL classroom. 1. Describing Food Start off with this vocabulary...  [Read more]

Archives for April 2022 Theories - Methods & Techniques of Teaching English: An Overview Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Methodology, Approach, Method and Technique, what are all these terms and how do they relate to my teaching ESL in the classroom? We take a look at these concepts and explain their meaning. Productive and Receptive Skills in the EFL Classroom - Receptive Skills - Potential Problems Federico Riva Teaching Ideas The receptive skills of reading and listening, generally get less attention than the other skills of speaking and writing. Here we look at some of the reasons they are avoided and why e should overcome these fears. Productive and Receptive Skills - Speaking Activities Federico Riva TEFL Information In this blog post, we will consider three...  [Read more]

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to Approach Lesson Planning to Develop Independent Problem Solving Abstraction is in essence, the formation of broader, and more difficult and subjective systems from inputs. It is a concept that can be applied to the four language skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. As an idea becomes more abstract and subjective, it requires more information and becomes more difficult to answer. Some of the easiest and least abstract pieces of language are simple Yes/No statements and questions. "Do you like ice-cream?" "Yes, I do." "No, I don't." A more difficult question might be, "Who likes ice-cream?" More difficult still would be, "Why do you like ice-cream?" A simple, but by no means an exhaustive list of abstraction moving...  [Read more]

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What is Business English? The simplest definition of "business English" is English as it is used in the business world, e.g, in trade, commerce, and finance. It is a branch of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) because the combination of certain words, phrases, and politeness present in business English is specific to conducting business meetings, giving presentations, performing negotiations, and handling business correspondence and reports. Due in part to the dominance of the economy of the English speaking world (e.g., America and Europe) in the global marketplace, English came to be regarded as the international language of business. With the growth of global economic interdependence, learning business English has become...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Read my articles Theories - Methods & Techniques of Teaching English: An Overview | ITTT | TEFL Blog Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Methodology, Approach, Method and Technique, what are all these terms and how do they relate to my teaching ESL in the classroom? We take a look at these concepts and explain their meaning. Productive and Receptive Skills in the EFL Classroom - Receptive Skills - Potential Problems | ITTT | TEFL Blog Federico Riva Teaching Ideas The receptive skills of reading and listening, generally get less attention than the other skills of speaking and writing. Here we look at some of the reasons they are avoided and why e should overcome these fears. Productive and Receptive Skills - Speaking Activities | ITTT | TEFL Blog Federico Riva ...  [Read more]

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The Most Common Challenges For The Turkish ESL Learners There is nothing comfortable than being in your comfort zone, especially when speaking your language (native language). The feeling that comes with it, how you pronounce words, the use of jokes and proverbs, idioms, and other slang within it, no one can take that joy or even compensate it because it naturally comes from within. It makes you feel safe at home and confident even when speaking about topics that you have never seen or heard before simply because your brain is already rich with enough vocabulary. So it allows you to navigate, swim and tackle the issues from all possible angles. Table of Contents Global challenges Sentence structure...  [Read more]

Can TEFL be a career? Anyone who is thinking about teaching English abroad has most likely received a response along the lines of "Oh, how fun, but what will you do when you get back?" Some people believe that teaching English as a foreign language is not a "real job" but rather something that people do to pay off student debt or simply for fun before settling down into a "normal" job and lifestyle. Many people decide to teach English abroad for these reasons, but there are also many who have made a successful and lucrative career out of it. Is it possible to make a long-term career out of teaching English as a foreign language? Yes, you can pursue a long-term career as an EFL teacher. For the vast majority of people who travel abroad to teach English, it all begins with a simple desire...  [Read more]

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Relevance and Impact of Computer-Aided Language Learning in Teaching English Today's technology-based society has a significant impact on how English is both experienced and taught. A great number of professionals spend a large part of their day on the Internet and interacting with all that it and ICT, in general, has to offer. Through it, they absorb information, generate knowledge and are both indirectly and directly educated and influenced. Computer-assisted language learning tools provide us with a vast number of resources that we can use both in the classroom when teaching collective language lessons or in a group and individual students assignments. I would like to elaborate on different aspects of Computer-Aided Language...  [Read more]

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Consciousness on Classroom Sensitivity Cultural sensitivity is important to bear in mind as we all face situations daily: whether in our working environment or on a personal level. Within the Western English speaking world, we can see that there is the presence of a dominant culture (such as European American, or Western Culture) and a secondary culture (such as African, Chinese, or Eastern European culture). It is always important to bear in mind that while the English language may be widespread over the globe, the differences in culture even between people living within the same country has a profound effect on how interactions take place. In the environment of the classroom, the same examples can be seen. Whether the students...  [Read more]

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How Can We as Teachers Motivate Our Students? In classes all over the world, students of various linguistic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds are struggling with a lack of motivation. Not only in English as a foreign or second language classroom but also in other subjects from Mathematics and Science to Arts and Culture. For this course, we will focus on the students learning English as a foreign or second language hereafter simply referred to as 'student(s)'. Table of Contents Reasons for Learning Teaching Approaches Teacher's Qualities Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Zacharias Johannes P. Please note that this blog post...  [Read more]

Company Fulltime TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Company Fulltime 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.B. - Sweden said: Accents British accent tends to be rhotic, meaning the letter ?R? is pronounced hard, whereas American accent tends to be non-rhotic. However, within both Great Britain and the USA there are several accents so in essence it is incorrect to speak about the British or the American accents. Loosely speaking, spoken British English (?B.E.?) sounds more ?proper? and ?sophisticated? than American English (?A.E.?). Tenses In A.E. recent actions that have an...  [Read more]

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The Main Principles of Teaching Young Children In China, Parents realize learning English is essential to their child's future. There are many reasons why Chinese have to speak okay English; they also know that the best time for one to master another language, the earlier the best. The biggest challenge we face in China is that parents are reluctant to use English in daily life. It is easy to understand why most Chinese are unwilling to speak English if you know our culture, "Saving Face," they are afraid to make mistakes in front of others, take "English" as a complicated subject, only teacher and school can handle it. Table of Contents Benefits of Teaching Young Children Useful Teaching Techniques Language...  [Read more]

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas What is Classroom Management and How Does it Affect the ESL Classroom? Classroom management can be defined as the ability or skill to organize the class. This will involve the use of the eyes, the voice, and different gestures. Classroom management will also involve group arrangements which can consist of the whole class, individuals or pair work. The use of student's names, desk arrangements, use of the board, giving individual attention, and teacher talk time also fall under the label of classroom management. Table of Contents The Basic Teaching Tools Student Arrangements in the Classroom Other Important Factors of Classroom Management Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: ...  [Read more]

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How To Encourage Your Students to Overcome Stress and Speak Out in English Expressing ourselves in a language that it is not our native language could be for most students frustrating and intimidating, especially when they are in a room full of people and there is a fear to be judged by peers and their teacher who is carefully listening to them; these feelings are the ones that stress out and hold down students, preventing them from participating in class, and as a consequence they do not practice and learn English efficiently. There could be many reasons for students to stress in the classroom, some students may simply be shy, some may be afraid to make mistakes and others may just lack English knowledge and vocabulary to express...  [Read more]

Should we teach culture in the EFL classroom? Put simply, language is a verbal expression of culture which means that culture clearly has to be seen as an important part of language learning. Although it is important to learn the vocabulary and grammar of English during lessons, to truly grasp what the language means to native speakers it is vital that EFL students learn as much as possible about the culture of English speaking nations. The good news is that students generally love learning about cultural issues, whether it is music, films, books, and TV, or other things such as food or fashion. So, how can we incorporate culture into our EFL lessons to make them interesting and productive? Use authentic materials Authentic materials can be anything that native English speakers might use...  [Read more]

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 Gökhan Yilmaz Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas 3 Main Advantages of a Non-Native English Teacher We have a saying; who knows something very well, cannot teach very well. If you are not a native speaker but you are a teacher in that language, you are well-prepared and working more than a native English speaker to avoid being tomfoolery and embarrassed in front of your students. This takes you one step ahead of someone whose native language is English. So here are 3 main advantages of a non-native English teacher. Table of Contents They can relate to their students better. They speak the students' language. They understand the students' cultural background Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: They can relate to their students...  [Read more]

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Methods of Developing Speaking Skills in Kindergarten Level Children Kindergarten students are those who are typically around the age of five. From birth till five, they would have developed their sensory and speaking abilities in their mother tongue with decent fluency. Children at this age have a strong potential to gain a lot of information. They would know about 1000-2000 words by this time. At this age, they are formally introduced to reading and writing skills, group work, independent thinking, and sharing practice. Teaching children at this age can be quite challenging and fun. Vocabulary is one of the strongest predictors when it comes to speaking capacity. So, by carefully incorporating study into play we can enrich...  [Read more]

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Problems for English Learners in Russia People from different countries inevitably face problems when they are trying to learn English. Russia is no exception. Let's have a quick look at some typical problems that my fellow countrymen face. Table of Contents Pronunciation Grammar Meaning Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sergei S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Pronunciation As you may know, Russian is written using the Cyrillic alphabet, and some may think that it can cause problems. In reality, the Russians are fine with understanding the Latin alphabet and can...  [Read more]

Mon, 20 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Several Problems ESL Students From Iran Face Typical English classes, apart from facing miscellaneous issues concerning management, motivation, dependence, and discipline, have to handle a particular set of complications in the language they are attempting to acquire. Table of Contents Lower level of exposure to English Environment Lower level of exposure to culture Language structure Lack of the authentic context Speaking issues Grammar issues Lack of independence Do you want to teach English abroad? You are one step away from it! Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ati V. Lower level of exposure to English Understandably, far from taking into account some...  [Read more]

TEFL in Tallinn, Estonia Date posted:2005-08-30 | Writer: IN DOWN-TOWN | Email: [email protected] 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.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts 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.   I learned the future simple, the future continuous, the future perfect, the future perfect continuous, be going +...  [Read more]

Lessons Authorized TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Lessons Authorized 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 C.W. - U.S.A. said: Multiple IntelligenceTeaching English as a Second Language in America today outside the University presents its own set of problems. The students are mostly immigrants from Mexico with a small representation of students from various Asian countries. The students come from all different backgrounds. The majority comes from rural areas and few have finished high school. Some come from cities and usually have finished high school. This does not however...  [Read more]

Our ITTT TEFL and TESOL Alumni Stories What is Reported Speech? Federico Riva Alumni Experiences We can quote people through what's called direct speech. In written form it would look like “Corey said we're moving house next week”. We've used quotes and we've quoted Corey directly, i.e. used the exact words that he used. There is however another way we can quote people, and this is through reported speech. We don't quote their exact words, but we simply let people know what has been said. Evaluation and Testing of Students - Placements Tests Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences In this blog we will show how a simple speaking interview with the student, can be used to place them in one of the five ESL teaching bands, from Starter to Upper-Intermediate....  [Read more]