Teaching Esl Students

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching Skills Essential for Teaching Young ESL Students The classroom embodies a space where students learn. That space is usually a mixture of varying personalities, learning styles, and student levels. A teacher's role in ensuring that students learn is of great importance seeing that the teacher serves as a facilitator for all, counselor to some, mentor to some, and disciplinarian to others. Teachers must possess or learn certain skills to be effective in the ESL/EFL classroom. While many factors are influencing the actual outcome of an EFL/ESL lesson, teachers of young learners must be patient, adaptable, and possess good classroom management skills. These skills are crucial for young learners because, on the one hand, they...  [Read more]

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 Federico Riva Alumni Experiences The Convenience of Teaching ESL Students Online In today's world, technology has evolved in a way that makes everything so much more accessible. Even in areas that are less fortunate, or have less access to certain resources, it is still possible for them to have access to education because of the availability of online resources. There are many companies nowadays that donate computers, laptops, and facilities to these areas to give them a better chance of having a good education. Teachers from all over the world are now able to provide classes and one-on-one lessons to these areas because of this. Aside from the fact that having online classes gives access to students from all over the world, it is also much more convenient and...  [Read more]

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences How Teaching Slang Can Benefit Your ESL Students Stepping onto my flight from Miami to Santiago, Chile, I was confident in my Spanish skills. After all, I had taken nearly seven years of Spanish classes in middle and high school. However, when I landed I found, not only did I not understand 80% of what my host family said to me, they couldn't understand me either. Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: "Learning slang words is immensely helpful." "I was more motivated to retain these pieces of vocabulary and try them out in an attempt to sound more natural." "Learning slang can also open up the conversation for cultural exchange." "There are many activities that could be used to teach slang words." Are you ready to teach...  [Read more]

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Importance of Teaching Slang to ESL Students In January, I stood in front of a class of breakthrough English students at a university in Bogotá, Colombia. I'd never taught students in an ESL classroom before, but I was pretty confident having seven years of experience under my belt and a degree in literature. I was naive. I began the lesson with the class that my co-teacher had lent me for the first time. The objective of the lesson was to practice using past tense through storytelling; five minutes into it, I called on a student with his hand in the air. " What up, My Nigga!" He said it and I almost lost all of my composure on the first day while I should have been thinking about building rapport. Table of Contents Tool for...  [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]

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Importance of Teaching Phonetics to ESL Students How many of us have had to call into customer service only to struggle to understand the employee's English? The simple process to find a solution to a problem often becomes increasingly frustrating and exhausting for both parties. While monolinguistic persons may not appreciate the struggle to learn and master a new language, as instructors to those individuals working to learning English, phonetics is key. Table of Contents English alphabet Why do students need phonetics? How to teach phonetics effectively? Practice in isolation Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Antranik...  [Read more]

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games as a Teaching Method for Adult ESL Students When we start to learn new things as children, we tend to do that with the help of games. That is why in many classrooms of young learners, we find games to be a highly popular medium amongst educators. It is a way of absorbing and processing a piece of information in a fun and educational way. But when we grow up, we somehow forget the necessity of games in the classroom. Table of Contents Ice Breaker Ways to Include Games into Your Lesson What Games to Choose? Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anna B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Mon, 25 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Should ESL Students Receive Teaching of Slang and Idioms? ESL students will receive many formal grammar lessons that will give them a good grounding in proper English sentence structures, when to use who and whom, various verb tenses, the importance of noun-verb agreement and proper punctuation—and much more. Proper grammar will give them a thorough understanding of the elements of grammar and equip them to navigate through formal English-language communication, such as business letters and reports, meetings, emails to clients, and formal assignments in English classes. Table of Contents Real vocabulary Real-life situations Colloquialisms Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: ...  [Read more]

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Is Teaching Slang and Idioms Important for ESL Students? Slang and idioms are often omitted from the formal education curriculum. According to the Cambridge dictionary, slang is defined as a "very informal language that is usually spoken rather than written, used especially by particular groups of people" and an idiom is defined as "a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own". This essay will suggest possible reasons why slang and idioms are often excluded from formal English lessons, and posit that it is important to teach them to certain groups of ESL students namely, students who have moved to an English-speaking country with little or no prior...  [Read more]

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching Strategies: ✅ How to Connect With ESL Students Some people might think that the methodology is of greater importance than any other teaching aspect. Yet teaching is based on human relationships. Therefore it is essential whether the teacher manages to establish harmonious interactions between faculty and students. Bernieri defines these interactions as 'rapport' (Galzier 2016). According to Frisby and Myers, rapport is "the ability to build a relationship based on trust and harmony and is considered to be a positive and prosocial behavior that is relationally powerful enough to enact cohesiveness, reduce the threat, and structure social interaction (Fleming 2009)." Multiple studies have...  [Read more]

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas 3 Steps to Teaching Mixed Ability ESL Students Effectively It is well known that the population of students in the same class is usually heterogeneous. In other words, all students have different learning abilities, talents, intelligence, interests, and maturity level. A teacher's task is to understand how to help each student to learn best. Educators use various teaching techniques, methods, and tools to reach students' needs. There are different ways to teach the classes with mixed learning abilities, and among them are the strategies that work well in the multilevel classes. Table of Contents 1. Testing the students' level 2. The principles of instruction 3. Variations in classroom management...  [Read more]

Fri, 15 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Importance of Teaching Slang and Idioms to ESL Students Every language has its own rules and way of speaking. People that share a common language are united not only by the way they communicate but also in cultural experiences. Using language, whether it is sign language or spoken language, helps individuals experience the world differently. Teaching slang and idioms are an integral part of learning any language. For students learning slang and idioms is an extension of language learning, it offers a way to communicate better and it helps students experience the world through the native speaker lens. Table of Contents First Stages of Language Learning Language Usage The History of Slang Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a...  [Read more]

Fri, 15 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Beginner English Students in Senegal: Personal Experience with ESL From 2018 to 2019, I taught two eighth grade English classes in the rural Thies area, experiencing some of the challenges and advantages to teaching students who were just embarking on their language study. I was paired with a long-term Senegalese teacher who walked me through the basics of teaching a foreign language: engaging the class, developing study materials, and creating activities. What stood out to me was his emphasis on showing up as a role model for the students, as well as integrating other modes of learning into the classroom, such as art, singing, and dance activities. Table of Contents Main Issues Classroom Environment Classroom Management...  [Read more]

Modals and Passive Voice - Difficulties for Students   This video looks at the difficulties students have when learning modal auxiliary verbs. The number of usages and the modal auxiliary verbs that can be used for various usages often bring about problems for the students. Also, the structure of sentences with modal auxiliary verbs can be confusing. Watch this video to understand all the difficulties students face with modal auxiliary verbs. 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...  [Read more]

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Don’t Be Afraid of Teaching Slang and Idioms to ESL Students Today was awesome! He's a couch potato. I'm broke. She got ripped off. Chill out! You're so cool! Table of Contents State of the Problem Benefits of Teaching This Vocabulary Below are some examples of ideas to include in ESA lesson planning when teaching slang to ELS Learners: Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Slang words and phrases help simplify language and make it more effective. Learning English slang and idioms allows students to engage in a more natural way of communicating. This will help students to improve their fluency and improve their conversation skills. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate...  [Read more]

Teaching Special Groups in ESL - The 5 Student Groups   There are many different types of groups of students that you will encounter when teaching English as a foreign language. This video introduces you to the five different types of student groups. 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! Places In Town Worksheets Here is a worksheet practicing different places in town for your ESL students. It's ideal for teaching kids and beginner ESL students learning about buildings and places in town.   Are you interested in teaching English as a foreign language? Get your TEFL or TESOL Certification with ITTT. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

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 Alumna Experience: ✅ The Principles of Building a Successful Teaching Career | ITTT | TEFL Blog Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our TEFL graduate shares their experienc of taking a 60-hour TEFL course with ITTT and talks about several milestones on building a successful EFL career. Teaching Strategies: ✅ How to Connect With ESL Students | ITTT | TEFL Blog Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our TEFL alumna shares...  [Read more]

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Useful Methods for Teaching Vocabulary Teachers often encounter difficulties in various aspects of language teaching. The main task of every teacher is to motivate and engage a student in the process of language learning. In this regard, teachers try to set a learning environment in the classrooms to be able to demonstrate and make learners stay focused on the lessons. There are different methods and approaches to learning English, and it is not always easy to choose the best one to make a lesson effective and successful. Table of Contents Why work on vocabulary? Challenges So, how do we, teachers, teach the vocabulary? ESA Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences My Experience of Teaching Young Students I started my teaching career in 2016. I was an international student in London, doing a part-time job as a private Mandarin tutor for covering my living cost. In London, I was teaching Mandarin for young learners, age between 3-15-year-old from 2016-2018. After I came back to my country in 2019, I have started to teach English for Kindergarten students age between 3-8-year-old in a private English School. Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: Tutoring The Beginning of My TEFL Career Teaching Teenagers Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nina S. Please note that this blog post might...  [Read more]

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Challenges of Teaching Slang and Idioms How important is it for EFL learners to learn slang and idioms? Let's clarify what is slang? What is an idiom? Table of Contents Informal Language The History of Slang Confusion Breeds Confusion Cultural Boundaries Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Laura B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Informal Language Slang is an informal language and should be used only with people one knows very well. Slang can change constantly, appear today, disappear within month or year and some words have been used by English speakers since medieval...  [Read more]

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Multiple Tenses: Boon or Bane for ESL Students Tenses- Usually it creates tense for many ESL students during communication. It defines and differentiates the situation by time. Is time important in communication? Yes, it is. The wrong usage of tenses changes the exact meaning of the situation, what the speaker is trying to convey. So focusing tenses in grammar is more essential than others. Still, the proper usage of tenses is a complicated and confusing task for many high-level students in competitive exams. Then, what about the ESL students? Table of Contents Teaching tenses: Single tense at a time: Multiple tenses at a time: Why it is difficult? Suggestions for teachers: Teaching activities for multiple tenses: Do you want to...  [Read more]

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Top Reasons to Teach Vocabulary to ESL Students According to David Crystal (1941), 'Vocabulary is a matter of word-building as well as word-using.' While this may be true and speaks to the fundamental usage of vocabulary in any language, vocabulary can also be seen as world-building. Vocabulary is 'the body of words used in a particular language' (Google, 2019). While the aforementioned clearly identify why it is important to teach vocabulary, this essay will try to explore it a bit further. Table of Contents Main Language Tool Vocabulary and Communication Vocabulary in Real Life Situations Common Vocabulary Teaching Techniques Do you want to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: This post was written by...  [Read more]

Thu, 16 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Necessity of Teaching Vocabulary Learning a new language has always been a challenge given the strong motivation of some people to communicate with others and to make friends from different countries and cultures all over the world. The most important thing when learning a new language is both grammar and the vocabulary part, as we cannot have a conversation without the proper vocabulary in a certain field or situation. Table of Contents Considerations Why is vocabulary development so important? Ideas for vocabulary planning and teaching Engage Study Activate Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Valeria T. Considerations...  [Read more]

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas 3 Ideas to Teach Funny English Idioms in EFL Idioms are great yet a challenging material to teach as they usually are culturally and stylistically influenced. Another problem is choosing a suitable idiom to teach different groups of students. Table of Contents 1. Literal and Figurative Meaning For example: 2. Mentor Texts For example: 3. Online Games For example: 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! In this blog post, we share ten fun English idioms and three ideas to teach these English indioms in your EFL classroom. 1. Literal and Figurative Meaning To help students understand the meaning of an idiom and to help...  [Read more]

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Learning Difficulties: ✅ Not a Roadblock that Can't be Overcome Everyone has a personal genius. It's not up to us to change people, but rather to help individuals be the best they can be with the skills, strengths, and abilities they already possess. The way we go about teaching individuals with learning disabilities will require us to be creative, looking beyond conventional teaching methods. Humility will also be necessary, for we may be the problem rather than the learning disability itself. Will we be humble enough to accept this truth and then use it to improve our skills as teachers? As teachers, the ability to look outside the box and to be able to assess ourselves honestly will be...  [Read more]

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Importance of Properly Teaching Receptive Skills Receptive skills, reading and listening, are important skills that all students should master when learning a new language. They are important because they surround the world and can be used for purpose and entertainment. In my own experience, I have seen the consequences of underdeveloped receptive skills and have helped to develop my students' receptive skills in the classroom. With this experience and the information I have learned in this course, I am hoping to continue to develop receptive skills in my students. Table of Contents Why do we need receptive skills? How to teach receptive skills? Do you want to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: ...  [Read more]

Mon, 06 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How can the lack of cultural sensitivity negatively impact students learning? In my professional and personal opinion, being culturally sensitive and culturally aware is a very important part of being a successful teacher. The following will be based on my experiences and perceptions as a high school teacher teaching English to international students, observations made from watching my work colleagues teach, and examples from two different cultures that I encountered. Table of Contents Is it important for teachers to know about cultures? What problems does a lack of cultural insensitivity cause? How the knowledge of cultural differences helped me in my job Peculiarities of Asian learning style Environment is extremely important...  [Read more]

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 Federico Riva Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The Effectiveness of the ESA Method in Teaching English as an L2 English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction faces the significant challenge of effectively helping non-native speakers grasp the multi-layered intricacies of English. Many approaches to ESL instruction have been developed over the years, each with its own unique strengths and issues. Among these approaches, the Engage-Study-Activate (ESA) method stands out for its adaptability, student-centeredness, and focus on real-life language use. Table of Contents The ESA Method Flexibility and Adaptability Elicitation Student-Centered Interaction-Driven Learning Real-Life Language Use Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! 7 Ideas For Teaching ESL Ideas for teaching ESL students in the classroom starting with structure and listing out what they will be doing.   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]