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What are some useful ESL teaching resource books? - TEFL Blog
Federico Riva
TEFL Information Teaching Ideas
The market for ESL teaching books is very large and all the major publishers have some form of involvement in the production and selling of these resources. There are many different types of books and resources that are used in ESL teaching and we will consider three main categories.1) General teaching theory books2) ESL book series3) Activity resource books
General teaching theory books
ESL book series
Activity Resource books
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As an ESL teacher unless you spend your entire career teaching kindergarten, you are going to have to teach English grammar. There are many books that cover this well and you... [Read more]
How can I use my TEFL certification to teach English online? - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT TEFL & TESOL
Having a TEFL certification can significantly enhance your prospects for teaching English online. Many online teaching platforms require or prefer candidates with a TEFL certification as it demonstrates your commitment to the field and ensures that you have received proper training in teaching English as a foreign language. Additionally, a TEFL certification equips you with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively teach English to non-native speakers, making you a more competent and confident online English teacher.
There are numerous online platforms that offer opportunities for TEFL-certified individuals to teach English online. Some popular platforms include VIPKid, Cambly, iTutorGroup, and DadaABC. To find online teaching opportunities, you can create profiles on these... [Read more]
This, that, these and those - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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This, that, these and those are demonstrative pronouns. We use them to point to specific people or things. Demonstrative pronouns are used in place of a noun. We can use same words as demonstrative adjectives.
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When to Use Capital Letters - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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Knowing when and when not to capitalize is an important part of writing correct English. Most students quickly learn that you always capitalize the first letter of a new sentence, but what are the other rules?
Although mistakes with capitalization do not generally have a big affect on the readability of your written English, it is important to get it right when writing formally for work or study purposes. Fortunately, the most common rules above are quite clear and straightforward to learn. Below are a few more capitalization rules you should be aware of.
Capitalize family relationships when used as proper nouns.
Capitalize “Uncle Brian,” and “Grandma Betty”. Do not use capitals when referring to a person’s... [Read more]
How to Use Modal Verbs - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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This infographic explains 10 modal verbs and their usages with useful examples.
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Use a Word Board Game - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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This is a fun board game where the students have to make a sentence with the word they land on.
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How to Use Learners’ Internal Motivation - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Motivating students is always a challenge and can, in fact, be one of the most difficult parts of education. There are countless ways to either encourage or intimidate a student into completing their work or participating in class but these external motivators have a limited effect. Encouragement and praise may only motivate a student while they are seated in the classroom. A teacher expressing disappointment on an uncompleted assignment may only encourage the student to avoid the subject or course work altogether. One of the best ways I have found for motivating students is to find a student's internal motivation.
Finding Students' Future Goals
Setting Up The Responsibilities
Individual Learning Plan
My Own Experience
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How to Use Neither and Either - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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The words "neither" and "either" are often confused by English learners around the globe. The word "either" sometimes has a similar meaning as the word "neither" but they are often used incorrectly. Below, we take a look at the differences so you can use (and teach!) these words correctly and with confidence.
When both words are used as adverbs the meaning is almost exactly the same:
neither (adverb) used to show that a negative statement is also true of somebody/something else, for example:
“She didn’t remember to bring an umbrella and neither did I.”
A: “I don’t like mushrooms.”
B: “Me neither.”
either (adverb) used after negative phrases to state that... [Read more]
Words to Use Instead of "Very" - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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In English, "very" is used extensively as an adverb to emphasize that something is of a high degree or intensity. However, there are many single words that can be used to say the same thing more effectively.
When speaking or writing English you can make better use of the language and impress the listener/reader by using individual descriptive words rather than using “very” to show a high degree or intensity.
For example:
Instead of saying “My friend and I took a ride on the roller coaster and we were very afraid”
Say “My friend and I took a ride on the roller coaster and we were terrified”
Instead of saying “I was very nervous about taking my English exam”
Say “I was... [Read more]
How to Actually Use Apostrophe ‘s - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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In general, the apostrophe s (‘s) serves two functions: to contract words and to indicate possession. Let's take a look at this closely in the infographic below.
The apostrophe s (‘s) serves two functions:
Only add ‘ (just the apostrophe symbol) to a plural noun:
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Ways to Use Technology in the Classroom - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
In most developed nations, technology is prevalent in all areas of life. Adults and children alike are exposed to technology from the moment they wake up, and until they go to bed. Computers, social media, toys, and transportation are just a few of the many areas in which technology is a part of daily life. Teachers need to think about the ways they can include technology in their lessons.
Projector
Social Media
Hybrid Learning Ways
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dakota C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Teachers often have the option of presenting information using a projector. In the... [Read more]
Interesting Outdoor Activities English Teachers Can Use - TEFL Blog
Federico Riva
Teaching Ideas
Let us imagine. How if English teachers only conduct English lessons inside the class? Will the students have fun all the time? Many English teachers reflect on that so, in reality, they try to conduct English lessons not only inside the class but also outside the class. They think that conducting English lessons outside is also needed and important. Therefore, English teachers use some outdoor activities to help when teaching English. By doing so, English teachers believe that they can help their students to increase motivation. They also believe that outdoor activities can give students fun and joy. Here are some interesting activities that English teachers can use to teach English outside the class.
Principles of Motivation
What I can do
Look around and... [Read more]
Why Use Games in Your ESL Lessons? - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Trying to make your class fun and exciting for young learners can be quite difficult at times. The best way to get around teaching young learners is to add games in each lesson. Kids can learn a foreign language without really trying, they soak up the new language like a sponge. It is up to the teacher to be the facilitator in the learning process and make it happen. To be effective in the classroom you have to be able to engage with your young students. By making your lessons lively and interesting you can achieve just that.
Reasons to use games
Games in the classroom can also improve cooperation with other children.
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Edgar... [Read more]
Synonym Words for ANGRY - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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Here are some great synonyms for the word "angry" that will make your writing and essays more interesting.
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Since and For - What is the difference? - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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"For" and "since" are prepositions used when talking about time. Let’s look at the difference between the two words.
For and Since are prepositions. Let’s look at the difference between these two words.
"For" is used with a period of time. This is often a number plus a time word.
"For" is used when we measure the duration of something or how long it lasts. It has a start point and an end point and can be used in different tenses.
"Since" is used with a starting point or a time or date. It refers to something that started in the past and continues until now. "Since" is mostly used with the present perfect and perfect progressive tense.
For example:
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What Games to Use in Your EFL Classroom - TEFL Blog
Federico Riva
Teaching Ideas
Growing up, hearing the word games in the classroom was almost always associated with a lack of concentration on the students' side or maybe just a side note on activities to be done during recess. Today, especially after taking this course, I have come to see just how essential academic games could be! From young learners to mature scholars, everyone always goes back to a classroom at some point and the fact that classrooms are now evolving makes the learning process more and more interesting.
Classroom Games
Importance
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brianna C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.... [Read more]
What Methods Can We Use to Motivate Students? - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
As we all know, motivate students is a signature party of a teaching career. In the future, we maybe will teach the businesswomen/businessmen group, our pupil group. Motivate them and keep them studying is an expression of working ability. Here comes a question, what methods we can use to motivate students?
Switching roles
Speech patterns
Body language
Safety
Competiton
Choices
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Zixi Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Above all, we need to change our roles from a student to a teacher. Also, we can call it a manager, organizer, assessor or prompter, etc. in the... [Read more]
Course Books and Materials: Use of Visual Aids - TEFL Blog
Federico Riva
TEFL Information Teaching Ideas
Here we're going to consider the use of visual aids in the classroom. Visual aids can include examples such as, real objects (which we call realia), the use of pictures and photographs and also the use of models. So let's consider some of the ideas surrounding the use of visual aids.
Watch the video about this topic
Why are they useful?
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First of all the use of a visual aid can reduce teacher talk time (TTT) which is always desirable.It is much simpler to just show a real object than to try to describe it, so that we could just ask the students, "what is this"? and they would say, "that is a pen" rather... [Read more]
How to Use Videos in Online ESL Lessons - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
Watching videos is an effective way to switch between different activities or time fill. Modern students are more likely to watch videos or look at images than to do worksheets or read. Videos are also excellent sources of audio-lingual information that develops listening and speaking skills.
Goals and Exercises
Why use video-listening activities?
Student's Level
Video Length
Exercise Ideas
What activities to prepare?
Video Resources for Online ESL Lessons
For younger students:
Vocabulary lessons:
For teenagers and adults:
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However, to use videos during the online ESL lessons, it is... [Read more]
16 Boring Verbs & What to Use Instead - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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Improve your English writing skills with these alternatives to 16 boring verbs people use all the time!
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Words You Can Use Writing About Scary Subjects - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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Are you writing about Halloween? Here is a list of descriptive words verbs & nouns you can use when writing about scary subjects.
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Tefl reviews - Coursebooks And Materials/use Wipe Board - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
So let's have a look at some of the more general issues when using the wipe board. Perhaps the most important thing to start with is that we should start with a clean board. Secondly it's always very useful to make a board plan so that you know where things are going to appear on the board by the end of your lesson. It?s very simple to do a board plan. Just take a sheet of paper, which is similar in shape to the board that you're going to use, and then onto that piece of paper decide where all the information that's going onto your board is going to be by the time that you've finished. So a very simple board plan just to show where the information is going to be. Also it's very useful if you make use of tables and columns to separate different areas of your work and in the same way... [Read more]
Tefl reviews - Coursebooks And Materials/use Visual Aids - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
The next idea we're going to consider is the use of visual aids and visual aids can include some examples such as real, objects, which we call realia, the use of pictures and photographs and also the use of models. So let's consider some of the ideas surrounding the use of visual aids. Well, why are they useful? Well, first of all the use of a visual aid can reduce teacher talk time. It's very much more simple just to show a real object than to try to describe it so that we could just ask the students ?what is this,? and they would say ?this is a pen,? rather than trying to actually describe it. Again if we were trying to show examples of fruit and vegetables rather than to try and describe them why not use an actual model and this is going to be much more visually stimulating than... [Read more]
5 Important Reasons to Use Games in The Classroom - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
"Learning is not a game, although you learn by playing"
1. Useful Method
2. Students' Needs
3. Rapport Between Students
4. Way of Evaluation
5. Encouragement
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When we teach it is not only a matter of writing on the board and expecting the students to absorb all the information and knowledge we have, it's a matter of thinking and sharing what we know with the students. The best way of doing this is by connecting with them through games.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Juan G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
As a teacher, I believe that games bring you a methodology for teaching... [Read more]
How to Use Lesson Planning to Its Fullest Potential - TEFL Blog
Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
"Some theorists suggest that lesson planning is not a good idea as it creates a more fixed, teacher-centered lesson" (ITTT TEFL 009 Lesson Planning, pg 1). However, I would argue that without a lesson plan many inexperienced English teachers may often lack direction. I will discuss how to best use a lesson plan to achieve the greatest successes in each lesson.
It allows you to logically move through the engage, study and activate stages.
How to write a Lesson Plan
What to include in your Lesson Plan
Now you're ready to write your own lesson plan!
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Listen to this blog post
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melissa B.
There are many important functions in a lesson plan. The... [Read more]
The 8 Best Classroom Tools Every Teacher Should Use - TEFL Blog
Kavinna Batra
Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
Technology is something that is coming strong! Teachers need to incorporate technology besides from online resources. Teachers can use trusted online resources and different applications to keep students more engaged and to enhance the traditional ways of teaching. Online assessments, grading software, and virtual lesson plans can help teachers save a lot of time.
Socrative
Quizlet
Just Press Record
Trello
Tomato Timer
Google Calendar
Google Classroom
Class Dojo
Which is your favorite tool?
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There is a range of tools that can be used in a classroom to support student learning, ranging from traditional to high-tech options. For instance, index cards, posters, whiteboard, audience response systems (e.g. clicker technology),... [Read more]
Why You Should Use Games in the EFL Classroom - TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Nobody doubts that motivated students learn better and assimilate taught contents more easily than non-motivated ones but keeping students motivated and engaged during class is one of the teachers' biggest challenges. Playing games in class, though, seems to be of great help when it comes to engaging, reinforce materials and retain the attention of students. Another positive point is that games can be used at any moment in the teaching process by any level. The usages are diverse varying from teaching to getting feedback, not to mention that having students playing games reduces drastically Teacher's Talking Time turning classes more student-centered.
Interaction and Fun
Methodological Support
Ways to Use
Teacher's Talking Time
Do you want to teach... [Read more]
There Is vs. There Are - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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We use "there is" and "there are" to say that something exists. The two phrases are often confused so below we take a look at the differences between "there is" and "there are".
We use there is and there are to say that something exists.
We use "there is" for singular and "there are" for plural.
We also use "there is" with uncountable nouns:
The contraction of "there is" is "there's".
You cannot contract "there are".
The negative is formed by putting not after is or are:
We almost always use contractions when speaking.
The Negative contractions are:
When we want to indicate that a zero quantity of something exists we use there aren't any.
We also use... [Read more]
Why is the English Language So Popular Worldwide and What is it Used For? - TEFL Blog
Mark Crocker
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences
In recent years, English has become an increasingly important means of communication that is used by people from many different backgrounds to interact with the rest of the world for a wide variety of purposes. But why has English become an international language, how is it used and applied in different situations and what are the advantages of being able to speak English?
English Around the World
International Use of English in Specific Fields
Common Benefits of English Proficiency
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alexander C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
English... [Read more]
Future Tenses - Will vs. Going to - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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When to use "will" and when to use "going to" for expressing the future is a very confusing concept for some English learners. Both of these terms refer to the future but there is a slight difference between them. Let's take a look at the differences in the infographic below.
The structure "be going to" is normally used to indicate the future but with some type of connection to the present. It can be used in the following situations:
The decision has been made before the moment of speaking, for example:
Something is likely to happen based on the evidence or experience you have, for instance:
In other cases, where there is no implicit or explicit connection to the present, use "will":
This... [Read more]
