Certificate courses

Teaching jobs in Hong Kong: the secret life of a teacher trainer

Some of the most common questions I hear include: Hey, how did you get your job? What do you need to do to become a trainer? So do you get all summer off? Contrary to what many people assume about language teaching, most of us work within the constraints of the private sector. This has many advantages – and many facets that people new to the… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, ESL activities, How to..., Careers in TESOL

5 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Teaching Teenagers

Just do the thing... The advice I got from a colleague early on in my teaching career.  Her advice while not exactly motivating, ended up being the best advice I was given for everything, not just teaching. At the time I was struggling to motivate a class of teenaged learners and went home each day feeling like a failure. Even back then,… All categories, Certificate courses, Five ways to, ESL activities, How to...

5 things you didn't know about grammar

One of the more common beliefs that teachers and students bring to the classroom, especially in Hong Kong (which tends to favour classroom activities based on memorization and declarative, as opposed to procedural knowledge) is an obsession with grammar.  Yes but they need to know the grammar, teachers often say. Yes, the students didn… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, How to..., Five ways to

5 Ways of Managing Problematic Behaviour

Following on from our earlier article on positive reinforcement, this week I look at how teachers can manage problematic behavior. If you’ve ever had the experience of a difficult student, you are not alone! It’s part and parcel of being a teacher. The only way you could avoid problematic behavior with students would be to only teach one… All categories, Certificate courses, How to..., Five ways to, ESL activities

5 ways to manage behaviour using positive reinforcement

When I was 5, I had a piano teacher who rapped my knuckles and told me off sternly when I didn’t practice enough. When she asked me to be a part of her annual recital, I burst into tears and shook my head, overcome with fear at failing in front of an audience. When I was 12, I had a maths teacher who was ex-Army, who would scream at us if we asked… All categories, Five ways to, How to..., Certificate courses, ESL activities

It all begins with context: getting your lesson off to a positive start

Set context, and carry on This ought to be the mantra for all teachers, yet it is often one of the most challenging components of any language lesson: set it well, and the meaning and range of language students can use appropriately becomes suddenly more accessible; set it poorly, and you’ll have the students (and possibly yourself too!)… All categories, Five ways to, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, ESL activities, How to...

Does this sound right? Making the most of pronunciation

It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Right? In which case, it often makes me wonder why teaching pronunciation doesn’t take more of the focus in English language lessons.  That’s not to say that teachers don’t do it – indeed, it’s a compulsory component of most teacher training programmes. However, these often focus largely on… All categories, ESL activities, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, How to...

5 ways to motivate your students

For many of us, our time at school is amongst the most memorable experiences we have of growing up. And for many of us, it’s not just going to school, but the teachers we had that impact us most strongly. And more often than not, it’s the memories of the teachers who motivated us to learn and engage with the lesson that stay with us. As teachers… All categories, Certificate courses, ESL activities, Diploma courses, How to...

Classroom Management: How to take control of noisy students

My class is so loud! It’s Friday afternoon and your class of young learners (or adults!) are bouncing off the walls, not paying attention and talking away amongst themselves. What do you do? Raise your voice and try to shout over them? Many of us can attest to the fact that raising your voice never gets you anywhere, ESPECIALLY on a Friday… All categories, How to..., ESL activities, Certificate courses

Is TEFL Worth it?

A few months ago, we shared some top tips for taking the CertTESOL from a former trainee on the course. In fact, even before deciding to take a certificate course in TESOL, many people spend a long time simply trying to figure out the difference between TESOL, TEFL, ESL and ELT courses and choosing the best one for them.… All categories, How to..., Certificate courses, Careers in TESOL

How to Teach Grammar Creatively: moving beyond the basics

A few weeks ago we introduced you to the basic principles of how to teach grammar. The key idea behind the basics of teaching grammar relies setting a clear context, introducing the target form and then providing practice and production opportunities for your students.  This week we look at some alternative ways to deliver grammar… All categories, How to..., Five ways to, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Teaching skills

Teaching jobs in Hong Kong: so you think you want to teach in a local HK school...?

Many of you will be gearing up for the new academic year, or looking for your first English teaching job in Hong Kong.  Aaron joined the CertTESOL at English for Asia course in 2016 after working extensively in various teaching contexts throughout the city. Here he gives us his honest insight into the ups and downs of working in the… All categories, Certificate courses, How to..., ESL activities, Careers in TESOL