ESL activities

Teaching reading: why it's important for TEFL teachers

Why teach reading? EFL teachers in Hong Kong don’t have enough time to teach reading. Reading is about so much more than comprehension questions. Reading is a chance to learn a language the way all languages are learned in the beginning. Reading is a skill that allows independent learning. So why don’t we do more of it?… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, How to..., ESL activities, TESOL Masters

Christmas lesson ideas: 5 great activities for English classes

* This article was written by the entire Teacher Training team at EFA The Christmas season is nigh upon us and it’s a great time of year to focus on building classroom rapport and bring some light relief into learning.  We’ve rounded up a few of our favourite TEFL Christmas lessons and activities from our team of CertTESOL trainers for you… All categories, ESL activities, Five ways to, How to..., Certificate courses, Theme based learning

We need to talk about teacher burnout

Okay, we’re now about halfway through the first term of school and most of you are probably in your teaching groove, so you might be thinking this may not apply to you. But it does. As Benjamin Franklin says, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Burnout is a gradual thing, not happening overnight and making sure you are aware of the… All categories, Certificate courses, Careers in TESOL, Diploma courses, ESL activities

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 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

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