Teaching skills

How to teach writing: writing lesson ideas

So you're looking for writing lesson plan ideas, and you're not sure where to start. Does any of this sound familiar? Yes, but writing is boring. Is it? Sure, but writing could be time spent in class doing fun speaking tasks. Who said you can’t do both? But my students get more out of class from interactive activities. Exactly – writing lessons… All categories, Teaching skills, Writing

Integrating skills in English language classes

English language teaching can be separated into systems, skills, and phonology. Systems refer to grammar, whereas skills denote reading, writing and listening, and speaking. Phonology incorporates elements of pronunciation, such as intonation, connected speech, and isolating difficult phonemes which focus on manner (position of the mouth),… All categories, Teaching skills

How to exploit reading texts for TEFL classes

Teaching TEFL classes in Hong Kong can present a bit of a conundrum. In a culture that prioritises grammar instruction and accuracy over fluency, reading tasks are often seen as a series of questions to which the answers simply need to be copied straight from the text. However, reading comprehension texts for ESL learners create… All categories, Teaching skills

What are the 4 written assignments on the Trinity CertTESOL course?

As much as many of you will sigh at the thought of written assignments, yes, there are assignments and they form the spine of the Trinity CertTESOL. There’s no getting away from it. The course is accredited at level 5 on the UK National Qualifications Framework, is equivalent to the first year of undergraduate study at a UK university, so… All categories, Certificate courses, Teaching skills

Overcoming self-doubt as a non-native English teacher

Teachers and teacher trainers, native speakers and non-native speakers alike, although having some of the best qualifications around, still have the odd stumble and doubt their language ability. Doubts can arise with vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation. I've noticed this happens more with non-native speakers like myself. I hold a… All categories, Teaching skills, Careers in TESOL

TEFL Masterclass: finding the perfect balance with TTT

When I look back on the most common references to teacher talking time (TTT) in feedback forms and post lesson reflections, I see comments such as high TTT, my TTT was excessive, TTT unnecessarily high, TTT interupted learners thinking time, reduce my TTT. Do these sound familiar to you? How many people on your… All categories, Teaching skills

Incorporating Current Affairs into EFL classrooms

I remember shortly after the Brexit referendum, finding myself in a Chinese class trying to explain to my Mandarin teacher, why the British public were so polarised in their decision on whether to leave the EU. I struggled to express my opinion and needed to ask my teacher for topic specific vocabulary, such as ‘referendum’ and ‘European… All categories, Teaching skills

Five 21st Century Skills TEFL Teachers can no longer ignore

What exactly are 21st Century Skills? This widely used term has become popular across many fields of the education sector and refers to a set of highly transferable skills, that are considered vital for any workplace or academic setting in today’s world. As English maintains its dominance (for now) as the global lingua franca, how can we equip… All categories, Teaching skills

Finding the right TESOL approaches for your students

In the world of TESOL, more than anywhere else, there is more than one way to bake a cake. The teaching approaches and methodologies that we use are based on a huge amount of research that has been done over the years. This research has informed the evolution of many different ways of approaching the way we plan to teach different language… All categories, Teaching skills

TEFL Masterclass: how to structure brilliant PPP lessons

When planning to teach a language item, how can you ensure that your learners are getting what they need at key points in the lesson? The way in which teaching and learning activity, tasks and activities are ordered can go a long way to helping students to achieve within the limited time they have and with the content you are teaching. The … All categories, Teaching skills, Certificate courses

Unlocking student motivation and engagement: what makes learners tick?

In the choppy world of full-time language teaching, teachers working with several groups of learners for short periods, sometimes moving between settings with adults, kids, teens, businesspeople and tutorial students, it is easy to lose track of the individuals who are looking up to you for their development. A common symptom is when the… All categories, Teaching skills

Teach English in China: finding the right position for you

China has grown into a fascinating, diverse, challenging and ultimately rewarding place to be an English teacher (though of course this depends on the situation where you find yourself when you get to the school you are working with). The range of education groups, schools, kindergartens, university departments… where English Language Education (… All categories, Careers in TESOL, Certificate courses, Teaching skills, Diploma courses