TESOL Masters

English teachers beware: what are your kindergarteners really learning?

Are you a teacher who has started teaching toddlers and want to know what to expect from teaching them? The current mantra surrounding toddlers and young children seems to be ‘the younger the better’, but is this always the case? And how can we aid the language acquisition process for the smallest amongst us? Proponents of ‘the younger the… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters, Careers in TESOL

Why does Hong Kong need more TESOL qualified teachers?

Mountains, beaches, skyscrapers, some of the planet’s most densely populated urban areas, Michelin-starred dim sum….Hong Kong is unique for many reasons. The number of English teachers is not one of them.  But it should be. In 1998, the Hong Kong government launched the Native English Teacher scheme (NET) which allowed local… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters, Careers in TESOL

Solving common difficulties with TESOL listening lessons

Listening is one of the most problematic skills for an ESL learner to acquire. This is because skills are developed over time and with plenty of practice. As a result, this can be a frustrating experience for learners since significant improvement is difficult to ‘prove’, whereas for instructors they may find it tricky to measure the learners’… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters, How to..., ESL activities

4 problems everyone has with writing lessons and how to avoid them

Last year we described some of our best ideas for teaching writing, and making writing lessons fun.  We couldn’t have been happier with the response…nearly 5,500 readers have visited, shared and commented on this post, making it one of our most popular contributions on the blog. But, as with any blog post, it’s impossible to cover… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, How to..., TESOL Masters

6 things you need to implement in your classes immediately: a classroom management masterclass

Classroom management: buzzword or mantra? Hype or necessity? With class sizes of 40 or more the norm, Hong Kong English teachers will tell you that anyone with even the faintest experience in front of a local classroom will know that classroom management is important. Whether or not that awareness translates into effective practice is something… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters, How to...

9 mistakes you need to stop making with your teaching

Having been a teacher trainer for a few years now, I’ve had opportunities to observe and reflect on the good and bad things teachers do in the classroom (including my own teaching skills!) while looking back on those first terrifying (and exhilarating) teaching years with a more experienced eye, and maintaining an understanding of that first foray… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Careers in TESOL, TESOL Masters

How to stay motivated and avoid teacher burnout

As a teaching employee, I have gone through a few spells of demotivation in my career. The most recent one was a few months ago. Feeling demotivated with my job, very unappreciated and generally overwhelmed with my workload, I woke up day after day dreading what lay ahead for the next 9 hours...this is a common symptom of teacher burnout. It… All categories, Careers in TESOL, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters, How to...

MA TESOL: how to choose the best course for you

Article contributors: Tom Garside, Sharon Maloney, Bryan Holmes. We´ve written alot about what it´s like to take a DipTESOL, and the differences between an MA and DipTESOL, but the reality is there´s no better resource than meeting people who have been through a course.  In fact we often introduce applicants for our CertTESOL… All categories, TESOL Masters, Diploma courses, How to..., Careers in TESOL

Experienced teachers: are you ready to take a DipTESOL or DELTA?

Article by Bryan Holmes and Tom Garside If you have been teaching for a few years you may be thinking it’s time to complete a Trinity DipTESOL or a Cambridge DELTA. Doing either one will broaden your professional horizons while making a huge leap in your professional development.  This is considered a rite of passage in the… All categories, Diploma courses, ESL activities, Certificate courses, TESOL Masters

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

What is it like to take the DipTESOL?

This week we interview a recent DipTESOL trainee, who completed his Trinity DipTESOL in Hong Kong in 2014.  After 4 years post-certificate, he was an experienced teacher looking to develop his teaching skills, knowledge of language teaching and his career when he decided to take the DipTESOL. 1) Why did you decide to take the… All categories, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters, Certificate courses

ICT: Using technology in the classroom

Whether you like it or not, the use of IT, technology, edTech, ICT….whatever you want to call it….in the classroom is here to stay.  Many schools nowadays actively expect teachers to incorporate elements of technology in their classes on a regular basis.  Many institutions such as the British Council even assess their current… All categories, How to..., Certificate courses, TESOL Masters, Five ways to