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Answering the questions TESOL teachers fear most

‘We never follow maps to buried treasure and X never, ever marks the spot’, according to Indiana Jones. If you’ve ever wanted to be an Indiana jones type but thought it’s only some Hollywood fantasy and I’m only an English teacher, think again. We can all be language archaeologists and perhaps we should be; it might answer some of those seemingly impossible to answers to questions many TEFL/TESOL teachers fear being asked. History can offer some interesting explanations to… All categories, Teaching skills

Hooked on context: the essential element for developing reading skills

Receptive skills are the means by which we interpret written and spoken language. Reading is one of the ways we do this. In order for learners of English to be able to understand simple written texts (short sentences, short articles, newspaper headlines, etc.) or longer texts, complex thinking processes need to be developed and practiced. Students need to activate their existing knowledge of the language and the concepts that are described in the text. But…why do people, learners in… All categories, Teaching skills

Christmas Quiz: 11 words that time has almost forgotten

It's that time of the year again when I take a delve into the words of Christmas. It might be nerdy but it is Christmas and I like it … I thought I might take a look at some of the more obscure and perhaps forgotten words that might find their way into your Christmas teaching repertoire for good or bad or one of those games that some of you might play at school or at home. We’ve got the propine and like the other yuleshards possibly bought the toe-covers. No… All categories, ESL activities

Quack Quack: don't 'wing it' as an English Language Teacher

If it quacks like a duck …  it might be a duck, but then again it might not. Someone speaks English, they can teach English … or so the perpetuated myth goes. The answer though is probably not, but they could with the training and making the personal and financial investment needed. Another way of looking at it is this. Would you go to a doctor or a quack doctor? Or, would you go to a qualified lawyer rather than the ‘barrack room lawyer’? Do you want to be labelled a ‘… All categories, Certificate courses, Careers in TESOL

Writing for Young Learners

A task that propels a child into a new world, sets off a process of creativity, learning, and language practice in many forms seems to be something many young learner educators find a chore. Writing for young learners is often something that is done in isolation and at times, even ignored. This need not be the case. Done well, writing is a language rich activity that contributes to so many other areas in a child’s learning. In many settings, a child is given a writing task… All categories

5 ways the DipTESOL will take your TEFL career to new heights

Many teachers consider doing further qualifications to improve their teaching knowledge and skills, but sometimes it can be difficult to choose which course is right for you. For those of you that already hold a Cert TESOL (or equivalent) certificate and have at least two years of post-cert experience, you may know about the Trinity Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Foreign Languages (DipTESOL). This blog will explore what it is and how it can transform your teaching… All categories, Careers in TESOL, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters

Teach English Overseas: travelling the world with a TESOL umbrella

Having lived and taught English in Asia for the past twenty years, I've been in classrooms with 1-2-1 lessons, taught business English to high flying execs, phonics to 3-year-olds and pretty much everything in between. My experiences have taken me from classrooms to conferences, blackboards to Interactive Whiteboards, pencils to padlets and books to websites – its been quite a journey. And all of this because I decided to do a one-month Cert TESOL, without realizing how much this was going… All categories, Careers in TESOL, Certificate courses

Back to school activities for the EFL/ESL classroom

Sadly the summer holidays are almost over and the next couple of weeks mark the return of the school year. During the first week of classes it can be difficult to know what to do with your students, as it is often a busy time where you need to communicate rules and expectations to your learners, perhaps get your bearings yourself in a new job and new surroundings, and above all else, get to know the students, their learning needs and their personalities. How to choose a first lesson activity… All categories, ESL activities

3 Key Takeaways from the Teaching Young Learners Extension Certificate (TYLEC) Course

Earlier this year, I stepped back into the primary school classroom to teach two groups of young learners (one group of mostly P3s and another group of P6s) as part of my studies and assessment on the Trinity College London Teaching Young Learners Extension Certificate (TYLEC) course. Even though I’ve taught young learners before and completed my DipTESOL years earlier, I was surprised by how much I leveled up my skills and knowledge in teaching as a result of this young learners… All categories, Certificate courses, 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 don’t have to conform to any of these assumptions.  Indeed, there are many reasons why giving students a written task may be better for their… All categories, Teaching skills, How to..., Certificate courses, ESL activities

Gamification in English language teaching: more than child's play

Ever feel like your students are stultifying, bored and demotivated? Maybe it’s not the subject, but your teaching. Competing for the splintered attentions of our learners has never been harder. It has now become a chronic situation, familiar to all teachers when struggling to motivate learners. There is now a generation of children who have never known a world without videogames, mobiles and the internet. The demographics of the workforce now mean that those retiring are… All categories, Certificate courses, How to..., ESL activities, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters

Teaching pronunciation: an introduction to the IPA

The IPA stands for the International Phonemic Alphabet and is used in ESL to address pronunciation issues by isolating difficult vowel sounds, consonants or diphthongs. Problem areas can then be addressed by identifying the manner (the way in which the sound is produced), place (position of the tongue, teeth, lips, etc.), and voice (use of the vocal cords). While some ESL instructors find the IPA intimidating, others see it as a useful tool. What is the IPA good for? The IPA is separated into… All categories, Certificate courses, How to..., Five ways to