Efl English As A Foreign Language

How many of the students learning English as a foreign language have had the chance of having native teachers' I don’t believe they are that many. The reasons are various: not many of them (students as well as native teachers) are willing to travel; costs are usually much higher; the students are afraid that their English level is not strong enough to have a teacher that can only communicate in English, etc. This last reason is one of the most common because learners are so used to having a teacher that speaks their mother tongue and explains in their own language different expressions, words, grammar issues, etc. They do not know that even if the teacher does speak their native language, it is much better if he doesn’t use it at all. Any other method of explaining...  [Read more]

Anyone who is involved in English language teaching (ELT) is well aware of the industry’s love of acronyms. If you have researched training courses you will undoubtedly have come across several such as TEFL, tesol, ESOL, EFL, ESL, ELT, and many more. Here we will look at EFL and the first thing to clear up is that EFL stands for English as a Foreign Language. It is often used interchangeably with some of the other acronyms mentioned when referring to the teaching or studying of the English language by non-native English speakers. Although these two acronyms are regularly used interchangeably within the teaching world, there are technical differences between the two. English as a Foreign Language (EFL) refers to situations where a student is learning English in a country (normally their...  [Read more]

While teaching English as a foreign language it is very important that the teacher or instructor take on board the cultural differences and discrepancies that occur between different societies. As may appear obvious, teaching English in Asia will be significantly different to teaching English in the Middle East. This is due to the religious, social and all round societal differences between the regions i.e. the cultural differences. As pointed out by Kenneth Barre in his online article, cultural differences from a teacher's standpoint can affect a variety of key teaching planning, methodology and structure. Cultural Differences Affects: 'What students expect to hear in a conversation 'Vocabulary and set phrases students try to use 'Degrees of formality / informality 'Literal...  [Read more]

I have been teaching English as a Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia for the past three years. During this time I have noticed a number of challenges for both the students and the teachers. In light of the material I have studied as part of an EFL certificate course and from letters and research from fellows in the field, I would like to highlight some of the difficulties in hopes of gaining some insight into problems and how we may best address them.To begin with, there is the challenge of the environment. Arabic is the main means of communication and has a different writing system as well as an extremely rich literary history. (Bello-'Teaching English in Saudi Arabia') This presents challenges in teaching the alphabet as well as practicing the language. Visuals are an ...  [Read more]

TEFL or Teaching English as a Foreign Language refers to teaching English to students for whom it is not their mother tongue. TEFL can take place in English-speaking regions, for example in language schools or summer camps or before the start of a university degree, but usually occurs in the student´s own country. There, TEFL can be either within the state school system, or private, either in an after-hours language school or with a one-on-one tutor. The teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)Taking a TEFL course as a non-native English speaker was a great experience, with a wild awakening. Life has a way of bringing surprises, not bad or good, they become what you make them to be, and the outcome depends on how you embrace...  [Read more]

Within the world of English language teaching there are many acronyms used to describe what type of teaching is involved in any particular scenario. EFL is one of the more common ones you will come across and it stands for English as a Foreign Language. You will find EFL is most commonly used when describing the teaching or learning of English in a non-English speaking country, such as Spain, Japan, or Mexico. It is very common for either of these acronyms to be used when talking about any situation where a student is learning English, however, there is a technical difference between the two. As previously mentioned, EFL is when the student is learning English in a non-English speaking environment, for example, a Japanese student learning English in Tokyo. In this scenario there is often...  [Read more]

When training to teach English as a foreign language, or any other subject for that matter, at some stage the need arises to examine what exactly it is that makes someone a good teacher. After all, if you do not know the qualities you should possess, how are you to become one' The TEFL International handbook provides a summary of teachers' own suggestions of the characteristics required, and lists personality traits such as patience and kindness, and skills such as the ability to motivate, understand and entertain (1). The handbook uses this list to surmise that a good teacher is one who 'cares about his/her teaching, but cares more about the learning of the students' (2). If the students' needs are therefore the number one priority, then self-analysis on the part of the...  [Read more]

One of the greatest dilemmas facing the English as a Foreign Language teacher today is when, how and what to correct in terms of errors or mistakes made by their students ('Correcting Students,' 1). It is an area of teaching theory that lacks a specific principle. There are no hard and fast rules about correction techniques in EFL; the approach taken will differ according to the situation. However, there are some general, agreed upon principles that describe the dynamics that occur within the sphere of correction. As correction techniques are a grey area, let's look at what's at the black and white ends of the spectrum in reference to how often one should correct a student. For example, the 'black' extreme might be to focus only on accuracy, and correct everything a ...  [Read more]

Students of English as a foreign language can possibly face a multitude of problems, many of which will be of the same nature for all nationalities. However, different countries will each throw up their own set of specific problems for learners. Having taught all ages/ class sizes and for all purposes in Korea, I have noticed and begun the process of resolving at least, several country specific problems. In Korea, as indeed with many Asian countries, the primary problem arises with beginner learners, of a different alphabet. Learning English must begin first with letter recognition which is entirely different from that of their own language. Although many sounds are similar, the English alphabet does introduce a number of letters unheard of in the Korean alphabet. As will be...  [Read more]

Teaching English as a Foreign Language may strike you one day as your vocation in life, or a way of earning a living whilst staying in another country. Either way, it can be very rewarding to spend your working day teaching your own native language. But, if you are lucky enough to live near a college that teaches English as a Foreign Language in your own country, you don't even need to leave your home soil to practice your skills!Where do you start though, having decided this is what you want to do' The increasingly familiar way is to search the internet, as you would have done a reference library, to find out what is offered either in your local area, or online. For myself, I was attracted to an online course which offers me flexibility and came recommended by someone who...  [Read more]

Teaching English as a foreign language can be done one of two ways: teaching a group of students or by teaching on a one-to-one basis. It's estimated that up to 40% of TEFL teaching is done one-to-one, however teachers find it increasingly difficult to find relevant material, advice and assistance on the method. Nicola Meldrum argues that teaching one-to-one 'unfortunately is not covered much in ELT discussion' and that 'It is somehow assumed that teaching English as a foreign language means organizing huge groups of students, while the reality is that one to one is a normal and significant part of our teaching lives' . Teachers are in effect left to their own devices; however this doesn't stop the concept of teaching one- to-one being an effective and advantageous method for...  [Read more]

Whilst there are many elements to teaching English as a foreign language, without successful classroom management the teacher will be ineffective and the students less likely to learn effectively. Key elements that should be focussed on are, e.g., teacher talk time, correct gesturing, appropriate interaction with the class, the manner of the teacher should be such that the atmosphere is balanced between casual yet with authority assigned to the teacher, etc. Although more elements are important to classroom management, the overall lesson is that the components of classroom management must be such that they are successfully integrated, or management will fail.Teacher talk time is appropriate during different sections of a class. It related, not only to the introduction of the...  [Read more]

(From own experience as a volunteer English and French teacher, different forums and talks with other native and non-native teachers)All over the world more and more EFL schools advertise their courses highlighting that they only employ native speakers and reject applicants on the ground that it is the customers' expectation, opening the gates wide for native teachers and giving more obstacles to non-native ones (until they find themselves in a desperate need for a teacher'). But is it really the customers' expectation' Unfortunately teaching ability is not part of the mother tongue package! Non-native teachers could be compared with young new teachers of any subject they have just graduated: depending on their teaching ability, their skills in the subject, their personality, ...  [Read more]

Phonetics and its Uses in Foreign Language Instruction Phonetics is the study of the physical aspects of speech. It is broken down into three categories: articulatory phonetics deals with the way in which speech sounds are produced, concerning itself with the actual organs involved in speech (vocal tract, tongue, lips, etc.); acoustic phonetics studies the physical properties of speech sounds, such as the properties of sound waves and the acoustics of speech; and auditory phonetics analyses the way in which humans perceive sounds, and involves the anatomy and physiology of the human ear and brain (Nicole Dehe, ?Phonology and Phonetics,? 1-2). Phonetics looks only at sounds themselves, rather their meanings or the context in which they are used, while the study of...  [Read more]

Phonetics and its Uses in Foreign Language InstructionPhonetics is the study of the physical aspects of speech. It is broken down into three categories: articulatory phonetics deals with the way in which speech sounds are produced, concerning itself with the actual organs involved in speech (vocal tract, tongue, lips, etc.); acoustic phonetics studies the physical properties of speech sounds, such as the properties of sound waves and the acoustics of speech; and auditory phonetics analyses the way in which humans perceive sounds, and involves the anatomy and physiology of the human ear and brain (Nicole Dehe, 'Phonology and Phonetics,' 1-2). Phonetics looks only at sounds themselves, rather their meanings or the context in which they are used, while the study of sound systems...  [Read more]

The simple answer is no, you do not need to have any knowledge or experience of languages other than English to take a TEFL course or to become an EFL teacher. The ability to speak other languages is not required as the vast majority of TEFL classrooms around the world rely on the communicative approach to English teaching that specifies that English is the only language used in the classroom. In multilingual classrooms where the students could have a dozen or more different first languages, being able to communicate in one or two of them would obviously be of no particular advantage. In monolingual classrooms you may also find that students are more inclined to revert to their mother tongue during the lesson if they are aware that the teacher can understand what is being said....  [Read more]

Acronyms are widely used within the English language teaching world and EFL is one of the most common. English as a Foreign Language is typically used to describe any scenario where English is being taught or learned in a country where English is not the main language. In this situation most students are learning English as part of their school studies, in order to travel overseas, or as a hobby, and they rarely get to use it outside of their lessons. An example of EFL would be an American teaching English to Italians in Rome. While EFL stands for English as a Foreign Language, ESL stands for English as a Second Language. In practice these two acronyms are regularly used interchangeably when talking about English teaching, however, there is a genuine difference between the two that you...  [Read more]

Of all the questions we get asked as a provider of TEFL certification, this is probably the easiest to answer. The simple truth is that the demand for TEFL qualified teachers is generally very high in most parts of the world and in some areas you can even take your pick of a range of job options as there are not enough teachers to fill the available positions. Although for many TEFL course graduates the aim is to head overseas to experience living and working in a foreign culture, it is not the only option. Plenty of people use their teaching qualification within their home country as increasing levels of immigration have led to a rapid increase in demand for EFL teachers in English speaking countries, such as Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA. While there are teaching...  [Read more]

Currently, China is a country striving to catch up with modernization in infrastructure and economic development. It's now looking to partner with willing pioneers from Europe and the US to strengthen their ability for international involvement. In China, teaching English as a foreign language is a billion dollar industry. Over 100,000 foreign experts are recruited a day with over 150,000 teachers already working as foreign language experts. (Qiang, China Daily, Hong Kong Edition, October 9, 2002, www.chinatefl.com)That being said, the education system in China still leaves a lot to be desired for ESL students. Educational standards are a bit behind as many schools still rely on strict teacher controlled methods to run classes. (Guo, 2005) The result of this history has...  [Read more]

Definition of TEFL: The acronym means the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language, usually in a country where the first language is not English. It could therefore be applied to any teaching situation where the English Language Learner (ELL) has a first language which is not English. The profession of teaching is regulated throughout the world, although the level of regulation varies from country to country. This is also true of the EFL teaching sector, however, there are some differences. The teaching of EFL has two main sectors, public and private. The public sector mainly includes government institutions such as schools and higher education institutions. The private sector includes private schools and language centers and a large number of self employed freelance teachers. Each of...  [Read more]

The simple answer is that TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. The TEFL acronym is also used when referring to training courses that new or experienced English language teachers undertake, as well as the certification they receive upon successful completion. As one of the leading providers in this field, ITTT offers all the TEFL training and certification required to become a successful English language teacher virtually anywhere in the world. In order to secure a position as an EFL teacher most employers require their job applicants to possess a relevant qualification known as a TEFL certificate. However, as there is no official standard when it comes to TEFL certification, it can be hard to know which course to choose from the many options available. A quick...  [Read more]

When I first decided that traveling and perhaps teaching abroad, were things that I would be interested in; I came across my first real challenge that came in the form of a decision- ' [w]hich is better, EFL or ESL''. After reading through the various websites, I came to the conclusion that there was in fact, no difference between the two. I arrived at this conclusion, impart, because whenever I saw them listed on the web, let's say for jobs for instance, that they would invariably be shown together, e.g. 'EFL/ESL Teachers needed.' So, I've decided to write my essay on the difference between the two, not only because I have to, but to also answer the question whose true answer has eluded me up until this point. According to James W. Porcaro, the author of Functional grammar...  [Read more]

When I first decided that traveling and perhaps teaching abroad, were things that I would be interested in; I came across my first real challenge that came in the form of a decision- ? [w]hich is better, EFL or ESL??. After reading through the various websites, I came to the conclusion that there was in fact, no difference between the two. I arrived at this conclusion, impart, because whenever I saw them listed on the web, let?s say for jobs for instance, that they would invariably be shown together, e.g. ?EFL/ESL Teachers needed.? So, I?ve decided to write my essay on the difference between the two, not only because I have to, but to also answer the question whose true answer has eluded me up until this point. According to James W. Porcaro, the author of Functional ...  [Read more]

Quite often, the terms English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) are used interchangeably to describe English language instruction to non-native speakers. However, it is becoming increasingly more well known that the two contexts are quite different, demanding the teacher approach and execute different teaching methodologies in the classes. In an ESL setting, the class is likely to be multilingual and be completely immersed in the language by living in the culture of the target language. On the other hand, in the EFL setting, the class is typically monolingual and living in their own country (Brown 2001).In Teaching by principles, author H. Douglas Brown explains that 'it is useful to consider the pedagogical implications for a continuum of...  [Read more]

EFL stands for English as a Foreign Language and is to almost all purposes the same as ESL, English as a Second Language. These two are also equivalent to ESOL which means, English to Speakers of Other Languages. For each of these terms, when we talk about the teaching of them, we add a ‘T’ to the front of each acronym and hence we arrive at the terms TEFL, TESL and TESOL. As they are basically the same we will refer to just one from here on, TEFL for the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language and EFL for English as a Foreign Language. Almost all TEFL teaching positions require a minimum qualification of a 100 to 120-hour TEFL certification. Courses provided to cover this certification are usually delivered by one of three methods, namely, onsite courses, online courses and combined...  [Read more]

Did you know that there are multiple levels of TEFL certification, including TEFL level 4, TEFL level 5, and TEFL level 6? Just when you thought picking an appropriate TEFL course would be easy, you discover that there are several levels available! It is crucial to know what each of these TEFL levels means before choosing your TEFL course. This will help you in determining what level is ideal to reach your desired goal and what courses you need to take in order to get the teaching job you are looking for. To begin, keep in mind that TEFL levels are based on the UK qualifications framework. This includes levels 0 through to 8. Check out the graphic below to get a better understanding of what kind of qualification each level corresponds to: A level 3 TEFL certificate corresponds to the AS...  [Read more]

One of the greatest dilemmas facing the English as a Foreign Language teacher today is when, how and what to correct in terms of errors or mistakes made by their students (?Correcting Students,? 1). It is an area of teaching theory that lacks a specific principle. There are no hard and fast rules about correction techniques in EFL; the approach taken will differ according to the situation. However, there are some general, agreed upon principles that describe the dynamics that occur within the sphere of correction. As correction techniques are a grey area, let?s look at what?s at the black and white ends of the spectrum in reference to how often one should correct a student. For example, the ?black? extreme might be to focus only on accuracy, and correct...  [Read more]

Although the benefits of learning foreign languages are undisputable, the implementation varies around the globe. When should we introduce it' Should we go for a bilingual education, foreign language classes or immersion schools ' Immersion elementary schools started to appear in Canada in the early sixties (CRAWFORD, 1989). In Europe, after a long tradition of a second language learning in secondary and high schools, the European Centre for Modern Languages conducted, in 2002-2003, a project called 'Janua Linguarum - the Gateway to Languages' in ten European countries to promote the introduction of language awakening at the end of primary schools. There are a number of arguments in favor of early language learning. Noam Chomsky, a 20th century linguist, referred to a...  [Read more]

The following contain the results of my reading in to sources pertaining to the use of games in English classes. Most of my references, as cited in the sources list, were taken (and copied) with permission from Jouchi (Sophia) University. I have also drawn upon the teachings of Ray Ormandy, director of my present school (PLS) who has pioneered EFL methods in Japan for over 30 years, specifically in games for children´s classes. 1. Why play games in the classroom There are many reasons to use games in English classes. Aside from the pure enjoyment of playing games as opposed to drilling or deskwork, games can be used to give spot reviews and reinforcement of specific parts of English (e.g. grammar, vocabulary). Games, especially for young learners,...  [Read more]

The following contain the results of my reading in to sources pertaining to the use of games in English classes. Most of my references, as cited in the sources list, were taken (and copied) with permission from Jouchi (Sophia) University. I have also drawn upon the teachings of Ray Ormandy, director of my present school (PLS) who has pioneered EFL methods in Japan for over 30 years, specifically in games for children´s classes.1. Why play games in the classroomThere are many reasons to use games in English classes. Aside from the pure enjoyment of playing games as opposed to drilling or deskwork, games can be used to give spot reviews and reinforcement of specific parts of English (e.g. grammar, vocabulary). Games, especially for young learners, directly influence...  [Read more]