How To Become A Teacher In Texas

On the subject of new technology in the classroom, I'd like to address a source of materials with which I'm extremely familiar. I spent a number of years selling textbooks to college professors and as a result, was trained on some of the most recent developments in classroom technology. Many of the largest higher educational publishers take great pains to create resources and materials that, they hope, will make their text the most attractive to professors. In recent years the development of the companion website has become almost expected from every major textbook. As I worked my way through this course, I was struck by the similarities between TEFL instruction and the field of developmental English. At Pearson Education, there are a number of developmental texts...  [Read more]

  Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. After studying the unit on Coursebooks and Lesson Materials, I learnt some valuable lessons regarding the way one would use these resources in a classroom. It became clear that these resources, like texts books, should be used as guides, and that a teacher should to the best of his/her ability, try to adapt teachings to the need of the class. It is important to use the reference and guide that one does get...  [Read more]

The topic of teacher accents in the ESL classroom is much debated. I am sure most teachers can relate to a story or experience. In South Korea, like many Asian countries there is a strong focus on the 'American English'. All listening tapes, dialogues, transcripts and texts use American linguistics and accents. Even the international TOEIC and TEFL tests for a long time were using American accents. As a New Zealand citizen being strongly advised to develop an American accent can be hard to comprehend.Kachru 1986 writes 'what actually happens is that language and power go together. American English is accepted for the power and superiority which America as a nation has acquired in the areas of science, technology, commerce, military affairs and politics'. I tend to agree and...  [Read more]

Universally recognized is the advantage of one teacher for one student. It is an evident need for students in school requiring help with a specific subject. Also, advanced students benefit from being able to progress at a more rapid pace. Shy students find this very helpful in overcoming their hesitancy to speak out. For those with a busy schedule and disciplined progress is very difficult, one on one teaching is almost a must. These are just a few examples of why there is a boom in requests for this type of teaching. Of course, this type of teaching situation can cause some problems for the teachers that they would not encounter in a classroom setting with many students. There is a great intensity and often a need for very precise preparation. The material...  [Read more]

Since the meaning is an important device in teaching grammar, it is important to contextualize any grammar point. Songs are one of the most enchanting and culturally rich resources that can easily be used in language classrooms. Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities. They are precious resources to develop students' abilities in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They can also be used to teach a variety of language items such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, adjectives, and adverbs. Songs also give new insights into the target culture. They are the means through which cultural themes are presented effectively. Since they provide authentic texts, they are motivating. Prosodic features of the language such as stress,...  [Read more]