Methods And Techniques To Teach English

For the inexperienced teacher of TEFL, the question of what to teach presents a very scalable hurdle. There is the matter of dividing the material into different lessons, gauging the students' levels and progress, and making sure what is being taught is relevant and technically accurate. However, for the native speaker who can always fall back on their own intuitive knowledge, these are not real problems. The true challenge, then, comes when a new teacher must determine how to teach their classes. There are a multitude of different TEFL-teaching methods for a teacher to choose from. Though most of these will ultimately be left by the wayside, it is important to gain an understanding of each before the teacher decides which is right for them. The first teaching method ...  [Read more]

  Before looking at the methods or approaches themselves, there are some terms that we need to define. These are the approach, the method or the technique. Basically, these are hierarchical. The approach is an overriding set of principles that a method can actually make use of, whereas the technique are the things that we actually do in the classroom to approach that method. So, these three words are going to appear during the presentation. Again, for each of either the approaches all the methodologies we're going to ask four questions. So be it an approach or a method for each of those things: Where did it come from? What's its background? What does it involve when we're talking about actually in the classroom, in other words techniques? What is positive about it? What appears to...  [Read more]

There are various different methods which are used to teach a second language. One such method is the immersion method of teaching , developed in Canada to provide Canada's majority group English- speaking students with opportunities to learn Canada's other official language, French. Students are taught a second language exclusively throught he medium of the second language.The structured immersion approach, however, must not be confused with submersion (which is really a non-approach). Essentially, it is a ' sink or swim ' approach. For example, a non-English-speaking French child moves to England and is placed in a regular English- speaking classroom and is taught exclusively in English in the same way as the English-speaking children.Bull (1965) drew a distinction between these...  [Read more]

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. Learning English through songs also provides a non-threatening atmosphere for students, who usually are tense when speaking English in a formal classroom setting. Songs may both be used for the presentation or the practice phase of the grammar lesson. There are various ways of using songs in the classroom. For primary students, the best songs would be those that are either familiar to the children or those, though maybe not familiar, which have an international nature, such as...  [Read more]

There are a number of methods and approaches for teaching language to non-native speakers. This paper will attempt to compare four popular methodologies: The Grammar-Translation Approach, The Direct Approach, The Audio- lingual Method, and PPP (with ESA as an alternative to PPP). The Grammar-Translation Approach was historically used to teach Greek and Latin. Classes using this approach are taught in the student’s mother tongue, with little active use of the target language. Vocabulary is taught in the form of isolated word lists. Grammar instruction provides the rules for putting words together. Study involves the reading of texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical analysis; little or no attention is given to pronunciation. 1The Direct Approach was...  [Read more]

There are a number of methods and approaches for teaching language to non-native speakers. This paper will attempt to compare four popular methodologies: The Grammar-Translation Approach, The Direct Approach, The Audio- lingual Method, and PPP (with ESA as an alternative to PPP). The Grammar-Translation Approach was historically used to teach Greek and Latin. Classes using this approach are taught in the student?s mother tongue, with little active use of the target language. Vocabulary is taught in the form of isolated word lists. Grammar instruction provides the rules for putting words together. Study involves the reading of texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical analysis; little or no attention is given to pronunciation. 1 The Direct Approach was...  [Read more]

  Former ESL student Kieu recorded this TEFL review after completing her TEFL course online with ITTT. Already an English teacher, Kiue thought taking the course was the best decision of her career. The course gave her the confidence to apply appropriate teaching methods in her classroom. 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. In this unit we have learnt specially the techniques of teaching English to Individuals and group of people such as class...  [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...  [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]

BACKGROUNDOne of the major problems that a language teacher faces is how to deal with errors. It is generally agreed that correction is a part of the language learning process; however, over-correction can be a factor in demotivating students and making them reluctant to use and/or continue studying the language being learned. Therefore, the issue of how and when to correct is a very critical issue for teachers of a foreign language.ACCURACY ACTIVITIESWhen the aim of the lesson is accuracy, errors are usually corrected immediately. Attention to mistakes during this part of the lesson improves the chances of accuracy during the fluency stage (Mumford and Darn 2005). One way to indicate incorrectness is to ask the student to repeat what he/she has said. Another way to indicate ...  [Read more]

Check out Tesolcourse.com about TEFL - English Learning Online Courses and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: L.A . - Spain said: This course has been extremely enriching for me. Not only have I updated my knowledge of grammar, but I have learned how to explain it successfully and in a fun way. I have learned a lot about the different techniques and teaching methods and how important attitude is when teaching. I think it has been a very practical course that has given me the opportunity to learn how to produce a lot of the teaching material that I will need and I have really enjoyed doing it....  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review, Boh discusses his experience on the 120-hour online TEFL course without tutor support from ITTT. He found that the course exceeded his expectations with plenty of information covering both grammatical features of the English language and strategies for dealing with different students. 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. This unit is very informative because i've learned the various types and groups of classess , what are the...  [Read more]

Check out Tesolcourse.com about TEFL - Accelerated TEFL Course and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Z.H. China said: During my study in new zealand, I benefit a lot not only from the course, but online tutor as well as the teachers in excel college. From this course, I have learned various teaching methods and techniques such as ESA, boomerang and patchwork. I have also learned how to prepare and plan a lesson effectively. I have learned it is important to be respectful to students and attitude and manners are equally important in a teacher?s job. I?ll try to be a creative teacher and keep...  [Read more]

In 1904 the French government commissioned psychologist Alfred Binet to find a method to distinguish between children?s levels of intelligence. The purpose was to put the ?intellectually inferior? into special schools where they could receive more individual attention1. So begins the journey of testing and analysing scores, consequently giving us an outline or a picture of a person?s intelligence. The Intelligent Quotient is a ?score derived from a set of standardised tests? (http://wikipedia.org/). The notion of measuring a person?s intelligence, and therefore, a person?s potential, may seem limited to some, as it did to Howard Gardner- professor of education at Harvard University. Gardner argues that ?pencil and paper IQ tests do not capture the full range of...  [Read more]

In 1904 the French government commissioned psychologist Alfred Binet to find a method to distinguish between children's levels of intelligence. The purpose was to put the 'intellectually inferior' into special schools where they could receive more individual attention1. So begins the journey of testing and analysing scores, consequently giving us an outline or a picture of a person's intelligence. The Intelligent Quotient is a 'score derived from a set of standardised tests' (http://wikipedia.org/). The notion of measuring a person's intelligence, and therefore, a person's potential, may seem limited to some, as it did to Howard Gardner- professor of education at Harvard University. Gardner argues that 'pencil and paper IQ tests do not capture the full range of human...  [Read more]

Vocabulary is a set of words known to a person that are part of a specific language. The set of words are used by a person to construct a sentence and a form of communication needed to interact with another person. Increasing one´s vocabulary is considered to be an important part of both learning a language and improving one´s skills in a language. According to the National Reading Panel, to develop vocabulary, students should be taught both specific words and word-learning strategies. Familiarizing students with vocabulary rich in contexts provided by authentic texts, rather than an isolated vocabulary drill, it can produce a stronger vocabulary learning experience. Knowing vocabulary goes beyond definitional knowledge; it gets the students actively engaged in using and...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review video, Mark from the UK talks about his experience studying with ITTT. Mark took the 120-hour online TEFL course with tutor support and videos. He decided to take the course so that he could teach English in Northern Thailand. Mark had a very positive experience taking the 120-hour course and is now taking a specialised course in teaching English to young learners. 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. This section discussed the...  [Read more]

  Natalia took the 120-hour online TEFL course with tutor support and videos with ITTT. In this TEFL review, Natalia tells us she successfully completed the course and went on to complete the Certificate in Teaching English to Young Learners. Natalia found that both courses covered a variety of teaching techniques which will help her in her future teaching career. The videos that come with the tutor support course were very useful for Natalia especially as she is not a native speaker of English. 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...  [Read more]

Using the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Authentic Materials to Instruct Indonesian EFL Students in the Writing GenresIn 2005 while searching for a program that would allow me to more effectively teach a group of American middle schoolers how to write in stylistically interesting ways across the genres, I purchased the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style materials by Andrew Pudewa. This program delivers excellent results and fits well with the U.S. based Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Six-Trait Analytical Writing Assessment Model. Currently, it is being used for the first time in Indonesia among ESL and EFL students.Pudewa’s methodology is designed to be used in all grade levels and across the curriculum to teach the writing of structurally sound and ...  [Read more]

  This presentation is going to focus on the theories, methods and techniques of teaching and we're going to start with a quote. This is an interesting quotation because it contains within it a philosophical argument and it's a philosophical argument in the way in which we learn. Basically, this one is saying that the intelligence of their own children comes about due to a natural process. So this one could be said to be due to nature. This is exactly the opposite of this one, which is saying that they're teaching the environment that we create, creates that intelligence. So this one can be said to be due to nurture and this argument 'nature versus nurture' has been going on for thousands of years. These two viewpoints are two ends of a scale, or a continuum if you like, and every...  [Read more]

  The two most common usages for the present simple tense are habits and routines, as well as general facts and truths. Our example of routine would be 'I teach every Monday.' We've used our subject 'I', our base form 'teach' and 'every Monday' speaking about the routine that I have. We also have our general facts 'The sun rises in the east.' Here, 'the sun' would follow under the pronoun 'it' so we've had to conjugate our verb per our pattern and finish our sentence. We could also talk about general truths such as likes or dislikes. 'I like football,' or 'He likes football.' Of course, there are other usages but these are the two most common. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online...  [Read more]

The course is essentially practical and is assessed continuously. This is a typical course schedule (note that this is an example and timetables will vary from location to location): In the morning, there are input sessions on the skills and methods of teaching. The afternoon /evening consists of teaching practice (in small groups), lesson observation and lesson preparation. The course is, by nature, very intensive. The course is divided into six areas: This topic includes classroom arrangement, resource materials, maintaining discipline, giving instructions, the role of the student and teacher etc. This is a very practical element of the course aimed at building the candidates skills in areas such as teaching grammar, vocabulary, business English, creating own materials, correction skills...  [Read more]

  Amanda from Brazil is currently living in Ankara, Turkey. Amanda completed her TEFL course with ITTT and found a job just two weeks after graduating. In this TEFL review video Amanda recommends ITTT’s TEFL course for those wanting to teach English abroad. Amanda liked how the course not only covered grammar but also taught methods and techniques that can help you become a great teacher. 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. A classroom is an...  [Read more]

All ITTT TEFL courses result in a certificate that can be used when applying for ESL teaching positions anywhere in the world. Our TEFL courses range from 120-hours up to 550-hours. The majority of ESL teachers select an online course due to the flexibility of a self-paced course and its cheaper price. While these two factors make the courses ideal for most people, there are some real benefits to taking an in-class course over 4 weeks. The in-class courses are structured 4-week courses with face-to-face instruction from professional TEFL trainers. During an in-class course, trainees cover the same teaching techniques as the 120-hour online course with the added advantage of being able to put them into practice at local schools. After each class is taught by a trainee, the TEFL trainers...  [Read more]

  Ben taught English in South Korea for four years before returning to his native California. In this TEFL review he describes how after returning home, he decided to seek out further qualifications in teaching English and found ITTT’s online TEFL course was the right one for him. Despite teaching English for several years, Ben found that the course had several new things to teach him including new methods and techniques. 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...  [Read more]

To Teach, Travel, Work and Live abroad! says the ITTT website. Indeed, the main reasons for wanting to be a certified TEFL teacher are most probably these. If you are a student, to travel the world, discover different cultures, meet new people and learn the local language. If you are an office employee, frustrated by the routine and bored with your job, to escape to China or Japan to teach and learn about Buddhism. If you are an experienced teacher, to give a new dimension to your teaching. If you want to help others, to do volunteer work in Africa.There are a multitude of personal and professional reasons that may motivate people from all walks of life to do a TEFL course. For me it was to be a real teacher. This is my story.I am a native English speaker, but have lived in...  [Read more]

This research article will highlight and investigate two major aspects of preparing and starting an EFL course to beginner-level students. They are; 1) the approaches (i.e. the mindset, theoretical beliefs and methodologies that a teacher applies to the course, short and long term), 2) the techniques - (i.e. the specific assignments, arrangements and tools/aids utilized to carry out the teacher´s approaches and achieve the student´s goals). The article will move through the various, early stages of planning and teaching an EFL Beginners Course, in (roughly) chronological order. Its focus will only be to shed light on common, recommendable teaching approaches and techinques for an EFL Beginners Course. Along the way, a teacher - in reality - would encounter more, and have to...  [Read more]

This research article will highlight and investigate two major aspects of preparing and starting an EFL course to beginner-level students. They are; 1) the approaches (i.e. the mindset, theoretical beliefs and methodologies that a teacher applies to the course, short and long term), 2) the techniques - (i.e. the specific assignments, arrangements and tools/aids utilized to carry out the teacher´s approaches and achieve the student´s goals). The article will move through the various, early stages of planning and teaching an EFL Beginners Course, in (roughly) chronological order. Its focus will only be to shed light on common, recommendable teaching approaches and techinques for an EFL Beginners Course. Along the way, a teacher - in reality...  [Read more]

Intent of the paperThe purpose of this paper is to examine what strategic competence is, the levels at which it functions and the utility value of such techniques to the development of an overall communicative competence. It also debates whether it is ethical to teach strategies instead of concrete language competence.'Children can discover for themselves what they need to know , however, in order to get what they want they have to ask' observes June Bowser(1993). Oral communication encompasses asking, replying, discussing, debating etc.. Surprisingly, this is what our students are wanting, outside the class, in real life situations. Does this mean that our communicative language teaching methods do not work' Why are our learners inadequate in communicating with others...  [Read more]

Although it is theoretically possible to teach the English language without any form of training or qualifications, something that was quite common in years gone by, it is now almost universally accepted that the ability to speak a language has little bearing on an individual’s ability to teach it effectively to others. This change of attitude among school directors and education departments has led to the development of TEFL certification courses that are designed to give native and non-native English speakers the skills and knowledge they require to provide effective language instruction to their future students. So what does a TEFL course actually teach you? The mere mention of English grammar is often enough to strike fear into the hearts of potential EFL teachers. Ask any native...  [Read more]