Michael Keefer

The drivers for any person from any country around the world to complete a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course are wide and varied. In this article I will impart my personal reasons for undertaking the TEFL course and present some reasons others that I have discovered through my research and interviews. I will also demonstrate the reasons for choosing TEFL from the number of available English Teaching certifications on the market. Finally I will conclude with a summary of my perceived benefits and challenges experienced whilst studying for TEFL Certification.Personally I was driven to TEFL with the aim of becoming an English Teacher in Japan. I hold a strong desire to live and work in a foreign country and teaching English has proved to be a popular and ...  [Read more]

What is E.S.A' E.S.A stands for engage, study, activate. E.S.A is a teaching method developed by Jeremy Harmer.The engage phase is used for getting the students to think and talk in English and is also a good way to ease into a lesson. Introductions of the teacher and each student one by one around the classroom gets everyone involved and inspires confidence for students as well as the teacher. Some of the engage activities are: introductions around the classroom, games such as a-z animals, countries, things, places etc. Discussions such as what do you like/dislike, music, stories or pictures. Trying to draw the language out of the students keeps them well engaged and focused taking them into the study phase.The study phase is generally the bulk of the lesson focusing on the ...  [Read more]

This paper is concerned with teaching the productive skill of writing for students of non-native English speaking countries. This is an area that has all but been ignored in the past and somewhat over looked in the field of TESOL, as administrators, teachers and students seem to be more concerned and more focused on the speaking side of the productive skills.As more and more ESL students are seeking writing help at the college and university levels, the need becomes clear for better writing instruction in the ESL classroom. The ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skill, nor is it a linear process easily fit into some pre-taught format. Writing must be taught as a set of practices in a formal instructional setting and must be practiced. Good writing involves composing...  [Read more]

Teaching adult true beginners from day one is an interesting challenge and requires a strategy which must be formulated in advance. Do you begin with phonics' Can you start with rote memorization' How can you approach people with different learning styles' What has been the students experience in school previously' There are many considerations but in the end a good plan smoothes the way to the first day. When teaching the alphabet the issue of using phonics comes to the forefront. Many programs use a system of phonics instruction along with grammar and vocabulary topics. Teaching the sounds rather than the letter names per say has advantages and disadvantages. The learner will make more progress in speaking skills when he starts by learning the sounds. He will be able...  [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]

What is E.S.A? E.S.A stands for engage, study, activate. E.S.A is a teaching method developed by Jeremy Harmer. The engage phase is used for getting the students to think and talk in English and is also a good way to ease into a lesson. Introductions of the teacher and each student one by one around the classroom gets everyone involved and inspires confidence for students as well as the teacher. Some of the engage activities are: introductions around the classroom, games such as a-z animals, countries, things, places etc. Discussions such as what do you like/dislike, music, stories or pictures. Trying to draw the language out of the students keeps them well engaged and focused taking them into the study phase. The study phase is generally the bulk of the lesson...  [Read more]

It was while attempting to wrap my brain around the meaning of the construction "must needs", which I had encountered so often in classical English Literature, that I was incidentally drawn to an inves-tigation of modals. Modals, I learned, are semantic expressions of modalities: which is to say that they are nuanced constructions designed to express the speakers point of view with regards to his subject: be it his degree of certainty regarding the truth of a proposition he is propounding, his expression of permission, obligation, or necessity implicated in a situation, or his opinion regarding someone?s- or something?s- ability or volition with respect to a potential. Said differently, a modality is merely a point of view, and a modal a linguistic...  [Read more]

Play. Much can be learned in play that will afterwards be of use when the circumstances demand it. 
A tree must also transpire, and needs to be copiously refreshed by wind, rain, and frost; otherwise it easily falls into bad condition, and becomes barren. In the same way the human body needs movement, excitement, and exercise, and in daily life these must be supplied, either artificially or naturally. (1) The first thing that most people think about when they say the word game is fun. Since we were adolescent a game is what we did to entertain ourselves, compete with our friends and enjoy free time. So why not put it into the sometimes dreaded location of a school or even worse an English class' The classroom is one of the best scenarios to have games. The game gives a...  [Read more]

According to Webster's Dictionary an idiom is 'an expression whose meaning cannot be predicted from the usual meaning of its constituent elements.' I also like the definition of T.C. Cooper's that 'An idiom can have a literal meaning, but its alternate, figurative meaning must be understood metaphorically.' In the last week, since choosing 'idioms' as a subject for this paper, I have been particularly aware of how many of these phrases are used in everyday speech -' 'It's a piece of cake,' 'I'm fed up!' 'It's raining cats and dogs,' 'Let sleeping dogs lie.' These are enough to make a student who has consulted an English dictionary shake his head and say, 'I can't make heads or tails of what these phrases mean,' which, of course, he cannot do until he has been taught the ...  [Read more]

Over the past four decades it appears that the advanced development of computers and the ready availability of this technology have led to an interest in a lexical approach to second language learning versus the more traditional grammar based approach. The Oxford dictionary defines lexical as 'connected with the words of a language', and grammar as 'the rules in a language for changing the form of words and joining them into sentences'. Two additional terms that are relevant to understanding this new approach is concordances, 'a list produced by a computer that shows all the examples of an individual word in a book', and collocations, 'a combination of words in a language that happens very often and more frequently than would happen by chance'.One article researched suggest...  [Read more]

Play. Much can be learned in play that will afterwards be of use when the circumstances demand it. 
A tree must also transpire, and needs to be copiously refreshed by wind, rain, and frost; otherwise it easily falls into bad condition, and becomes barren. In the same way the human body needs movement, excitement, and exercise, and in daily life these must be supplied, either artificially or naturally. (1) The first thing that most people think about when they say the word game is fun. Since we were adolescent a game is what we did to entertain ourselves, compete with our friends and enjoy free time. So why not put it into the sometimes dreaded location of a school or even worse an English class? The classroom is one of the best scenarios to have games....  [Read more]

It was while attempting to wrap my brain around the meaning of the construction "must needs", which I had encountered so often in classical English Literature, that I was incidentally drawn to an inves-tigation of modals. Modals, I learned, are semantic expressions of modalities: which is to say that they are nuanced constructions designed to express the speakers point of view with regards to his subject: be it his degree of certainty regarding the truth of a proposition he is propounding, his expression of permission, obligation, or necessity implicated in a situation, or his opinion regarding someone's- or something's- ability or volition with respect to a potential.Said differently, a modality is merely a point of view, and a modal a linguistic vehicle for expressing that...  [Read more]

English is currently spoken by more people all over the world than any other language. Every time we turn on the television to find out about what is happening in the world, local people are being interviewed in English. Wherever one travels in the world these days English becomes the common language of communication between nationalities. Much has been made of the Internet as an instrument for circulating English around the globe. Eighty percent of what’s on the Internet is in English.I quote Barbara Wallraff in her article from the Atlantic November 2000 on What Global Language' Technology is expanding English by requiring us to come up with new words to describe all the possibilities it offers. English is used more often in various technological domains such as...  [Read more]

Italian is an Indo-European language directly descended from Latin. However there is a wide range of regional dialects that may be the first language for many Italians. Primarily the Anglo-Saxon elements in English cause difficulties. Additionally basic and colloquial English usage often causes more trouble than more formal or academic forms. (Swan and Smith p. 73)General phonology problems arise for Italians in the inventory and distribution of individual sounds but are most common in the areas of stress and rhythm. Learners have the most problems in understanding and making themselves understood due to this rhythmic language difference. The stress-timed patterns of English cause great difficulty to Italian learners, particularly in terms of perception and comprehension (Swan...  [Read more]

English is currently spoken by more people all over the world than any other language. Every time we turn on the television to find out about what is happening in the world, local people are being interviewed in English. Wherever one travels in the world these days English becomes the common language of communication between nationalities. Much has been made of the Internet as an instrument for circulating English around the globe. Eighty percent of what?s on the Internet is in English. I quote Barbara Wallraff in her article from the Atlantic November 2000 on What Global Language? Technology is expanding English by requiring us to come up with new words to describe all the possibilities it offers. English is used more often in various technological domains such...  [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]

This paper is concerned with teaching the productive skill of writing for students of non-native English speaking countries. This is an area that has all but been ignored in the past and somewhat over looked in the field of TESOL, as administrators, teachers and students seem to be more concerned and more focused on the speaking side of the productive skills. As more and more ESL students are seeking writing help at the college and university levels, the need becomes clear for better writing instruction in the ESL classroom. The ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skill, nor is it a linear process easily fit into some pre-taught format. Writing must be taught as a set of practices in a formal instructional setting and must be practiced. Good writing ...  [Read more]

Over the past four decades it appears that the advanced development of computers and the ready availability of this technology have led to an interest in a lexical approach to second language learning versus the more traditional grammar based approach. The Oxford dictionary defines lexical as ?connected with the words of a language?, and grammar as ?the rules in a language for changing the form of words and joining them into sentences?. Two additional terms that are relevant to understanding this new approach is concordances, ?a list produced by a computer that shows all the examples of an individual word in a book?, and collocations, ?a combination of words in a language that happens very often and more frequently than would happen by chance?. One article researched...  [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]

In a traditional English language classroom the student’s curriculum focuses on grammar, reading, vocabulary and rigid repetitive drills. The majority of students I have spoken with find this method to be very dull and boring. If students are not interested in the subject being taught they will lack attention and motivation to learn the language. Language is used primarily to communicate with other people. What is the best method to learn a language' Throughout history people have played games to socialize and interact with each other. Therefore it seems reasonable to assume that playing games in a language classroom can only be beneficial.What does a game consist of' I think that games involve play, competition, rules, and enjoyment. The Merriam – Webster online ...  [Read more]

In a traditional English language classroom the student?s curriculum focuses on grammar, reading, vocabulary and rigid repetitive drills. The majority of students I have spoken with find this method to be very dull and boring. If students are not interested in the subject being taught they will lack attention and motivation to learn the language. Language is used primarily to communicate with other people. What is the best method to learn a language? Throughout history people have played games to socialize and interact with each other. Therefore it seems reasonable to assume that playing games in a language classroom can only be beneficial. What does a game consist of? I think that games involve play, competition, rules, and enjoyment. The Merriam ? Webster online ...  [Read more]

Introduction.Often it is considered that learning is serious business and if students are seen laughing and having fun then they are not really learning. This is not always the case.In order to learn languages students need a relaxed, fun atmosphere and often this can be achieved by using games.Games also help the teacher create a situation whereby language can be practised and used in a meaningful way.What is a Game'A game can be defined as a form of play that involves rules, competition and an element of fun.Language games are not just fun 'ice-breakers' or things you do on Friday afternoon to end the week, they provide an opportunity for students to use and experiment with language ina meaningful way. Games can be highly motivating and encourage students to search out new...  [Read more]