Mlife Account

It is very common for teachers working overseas to send money back home for a variety of different reasons, such as student loan repayments, to pay a mortgage on a property, or simply to help out family members. Unfortunately, it is not always a straightforward process as there are several factors to consider, including transfer fees, exchange rates, and the actual time each method takes to complete. Below we take a look at some of the most common options. Banks can offer a reliable option for transferring your money, although this largely depends on where you are in the world. If you are teaching English in a popular location such as Japan or South Korea, banks are often a good choice as they generally only charge a small fee and transactions typically clear within one or two days....  [Read more]

One area within the English teaching (ESL) market that has increased dramatically over recent years is that of teaching English online. Although many of the ideas used in traditional classroom teaching are transferable to online teaching, there are some specifics you should be aware of before embarking on this method of teaching. Usually the teaching of English (ESL) takes place in a school or language center. Students attend the location and have regular lessons from their teachers. However, there has always been a need, in very remote locations for example, for teaching to be done in one area and delivered to another. The advent of the world-wide-web and connectivity through phones, computers and the like has greatly expanded the possibility of this mode of teaching. Many English...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word perseverate. This word refers to the continuity of something, especially repitition. 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. Thanks to this unit, I have learnt a lot about the design of a syllabus based on different criteria. ↵Teaching Business English to adults seems to be an interesting challenge since many factors have to be taken into account. Following the right order, a teacher...  [Read more]

What is evaluation'Evaluation is the process of determining significance or worth, usually by careful appraisal and study. It can also be defined as the analysis and comparison of actual progress vs. prior plans , oriented toward improving plans for future implementation.. For this study evaluation and testing would be discussed under the following headings; the characteristics of a good test, types of testing and the reasons for testing, methods of evaluation and testing, why testing doesn't work, making testing more productive, alternatives to testing, and conclusion.The characteristics of a good test.The elements of a good test are:Validity of the test :- Validity is the extent to which a test measures what it is intended to measure. Most important kinds of validity are,...  [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. When I was teaching as an intern at an academic institution, my mentor teacher has taught me that the actual teaching time spent in a classroom is a lot less than the time spent sitting in front of a desk preparing for course materials. In order to lead the class to a successful lesson, I have to not only make sure that my lesson plans innovative, but also choose course books in a selective manner to suit the...  [Read more]

The Teach and Learn with Georgia (TLG) program was setup in 2010 with the intention of improving the country's foreign language skills and to promote greater ties with the global community. Sponsored by the Georgian Ministry of Education and Science, TLG actively recruits native English, French and German speakers to teach in public schools throughout the country on a voluntary basis. While the primary goal is language teaching within a school environment, the program also has a strong focus on cultural exchange. The TLG program is open to native speakers of English, French and German who are open-minded and highly motivated to make a positive difference in an unfamiliar environment. Contracts are for one academic year during which time you will teach alongside local language teachers...  [Read more]

Check out Tesolcourse.com about TEFL - 140 Hr TEFL 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: I. R. South Korea said: I have been teaching for 10 years, but I have never taught english as a foreign language. My field of expertise lies in Music, especially Singing and Body-voice-integration. My students have almost always been students who are taught in english but whose mother tongue is something different, and if I knew what I would gain from this course I would have taken it ten years ago. Throughout the course the information provided on tenses and grammatical structures and language function...  [Read more]

All TEFL International courses are validated and credit-bearing by Paris University of International Education (France). Four-week, in-class student are entitled to an official transcript from the Paris University of International Education with their TEFL International Certificate.Paris University of International Education is a college based in Paris France that offers bachelor, master and Ph.D. programs and cooperates exclusively with TEFL International to accredit and offer transcripts for the TEFL International TESOL certificate course. The Rector of the Paris Academy, Rector of the Ile-de-France academic region has approved Paris University of International Education as a higher education establishment. Therefore, Paris University of International Education is a higher education...  [Read more]

There are many different schools of thought concerning seating arrangements in TEFL classrooms. For the most part, these different ways of arranging students depend on various factors. What works for one teacher in a classroom in Korea may not work for another teacher in a classroom in Thailand. One of the largest factors contributing to the different seating plans is the style of teaching that best suits the instructor in question. Obviously, by definition, a Suggestopaedia lesson will be different from a lesson based on using multiple intelligences. Another large factor to consider is the culture of the country in question. One aspect of culture that changes from group to group is that of personal proximity. One must take this into account before...  [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 ...  [Read more]

There are many different schools of thought concerning seating arrangements in TEFL classrooms. For the most part, these different ways of arranging students depend on various factors. What works for one teacher in a classroom in Korea may not work for another teacher in a classroom in Thailand. One of the largest factors contributing to the different seating plans is the style of teaching that best suits the instructor in question. Obviously, by definition, a Suggestopaedia lesson will be different from a lesson based on using multiple intelligences. Another large factor to consider is the culture of the country in question. One aspect of culture that changes from group to group is that of personal proximity. One must take this into account before laying ...  [Read more]

This marks my thirteenth week as a new teacher of sixth and seventh grade students, ages eleven to thirteen. I teach history and my class sizes range from twenty-three to twenty-seven, with a total of one hundred and fifty students throughout the day. As one can imagine, classroom management and discipline are extremely important with groups this size and with children in general. In an effort to improve the effectiveness of my current teaching position and to set the tone for my future ESL/EFL classrooms, I consulted the Phi Delta Kappan, an excellent resource for teachers both beginning their careers and those who are seasoned veterans in the field. Metzger, Margaret (2002). Classroom Management: Learning to Discipline. Phi Delta Kappan 84, 77-84. Metzger is a life-long...  [Read more]

There are two broad categories of situations in which non-native English speakers may learn English. Multi-lingual classes are with students from various nationalities normally in a country where English is the native language. This may be considered as teaching ?English as a Second Language (ESL). Monolingual classes are usually in the students? home country and this context is ?English as a Foreign Language? (EFL). In multi-lingual classes the students are living in an English speaking country and are exposed to the language, either for a limited period of time or permanently. In class they must use English to communicate even if there are some other students with the same native language (L1). The teacher will probably ask them to sit separately, and even if...  [Read more]

ESSAY ORGAN'ZAT'ON: In this essay I want to discuss cultural sensitiivty in the classroom. In order to speak intelligently about the topic we first need to to know what we are talking about. Let us begin by defining our terms, beginning with culture. After doing that we can then apply these terms to classroom experience.WHAT IS CULTURE' Anthropologists most commonly use the term 'culture' to refer tot he universal human capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically. This capacity is long been taken as a defining feature of the genus Homo. However, primatologists such as Jane Goodall have identified aspects of culture among our closest relatives 'n the animal k'ngdom. In order to resolve this we can say that symbolic experiences while not exclusive...  [Read more]

'Practice makes perfect' is a proverb that most of us will know but which I find incomplete. Take for example a father that wants to teach one of his children to ride a bicycle. If he decides to take one day a year to practice, the kid will probably never learn. What about twice a year or once every month' How fast will the child learn to keep equilibrium, steer the handle and brake when needed if the father decides to take one hour every day for the coming month' Only by repeating the same exercise over and over again will the child become accustomed to the skills needed to ride a bicycle. Who knows, in the future he might even use the phrase, 'it's like riding a bicycle, you never forget'.The same theory applies to learning a language, and I believe that the lesson planning...  [Read more]

Introduction Having chosen the subject of motivation in the foreign language classroom, I will briefly discuss various motivational techniques and strategies that can be used by TEFL teachers in order to motivate their students, and make their learning more efficient. Even though during my research I have found a lot of education- oriented publications providing different pointers and techniques, I came to a conclusion that they don''t always offer an efficient guide to new teachers like me. Therefore, my main goal is to come up with a set of strategies that may come handy during my future teaching endeavours that are likely to include a need to motivate foreign language students. Creating the motivational conditions There are certain preconditions that need to be met in order...  [Read more]

Volunteer English teaching is a very popular option with many people. It can take many forms and can be undertaken in a wide range of countries worldwide. Here we look at a few questions that might help you to answer the question: Where are the best places to teach English as a volunteer? There are numerous reasons why volunteer teaching is a good idea. Here we will outline a few of the most common: a) To find out about the country: There can be no better way to learn about a country than by being there. b) To experience the culture: As above you need to be immersed in the culture if you hope to understand it. c) To experience the job of teaching: Volunteer teaching is a great way to find out what the job entails. d) No contract: You can enjoy all the benefits above without the need to...  [Read more]

Child development is a varied and complex subject. In this article, I will review the cognitive developmental stages formulated by Jean Piaget, a developmental biologist. These stages of cognitive development can help teachers understand the developmental stage of the students in their English classes and can help to make their teaching methods more effective. The first stage of cognitive development as defined by Piaget is the sensory motor period. This period happens between birth and twenty- four months. There are several sub stages, but most of them focus on motor skill development and reflexive response development. These skills and responses are the primary tools used to obtain and process information about the surrounding world.The preoperational period comes next and...  [Read more]

There are two broad categories of situations in which non-native English speakers may learn English. Multi-lingual classes are with students from various nationalities normally in a country where English is the native language. This may be considered as teaching 'English as a Second Language (ESL). Monolingual classes are usually in the students' home country and this context is 'English as a Foreign Language' (EFL). In multi-lingual classes the students are living in an English speaking country and are exposed to the language, either for a limited period of time or permanently. In class they must use English to communicate even if there are some other students with the same native language (L1). The teacher will probably ask them to sit separately, and even if he/she...  [Read more]

There are many different practices that could be used for good classroom management and as with all techniques these need to be adapted to your own classroom, taking into account the age, culture, and personality of the class as a whole, and of you as a teacher.'Maintaining good order in classrooms is one of the most difficult tasks facing young inexperienced teachers. The task has become more difficult over the past few decades as young people´s attitudes to people in authority have changed dramatically. Some of the changes have led to greater self-confidence in students. Others, such as the acceptance of violence to achieve ends, attitudes to substance abuse and an increasing lack of respect for authority have made classroom management and life in school generally more...  [Read more]

The English language is undisputedly one of the most challenging languages to learn, predominantly due to the vast number of inconsistencies and frequent irregularities and exceptions to the rule (am almost clichéd term).English, like all languages, is constantly developing and evolving – it is not fixed, and not unlike to physical environment, is being subjected to an increasing number of changes (possible the result of increasing globalization). Historically, England was the birthplace of English – it has, however, spread widely, and not exactly, to many parts of the world. As language spreads, words become altered, words become are added, and possibly most frequently – words are lost. One only needs to read Shakespeare to appreciate that language is...  [Read more]

Dyslexia causes difficulties in many specific areas of learning. It generally affects reading, writing and spelling and can also influence math skills. The problem with this condition is that it is hard to define. It often overlaps with other types of specific learning difficulties that can also affect spoken language and motor skills. The condition Dyslexia is a very prevalent all over the world. It is becoming more and more understood. What is agreed upon by the scientific community is that dyslexic people tend to process information in a different way than the rest of the population. Evaluating who is dyslexic is very difficult. Defining dyslexia is very tricky, the difficulties associated with the disability range from mild, to moderate, to severe. It is not...  [Read more]

The English language is undisputedly one of the most challenging languages to learn, predominantly due to the vast number of inconsistencies and frequent irregularities and exceptions to the rule (am almost clich?d term). English, like all languages, is constantly developing and evolving ? it is not fixed, and not unlike to physical environment, is being subjected to an increasing number of changes (possible the result of increasing globalization). Historically, England was the birthplace of English ? it has, however, spread widely, and not exactly, to many parts of the world. As language spreads, words become altered, words become are added, and possibly most frequently ? words are lost. One only needs to read Shakespeare to appreciate that language is alive and ...  [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]

The city of Zhuhai in the People's Republic of china is a clean, modern city adjacent to Macao and just across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. Zhuhai offers everything that is good in China. You will find the locals very friendly in this clean, well-planned and beautiful city, as well as a plethora of restaurants serving excellent cuisine at very inexpensive prices. And there is something to please everyone in terms of entertainment and activities, including a variety of modern discos and bars, great shopping venues, an amusement park and a water park! Culture and history abound in this city, and there are plenty of sightseeing options in Zhuhai and within close proximity. In Zhuhai you can visit a local Chinese tea factory and get acquainted with the hometown of Sun Yat Sen. Hop on...  [Read more]

Edged by the magnificent Himalayan ranges in the north and bounded by a breath-taking coastline made up of three seas, india has a stunning assortment of landscapes and culture, with captivating historical sites and intriguing royal cities, pristine beaches and mystical mountain tops, dynamic people and exciting festivities. The experiences are endless as the diversity of climate and culture make a visit to India eye-opening and rewarding. Whether you're in the dusty heat of the south or the snowy cold in the north, you'll travel roads filled with bicycles, auto-rickshaws, sputtering motorbikes, tinsel-draped trucks, camel carts and an occasional cow or two. Take a trip to one of the many wonderfully crowded markets and observe the community of beggars, hawkers, tourists, holy men,...  [Read more]

It would seem as though everyone has their own customized method of teaching; however when these philosophies are reduced some fundamental trends emerge. Since any person's perception and interpretation would individualize these fundamental methodologies (especially once put into practice) I will attempt to focus on the more concrete objective bases of these notions. The specific methodologies I will be discussing include: The Grammar Translation Approach, The Direct Method, Community Language Learning, The Audio- Lingual Method and the Functional-Notional Approach. Grammar-Translation This approach dates back to the late 19th century and was primarily geared towards teaching dead languages- Latin and Greek. The name of the approach insinuates the method, translating...  [Read more]

'Idiom: groups of two or more words that taken together mean something different from the literal meaning of the individual words. Slang: informal speech that is outside conventional or standard usage and consists both of coined words and phrases and of new or extended meanings attached to established terms.' For a more specific definition we can look to http://en.wikipedia.org/wik, which offers the following detailed account of the two terms.Idiom: 'An idiom is an expression (i.e. term or phrase) whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through conventional use. In linguistics, idioms are figures of speech that contradict the principle of compositionality.'Common...  [Read more]

There are many different practices that could be used for good classroom management and as with all techniques these need to be adapted to your own classroom, taking into account the age, culture, and personality of the class as a whole, and of you as a teacher. ?Maintaining good order in classrooms is one of the most difficult tasks facing young inexperienced teachers. The task has become more difficult over the past few decades as young people´s attitudes to people in authority have changed dramatically. Some of the changes have led to greater self-confidence in students. Others, such as the acceptance of violence to achieve ends, attitudes to substance abuse and an increasing lack of respect for authority have made classroom management and life in...  [Read more]

Idiom: groups of two or more words that taken together mean something different from the literal meaning of the individual words. Slang: informal speech that is outside conventional or standard usage and consists both of coined words and phrases and of new or extended meanings attached to established terms.? For a more specific definition we can look to http://en.wikipedia.org/wik, which offers the following detailed account of the two terms. Idiom: ?An idiom is an expression (i.e. term or phrase) whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through conventional use. In linguistics, idioms are figures of speech that contradict the principle of...  [Read more]