Why Learning English Is Difficult

General educational psychologists believe there are three main sources of motivation for students, and these directly apply to students of the English language. First, a student’s personal, natural interest in a subject, called “intrinsic satisfaction,” influences their natural affinity for learning more about the materials covered in a class. Second, the teacher’s perceived expertise, the prestige of the school, and/or the future impact on employment prospects, called “extrinsic reward,” defines for the student how much he/she is likely to benefit from learning English. Finally, when students are successful in a given task – whether this be a simple activity, a test or the overall course – they combine satisfaction with reward...  [Read more]

General educational psychologists believe there are three main sources of motivation for students, and these directly apply to students of the English language. First, a student?s personal, natural interest in a subject, called ?intrinsic satisfaction,? influences their natural affinity for learning more about the materials covered in a class. Second, the teacher?s perceived expertise, the prestige of the school, and/or the future impact on employment prospects, called ?extrinsic reward,? defines for the student how much he/she is likely to benefit from learning English. Finally, when students are successful in a given task ? whether this be a simple activity, a test or the overall course ? they combine satisfaction with reward and are likely to be more motivated to ...  [Read more]

Introduction Considering the difficulties that learners from different backgrounds are faced with is appropriate because I will soon embark on a teaching career which will bring me in contact with many people from different backgrounds and the challenges they face in mastering the English language. Having learnt English myself at some point in life, has made me aware of some of the difficulties my students are faced with. My experience in having overcome these difficulties could be a great help to my students, if these are used in the proper way. The danger is that one might compare others to oneself. This is useless because it?s extremely difficult to say that people with a certain background only face one set of problems. The difficulties are as many and as varied...  [Read more]

Turkish is an agglutinative language, where numerous endings are tacked on to simple roots. For example, k'''msenmemeliydiler can be broken down as follows: K'''k = small Mse = regard something as N = passive/reflexive Me = negative Meli = should Ydi = past Ler = theyTurkish has a word order based on: a) adjective stands before noun, adverb before adverb; b) the finite stands at the end of the sentence. English word order can be a major stumbling block for Turkish students, especially long, complex sentences. Turkish students have to overcome a number of potential obstacles when learning English. Some of the primary ones include: Phonology Vowels: eg ' as in back is difficult for Turkish-speaking learners, lying as it does between their /e/ and /'/. They often substitute /e/: set...  [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]

Teaching English to Japanese students can be very difficult because of cultural and lingual differences. Japanese students are very different from American and European students. An advantage is their tendency to be more reserved and well behaved. However, they do not like to speak in class because they do not want to appear arrogant (Ikeda). This is a cultural custom and it will take extra encouragement to coax the students to talk. Also, students do not like to make eye contact and will become very embarrassed if they do not know an answer (Ikeda). Teachers must be sensitive to these manners in order to conduct a comfortable class for the students. A gradual progression toward a more English style class will be the most productive approach to classroom differences...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word psychology. This word is used as a noun and describes the science of mind and behavior of a person or animal. The word was created by combining the Greek word psych? (meaning life or soul) with –logia, from the Greek logos, meaning reason. 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. As a teacher it is very difficult to know when you need to step up and correct a student and allow them to keep...  [Read more]

IntroductionConsidering the difficulties that learners from different backgrounds are faced with is appropriate because I will soon embark on a teaching career which will bring me in contact with many people from different backgrounds and the challenges they face in mastering the English language. Having learnt English myself at some point in life, has made me aware of some of the difficulties my students are faced with. My experience in having overcome these difficulties could be a great help to my students, if these are used in the proper way. The danger is that one might compare others to oneself. This is useless because it's extremely difficult to say that people with a certain background only face one set of problems. The difficulties are as many and as varied as the...  [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. The videos in this unit provided a stark contrast between good and bad teaching techniques and attitudes. It was obvious in the first video that the teacher was not using good techniques and the students had a difficult time engaging and learning, overall it was a ineffective lesson. The second lesson used more techniques of the ESA method and the teacher had a much better presentation and attitude which made...  [Read more]

The role of a kindergarten teacher is very challenging yet highly rewarding. This is usually the first time that children have left the safety, comfort and familiarity of their own home and families, and it is often the first time that they have direct and regular contact with a language that is completely foreign to them. This new environment needs to ensure that the children are completely at ease and ready to begin their language learning journey. ?Many kindergarten teachers have made the miracle of learning languages possible with their effort, extra hours, smiles, care and numerous other positive features of their teaching.? (1) Teachers make a huge impact on a child?s learning, and providing an encouraging a supportive environment is provided the language ...  [Read more]

I chose to write about difficulties for learners, and the country I chose was China. I realize that China is a huge country, so my opinions will only reflect on a small part of it, which is the Guangxi province, in southern China. Things may differ a great deal throughout the country. These are the problems I witnessed during my time here in Nanning. My sources were my friends and sister who are teaching here, and my own observations!The majority of the students here speak Mandarin, but many speak Cantonese, as well as local dialects. All of these languages do not use the Roman alphabet, so all of the students must learn an entirely new system of writing. I think this brings a whole new degree of difficulty to learning English for Chinese students, as opposed to a French,...  [Read more]

  Our final methodology is accredited to Jeremy Harmer and it's known by the letters ESA. Around 1998, Jeremy Harmer produced a book called "How to teach English" and basically what Harmer did, is a background to this book is to do what we have done today and to work through all of the different methodologies that have come about over the last 300 years. He highlighted for each of those methodologies what was good about it, what was positive and what didn't appear to work and then put all of the positive things into a melting pot and came out with this methodology, which he called ESA. It's a three-stage methodology, where each of the letters represents a particular phase of the lesson. The first one being called the engage phase, the second the study phase and the final one the...  [Read more]

Although, at the beginning of an English course, students can be very excited and enthusiastic when first confronted with their teacher, the person who will introduce them to a new, fascinating, foreign language, as time goes by the sense of novelty and curiosity that seemed so strong at the beginning, seem to gradually subside in the eyes of the pupils, especially those of young age, leaving the teacher with the sometimes difficult task of re-building their general interest in learning and not least, their level of motivation, which in nearly all warps of life, is the key to success. Motivation, in the field of learning, is a quality that can be more practically viewed by splitting it into three values: ?XPure love of and interest in learning. The more fun and...  [Read more]

The role of a kindergarten teacher is very challenging yet highly rewarding. This is usually the first time that children have left the safety, comfort and familiarity of their own home and families, and it is often the first time that they have direct and regular contact with a language that is completely foreign to them. This new environment needs to ensure that the children are completely at ease and ready to begin their language learning journey.“Many kindergarten teachers have made the miracle of learning languages possible with their effort, extra hours, smiles, care and numerous other positive features of their teaching.” (1)Teachers make a huge impact on a child’s learning, and providing an encouraging a supportive environment is provided the language ...  [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]

If you have never taught English to complete novices before, the prospect of spending an entire lesson speaking with students who don't comprehend a single word you say may seem frightening. Teaching absolute beginners differs from teaching other courses, as any ESL teacher will tell you. It can be difficult, but it may also be one of the most enjoyable and gratifying language levels to teach. Every new word your students learn is important at this level, and the greatest approach to teaching it is to be as creative and funny as possible. Generally, teaching the letters and numbers should be one of your first priorities. You will lay a solid foundation for everything else your students will learn by teaching them the letters and numbers at the start of the course. Ascertain that your...  [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]

  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 made me reflect on how natural these parts of speech have become to me as a native speaker, at least so far in their usage. It is much more difficult to explain the "why" of grammar and that will be an ongoing learning experience. Additionally, I was struck by the long lists of words and tenses that must simply be memorized as I've never really considered that about the English language. I imagine...  [Read more]

Upon my investigation of obtaining a position teaching English as a foreign language in the country of Spain I discovered a bit of vital information. This being that it is rather difficult for an American, or non EU resident, to find work. Though it's not impossible, the red tape and the jumping through hoops to get the required visa cause employers to look to their native English speaking neighbors in the U.K. and Ireland to fill positions. However, the demand for teachers is high, and if you have the time, money, and patience, eventually something will turn up. There was a common sentiment, and lots of sound advice in the articles I read, which was all very enlightening and, for the most part encouraging. With a little diligence it can be done.Firstly, something I wish I...  [Read more]

Upon my investigation of obtaining a position teaching English as a foreign language in the country of Spain I discovered a bit of vital information. This being that it is rather difficult for an American, or non EU resident, to find work. Though it?s not impossible, the red tape and the jumping through hoops to get the required visa cause employers to look to their native English speaking neighbors in the U.K. and Ireland to fill positions. However, the demand for teachers is high, and if you have the time, money, and patience, eventually something will turn up. There was a common sentiment, and lots of sound advice in the articles I read, which was all very enlightening and, for the most part encouraging. With a little diligence it can be done. Firstly,...  [Read more]

Learning another language is a difficult process. The use of games in the classroom can make the process enjoyable and less difficult. Games motivate students to participate in classroom activities. Playing games is good practice of using the English language and should be done every so often. Students get a chance to relax from studying and figure out cooperatively how to win the game. They do not think that they are learning from the game but they are. At the same time the students are being challenged mentally. ?Games can lower anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more likely?(Richard Amato 1988:147). Shy students who do not participate on a regular basis have the opportunity and usually capitalize on it when playing games. When learning English...  [Read more]

ESL students whose first language is Italian certainly have many advantages over some students who speak languages less closely related to English. The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the US Department of State, which recently categorized languages into how closely they were related to English and how long it would take speakers of those languages to reach a certain level of proficiency in English, placed Italian in the category of languages most closely related to English. Indeed, Italian speakers have the advantage of familiarity with the Roman alphabet, and the two languages share many similar grammatical structures and even similar-sounding vocabulary items. At the same time, Italian students of English still encounter many difficulties relating to the...  [Read more]

So you've decided you want to teach English as a foreign language. The following website may be useful as you take your first steps towards booking a course: http://www.englishclub.com/index To be able to teach English as a foreign language, there are certain skills required that you may or may not already have. The website gives a taste for what is involved in learning teaching skills to enable you to go out and find yourself a job in the TEFL world. To be a good teacher depends partly on the skills you have but also on your personality and your teaching style which you will discover during your course and will learn how to use them to your best advantage in the classroom. You will also need to be able to adapt to the classroom dynamics that you may find...  [Read more]

  The idiom "sweet tooth" refers to having a strong liking for sweet foods, for example: It's difficult for me to lose weight because I have a sweet tooth. 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. I think it was important to note the uses of speaking and writing skills in this lesson. It was also important to note the differences in languages, especially for those students who utilize a different alphabet system than English does. I like how the lesson...  [Read more]

  This teaching idea is very similar to the activity we can use for the future continuous. We pair up our students, give them diaries and have them find the day on which both of them are free to meet. This video shows you exactly how to execute this activity in the 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. Pronunciation is extremely difficult area, especially in languages far removed linguistically from English. A German most certainly has an...  [Read more]

I have always viewed education as an experience that is required. Society has implemented education as one of the key factors for individual development, and evolution as a whole, a necessity. It is an exchange of information that takes place on a greater scale, and generates development that allows humankind to move forward. This is further demonstrated by our need to create a system that understands our psychology as a whole. Our ability to understand the learning process and teaching methodologies have allowed people to try to ameliorate the system of education and maximise its potential. Without education, we would be unable to move forward, and I feel it is crucial to realize this importance of communication involved in the learning process . An...  [Read more]

  This video is part of our series on the past tenses in English. In this video, we take a look at the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about a past action and a related past action before that. We relate two past actions to each other. 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. Through this unit, I have been able to review some old lessons I used to follow when I started to learn English in France. The learning process may be long for a...  [Read more]

Japanese people are known to be well educated. In the case of English, most people have at least six years of English learning experience in school. However in reality, the majority of those people are not able to hold a short, basic conversation in English, even just a few lines of greeting. A language is a communication tool. If you cannot communicate with it, it is pointless to spend so much time and effort on learning it' Thus, clearly something is ineffective in the way that English was taught in Japan to my generation or to the generations who are old enough to prove this inefficient result. In this article, I try to describe the problems that Japanese people have and the appropriate teaching aspects in terms of their English fluency and pronunciation, from the...  [Read more]

Japanese people are known to be well educated. In the case of English, most people have at least six years of English learning experience in school. However in reality, the majority of those people are not able to hold a short, basic conversation in English, even just a few lines of greeting. A language is a communication tool. If you cannot communicate with it, it is pointless to spend so much time and effort on learning it? Thus, clearly something is ineffective in the way that English was taught in Japan to my generation or to the generations who are old enough to prove this inefficient result. In this article, I try to describe the problems that Japanese people have and the appropriate teaching aspects in terms of their English fluency and pronunciation, ...  [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. This unit went over teaching aids and equipment. A lot of the information was not applicable to me, as I will be giving private lessons and no working with a school, however I appreciated the list of online resources (albeit some of them a bit dated):↵- because I had forgotten about Learning English with BBC↵- it’s good to have a reference list↵- (unrelated) I thought it was helpful...  [Read more]