TEFL.net Everything

It depends on what "do not" means

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:33:00 +0000

Departing from Canadian stereotypes: “Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies using crack cocaine”, CBC News 5/24/2013 There has been a serious accusation from the Toronto Star that I use crack cocaine. I do not use crack cocaine, Continue reading at Language … Continue reading →

Indicrteurseus

Sat, 25 May 2013 03:50:00 +0000

At the top of hundreds of webpages belonging to the Shenzhen Energy Corporation, a large power company in Guangdong Province, China, we find the following four main headings:
shǒuyè 首页 (“Home”)
xīnwén zhōngxīn 新闻中心 (“News

Continue reading at Language Log

Border collie syntax?

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:36:00 +0000

Since I have been unabashedly contemptuous of previous stories about dogs learning to understand human languages (for example, in I hammer home the point that fetching named objects is not understanding language in this post,

Continue reading at Language Log

Sloppiness and its enemies

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:53:00 +0000

Paul Krugman (“The Sloppiness Syndrome”, NYT 5/22/2013): So what is it with New Republic alumni? First Michael Kinsley, then Charles Lane, weigh in with defenses of austerity that aren’t just wrong, but painfully ill-informed. Kinsley not Continue reading at Language … Continue reading →

Using Facebook – PD in Focus 7

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:48:00 +0000

Facebook logo (taken from http://www.facebook.com) Thousands and thousands of educators around the world use Facebook to connect with other eduucators around the world. Some have two Facebook accounts – one for personal use and one for Continue reading at Vicky … Continue reading →

Cuisenaire rods in ELT

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:17:00 +0000

Cuisenaire rods are one of those classroom tools that people on training courses often ask me about. If we have time, I try to fit in a few techniques with them. I don’t know why

Continue reading at Training ELTeachers

Twisted Bee Ell Tee

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

I love taking classic dishes and putting a little something extra in them to add just that little bit more to their perfection. And there is nothing more perfect than the classic BLT (that’s a Continue reading at ALI DOES … Continue reading →

English to English: bridging the US-UK cultural divide

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:46:00 +0000

English to English is The Guardian New York newsroom’s new Tumblr blog which attempts to chronicle and catalogue (catalog?) UK-US cultural differences, poke fun at the ‘special’ relationship and build a living glossary of news, slang Continue reading at The English … Continue reading →

Flag Day Resources

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:36:00 +0000

June 14th is Flag Day in the United States.
I’ve just updated The Best Sites For Learning About Flag Day.

Continue reading at Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Nice Memorial Day Infographic From The U.S. Census

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:31:00 +0000

I’m adding this infographic from the US Census to The Best Websites For Learning About Memorial Day:

Source: census.gov via Larry on Pinterest

Continue reading at Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

“Are You a Goat or a Tiger?”

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Are You a Goat or a Tiger? is the recounting by Marvin Marshall, a great advocate and thinker of positive classroom management strategies, of what is apparently an Asian folktale. It’s definitely worth a Continue reading at Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites … Continue reading →

Infographic: “Tornadoes”

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:57:00 +0000

Here are a couple of new additions to The Best Resources For Learning About Tornadoes: Tornadoes: The Power to Destroy Everything infographic by acoleman26. The Associated Press has a useful interactive on tornadoes. Continue reading at Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of … Continue reading →

“Soo Meta” Has Potential As A Presentation Tool

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:44:00 +0000

Soo Meta lets you combine segments of videos, text, tweets and images into one presentation. One nice feature is that you can easily grab those items off the Web through a simple search option Continue reading at Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites … Continue reading →

Using photos when teaching

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:00 +0000

In a few weeks, The Image Conference is being held in Barcelona, Spain. I won’t be able to attend but EnglishCentral will be a sponsor. The future of language learning and teaching is visual, is Continue reading at EFL 2.0 … Continue reading →

Job Site: Move and Stay

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:36:00 +0000

While it’s mainly dedicated to providing people with serviced apartments, Move and Stay also has lists of international schools around the world. What you’ll have to do is choose a city, then go to relocation

Continue reading at TEFL Tips

Want to be an ELT writer? (part one)

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:38:00 +0000

There are so many changes afoot in ELT publishing that I’m not actually sure how good a time this is for new writers to be entering the field. But Karen White of www.ELTteacher2writer.co.uk is optimistic. She Continue reading at LEARNING … Continue reading →

Using Teaching Experience To Gain A TEFL Qualification

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:18:00 +0000

by samssons (Posted 23 May 2013, 14:18)
Hello all,

I am an employee at a private school in a city just outside of Seoul in South Korea (and have been for the last 6 months or so). Put simply, I have a very easy question that I'm hoping you'll be able to answer.

I have heard from others and read elsewhere online that it is possible (so long as you have 100 hours or more teaching experience) to put the teaching experience you do have towards gaining (either in full or part) a TEFL Qualification from certain qualification boards.

Does anyone know if there is any truth in this? And if so, how does one go about it ?

I really appreciate your help in advance, thank you!

Squids in his (her, your) ink

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:32:00 +0000

From Gabe Wyner come photos of a menu in Arcos de la Frontera, whose English version is full of the delightful consequences of someone’s earnest reliance on a bilingual dictionary. For example: In the Spanish version Continue reading at Language … Continue reading →

crowd-sourcing: technology in your classroom

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:23:00 +0000

This week I’m tutoring on an online teacher development course discussing the use of technology in the ELT classroom. To kick off we’re exchanging some information about our current or recent teaching contexts. All

Continue reading at close up

CELTA Courses in London

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:15:00 +0000

by andyt (Posted 23 May 2013, 10:15)
I'm so glad I came across this forum as I have set my sights on becoming an EFL teacher. After some research I now know that CELTA and Trinity TESOL should really be my only options to get recognised. I have chosen CELTA as my destination will be in Asia (Hong Kong) and also because Cambridge is more well known. My ethnic is Chinese but I have been in England to study since I was 9.

I gathered that International House (IH) is a good choice and is also based in London, so this is where I will apply. With all that out of the way, can anyone give me some advice on the following:

- How strong is the competition for places? For CELTA (My preferred choice) and TESOL
- I am currently situated in Hong Kong, will the application procedure be any difference to if I am in the UK? (Interview procedures etc...)
- Apart from IH, which other places in London would you recommend to get CELTA? (In case I fail to get into IH)

Thank you in advance.

Regards,
Andy

Cartoon: Google’s Tax Arrangements

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:54:00 +0000

BACKGROUND Recently, Google, Amazon, Apple, and other big international companies have been under fire for their corporate tax avoidance schemes. However, speaking at Google’s own Big Tent conference in Hertfordshire, Eric Schmidt, the head of Google, Continue reading at The … Continue reading →

Infographics On Bullying

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:30:00 +0000

I’m adding these infographics to A Very, Very Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Bullying: Student Bullying infographic The Truth About Bullying infographic by iLanskiii. Zero Tolerance: Stopping Student Bullying infographic Continue reading at Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the … Continue reading →

CELTA - UK or abroad

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:21:00 +0000

by trainee (Posted 22 May 2013, 19:21)
Does it make much difference whether you do your CELTA in the UK or abroad? I want to work in Spain but I'm wondering if the qualification would carry more weight if it were gained in the UK?

General all round advice for TEFL courses, including Spain

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:56:00 +0000

by Bazzinga (Posted 22 May 2013, 18:56)
Hi there all.

I am hoping that some of you may be able to provide me with information for questions I have. Here goes.....

I am currently an assistant manager for a domiciliary care company. I graduated last year in Human Psychology (BSc with honours) and considering a postgraduate course this year. What am I babbling on about I hear you say.

Well I am also considering applying and partaking in a TEFL course to enhance my employability prospects as well as widening my own qualification spectrum. I would generally like to work abroad, particularly Spain, the USA (my sister lives over there) or Down Under. But for now I would like to focus on Spain.

Now I have no teaching qualifications, nor do I have any teaching experience. The TEFL course, I was hoping would give me some insight and a foot in the door to new opportunities. I wouldn't mind teaching in the UK if the opportunity arose as this could give me some very valuable experience.

However, I have a young family (5 year old daughter and 9 month old son, accompanied by a wife to be). Does this make it more difficult for me?

Basically with all I have mentioned how far will a TEFL course take me? Does my previous education and work experience help me?

I do like the idea of supporting others to learn and the motivation comes from the resulting altruistic feeling.

So who and how many of you lovely forum people can assist me in my investigative plight?

All responses are gratefully received, good or bad. Thank you

Course Materials

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:28:00 +0000

by linguaschool (Posted 22 May 2013, 17:28)
I am working on new course development for 2 stages of Business English (American). What course materials do you recommend?

Thank you for your input.

Oxford House College? UCL?

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:30:00 +0000

by Student (Posted 22 May 2013, 15:30)
I'm looking for a place in London to do the part time Celta and wondered if anyone here can recommend the above two? I'm assuming they're good, seeing as they're both listed on the Cambridge website but does anyone know otherwise?
I'm also considering International House, St Giles International, Language Link or Tefl Lab 'though not all of them provide the part time Celta. Frankly I'm still debating between the Trinity and Celta. My goal is to teach for a year or so in Europe and see how I get on. From my research, both courses appear to be highly regarded with Celta perhaps having a slight edge.
I'd love to read about your experiences with any of the above places, especially Oxford House College and UCL.
Finally, I'm wondering whether the changes to qualifications from November this year (see the Cambridge website) is anything to worry about?

It’s official. GIF is JIF

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:53:52 +0000

Steve Wilhite, inventor of the ubiquitous GIF (Graphics Interchange Format, which is a lossless format for compressing image files and widely used on the Internet), has spoken in the raging debate about the correct pronunciation of his 1987 baby. “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations [GIF and JIF],” he wrote. “They are wrong. It is [...]

Teaching in Spain in 2014

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:42:00 +0000

by Richardavie (Posted 22 May 2013, 11:42)
I wouldn't say Barcelona is swamped with teachers, there is a lot of competition in the city centre but in the small towns maybe 20min from the city centre there is a lot of work and some 'breathing space'.

5 years ago the standard pay was 15€/hour net. Now the starting rate for new teachers is 12€ and most people get bumped up to 14€ after a good semester.

As for the Catalan, I wouldn't be put off at all, I'm amazed at how many people think it's a no-go area because of the language! Everyone here speaks Spanish and it's a very international city

Does Tefl need a shake up and need to shape up? Discuss.

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:21:00 +0000

by Richardavie (Posted 21 May 2013, 14:21)
I don't like using formulas for teaching grammar, symbols are meaningless and off-putting to anyone who doesn't know anything about grammar. I've seen some ESL textbooks that look more like maths textbooks.

The way I see it, you as a native speaker don't know the form aux + sub + verb + object / adv is used to form a question, therefore your students don't need to learn it that way either.

Sharing resources teflplanit.com

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:55:00 +0000

by flyingpig (Posted 21 May 2013, 12:55)
Hi guys,
You may be interested in this site http://teflplanit.com . It has been designed for teachers to share lessons, worksheets, reference articles, tests etc. You can create lessons, activities, articles, tests etc and share them, either with everyone, or just with groups you are a member of. You can create your own groups to share your resources with, for example, co-workers in your school.

There's also the option to include your own media ( images, audio, video ) if you are willing to subscribe. Subscription also enables users to copy and modify existing content to make it suitable for them.

It's still relatively new, so I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts and suggestions. I made it because while there is lots of material to be found through searching, it often wasn't quite what I needed. So I though if contributed content could be modified easily, it would be a good way of sharing material. It's taken a long time to make but hopefully it will be of some interest. I've made some material already so you can see what it's like. Register as a member and start sharing your great content!

Peace!

Teaching phonology to teenagers and adults

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:54:00 +0000

by trainee (Posted 21 May 2013, 08:54)
Hi,

I'm teaching Trinity ISE I and II courses to teenagers and adults and one of the areas students are examined on in the oral exam is phonology. Can anyone give me any ideas as to how I could teach phonology in a way that they will understand?

Thanks

What does CELTA cover?

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:47:00 +0000

by enfreak (Posted 21 May 2013, 08:47)
Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie here. I've been teaching English for a couple of years in my country Iran. Actually I've got a BA in English and I've passed the course TTC in my country. I can continue working here, but I'm ambitious and want to get promotion! So it's been about some months I've been considering taking a course that enables me to teach in other countries as well. When I asked for some advice from friends and googled it myself, I found out that CELTA is apparently more widely accepted than the other ones like TESOL.
Now this is my question. What material am I supposed to cover while studying CELTA? I'm familiar with the basics of teaching, I know about grammar and I have class teaching experience.
Do I have to study things about psychology, teaching methodology, etc?
Do I have to study a lot of theories? Because I believe the practical side of teaching (English) is much more dominant.
Thanks for your help.

Teaching first year secondary school pupils

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:14:00 +0000

by trainee (Posted 20 May 2013, 22:14)
Hi,

I teach in an academy in Spain and I'm having trouble with my first year secondary school students. Firstly, I don't really know how I should be teaching them. What should 12-13 year olds be able to do/say in English? I'm in charge of speaking activities but many of them aren't interested in speaking English. They have a course book, but my colleagues in the academy don't follow it. Their level is quite low.

I'm getting quite desperate with this class. Can anyone help?

Travel Vocabulary Production/Free Practice

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:04:00 +0000

by Kensai (Posted 20 May 2013, 14:04)
Hi I'm new here so please forgive me if I am posting in the wrong place.

I'm creating a lesson teaching travel vocabulary (fly, visit, station, ticket, airport, passenger etc.) and just need to think of a production activity. I had the idea of using some role play based around a visit to the travel agent (one student being the travel agent and the other being a potential holidaymaker) but I'm struggling to flesh it out.

Has anyone got any suggestions?

Thanks

Seeking some professional development

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:38:00 +0000

by PNEYorkshire (Posted 20 May 2013, 13:38)
Hello all

My name is Chris and I've been teaching in Budapest since January. I obtained my CELTA there in July last year and this is my first job teaching English.

I'm looking to move on from Budapest at the end of summer and have been considering doing some further study/development in order to improve myself as a teacher. Prior to the CELTA I had had no English language or teaching experience whatsoever. I spent some time between my CELTA finishing and January brushing up as best I could and I have taken on board a lot whilst I've been teaching. However, I still feel like I would benefit from some additional training/education to improve myself as a teacher and also would like to understand my profession better as a matter of personal interest.

Can anyone recommend anything I could look towards? I've looked at various distance Masters programmes (which are out of my price range) and obviously there is the DELTA (I think it's too early in my career for that).

Any help would be very much appreciated

Teaching in Thailand - Course Advice

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:21:00 +0000

by Susan (Posted 19 May 2013, 14:21)
The research you have done is correct: the CELTA is the most highly regarded.

In answer to your question, think about it from another point of view. If you wanted to get your hair cut or your car repaired, would you prefer someone with a qualification or someone who did the job for five weeks in Sri Lanka?

Of course, some students and schools will be happy with a teacher without teaching qualifications. It always comes down to that choice. Your choice is: do you want to work in that type of school, with that type of student? I'd say that if you want to make a career out of TEFL, a serious qualification is essential. If you don't want to make a career out of it, then that's a different matter.

Susan

TEFL Cambridge - Have I just paid for a fake course?

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:18:00 +0000

by Stoyanov (Posted 19 May 2013, 13:18)
Thanks a lot!!!

I'd consider buying a book or looking up information online as there's an actual interview and an assessment day for the CELTA course I'm applying for.

You saved me £50 - I was just about to buy it when I googled "TEFL Cambrdige scam fake" and your post appeared in the top 5 results. I was tempted to e-mail the representative that offered me an "even better voucher" than the one on amazon local, saying that her offer is bullshit but then decided against it

Regards and thanks again!

UK Fourth Choice For Japanese Studying English Abroad

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:44:35 +0000

According to a market report produced by the British Council and English UK, Japanese students are now more likely to choose Canada or Australia to study English abroad than the UK. With the USA still at the top of students’ lists, this leaves the UK in fourth position. Strict visa policies in Britain are one [...]

TEFL in Indonesia

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:52:00 +0000

by johnRockie (Posted 18 May 2013, 06:52)
Hi,
My sister and I are hoping to get a teaching post in Thailand this year. She has both a degree and a TEFL certfifcate but I have only a 150 hour TEFL cert.

Is it possible to get a job placement with no degree? Are certain areas or jobs more available than other without a degree?

Any help of advice is greatly appreciated
Thanks
john Rockie

memorising Grammar presentations

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:28:00 +0000

by Briona (Posted 17 May 2013, 19:28)
I'm not sure why you're trying to memorise your grammar presentations! There's nothing wrong with having a crib sheet to refer to (briefly) while explaining the grammar point or presenting it on the board. I've been teaching for a few years now and I still use crib sheets when presenting more complex grammar points.

Long Road To End NNEST Discrimination

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:44:52 +0000

TESOL President Deena Boraie recently expressed concerns about discrimination against nonnative English speaking teachers (NNESTs) in Egypt. In a statement released from the President’s blog, Dr Boraie says there is a long way to go to get people to “change their thinking and understanding” about what makes a good teacher. Dr Boraie is TESOL’s first [...]

How To Review TEFL Materials

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:24:56 +0000

A short but comprehensive guide to the process of choosing TEFL materials to review then writing and publishing your opinions on them.

Review ~ English for Academic Study: Vocabulary

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:37:46 +0000

Very systematic self-study for the first five sublists of the Academic Word List, including training in what EAP students need to know about vocabulary.

International Communication

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:12:00 +0000

by johnRockie (Posted 17 May 2013, 06:12)
my first academic year was pretty tough initially. This was because I was teaching age groups and levels I'd never taught before and I was expected to plan my own courses (using prescribed course books, but it was still very challenging for me). I'd say it took four to six weeks for me to stop feeling like a little girl play-acting and start feeling like a real teacher! That's not to say that there weren't problems after that - one of my classes was incredibly difficult - but on the whole I felt quite positive about teaching.

Review ~ Objective First

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:49:11 +0000

A really useful course to help B1+ students progress to level B2 and pass the Cambridge First Certificate in English, with many helpful hints.

Interview tips for Business English job

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:34:00 +0000

by franglese (Posted 15 May 2013, 11:34)
Good afternoon all,

I have 1 week to prepare for a Business English interview and the interviewers have set me the task of preparing one lesson at B2 level which should last 20-30 mins.

I am a bit rusty and really need some advice:
-where is the best place to get B2 materials?
-what should my lesson plan look like?
-what other questions should I prepare to answer?

Any help and advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Review ~ Exploring ELF

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:07:34 +0000

Exploring ELF looks at English as a Lingua Franca and its place in academia both in research and also academic contexts for researchers and practitioners.

first year of TEFL teaching...feel a bit overwhelmed

Wed, 15 May 2013 07:54:00 +0000

by johnRockie (Posted 15 May 2013, 07:54)
It's even more confusing in the classroom - how are you supposed to think of practice activities for words which aren't related? There are only so many times you can use Taboo, Random Pelmanism and storytelling activities...

Teaching adults 1on1

Tue, 14 May 2013 03:52:00 +0000

by jessicaZ (Posted 14 May 2013, 03:52)
I agree. Beyond specific tactics, both Lisack and Leppert emphasize personal growth when working with adult students. While younger students are encouraged to do well on standardized tests and accustomed to being compared to their peers in this way, adult learners are challenging themselves.

Consider making personal growth in ability and skills part of the actual grade.

True Average Salaries For Foreign Teachers In China...

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:43:00 +0000

by Sanchez (Posted 14 May 2013, 00:43)
I just visited the link Sandra gave us (www.ChinaScamBusters.com) and hereby pledge on the life of my children that I will not work another year in China! I thought when I was screwed by Bilingo China it was some isolated case. Why do people put up with this abuse?