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The issue of Primary school homework is one of the most contentious in education. A quick scan of the newspapers and social networking sites reveals an ongoing debate that never seems to reach any kind of resolution, not least because the four parties involved (policy-makers, schools, parents and the children themselves) rarely see eye-to-eye on the matter.
For policy-makers - usually several steps removed from the classroom - homework is often perceived as a panacea for ailing achievement levels. If children can do more outside school to reinforce what they have learnt in the classroom, progress will be faster and standards will rise sooner.
The reality is not so simple. For while some parents positively welcome homework, seeing it as a sign of a school's serious intentions, there are many more who regard it as little more than an unwelcome intrusion into family life, for a variety of reasons.
Some simply harbour a straightforward belief that children work hard enough at school and ...

There was a great English teaching job listed on an English job-hunting website several years ago. My JET-like contract had just finished. I was newly married with a baby on the way. (Don`t do that, btw.) And, I was looking for fulltime work in the worst way. I saw the advertisement, and it was like manna from heaven.
The private eikaiwa company offered a high salary. The commuting expenses, health insurance, and pension were also part of the compensation package. And, to top it all off, the teaching job was no kids` classes and no weekends. This was the job for me!
I searched frantically for my resume file on my computer. I gave it the once over. I spent three hours tweaking my cover letter, and I added a new photograph of me to the top.
I uploaded my file, and hit send. My computer screen flashed. An ominous message in bright red appeared before my eyes. It read, "The job listed is for people under 35 years-old." My mouth dropped open, and I cried. (Dude, I did.)
I had years of ...

When you want to pursue your university studies after your high school in Indonesia, you will faced with a number of challenges. One of the biggest challenges in the Indonesian education industry is the increasing cost of education for the students. There are two categories of colleges one is state universities and the other is self-sponsored private institutions. The latter is the most expensive route even though it is rather easier to get into such institutions. Most students prefer to go through the state universities because there is a stark difference in the fee structure. As you are likely to be aware to get into the state universities you are required to appear for an entrance test and only those who successfully clear the SBMPTN exams manage to get into the state universities. To help students successfully get into the state universities there are number of bimbingan belajar SBMPTN services. As a student you are likely to face challenges in identifying the right tutoring ...

TEFL, the name resonates especially with those who are looking to have a successful career in teaching English overseas. As English has become the universal language of communication among the non-native speaking nations in Asia, Europe, Middle East, etc., hence knowing the language for the natives of those countries have become quite important. English being used for communication in every sphere of life, be it in trade and business, in job applications or while pursuing higher education, hence knowing the language is of primary importance. In other words, in today’s time it is almost a necessity for most to know the communication skills in English in order to prosper in life.
Even for English speaking nations like Australia or even the USA, the natives may have decent English communication skills but their grammar and even pronunciation may not be correct and hence even they need to opt for communication classes so that they can spare themselves from the embarrassment when it comes ...

Reasons can be numerous, when it comes to learn English Speaking.Conventionally, if you need to do so, you have  to take admission or enroll yourself in a traditional class in a college or language institute. But, it will take your loads of effort as well as  money, and you will not get the training you actually need. These days, a plethora of online platforms offers Best English speaking Programs for the suitability of learners that they can learn English speaking that too with the comfort of sitting at  home. These are short term courses, and different courses are designed to match the different needs of learners or aspirants.
In order to set up an online class, a learner just needs to have a desktop or a laptop along with a hassle free internet connection. The best feature of WizMantra is, a learner can get instant help from a teacher or instructor on issue and confusions that occurs during the program. Thus, you can focus on the areas where you need improvement, not all that you ...

~~Communicative activities are tasks or activities that involve the learners using the target language to communicate with each other.
The point is for learners to be using the language themselves to try to mimic realistic exchanges they could have in the real world. Communicative activities should be learner centred as opposed to drilling activities which require the teacher keeping more of a focal role. Obviously at this age it is difficult to produce genuinely authentic language but as far as possible we should try to set up activities that mimic real life uses of English.
For young learners any activity where the learners communicate directly with each other and not the teacher can be a communicative activity. Even a simple game like Whispers is a communicative activity for young learners.
Below are some communicative activities.
• Role plays – children could act out dialogues based on real scenarios and could then either adapt the dialogues or ‘write’ new ones to personalize the ...

Vocabulary is: All words make up our vocabulary. All languages have words. Words come in different forms and perform different jobs. Each language will have rules over how words can change, which words work with which, how words sound.
When teaching vocabulary it is important that learners know:
* the meaning of the words (this can include when we should/not use it
* the form of the words (what it looks like, where it goes in a sentence & what it sounds like)
It is important that teachers repeat (through drilling, elicitation and examples) and recycle (through activities, games and tasks) vocabulary to make learning fluent.
There are 2 types of vocabulary teaching:
* Productive (Active) vocabulary – this is what the learner needs to speak &/or write. They need to understand, remember and use it in the lesson. There will be more focus on practice, production & pronunciation.
* Receptive (Passive) vocabulary – what the learner needs to read &/or listen to. They need ...

Naturally, every instructor has his/her God-given voice. This voice is what instructors use in conversing with people in their everyday life activities. They are known and identified by such voices. This natural voice must not be confused with speaking with the naturalness which has been endorsed by many public speakers as one of the efficient speaking habits. This naturalness is contrasted with a public speaker being nervous, shaky or straining the voice as a result of shyness or unpreparedness of his/her lesson delivery. Thus, it is essential to be natural in this context as an instructor. However, the natural voice is the tone, manner and voice expression that an instructor uses in his/her everyday conversations. It is usually characterized by low-toned speech, not meant for a large group. Some instructors naturally speak in a relatively fast manner. Others unnecessarily use jargons or mannerisms while speaking. Still, some instructors naturally stammer while speaking. Also, some ...

Contract and Relief Teachers and Their Responsibilities, Some Advice for the Head of Department
Relief and contract teachers often come into a school which is completely new to them in every respect. So, as head of department, it was my responsibility to induct them into my department. One of my initiatives soon after I was appointed was to create a department handbook to record our policy and procedures. This handbook was updated each year with each teacher being given an updated version annually. This handbook was also part of my induction program for relief and contract teachers.
This article contains the information in that handbook for the benefit of relief Teachers and temporary teachers on short contracts.
"During your stay with us you are considered part of our team and are accordingly required to adhere to the professional duties of teachers at this department as outlined below:
1. Times of Duty
Our working conditions require us all to be at school no later than 8.35am. ...

Research teaches us that in order for reading to be beneficial to a reader that it must be embraced as a meaning-making process. This suggests that the act of reading involves deriving understanding from the text. Since reading and writing are reciprocal processes, it can be assumed that just as meaning is gathered from reading that some benefit should be gathered from writing. This indeed is true. Writing can be considered an informational-constructive process because the writer's endeavor should always be to construct and deliver information in a matter that can be successfully transferred to their audience. In order for this to occur, writing instruction should be geared towards ensuring that students write with clarity, cohesiveness, and "sharability".
So, let's begin by exploring clarity. The term clarity, in this sense, suggests that the writer demonstrates the ability to deliver a transparent message to his or her audience. Many times when guiding our developing writers through ...