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 ...
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 ...
There could hardly be a profession more unique than TEFL. A candidate may be a fresh biology graduate or someone who has never left their hometown; choosing the profession of a TEFL teacher will help make these factors a thing of the past. An online TEFL/TESOL course in Bangalore is unique in that it is easy to qualify and offers valuable employment prospects in exciting locations. Moreover, if an individual happens to possess these 4 qualities, then they are sure to hit instant success in the TEFL teaching profession.
Adaptability
The TEFL industry is a rapidly developing one so there will be plenty of opportunities for the interested candidates. However, no two teaching positions are likely to be the same as every company has an ideology of its own and will want things done in their own way. Candidates should look upon this as a valuable learning experience rather than arguing over it with the employers. There is no end to improving one’s teaching skills.
TEFL professionals are also ...
Communicative Activities for Low Level Adult Students: pt1
Communicative activities are the bed rock of the modern language classroom. However for lower level learners it can be difficult to come up with effective freer practice activities, suitable for their level. Below, and in part two, are some ideas for activities that work well with these levels.
Activity: Celebrity Heads
Level: Elementary
Target Language: Personal Adjectives: tall, short etc.. He/she is/has got
Materials: Poster, photos or magazine
Procedure: Show students pictures of various different celebrities, and then ask each student to choose one. They should then write three sentences describing the person they choose. The students then read out their sentences and the others have to guess which celebrity they are talking about.
Alternatively students write sentences about the celebrities and then fold them up. The teacher then collects in the papers and put the students into groups. They give each group some of ...
Here is the second part of our activities that work well with low level adult students.
Activity: Guess the profession
Level: Foundation – Elementary
Target Language: Present simple for routines
Materials: Job cards
Procedure: Before the lesson cut up some paper to make some cards. Give the students one of the cards and ask them to write the name of a job on each piece of paper. Take the cards in and then redistribute them. The students should then hold the piece of paper on their forehead so everyone can see it. Students need to guess which card they are holding. They should do this by going round the classroom and asking questions of the other students. E.g. Do I work in an office? Do I wear a uniform?
Activity: Shopping role play
Level: Foundation - Elementary
Target Language: Can I have…?
Materials: Whiteboard, paper, pens
Procedure: Have students come up with ideas for items they could buy in a supermarket and then board these ideas. Tell the students that they can have any ...
Using Notebooks with Young Learners pt1
Notebooks are an almost universal part of young learner courses. They are a great resource for helping with reading and writing. With notebooks learners have a permanent record of what they have achieved in class, and can also be used, week on week, in project work and extended activities. They also provide a chance for parents to see what their children have bene doing in lessons.
Below are some ideas for activities using the notebook. This will be part one of the series.
Picture dictation
Draw a simple picture on a piece of paper. This could be just a series of shapes; e.g. a square with a triangle on each side, or else a simple picture; e.g . for a house you could have a square with a triangle on top of it and then a small rectangle inside for the door etc…
Keeping the picture hidden, read out a description of the picture; e.g. draw a square, draw a triangle on the square. The children should then draw the picture following your ...
As teachers we often feel we are the driving force in the classroom. It’s our classroom and our students so it’s our responsibility to make sure they learn the language. Maybe by sheer force of personality we can drive the language into our students’ heads. Teaching can sometimes be like an aerobic exercise, where we teach ourselves into a sweaty mess valiantly trying to force language into our students.
Ironically it may well be the case that the more we do in the classroom the less our learners understand. Doing too much in a classroom can be a distraction to the language itself, just because we are talking does that mean the students are learning? Although we all want our learners to be entertained, can we sometimes lose sight of the ultimate goal in our classrooms? Our classrooms should be about the language and the learners. Our role in the classroom should be to facilitate this as much as possible.
The adage ‘you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’ ...
