English Teacher Education

For some teachers, the main reason for becoming TEFL qualified is to open the door to adventures living and working overseas. However, there are many circumstances where teaching over the internet could also be a great option. For recently qualified teachers it can be a convenient way to gain experience while earning money to fund a trip abroad. It can also be a good way to supplement your income from another job. Whether you are in your home country or already living and working abroad, teaching English as a foreign language online might be worth considering. Setting yourself up as an online language teacher can be surprisingly straightforward and inexpensive. Your biggest expense is likely to be completing a TEFL/TESOL qualification. While completing an internationally recognized...  [Read more]

In terms of supporting and sustaining successful and high achieving students, parents play a significant role. Parents provide guidance, role modeling, and make decisions about every aspect of their child's educational experience. In fact, there is an abundance of research and evidence that point towards the key role parents play in a child's success in school (NYIM, 2004). Research has found that regardless of family background, students who have parents that are active in their education are more likely to have; higher grades, better school attendance, good social skills, and go on to postsecondary education (Barton, 2006). While there is no one single definition of parental involvement, generally it is defined as, 'when parents actively, critically, resourcefully and ...  [Read more]

Teaching adult true beginners from day one is an interesting challenge and requires a strategy which must be formulated in advance. Do you begin with phonics' Can you start with rote memorization' How can you approach people with different learning styles' What has been the students experience in school previously' There are many considerations but in the end a good plan smoothes the way to the first day. When teaching the alphabet the issue of using phonics comes to the forefront. Many programs use a system of phonics instruction along with grammar and vocabulary topics. Teaching the sounds rather than the letter names per say has advantages and disadvantages. The learner will make more progress in speaking skills when he starts by learning the sounds. He will be able...  [Read more]

Over the years, many debates have arisen in regards to second language instruction (L2), giving prominence to two main models: English Only versus Bilingual Education. English Only uses solely English as the medium for instruction, whereas Bilingual Education, as its name implies, uses both English and the student's native language. While there are several aspects to the debate, this paper will briefly cover a certain few: cultural sensitivity, accuracy, and segregation. Proponents of the English Only model claim that the use of a student's native language creates a 'cycle of native language dependency,' meaning that the student, to some extent, gets 'tethered' to his native tongue. Using solely English in the classroom, advocates say, frees students to think and...  [Read more]

Over the years, many debates have arisen in regards to second language instruction (L2), giving prominence to two main models: English Only versus Bilingual Education. English Only uses solely English as the medium for instruction, whereas Bilingual Education, as its name implies, uses both English and the student?s native language. While there are several aspects to the debate, this paper will briefly cover a certain few: cultural sensitivity, accuracy, and segregation. Proponents of the English Only model claim that the use of a student?s native language creates a ?cycle of native language dependency,? meaning that the student, to some extent, gets ?tethered? to his native tongue. Using solely English in the classroom, advocates say, frees students to...  [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]

In Ghana most children enter school speaking little or no English. This seems unbelievable when English is the countrys offical language. Infact the reason for this is that there are over 44 indigenous languages within Ghana so this alone causes students problems when they come to study English. In Ghana urgent attention is needed towards literacy. At present only 10% of students can read at grade level after 6 years in primary school. Classes of 20- 30 pupils will only have 2 English textbooks to accommodate the whole group. The Government wants students to be proficient in English by grade 4 so that they are able to understand lessons where instruction is English. Students are expected to respond using oral and written English and finally be able to read from textbooks...  [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]

The NET (Native-speaking English Teachers) Scheme is a recruitment program initiated by the Hong Kong Education Bureau that places qualified teachers from overseas countries into state run schools. The scheme recruits hundreds of teachers every year to work in either primary or secondary level schools across the territory. The stated goal of the scheme is to share and promote innovation in teaching practice, and to provide an authentic classroom environment for local students. Participants on the scheme will receive a generous salary and extra benefits, as well as a unique opportunity to live and work in one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan parts of Asia. To be eligible, you must be a native-English speaker or possess an exceptionally high standard of English language competence....  [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]

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]

In order to understand the problems of the modern Mongolian language learner, one must first examine the context of Mongolia today. In this paper I will examine the history of education, its current accessibility and trends, and social issues that contribute to the learning environment for students in Mongolia. They have had a century of dramatic changes which must first be known.During most of the twentieth century Mongolia remained a Soviet communist state called the Mongolian People´s Republic. This stage spanned from 1924 through 1990 when the Democratic Revolution shifted Mongolia to independence and democracy. The education system has changed in reaction to political and economic national trends. At the onset of the twentieth century Mongolians were educated in...  [Read more]

Yes you can. Speaking Thai is not a requirement for teaching English in Thailand. Even if they are fluent in the language, ESL instructors in the majority of Thailand’s language institutions are not required to speak Thai in class. In general, there is a great demand for English teachers in Thailand. In fact, people in Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations now have a greater desire than ever before to learn English, raising the need for ESL instructors in this region. The growing economy also means people in Thailand now have more disposable income to spend on English education. Thus, there are more opportunities for ESL instructors, especially those with credentials like a TEFL or TESOL certificate. In favor of ESL teachers willing to sign contracts for at least six months or a...  [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]

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]

Britain is the home of high quality English language teaching and is joining forces in a new and enlarged professional association called English UK, backed by the British Council. This comes at a time when global competition for English language students is more fierce than ever. While Britain can claim to have pioneered the concept of providing short, intensive language courses, and dominated the market for much of the past 50 years, other countries, principally Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, are now competing more aggressively for a share of shifting and in some cases diminishing student markets. Membership of English UK is only open to institutions that have been inspected as part of a special accreditation scheme for ELT providers; run by the British...  [Read more]

Teaching is an age-old profession dating back as early as Socrates and his most famous student, Plato. Integral to this ancient model of education was a give-and-take relationship between teacher and student. The role of the teacher is not merely a bank of mundane facts but rather, that of 'educational guides, facilitators and co- learners' (Redefining the Role of the Teacher by Judith Taack Lanier). Teachers must engage their students and foster a desire to learn. A teacher can not simply rely on dated textbooks to teach their students but rather a teacher must become an artist, creating curriculum that is both interesting and relevant to the students. As Lanier states in her article, 'the curriculum must relate to their lives, learning activities must engage their...  [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...  [Read more]

Pronunciation instruction is perhaps the most difficult aspect of English teaching. There are no simple answers as to how, when, or how long, it should be taught. However, this article hopes to present a different way of teaching the phonetics of English. My undergraduate work was not in English or even general education, but the performance of music. I learned from experts in the production and education of sound, and I feel the techniques they used may be applied to the instruction of English phonetics. By utilizing techniques used in college level music performance education, it is hoped a teacher may improve the effectiveness of phonetic instruction in their English class.While a student in one of the leading tuba studios in the country, my teachers utilized one...  [Read more]

If you want to have a job in place and all the paperwork sorted out before you leave your home country, a TEFL placement program is certainly worth considering. Several countries across Europe and Asia have government run schemes that recruit foreign teachers to work in their public school system. The following options are long established and respected programs that offer a great opportunity to live and work in some of the most popular teaching destinations. The TAPIF Program, short for Teaching Assistant Program in France, is a government initiative that places applicants into French state schools to work as teaching assistants. The program provides a great opportunity to live and work in a country where long-stay visas can be difficult to secure for non-EU citizens. For those who...  [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]

Although teaching jobs can be arranged in Asia once you arrive in your destination of choice, in many countries it is common for jobs to be arranged in advance from within your own country. One area where this is certainly true is if you join a government run placement program. The following are the most popular programs of their kind in Asia. EPIK stands for the English Program in Korea, a scheme run by the South Korean government that places foreign teachers into schools across the country to work as English language instructors. EPIK is one of the largest and most popular schemes of its kind as it offers a competitive salary, a good range of extra benefits, and the chance to experience living and working in a unique cultural environment. If you meet the specified criteria then you...  [Read more]

Grammar is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of the English language. It is the study of how the four main forms of a language: text, sentence, word and sound, are arranged to communicate a message accurately. Even though grammar is one of the crucial areas of English, the importance given to teaching it has been of great debate for some time. Some pedagogical theorists and practitioners question the necessity of teaching grammar and argue that English could be taught to non-native English speakers without grammar having to be the focus of a lesson. In 1622, a schoolmaster called Joseph Webbe argued that grammar could be mastered ?by exercise of reading, writing, and speaking?all things belonging to Grammar will without labour,?thrust themselves upon...  [Read more]

As computer technology overtakes the world and EFL resources develop to keep up with these changes, it is important to evaluate these resources that are being used in the classroom. Teachers need to decide whether these materials are necessary or helpful in the teaching process or are they being used simply because they are available and the teacher feels pressurised to use them by students and schools alike. In this short article, I will evaluate the resources I use in the classroom to support young EFL learners and discuss their use and value.Two of the commercial resources used by the school I work in are 'Shine' and 'Way Ahead'. Both of these CD-Roms have been produced to develop not only vocabulary teaching, but also grammatical structures of the English language. Both of...  [Read more]

Britain is the home of high quality English language teaching and is joining forces in a new and enlarged professional association called English UK, backed by the British Council. This comes at a time when global competition for English language students is more fierce than ever. While Britain can claim to have pioneered the concept of providing short, intensive language courses, and dominated the market for much of the past 50 years, other countries, principally Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, are now competing more aggressively for a share of shifting and in some cases diminishing student markets. Membership of English UK is only open to institutions that have been inspected as part of a special accreditation scheme for ELT providers; run by the British Council....  [Read more]

I have been living in Malawi for the past several years, and, though I am definitely far from being an expert on any of the subjects mentioned here, I would like to share a few of my observations on the difficulties that Malawian students of English as a second language may encounter. Of course, these difficulties vary in intensity among the different sectors of the population, even to the point that, for some, one or more of these do not apply at all. Areas we can consider include social, educational, and economic challenges.One of the struggles that Malawian students can face from the social side is the fact that Chichewa is unofficially the 'national' language even though English pretends to hold that position. English is taught in all the schools, but if you just...  [Read more]

If you want to teach English in Europe you will find that most jobs are secured following a face to face interview. If you would like to have a teaching job organised before you leave home, a government placement program might be a good option for you. The following are the most popular programs of their kind in Europe. The TAPIF Program, short for Teaching Assistant Program in France, is a government initiative that places applicants into French state schools to work as teaching assistants. The program provides a great opportunity to live and work in a country where long-stay visas can be difficult to secure for non-EU citizens. For those who meet the necessary criteria, the TAPIF Program could be the perfect way to fulfil your dream of living and working in France. The program is...  [Read more]

The technology Era has transformed the options for teaching in the classroom. Gone are the days when the teacher only had a blackboard and a chalk. If available or possible the possibilities of having a computer in the classroom are infinite. There are many activities and software to aid the students in their challenge of learning a new language. With just a computer, the students can practice the alphabet by looking at the keyboard, see words used when opening a program and interact with them. As Bernie Poole stated in What Every Teacher Should Know about Technology, 'Every teacher should be proficient in the use of productivity tools. Teachers have to process many different types of data. Productivity tools (word processor, spreadsheet) are available on all computers and are...  [Read more]

Growing up, my parents provided their children with a multitude of opportunities so that we could discover our talents and nurture those skills. They enrolled me and my sister in Art, Piano, Gymnastics, Ballet/Jazz, Cello, Girl Scouts, and Kumon classes, just to name a few. Because my parents were such strong proponents of a well-integrated education, I was able to recognize my innate artistic capabilities at a very early age. However, as I entered High School my extra-curricular activities were reduced to Piano Lessons and Student Council. My parents brought in private tutors for my sister and me with the hope that we may excel in our Honors English and Math Courses at school. I couldn't blame them for their decision. After all, any college- bound student who takes her...  [Read more]

The teaching of languages in the French educational system is slowly starting earlier and earlier, with the students learning some English as early as Ecole Premiere (US equivalent of elementary school). Because France is situated in the middle of Europe, it is very important for the people to have some background in several languages. That is why it is obligatory to study a minimum of two languages, and because English is becoming more and more important as a language, all students are required to study it as one of their two languages. Whichever language a student chooses to study first, the instruction will officially begin in the first or second year of Coll'ge (middle school), thus allowing the student to follow a language to the end of Lyc'e (high school), giving them 6...  [Read more]