How To Say Teacher In Spanish

All of my life I've been told that English is one of the most difficult languages on Earth to learn, and I should thank my lucky stars that it was my first language and I would never have to go through the agony of learning it later in life. Of course, I thought this was B.S. when I first heard it; after all, I learned English when I was like three years old. How hard could it be'It wasn't until I began to learn another language, Spanish, that it began to dawn on me just how convoluted and peculiar some parts of our language are. In Spanish, if you can say a word, you can spell it. That's it. Sound it out and you've got it. But English is chock full of all these funky, weird rules for spelling like I before E except after C. Okay, you got that' Now you can spell anything, right'...  [Read more]

Motivation is fuel for learning. What motivates us to learn what we know' The answer to this question creates a foundation for our subject matter, which in the end will determine the permanence of that knowledge. As TEFL teachers, we should all look at our own experience as students and analyze what motivates us in a classroom. Let’s look to personal experience for evidence of the impact motivation has on the permanence of a foreign language and examine three main motivators for learning a new language: recognition, curiosity, and necessity. In school, we study for recognition. When I studied French at the university, I memorized many terms simply for the grade I desired; however, I was not able to communicate with French people I met. For many students the...  [Read more]

Motivation is fuel for learning. What motivates us to learn what we know? The answer to this question creates a foundation for our subject matter, which in the end will determine the permanence of that knowledge. As TEFL Teachers, we should all look at our own experience as students and analyze what motivates us in a classroom. Let?s look to personal experience for evidence of the impact motivation has on the permanence of a foreign language and examine three main motivators for learning a new language: recognition, curiosity, and necessity. In school, we study for recognition. When I studied French at the university, I memorized many terms simply for the grade I desired; however, I was not able to communicate with French people I met. For many students the...  [Read more]

Teaching English to students in Costa Rica is probably one of the easiest countries in the world in which to teach English. First of all, English is now required in the schools, Spanish is much closer to English in most sounds, almost identical alphabets are used, the general culture is open, the students like to talk, and the education of Costa Ricans is relatively high. However, there are several problems that can be encountered, some of which are rather unexpected, which include pronunciation, spelling, discipline, motivation, and general education level. There are certain pronunciation difficulties that Costa Ricans encounter. The primary one is with the 'th' sound. There is no sound like that in Latin American Spanish so they want to say it with just a 't', 'd', or 'f'...  [Read more]

I am a ?Purist? at heart. For me the only acceptable, the only correct, the only ?propah? way to speak (and spell) English is as illustrated in the Encyclopedia Britannica ? the British English, so to speak. I have always been a staunch champion of Dr. Doolittle and all the other guardians of the English language. However, being a teacher of the English language, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the ?globalization? of English, which is - ?now a mish-mash of words incorporated from over 350 languages, and is still undergoing constant change, with hundreds of words/phrases coming into existence every year, some fading away, but many finding their way into dictionaries and thesauruses! One can pronounce words in many different ways and still be understood!! The...  [Read more]

I am a 'Purist' at heart. For me the only acceptable, the only correct, the only 'propah' way to speak (and spell) English is as illustrated in the Encyclopedia Britannica ' the British English, so to speak. I have always been a staunch champion of Dr. Doolittle and all the other guardians of the English language.However, being a teacher of the English language, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the 'globalization' of English, which is - 'now a mish-mash of words incorporated from over 350 languages, and is still undergoing constant change, with hundreds of words/phrases coming into existence every year, some fading away, but many finding their way into dictionaries and thesauruses! One can pronounce words in many different ways and still be understood!! The emergence of so ...  [Read more]

According to Webster's Dictionary an idiom is 'an expression whose meaning cannot be predicted from the usual meaning of its constituent elements.' I also like the definition of T.C. Cooper's that 'An idiom can have a literal meaning, but its alternate, figurative meaning must be understood metaphorically.' In the last week, since choosing 'idioms' as a subject for this paper, I have been particularly aware of how many of these phrases are used in everyday speech -' 'It's a piece of cake,' 'I'm fed up!' 'It's raining cats and dogs,' 'Let sleeping dogs lie.' These are enough to make a student who has consulted an English dictionary shake his head and say, 'I can't make heads or tails of what these phrases mean,' which, of course, he cannot do until he has been taught the ...  [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]

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]

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]

As there is a strong demand for TEFL qualified teachers in many countries worldwide, most course graduates should have little trouble finding a suitable position. However, to maximise your chances of securing the best jobs there are a few things you should be aware of. Where you should look for work, how to apply for jobs, and how to prepare for that all important interview are all covered below. Among the many attractions of teaching English abroad is the fact that you are free to choose not only the region where you would like to work, but also the specific country or even city. For some teachers the history and culture of Europe appeals most, while others are drawn to exotic destinations across Asia or Latin America. However, before you book your plane tickets you need to be aware...  [Read more]

Home > Articles I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it... So you've decided you want to teach English as a foreign language... There are many different practices that could be used for good classroom management and as with all techniques these need to be adapted to your own classroom, taking into account the age, culture, and personality of the class as a whole, and of you as a teacher... Classroom management requires a positive relationship between the teacher and the student... I believe that Classroom Management is the key component in any educational setting... I?m sure ?Classroom Management? holds many different meanings for many different people... Classroom management is a teacher?s ability to organize and control ...  [Read more]

Every year tens of thousands of people from all backgrounds leave behind their existing life and head overseas in search of fun, travel and adventure. They are able to do this by completing a TEFL certification course that gives them all the qualifications they need to apply for English language teaching jobs in countries all over the world. If you want to join this ever growing number of TEFL qualified teachers, there should be very little that can get in your way. Among the many attractions of teaching English abroad is the fact that you are free to choose not only the region where you would like to work, but also the specific country or even city. For some teachers the history and culture of Europe appeals most, while others are drawn to exotic destinations across Asia or Latin...  [Read more]