Jamie Bishop

The use of songs in the ESL classroom can be a fun and innovative way of covering a range of English language topics. Songs can be used for vocabulary, grammar, dictation, pronunciation (stress and intonation), phonetics, speaking, writing, listening, integrative skills, and many other ESL points. Furthermore, songs can invite the non-native speaker into the English speaking culture. For instance, pop music gives the learner a taste of what is trendy at the moment. Meanwhile, the lyrics to classic rock songs can give a sense of history and the attitude of the country at the time of recording (for example, 'Give Peace a Chance,' John Lennon, 1969). Additionally, children's songs are crucially important for the young learner as they are an easy way to encourage memorization and...  [Read more]

Music is everywhere. It's playing at the mall. It's playing in the car, in the restaurants, at home. It's accessible, and crosses all social, racial, and linguistic lines. As such, it is an excellent recourse for teachers of English as a foreign language. It is particularly good for teachers who are using the ESA method of teaching, because songs fit the lesson plan for every stage of teaching. Music in the classroom is widely supported by a worldwide network of teachers as well as numerous studies showing their worth as a teaching device. Getting students to break down their social inhibitors getting them involved in the class lesson is one of the challenges facing language teachers, particularly when said students are culturally encouraged to be reticent, or when they are adults and are...  [Read more]

Classrooms are places for seriousness, but they are also places for serious enjoyment. Indeed, fun and entertainment are effective tools of instruction, and games are excellent ways of bringing fruitful fun into the classroom. I would contend, moreover, that games of varied sorts can be introduced at every stage of a lesson as integral parts of the Engage, Study and Activate phases.Rik Ruiter and Pinky Y. Dang, authors of Highway to E.S.L: A User-Friendly Guide to Teaching English as a Second Language (2005), note the significance of games in a chapter entitled 'Fun E.S.L.' Heading for the Sunset'. They explain that it is essential to take breaks from using only the textbook as students 'will become bored as anyone would from being forced to do the mundane' (2005: 281). Indeed, Ruiter and...  [Read more]

  Jamiu from Nigeria took the 120-hour online TEFL course without tutor support from ITTT. IN this TEFL review video Jamiu discusses what the learned on the course including how to structure a lesson plan and different teaching techniques and strategies. The course also helped him clear up some misunderstanding he had about English grammar. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. In this unit, I have learned that the present tense has four aspects; simple,...  [Read more]

  In this tesol review video Jamin talks about his experience taking ITTT’s 120-hour online TESOL course. Jamin is currently living and working as an English teacher in South Korea. He has been working as a teacher for the past 5 years. Despite working as a teacher for several years Jamin found that he still learned several things throughout the course. Jamin recommends the 120-hour course to anyone thinking of taking a TESOL course. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Liangshi Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Hengyang Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. What makes the language learning experience so different for young learners compared to adult learners? How do adults and children acquire a second language differently? What benefits do young learners possess over adults when it comes to acquiring a second language and vice versa? The following essay attempts to provide an answer to these questions but more...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Qingshi Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Huanggang Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Songs and chants are one of the primary methods through which students acquire their home language, there are songs and chants for daily activities, nursery rhymes etc, all are teaching the students vocabulary and language naturally. Those same types of songs can be used to teach English, just in a different way. It needs to be more structured with more support...  [Read more]

The use of songs in the ESL classroom can be a fun and innovative way of covering a range of English language topics. Songs can be used for vocabulary, grammar, dictation, pronunciation (stress and intonation), phonetics, speaking, writing, listening, integrative skills, and many other ESL points. Furthermore, songs can invite the non-native speaker into the English speaking culture. For instance, pop music gives the learner a taste of what is trendy at the moment. Meanwhile, the lyrics to classic rock songs can give a sense of history and the attitude of the country at the time of recording (for example, ?Give Peace a Chance,? John Lennon, 1969). Additionally, children?s songs are crucially important for the young learner as they are an easy way to encourage memorization and...  [Read more]