Negative Silence

  This ITTT video examines the negative structure of the Present Simple tense. The positive and questions forms are covered in other videos. Negative: subject + auxiliary verb 'do' + not + base form of the verb I/You/We/They do not teach. He /She/It does not teach. It is always important to teach the contracted forms i.e. do not - don't, does - doesn't. In the negative form the auxiliary verb (also called the helping verb) doesn't has the s so the main verb doesn't need an s -- for example, He doesn't teach. ITTT's teaching courses equip graduates with the qualification and skills necessary to obtain teaching positions globally. Our graduates are in high demand because of the professional level of training and learning acquired on our courses. As a result of this our...  [Read more]

  For statements in the negative form, what we have to do is add the auxiliary verb 'to do'. For subjects 'I', 'you', 'we' and 'they', we simply leave 'do' as 'do', use the word 'not', and keep the base form of the verb now for the negative statements. However, for 'he', 'she' and 'it', we have to conjugate our auxiliary verb into 'does'. We still use 'not' and we still keep the base form of the verb. The pattern performing questions is very very similar to the pattern performing negative statements. However, what we've done is invert our subject and our auxiliary verb so that the questions read the auxiliary verb first. Of course, again, we use 'do' for 'I', 'you', 'we' and 'they' and use 'does' for 'he', 'she' and 'it'. In both cases, we've left our verb form as the base form of...  [Read more]

  Our next consideration is going to be how we actually group our students. There are perhaps three types of grouping arrangements that we can consider and within those we'll have a look at the potential positive and negatives of those particular arrangements. So firstly, what arrangements can we use? We could arrange our group as a whole class so all of their activities will be done as a whole class. They could be working as individuals and the final grouping arrangement we'll consider is that of small groups or indeed the use of pair work. So for each of these types of arrangements what are the potential positive and negatives with that type of arrangement? For the whole class certainly one of the main positive features is that it gives that class a sense of belonging. Secondly...  [Read more]

Student feedback is a valuable tool for TEFL teachers as it provides insight into the effectiveness of their teaching methods, materials, and overall classroom environment. By listening to students' opinions and suggestions, teachers can make adjustments to enhance the learning experience and better meet the needs of their students. Feedback also helps teachers gauge their strengths and areas for improvement, leading to professional growth and development. There are various strategies that TEFL teachers can use to collect student feedback effectively. One common method is to distribute anonymous surveys at the end of a course or term, asking students to rate different aspects of the class and provide comments. Teachers can also conduct one-on-one feedback sessions with students to have...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review, Belle describes how she had taught English before taking her course with ITTT but found that she did not enjoy the experience. She decided to take the course in order to get a better understanding of how to teach English. Belle found the course to be really useful and taught her ways of explaining things to students and how to manage classrooms that she was previously unaware of. 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. Just like...  [Read more]

  Some and Any are two words that often cause confusion, which is why we have decided to take a closer look at the difference of the two words in this video. Firsly, some is a determiner used for positive statements while any is a determiner used in questions and negative statements. Consider the following situation: I asked the teacher if he could give me some paper. I said ?Excuse me, have you got any paper?? Unfortunately, he didn?t have any. The first statement is positive and therefore requires us to use some. The second sentence is a question and therefore, we need to use any. The third and final sentence is a negative statement which also requries us to use any. It's worth noting that we do sometimes use some in questions and we also use any in positive statements. For...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review, Boh discusses his experience on the 120-hour online TEFL course without tutor support from ITTT. He found that the course exceeded his expectations with plenty of information covering both grammatical features of the English language and strategies for dealing with different students. 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. I learnt ways to identify differences in constructing verb tenses. Like in present continuous how to make...  [Read more]

  Margaret from Indonesia took the 120-hour online TEFL/TESOL course and had a great experience. She learned a lot about grammar, classroom management, and lesson planning. In her TEFL review, she recommends our training courses to anyone who is interested in becoming an English language teacher. 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. I have learnt about the direct and indirect speech. It was great to repeat all the rules because some of them I...  [Read more]

  This TESOL review is from Biao. He works as an English teacher in China and wanted to improve his teaching skills. That's why he decided the 120-hour online TESOL course. He enjoyed the course a lot and learned new techniques and methodologies. He also found the units on classroom management to be very helpful. 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. From this unit, I gained information on the different groups of students and how to accommodate...  [Read more]

  We at ITTT have changed the lives of over 100,000 people around the globe who have graduated with our internationally accredited TEFL and TESOL courses. Move abroad, travel the world and change your life forever with ITTT - where the world is your classroom. 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. I think tenses receives and gives more attention than any other aspect of English grammar because the value of time in present and future are very...  [Read more]

  Regardless of which particular business English setting you find yourself teaching in, there is a typical process that is recommended to go through before you start your course. Watch this video for helpful tips and tricks for anyone who is teaching business English classes. 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. I am particularly fascinated with the section on rising and falling intonation and how that indicates or predicts mood and/or information,...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'defuse' and 'diffuse'. Their similar spelling and pronunciation make them a word pair that is often confused. The word 'defuse' refers to the action of making a situation less harmful or tense, whereas 'diffuse' means to spread over a wide area. Watch the video for detailed examples on the two words. 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. This unit shows how important is it to know how to teach a new...  [Read more]

  In this video lesson the teacher covers the present perfect continuous tense. Iban starts the lesson with a memory game to help get the students engage in the lesson and thinking and speaking in English. He then goes on to present his lesson on the present prefect continuous tense before finishing the lesson with activities to get the students to use the language they have learned. 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. This unit covered teaching...  [Read more]

Teacher turnover at a school refers to the rate at which teachers leave their positions and are replaced by new educators. Several factors can influence teacher turnover rates at a school, including job satisfaction, working conditions, professional development opportunities, administrative support, and the overall school culture. Here are some key points to consider regarding teacher turnover at a school: High teacher turnover rates at schools can be attributed to various factors, impacting both teachers and educational institutions. Some of the key contributors to high teacher turnover rates include: Teacher turnover can have a significant impact on student performance and learning outcomes. When teachers leave schools frequently, it disrupts the educational environment and can lead to...  [Read more]

  Moving down our list of parts of speech, we have our verbs. The first big difference between verbs that we need to look at is whether it's an action verb or a state verb. Our action verbs, as the name suggests, mean that we typically can see these things in action. We can see people working and we certainly see people going to various places. Now, we have our state verbs. These are basically indicating a state of being. Two examples would be "seem" and "have" or "own". We have a sentence such as "He seems angry." and "I own my house." You can't actually see the action happening, even though those words are used as verbs. A very big differentiation between the two here as well is, state verbs typically don't take the progressive or continuous form. That form is the verb "+ing". As...  [Read more]

  This TEFL review is from Paavani. She is from Ohio, USA, but just moved to South Korea where she will work as an English teacher. As this will be her first full-time teaching position, she decided to take our online TEFL/TESOL program to get the best possible foundation in teaching before starting her new position. After completing the course, she feels ready and prepared to teach Korean students in her own EFL classroom and she recommends this course to other new teachers. 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...  [Read more]

  This video is a sample EFL lesson in a real-life classroom setting abroad. In the activate phase of the lesson, the teacher starts a class activity with his students. The class is split into two teams and a member of each team is competing against the other team to build a correct sentence about modal verbs. This phase of the lesson is important for the students to actively use the newly learned grammar or vocabulary. 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. ...  [Read more]

  This TEFL review is from Will from the United States. After doing a lot of research, he decided that he wanted to follow a new career path in teaching English as a foreign language. Since a TEFL/TESOL course is one of the most common requirements for EFL employers worldwide, he decided to take our 120-hour online TEFL/TESOL certification course and enjoyed it a lot. Will chose the tutored version of the course and was able to ask a professional ITTT tutor any questions he might have during the course. After completing the course, he was also offered an additional 50-hour course for free and received excellent post-course services such as resume and interview preparation and access to job offers worldwide. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of...  [Read more]

  What is teacher turnover like at the school? Teacher turnover at a school refers to the rate at which teachers leave their positions and are replaced by new educators. Several factors can influence teacher turnover rates at a school, including job satisfaction, working conditions, professional development opportunities, administrative support, and the overall school culture. Here are some key points to consider regarding teacher turnover at a school: High teacher turnover can have negative impacts on student learning, as frequent changes in staff can disrupt continuity and relationships within the school community. Schools with high turnover rates may struggle to maintain a stable and experienced teaching staff, which can affect the quality of instruction and support provided to...  [Read more]

  What if I don\'t like my students? If you don't like your students, it's important to address the situation professionally and find ways to improve the relationship for a better teaching experience. Here are some tips on how to handle this situation: Reflect on the reasons: Take some time to understand why you feel this way towards your students. Is it due to behavior, personality clashes, or other factors? Focus on the positive: Try to find something you appreciate or admire about each student. This can help shift your perspective and build a more positive relationship. Build rapport: Make an effort to connect with your students on a personal level. Show interest in their lives, hobbies, and achievements. Seek support: Talk to a mentor, colleague, or supervisor about your...  [Read more]

  What else can I do to check the quality of an online TEFL course? To check the quality of an online TEFL course, you can take the following steps: Look for accreditation: Ensure that the course is accredited by a recognized body in the field of English language teaching, such as ACCET, TESL Canada, or the British Council. Accreditation is a mark of quality and ensures that the course meets certain standards. Check the course curriculum: Review the syllabus and course content to ensure that it covers a wide range of topics relevant to teaching English as a foreign language. Look for modules on language acquisition, lesson planning, classroom management, and teaching methodologies. Read reviews and testimonials: Look for feedback from previous students to get an idea of their...  [Read more]

  This ITTT video outlines the structure of the Present Perfect Continuous tense, the tense that is used for events which started in the past and are still continuing, or which have stopped, but whose effects are still ongoing. This one of two videos -- this one focuses on the structure of the positive and negative forms. Positive form: subject + auxiliary verb 'have'/'has' + been + present participle I have been working for ten years. Negative form: subject + auxiliary verb 'have'/'has' + not +been + present participle She has not been working here for some time. It is essential for any TESOL course to provide teachers with a sound knowledge of the English language tense system and to give teachers the confidence to present productive, meaningful and correct information to...  [Read more]

  "In terms of the things that are negative about it, we've already said that it doesn't develop speaking but perhaps the biggest negative point about this particular methodology is that it's very unnatural. Ok, so despite the criticisms of this particular method, and particularly the fact that is unnatural, this particular methodology was in use all the way through the 17th, 18th and 19th century and indeed it's still in use today. However, Gouin in the 1880s and Berlitz in the early 1900s decided that this particular methodology was so unnatural that they wanted to come up with something new. The method that they came up with, they called the direct method. You will also sometimes see it as the natural method. What these two people were saying is that if we wish to learn a...  [Read more]

  So let's take an example of what those drills might involve. So here is an example of a repetition drill. I will model the language and then my class will repeat after me. So "This is a cup." "Spoon" ? "This is a spoon." "Knife" - "his is a knife." Thank you. The reason that it's called or also called the army method is that it was the method adopted by the United States military who had personnel stationed around the world at the end of Second World War and they realized that they needed those personnel to pick up the language very quickly and one of the positive things about this particular methodology is that you do very quickly learn vocabulary. Another positive thing about it is that you quickly learn the correct pronunciation of that vocabulary. However, there are some...  [Read more]

Discipline in the TEFL classroom is crucial for creating a conducive learning environment. It involves maintaining order, managing behavior, and promoting respect among students. TEFL teachers must understand cultural differences that may influence behavior and adapt their approach accordingly. Establishing clear expectations and consequences from the beginning helps set the tone for classroom behavior. Effective classroom management is key to preventing discipline issues. Teachers can use a variety of strategies such as positive reinforcement, engaging lessons, and interactive activities to keep students motivated and focused. Setting up group norms and rules collaboratively with students can also foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among the learners. Developing positive...  [Read more]

  This video is a sample EFL lesson in a real-life classroom setting abroad. The classroom activity "find someone who" is a great way to get the students to use the new learned vocabulary or grammar point as it can easily be applied to any kind of topic. 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. This unit helped me to revisit the past part of the tenses. Learning the present tenses just a few days earlier greatly helped in going through this part of the...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'affected' and 'effected'. As these two words have a similar pronunciation and spelling, their usage is often confused. 'Effected' means executed, produced, or brought about. On the other hand, 'affected' refers to the action of making an impact on something. Some example sentences would be: "The BP oil spill adversely affected marine wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding areas." or "After the BP oil spill, the government effected sweeping environmental regulation." Both words are used in the past tense in these examples but can also be used in the same way in the present tense as 'affect' and 'effected'. They are also often used as a passive, such as 'was affected by...'. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate...  [Read more]

Reluctant learners in a TEFL classroom can be challenging to engage, but it's crucial to understand the underlying reasons for their disengagement. Some students may lack confidence in their language abilities, while others might have had negative past experiences with language learning. It's important to identify these barriers to learning to effectively address them and create a supportive environment for all students to thrive. There are various strategies you can use to engage reluctant learners in your TEFL classroom. One effective approach is to make the learning experience more interactive and hands-on. Incorporating games, group activities, and real-life scenarios can make the lessons more engaging and relevant to the students. Additionally, providing opportunities for students to...  [Read more]

To check the quality of an online TEFL course, you can take the following steps: Look for accreditation: Ensure that the course is accredited by a recognized body in the field of English language teaching, such as ACCET, TESL Canada, or the British Council. Accreditation is a mark of quality and ensures that the course meets certain standards. Check the course curriculum: Review the syllabus and course content to ensure that it covers a wide range of topics relevant to teaching English as a foreign language. Look for modules on language acquisition, lesson planning, classroom management, and teaching methodologies. Read reviews and testimonials: Look for feedback from previous students to get an idea of their experiences with the course. Positive reviews can indicate a high-quality...  [Read more]

As Spain is a member of the EU, language schools generally prefer to hire teachers from fellow EU countries as they do not need to go through the hassle of applying for a work visa. However, this doesn't stop thousands of non-EU citizens from coming to Spain each year to work as English language teachers. Many of these simply enter on a tourist visa and technically work illegally. While this is common practice and rarely has any negative consequences, there is an alternative for those who want to live and work in Spain. By enrolling on a study course (typically a Spanish language course), teachers can apply for a student visa that also allows them to legally work a certain number of hours per week. To start the process you should visit your nearest Spanish Consulate at least three...  [Read more]