Blog Articles About Teaching and Learning English

Teaching English abroad can be both exciting and intimidating, especially to people who have never lived abroad before. Moving cities can even be a big thing for most people, so imagine moving to a place on the other side of the world, where people don’t even speak English. Those are the typical fears that hold teachers back, but there is no reason to let fear hold you back as it’s actually much easier than you think. There is a huge community of foreign teachers doing the same thing as you, so it’s easy to make friends. In most Asian countries, locals love foreigners and want to learn English as well, so they will make an effort to get to know you. Not everyone knows this, but some countries in Asia…

[caption id="attachment_30092" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Unsplash photo by Johannes Plenio[/caption] The Evolution of an ESL Teacher In 2010, my journey into the world of ESL teaching started after I packed up my bags and moved to Spain. Over the years I've taught in academies as well as at people's homes, offices and online, but one thing has remained consistent: ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers are in high demand. In this article, I'll explore some of my experiences as an ESL teacher and how those experiences shaped my evolution into what I am today (which is still evolving!). Working For An English Academy My first job was in an English academy in Madrid. Finding a job as an ESL teacher was pretty easy, even though I had absolutely no experience…

Whenever you work in ESL/EFL, it might be difficult to maintain the link to the outside world that you want to establish in your students. You might be teaching in an environment where there aren't many English speakers for the students to practice with, or you might believe that they simply regard the classes as a school subject rather than a communication tool. Using video to teach English is one method to bring the rest of the world into your classroom. Research and experience suggest that it can be a highly successful learning tool, but it must be used actively. Following are our suggestions on using video to teach effectively. 1. Pre-teach the video's tough vocabulary words, idioms, and expressions   Consider placing these words on the board and previewing…

An idiom is a commonly used phrase in the language to convey some genuine ideas. These phrases are important to support the statement and express unique ideas. Moreover, it generates a deeper understanding of the language. That is why idioms and phrases are common concepts in different competitive exams. Mostly, it is used during normal conversation. In the beginning, understanding its concepts would be a challenging task. However, regular language practice and reading different types of English phrases will give an idea about the same. Idioms are the backbone of English. Read on to know its importance. Why are idioms and phrases so important? It gives a genuine way to express English. There are certain idioms like ‘Get a taste of your own medicine’ or ‘Every cloud has a silver…

As the world becomes a smaller and smaller place the necessity to be able to communicate with as many people from as many different countries as possible has increased. It has been reported that France suffers from one of the great educational shortfalls from its education systems fail to prepare students for adult life by reporting one of the lowest rates of teaching them a second modern language. Considering the legacy of French colonialism this is quite surprising to become aware of. Due to this young adults may need to take it upon themselves to learn English in order to give themselves an extra advantage when it comes to their professional life. It is a very important skill to learn should you wish to do business with companies in the…

In college, many students who have English as their second language realize that academic writing is a particularly challenging thing. Quite often, ESL students don’t get enough instructions in middle and high school so creating well-written academic papers can be much more difficult for them. Even if students get access to writing courses, these courses are often quite generic so they don’t provide specific information that can be useful for students from a particular discipline. Quite often, teachers think that a high level of language proficiency is directly related to developed academic writing skills. Obviously, good academic writing is impossible without high English proficiency, but it doesn’t mean that one of these skills automatically improves another. It makes sense to differentiate textual competence and generic competence. Textual competence includes vocabulary…

In the year that COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives, there are lots of questions out there around the English Language Teaching world. The impact that COVID has had on the world has been profound and you could definitely say that ESL teachers are figuring out how to respond to the past year. To get a better understanding of where the industry is at the moment, The TEFL Academy undertook a significant survey. The information coming from the survey tells us that with new restrictions and considerations in people's lives, many are equipping themselves with TEFL qualifications to take up jobs teaching English online for the first time. This is due to the increase in online English teaching work that is now available, coupled with the emergence of…

⋯ By Melisa Marzett ⋯ What associations do you have when it comes to a school? Desks, blackboards, and books? Algebra problems you cannot solve or a long paragraph on history? Most regular schools and private ones are like two peas in a pod. Students get assignments, books, grades, and exams with the hope that they will enter a university after graduation. Now, let us not talk about the advantages and disadvantages of traditional schools. Instead, let us talk about experimental alternative schools, which have already proven their effectiveness. [caption id="attachment_27805" align="alignnone" width="900"] Source: Pexels[/caption] What are alternative schools? Alternative schools have nontraditional curriculums and a diverse range of teaching methods. These institutions typically cater to individual students’ skillsets, integrate cultures, encourage creativity, and use integrated educational approaches. What’s more,…

⋯  By Heidi Brumbaugh, PhD ⋯ A blended classroom is a learning environment that incorporates technology in a supporting role. Vocab Victor is a vocabulary-building app for English language learners. Even though I have dedicated my career to developing software to help students learn languages, I don't believe that computers can ever replace teachers. Rather, I think that software and teachers have different, and at times complimentary strengths. I strive to identify uses for technology that leverage these strengths, with the heartfelt hope that doing so will free up more time for English language teachers such as yourself to do what you do best. What teachers are good at Teachers are good at so many, many things. You make personal connections to your students that encourage and inspire them to…

For students and professionals hailing from countries that don’t have English as their primary language, having to learn how to speak and write in fluent English can be difficult. English is a highly technical language, and not being able to converse properly can have negative effects in a person’s career or studies. As distance learning becomes more popular and the world is becoming more interconnected, non-native English speakers need assistance, whether it’s getting help with English homework or help with drafting a business proposal in English. [caption id="attachment_27354" align="alignnone" width="900"] Source: pxhere[/caption] The Burden of Speaking and Writing in Fluent English In business as well as in the academy, English is commonly the primary language spoken. This is the reason why passing an English Proficiency Test (EPT) is still a…

Student loans are very helpful for anyone interested in advancing their education, but have you ever thought of how hectic it may be to paying off the loan? These loans may take most of your time that could have otherwise been spent with friends, family, or even traveling to places. Here are some essential tips that will give you the freedom to travel and pay off your student loans. Looking at the amount of loan you are to pay before traveling Traveling is a very beautiful thing to think of, especially away from the normal life working schedule, but this will not be possible if the bills and loans are on your mind. To avoid stress while traveling, you need to look at the debt that you have and consider…

⋯ By Melisa Marzett ⋯ Most of the indigenous languages of the Americas are becoming instinct; meanwhile, others do not speak anymore, so the question arises whether interpretation is even necessary when a growing number of indigenous people are either English or French-speaking. However, this is the case where he came to this situation, which makes translation needed, for all of the languages and behind them, progressively relevant. [caption id="attachment_27162" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Source: Pxhere[/caption] A small amount of them in Canadian cities stay respectively essential: children are still studying them. Translation is required and meaningful undoubtedly oftentimes, especially in the context of medicine, cost-effective use of resources and legal ones. Though, interpretation has become essential in order to exchange erudition, background, and heritage. Taking no account of the tongue pair,…

⋯ By Johanna Cider ⋯ [caption id="attachment_23932" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Image Source: Pexels[/caption] Every day, more expats are taking up the enterprise of teaching English as a second language. But being an ESL teacher isn’t just about paying your way while overseas; it’s also about gaining a whole new skill set as an educator. The foremost of these skills is the ability to make learning English – which is, at times, a frustrating and challenging language – genuinely fun for your students. So, if you’re looking for some easy and fun strategies to implement into your classroom, keep on reading. 1. Play a Game Even adult learners learn effectively through games. Getting your students to practice their oral English while playing Two Truths and a Lie, Simon Says, or good old-fashioned…

⋯ By Todd Persaud ⋯ Many реорlе аrоund thе wоrld are looking for unique wауѕ to lеаrn a foreign language, аnd Engliѕh iѕ thе most соmmоnlу learned fоrеign language in most соuntriеѕ in Asia. Whenever I ask cab drivers in Vietnam “habla espanol?” they usually think I’m just speaking English, but English they don’t understand. Nevermind the difficulties with learning various accents. I make one slip of a vowel because of my accent—because it doesn’t happen to sound like an Gillian-Lane Plescia audio series—the Vietnamese will totally miss the word. [caption id="attachment_17441" align="alignnone" width="900"] Teachers who create fun lessons for their students will encourage more participation in class. | Image source: pexels.com[/caption] Mоѕt реорlе will hаvе a diffiсult time lеаrning English, аnd mаnу реорlе will асtuаllу ѕtrugglе ѕо muсh thаt they…

⋯ By Anna Kokkali ⋯ Turning to language apps has changed the way people learn and retain a new language. With apps like Open Language, FluentU and KnowbleReader, they’ve all helped people learn English in substantial ways. The best part about these language apps is that you can kick start your learning experience, immediately, from the comfort of your house and office, with minimal or no cost. In this blog post, let me introduce you to three language apps that I personally find really useful for learning the English language. [caption id="attachment_16694" align="alignnone" width="900"] Source: Pixabay[/caption] Reviewing 3 of the Best Apps to Learn English for Free 1. Open Language It is an app that aims to facilitate the way of learning English, especially if you have a busy schedule and…

Thinking of landing your dream teaching job abroad? If the answer is yes, then you will likely need at least a 120-hour TEFL certificate in order to do so! If you haven’t heard of TEFL at all, then it is good to know that it stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and is mostly used when English is being taught where it is not the native language of the country it is being taught in. Although there are quite a few different certificates with similar names, the TEFL is great because it is not aimed at a specific age group. So, whether you plan to teach young children or adults, you will get the skills you need to become a successful teacher. So… why is getting a TEFL…

⋯ By Melisa Marzett ⋯ Everyone has language ability. Even people who are linguistically challenged can talk, read, and write. However, there are a lot of lazy potatoes who make excuses to say that they are incapable of learning in order to hide their laziness. These "incapable" people attempt language courses and go around in self-study circles but only spin their wheels. If you find yourself in this type of cycle, what can you do to learn more effectively? The Best Way to Learn English Fast For a start, decide whether you actually need or want to learn the language. If the answer is yes, go ahead and fight for it. If you have doubts, leave it or stop being in doubt. It is useless to wait. Just do it. Now…