English for Special Purposes or ESP is subset of English for a specific purpose which is likely related to their work. For example, a doctor who wishes to work in an English speaking country will need ESP biased towards medical English; a footballer from Italy...
Listening is one of the four main language skills along with reading, writing and speaking. Whilst in reading and writing we talk about sentences, the spoken (or heard) equivalent is an utterance. The Components of Listening Listening is often confusing for...
CAE stands for the Certificate in Advanced English. As the name suggests it is an exam for advanced users of English. It is generally aimed towards people who can use written and spoken English for most professional and social purposes and it sits roughly between...
Peer Correction is a method of correcting work where other students in the class correct mistakes rather than having the teacher correct everything. It is useful in that it means involving the whole class in the moment and it also allows the teacher to check what the...
The First Certificate in English or FCE is an examination in English from Cambridge Assessment which is internationally accepted. The holder is generally thought of as being able to use English adequately in most everyday situations: exchanging basic information,...
Mini Whiteboards in class are a truly excellent way to achieve greater student participation and to allow the teacher to see immediately whether the class have understood the topic under discussion. Using mini whiteboards can really make a major difference in your...
English for Academic Purposes (or EAP) is usually concerned with teaching English to students who are involved in higher education at an English speaking university or college. EAP students are usually current higher education students or they are hoping to go on to...
The Grammar-Translation method (or GTM) was the most popular teaching method for over 100 years and it continues to be used even today despite many years of criticism. Essentially the GTM involves simply translating English into the mother tongue of the students....
All performers - and teachers when they stand in front of a class are performers - feel stage fright when they begin. However, experienced performers (including teachers) channel that fright into performing energy. Fight your fears and the rewards will soon outweigh...
ELT is an acronym standing for English Language Teaching, something of a catch-all term to describe teaching English to people who do not speak it as a native language. Of course there is not one "English Language" to be taught. What you teach will depend very much...
Unfortunately TEFL is not just about teaching English, the issue of Discipline also arises and needs to be covered and dealt with effectively. Whilst discipline in language schools is not normally as much of a problem as it is in regular state schools, as a teacher...
Writing is not just a matter of putting pen to paper. It requires some thought and a certain level of language skills. We talk about good writing when the written work - be it an essay or an email, a poem or a business letter - expresses a clear point, has substance,...
The Target Language or TL is the language your students are learning. In this case, English. This needs to be contrasted with a student's Mother Tongue or MT which is the language they first learned as a child. The TL is of primary importance in the classroom and...
Minimal Pairs are pairs of words (and sometimes phrases) which differ in their sound by just one element. They are an incredibly useful tool in the TEFL teachers' bag and if you haven't started yet, you should learn about them and use them! Mostly minimal pairs...
When you Teach English to Beginners you should work on the basic principle that everything should be given in short, simple, steps. Then everything should be totally relevant and interesting to your students. This is likely their first time learning English so you...
Fifty students and only fifty minutes once a week! How do you get the students to actively participate in class? Here are a few teaching tips and ideas to help you cope with L and XL classes, and give all your students the opportunity to take part in the lesson. They...
Famously there is an old adage, there is no such thing as a boring lesson, just a boring teacher. It may be a little harsh, but all teachers will sooner or later come across a bored class. However, you have it within your power to change that. There are many ways in...
Total Physical Response (TPR) is a teaching method based on the idea that a new language can be learned through actions and that movement can help students learn and understand. It was first developed by James J. Asher over 30 years ago. We all have preferences for...
Communicative Language Teaching (or CLT) is a popular approach to language teaching which emphasizes using language in the same way that it's used in real life. In other words, you put your students in language situations which are as close to real life as possible....
This is a common sense list of DOs and DON'Ts for Teachers. It is especially relevant to teachers working overseas. DO be punctual, consistent and fair dress well - most countries put far more store in this than the UK and USA; conservative is good (see the links...
The best way to correct a student's written work is not necessarily the most obvious. If you've been to a traditional school then you will have probably had your homework corrected in full by your teachers - all the mistakes pointed out and the corrections put in. And...
This is an interesting way to keep order in a classroom. Basically you find out from your Director of Studies what the usual punishment in the school is be it detention, lines, expulsion from the class, calling parents, etc. Next, prepare a couple of cards: one yellow...
A Silent Period is a period of time during which English Language Learners avoid speaking in English. They may write in English, they may well understand what is being said in English, but they will shy away from saying anything in the language they are learning. This...
Arguably the most important part of the lesson is the very beginning. Here you can either capture your students or lose them. What you need to do is make your introductions as interesting as possible so they hook your students attention and make them want to learn...
IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing System and it is a test designed to assess how well a learner speaks English. In 2008 over 1.2 million people took the tests in 120 different countries. It is held regularly throughout the year, several...
Dictation is often frowned upon and considered old fashioned, boring and unproductive by some people. But, handled properly, it can be productive, fun and very useful in the EFL classroom. The trick is to use dictation in a way that is both stimulating and relevant....
An acronym is a word formed by using one or more letters of the words in a phrase. It's used as an abbreviation of that phrase. In everyday life there are many commonly used acronyms. Some are formed from the initials of each word whilst others use parts of the...
Here are a few quick tips for TEFL teachers on using your blackboard or whiteboard or interactive whiteboard in class. Face the Class Don’t stand with your back to the class! Doing this is an opportunity for them to tune out and start talking. While you are writing...
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This acronym is commonly used in Europe and by European teachers - mainly British and Irish. In most cases TEFL is synonymous with TESOL and TESL, however there are differences at a deeper level. Essentially...
This question is often asked by new or potential TEFL teachers, especially since many schools in the UK and USA do not teach grammar as a matter of course and many high school graduates will not know a verb from a noun. Can you describe language? It's an...
