Beginning Esl Lesson Plans

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas One of the great things about teaching conditionals is that once you discover some classroom activities that work well for one, they can be adapted to suit any of the conditional patterns that you may be asked to teach. Here are 7 fun activities for teaching conditionals for the ESL classroom that you can easily adapt to help your students understand the correct structures and usages. Tell your students to stand up and form in two lines (teams) and have an item that can be thrown and caught without causing injury or damage. Set the timer on your phone to sound after about 30-45 seconds. The teacher calls out the beginning half of a conditional sentence, throws the ball to a student at the beginning of the line and asks them to complete it. The student then...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Students in ESL classes, especially those newer to English, face what may seem to be a daunting set of tasks related to learning a new language. A teacher's encouragement will ease the students' stress, provide positive feedback and, gently, areas of improvement, and provide an amicable environment conducive to learning. The age and experience level of the students should be considered in what specific words of encouragement are given--too effusive and older, more experienced students may be turned off, while too complicated and the younger students may not appreciate the teacher's phrasing. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jonathan W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT....  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences When I was young, I dreamt about thousands of different jobs, but being an online English teacher was never one of them. However, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Chinese students ranging from 5 to 13 years old and it has been one of the best experiences of my life so far. How am I going to communicate with them? Am I ready to be a teacher? How will I transmit what I want to teach? These are some of the questions that went through my mind before accepting the job, but when I finally decided to take it and started to be an ESL teacher I knew I was doing what I love the most, transmitting knowledge. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Karla V. I first started teaching with a Chinese company named US Class that utilizes an online...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Being an ESL teacher is not an easy task, especially if you work as a freelancer TEFL teacher online. In this case, you have to be even more organized to provide better services to your students. This blog post offers you 3 apps for digital ESL lesson plans that will save you a lot of time. I know that many teachers still prefer to write their notes and plans on paper because it's the best way to make imagination flow. However, there is a considerable disadvantage with this approach: even if you are a very organized person, in time, it becomes challenging to figure out your thoughts on scattered lesson plans. A digital planner can help you sort everything out much more efficiently. This gives you more time to relax....  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences Lesson planning is an indispensable part of successful lessons. Generally speaking, lesson plans have various functions that are conducive to the classes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Juan W. First and most importantly, lesson plans can help teachers think and deliver classes logically through different stages of the classes. It can also give teachers hints needed. When teachers plan lessons, there are several aspects that need to be taken into consideration, such as lesson objectives, possible difficulties and skill and so on. Second, It’s a record of classes that have been done and materials have been used. On the one hand, even though teachers have good memory, it is almost impossible for them to remember the classes they...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Lesson planning is a significant element of everyday life as a teacher in English as a foreign language. A lesson plan acts as a step-by-step guide providing the structure for your lesson. However, too much planning can make lessons rather rigid and stop the teacher being flexible to the needs of the students. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Mariska F. Before planning a lesson, it is essential to classify the learning outcomes for the class. This is crucial as it helps the teacher maintain a standard teaching pattern and does not let the class deviate from the topic. Pre-planning helps the teacher to be better equipped in answering questions asked by the students during the lesson. Lesson planning establishes your credibility...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Dazhangjia Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Liaocheng 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. I began teaching ESL with only a brief 30-minute class and a referral to online materials created by past volunteers. We were taught to track the number of new vs. ongoing students in our classes. It was up to us to come up with the topic, materials, and to advertise the classes to the residents. It was recommended that we use the same materials that we were...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Lesson planning is vital to ensure a smooth lesson. If you are new to teaching English as a foreign language, lesson planning might seem daunting at first. However, after reading through this comprehensive guide, you should already feel a lot more confident! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Betty S. A lesson plan is like a set of notes. It tells us what we are going to teach and how we are going to teach. A lesson plan is important because of several reasons. Mainly, it is a road map to help the teacher know where s/he is going in the lesson. With a lesson plan teachers are more confident because they know what to do in every step of the lesson. It provides a systematic outline to induce smooth and efficient teaching. It helps to...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Siji Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Ankang 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. ESA stands for Engage, Study, Activate. ESA is a guided form of teaching in a classroom setting. It is a highly used with students that know basic English. There are many ways to use ESA in a classroom. The beneficial part of ESA is that you can adapt it to how the students learn and what they need from the lesson the most. One way to teach ESA is the ‘straight...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Deciding to be a teacher in a kindergarten can be intimidating for some inexperienced teachers in the beginning. In my case, I was quite unsure of teaching very young kids and would rather teach adults. However, I ended up in China and started to teach English in a kindergarten and it resulted to be easier than expected. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Samy H. I would say that the key point in order to be a good kindergarten teacher is establishing a good rapport with the kids since the beginning. Kids at this age are very young and some of them won’t like the teacher in the beginning. Some warmers, songs, and games with them will quickly solve the problem. In a few days, all the kids will like the teacher very much and this is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Over the years I have pondered whether or not to try and teach English as a career. Watching countless online videos and reading travel blogs of 'wandering teachers' and articles on sites such as ' Dave's ESL Café, I sort of got mixed emotions about ESL teachers. That is of course until I took the chance and became one myself. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Leon G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In the two years of being a teacher I have certainly learned a lot, I've experienced extreme highs and extreme lows in a country where basic English is a rare find. With no prior experience or knowledge of how to educate, my first few weeks were tough, to say the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I believe it is very important to plan and write down lessons, for the benefit of the students, myself, relieving teachers, and especially while I am an inexperienced teacher. A lesson plan acts as a device for a singular lesson, helps create a series of lessons, and as a record of what has been taught. Self Evaluation Forms will be vital as a new teacher so that I can continuously self improve. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kylie G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When I take the time to write down a lesson, it requires thinking about the level of that particular class and what I want to achieve by the end of the lesson. The lesson plan can be written on a formal...  [Read more]

  Tracy from the USA took the in-class TEFL course in Prague, Czech Republic. In this TEFL review video she discusses her overall experience. Tracy was very satisfied with the support she received before and during the course. Prague is just one of many training centers around the world where ITTT's TEFL/TESOL courses are offered. 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 section of the course is where I am beginning to learn more new material that I never...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas As you have learned during your TEFL certification course, a good lesson starts with an engage, or warm-up phase. This usually consists of a fun and interesting activity to get your students going and speaking in English. For new teachers, it’s often these more casual moments of a class that are a challenge because of their lack of teaching experience. However, these top 5 icebreakers for new TEFL teachers will help you to get your class energized and ready for your lesson. This is a great activity for your very first lesson with a new class. Basically, the students each write down three statements. Two statements are true but one of them is a lie. Next, the students either present the statements to each other or to you, the teacher. The other students,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas There are many famous games used by TEFL teachers that students know like the back of their hand. If you want to change up your online lessons and bring even more fun in your teaching, check out these seven non-trivial online ESL games to help you in every stage of the TEFL class. For this activity, you will need to prepare a digital image and share it with a student during the online class. You can find plenty of connect-the-dots worksheets on the internet. The student needs to have access to the drawing tool, so make sure the online conference program you use has this feature. Choose a picture that would accompany the lesson's topic. Ask a student to connect the dots at the beginning of the online class to find out...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas If you have already switched to online ESL teaching, you've definitely been using an online board. There are many good options out there, but I prefer using Miro over the others. Miro is a convenient online whiteboard with lots of fun and interactive tools to use during the class and outside. In this blog post, I'd like to share several interactive ideas to enhance your online ESL lesson. At the beginning of the online ESL lesson, start with a warm-up conversation. Ask your students about their mood, day, weather, etc. Just do some small talk of any kind. To support the conversation, you can encourage your students to draw pictures on Miro using the "pen" tool. This exercise is a fun way to break the ice and remember...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Hanzhong-shi? Are you interested in teaching English in Hanzhong-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. Check out which city/town you may be more interested in and start your journey| Business English is a powerful tool to build bridges that would connect two individuals or group of people to reach common goals There is an obvious difference between teaching one to one and teaching groups Forming a lesson plan : The structure of a lesson plan can be fluid As we...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas People may think that taking a TEFL course is not necessary to be a good teacher. Along with that, TEFL courses cost both time and money, so, understandably, people question whether it is even worth it to take the course. Although many people have become successful teachers without taking a TEFL course, these courses can provide teachers and aspiring teachers tips for managing a class and creating a more efficient lesson plan. Also, when teaching English in a foreign country, knowledge of the English language is not the only thing someone needs to know; teachers need to be aware of a variety of issues that can arise when teaching in a foreign country. Notably, they need to consider how different the culture is compared to their home country. TEFL courses...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Xuying Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Liaocheng 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. Imagine being a student who does not understand English and you walk into a classroom with a bunch of diagrams written on the board. Chances are, you will feel overwhelmed from the get go. Having been out of a classroom for over 20 years, beginning the grammar part of my ESL course was a bit overwhelming for me. Teaching grammar to ESL students is probably one of...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas For teachers of English to speakers of other languages, a diagnostic test is a valuable resource that can be employed to help both the teacher and the student. A diagnostic test is given at the beginning of the course, and is intended to assess the student’s current knowledge and mastery of the English language. Diagnostic tests are similar to placement tests, however, a diagnostic test is generally used to assess more areas of the English language as a whole. Diagnostic tests are important as they assist the teacher in preparing lessons and materials, can help gauge the level of the student and whether the course is a good fit, and can help students know what language areas they need to improve on. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I began my TEFL/TESOL experience not having had any prior teaching experience. Therefore, teaching was something that I was learning step-by-step, reading the units and using Internet resources for additional examples when needed. Even though there is no straightforward answer to this question, the ITTT course taught me that being a teacher is so much more than just transferring knowledge to someone else. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sofija A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It helped me pave my path of self-discovery as a teacher. There were many areas in which I felt I was strong in theory but lacked the practice. This course has been visual and based on...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The lesson plan is a structure of the course that you will give to your students, a clear guide as to what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it. A good lesson plan generally consists of learner objectives, personal aims, language points, procedure, phase, and interaction, etc. It is of great importance because it can help teachers to have confidence in class, make the class go more smoothly and help to improve the course. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yanfen G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Firstly, it can help teachers be full of confidence in class. As is well known to everyone, people will easily get nervous and at a loss, if we are not well...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Xihedi Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Jincheng 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. Before I answer to this question, let me define the term ’rapport’. What is ’rapport’? Rapport is a relationship in which the teacher and the students (and among the students as well) can understand each other’s thoughts, feelings or ideas, and as a result can communicate well. Establishing rapport is the process where the teacher and the students reach...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Chenzhuang Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Zibo 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. An ESL course requires a lot of time and effort from both the teacher and the students. It is therefore essential to include evaluation and testing at the beginning and throughout the course in order to show that progress has been made from the original language level of the students. Placement testing helps teachers group students in classes of similar strengths....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Every student requires something different to learn English successfully. Aside from one-on-one lessons, teachers usually will not have the time to dedicate extensive attention to each student, though. Not every English-learner will be given a unique lesson catered to their needs. However, teachers can develop plans that fit best for general types of students based on their profiles. Factors such as students' age, language level, and motivation for learning helps teachers identify a student profile and thus develop the best lessons to get them engaged. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jake E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Beginner students may have never...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When considering how an ESL student learns the English language, the first aspect of the teaching material an instructor must consider is the vocabulary. Vocabulary, when breaking a sentence into individual pieces, gives a sentence its meaning. Of course, using the appropriate grammar is essential to communicating at the highest level, especially if a student is to be considered proficient to any degree. Regardless of grammar, if a student does not know the basic vocabulary, the message the student wants to convey will never leave the mental painting in the depths of his or her mind. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jordon T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. One may...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Changgou Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Jining 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. It's daunting. You walk into a group of students and they are all looking at you expectantly. It's the first day -- and you have signed up for this. You are a beginning teacher, but somehow you have to convince them that you know what you are doing. While I haven't yet taught my first ESL class, I have had the privilege of teaching --for the first time -- a group of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Ever have someone try to establish rapport with you? When we think about it carefully, the answer is affirmative. You need to build rapport with people to make friends. To do business with establishing rapport, as well as sales. Establishing rapport makes things much easier than you don’t. Imagine meeting someone for the first time and you are not interested in him. What is your next move？Obviously you will end the conversation with him? Let us focus on the importance of building rapport in class. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jiajia Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In my point of view, the good relationship between the learners and the teachers is vital...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have a great fascination and interest to teach English as well as proper study techniques to students of all ages. This next year, I plan on moving to China to teach English to young children. When contemplating these future endeavors, I plan on implementing songs as a method to help young children learn English. Singing songs is a fun, interactive method that engages the attention of children. When teaching children, I argue that singing songs is a great method to cultivate and maintain a strong foundation in their English language level. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Oni M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Young children can learn languages faster and with more...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on the importance of self-analysis in the teaching job. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on teaching groups. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on teaching one-on-one. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on how to build confidence in your ESL students. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on issues Russian speakers have when they learn English pronunciation. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our...  [Read more]