Melanie English

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Today I will be discussing teaching EFL in a kindergarten class in Vietnam. The main 3 points I will be talking about are the culture, school support and parent assistance. Just to give you some background, my name is Melanie and I am from Ohio, USA. I have over 10 years experience in the classroom. I started as a substitute teacher in Nevada and then decided to move abroad to Vietnam in 2013. Vietnam is where I had my first EFL experience of teaching kindergarten. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie W. The first big difference I noticed in the school compared to the US was the culture and practices of the Vietnamese people. What I quickly learned was that in general the people were very friendly and driven by education. For...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Liulin Zhen? 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. Today I will be discussing teaching EFL in a kindergarten class. The main 3 points I will be talking about are Vietnam/the culture, school support and parents assistance. Just to give you some background, my name is Melanie Wallace and I am from Toledo, Ohio USA. I have over 10 years in the classroom experience. First starting as a substitute teacher in Nevada and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Learning a new language is not an easy task, regardless of the age it is learned at. Typically it is a little easier to learn languages at a young age, as most of the learning process is done subconsciously and most activities are geared to be fun and informative. It is important to begin learning languages at a young age and begin to stimulate the different parts of the brain involved in language processing. Therefore it is important to begin learning English as a foreign language in kindergarten classes. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching a young beginner class can be especially challenging as they can only...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Learning a new language is not an easy task, regardless of the age it is learned at, and with the globalization of the English language, there are more and more people faced with the challenge of learning English to better their lives. English is known as one of the most difficult languages to learn due to its irregularities, and therefore requires a variety of different techniques to be applied in the classroom to help students learn the language better. Even though adult and young learners are both learning the same things, the learning process for both groups can be quite different. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences There is little doubt that students who are interested, involved and motivated are easier to teach. Motivated students are forthcoming and attentive, the class flows easily, and there is more response and creativity during activities. So, with a class full of motivated kids, we find our English class is more fun. But does that mean the students can learn as much? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie S. In many countries, in fact, in many traditional schools across the world, grammar drilling, memorization and recitation are primary methods of teaching. Some students learn the rules and memorize all the lessons. Their motivation is fanned by the praise and good grades earned by their success. Other students ‘tune out’ and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas One of the greatest and most spoken about topics I have come across, both in the English language classroom and in general conversation with people from all walks of life, is the use of US English and British English, and which of the two is more ''correct'' or ''better'' to learn, or even what sounds nicer to the ear. This is a controversial topic because the ideas surrounding these questions will be more favorable to one use or the other, depending on the influences both English types have in the country the student is studying in. Another factor that will affect opinions and thoughts on the subject is the personal history each student has with or both types of English. And how much they consume it in both...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Besides the thousands of things they have on their minds (personal problems, health issues, daydreaming, etc.) and the temptation to just chat with their neighbors in the classroom, students can also be easily distracted by their smartphones. Distraction is not the only obstacle to the class, boredom and absenteeism don’t help the class either. To prevent those behaviors, students need to be motivated, which is every teacher's challenge. While all students have different backgrounds and expectations, the teacher still has plenty of resources to tease students' attention and increase their participation. How do you keep students motivated in the English class? This essay lists and elicits a few possibilities to explore to motivate students to learn...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English to foreign-speaking students comes with much responsibility, creativity, patience, and kindness. On the opposite end, learning another language is challenging, requires practice and can be frustrating. To make the teaching and learning exchange seamless there are a variety of lesson structures and independent/ group activities available for teachers to implement into classrooms. Although many methods can be used, grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening, writing, and speaking are all important structures taken into consideration as learning the language comfortably and fluently is always the end goal. Throughout this summative task, different methodologies will be paired and compared to find out which one is the best. This post was...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Besides the thousands of things they have on their minds (personal problems, health issues, daydreaming, etc.) and the temptation to chat with their neighbors in the classroom, students can also be easily distracted by their smartphones. Distraction is not the only obstacle to the class. Boredom and absenteeism don't help the course either. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Students need to be motivated to prevent those behaviors, which is every teacher's challenge. While all students have different backgrounds and expectations, the teacher still has plenty of resources to tease students'...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas It comes as no surprise that not all the students will sit quietly and be on their best behavior at all times when in a classroom setting. Teaching English as a foreign language comes with its direct issues, and throwing learning difficulties into the mix can make teaching even more tedious for both teachers and the students in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melaine W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Firstly, what exactly are learning difficulties? A learning difficulty, according to the Learning Disabilities Association of America, can be defined as a neurologically based condition that can interfere with learning...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Increasing motivation in the young classroom exponentially increases language learning success by increasing participation, desire to discover more language, student-initiated thinking in the new language, and confidence. Motivation can be amplified in many constructive ways. Some of these ways are building rapport, implementing a reward system, incorporating the students’ interests into the lessons, designing games, using puppets, using praise and encouragement, and giving motivating feedback. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Rapport is crucial in individual lessons as they can be intimidating for young students. A puppet...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I am an experienced teacher, so why should I complete a TEFL course? A personal reflection on my experience, and how it has benefited and informed my teaching practice. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I didn’t sign up for this course by choice. I was forced to do it by my employer. After many years of teaching experience and a recent job change, I began the course with a sense of dread and couldn’t wait to get it finished. I had worked hard for my Master of Arts in Teaching. I had put in many years teaching across age groups and the globe. I was an experienced teacher, so it was unreasonable that I should have to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The theory of multiple intelligences states that there are eight different intelligences human potential can be expressed through, including linguistic intelligence (word smart), logical-mathematical intelligence (number/reasoning smart), spatial intelligence (picture smart), bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (body smart), musical intelligence (music smart), interpersonal intelligence (people smart), intrapersonal intelligence (self-smart) and naturalist intelligence (nature smart). This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Individuals have strengths in different areas of intelligence and reinforcing learning through different areas...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Every teacher’s goal is to be effective in the classroom and help students learn. Educators want their students to be eager and engaged. Humor is an important aspect of teaching and has the power to fuel that engagement. This paper will attempt to show the value of humor in the classroom and how humor enhances learning, regardless of the culture or country in which a person is teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melynie T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. My first introduction to teaching English in Taiwan was when I was called into the Principal’s office with complaints from the parents that their children were not learning in the classroom because they...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas It was my first experience teaching in Taiwan and I was in charge of teaching ESL to 7th-11th graders. I had never taught out of the United States and never considered the possibility that my students wouldn’t understand, what I thought, was simple English. I asked my junior high students to “put on their thinking caps,” to “line up single file,” “to quit fooling around” and that English was as “easy as ABC.” I told my senior high students to “give me a show of hands” and told them if they “studied hard” and “hit the books,” they would “pass with flying colors.” I told my college students I would give them an “A for effort” if they “quit goofing off” and “skipping class” or “playing hooky.” Some nodded...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Hello, it's Liza here. While I'm waiting for more people to join us let me introduce myself for those who will watch it as a recording. So my name is Liza and I am a TEFL expert at ITTT. I am also a self-employed online ESL teacher. I am a non-native English speaker and I am based in Yekaterinburg, Russia. I hope that today's session will be useful for as many people as possible, because it basically covers one of the most controversial topics in TEFL certification. So the main point of today's session is what are some differences between TEFL and TESOL, and other certifications such as CELTA and DELTA. Please let me know if you can hear me clearly and see me well, there is a chat box so you can communicate with me via the comments. So if you can hear me...  [Read more]