#lets tefl reviews

[trustedteflreviews]

"The course has opened the door for me to teach English anywhere in the world"

OISE University of Toronto TEFL review, submitted by Jade. Great course! Pricier than others, but don’t let that put you off. It provided me with all the tools I will need when I begin teaching English. OISE TEFL has a number of tutors that will support you along the way and answer any questions you have. The course is geared toward teaching adults but I believe you can pay for additional…

[blackpoliglota]

Moi assistant une réunion qui aurait été un e-mail...

This is me in that scenario and now after having spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME looking for a GIF for this post... that doesn't even fit the space properly on the desktop version 😭😭😭

Ah well, much ado about nothing, I suppose... anyway, I'M BAAAAAAAAAACK!!! So sorry for the unannounced hiatus... which wasn't really much of a hiatus, as I was still reblogging things BUT STILL. I ended up getting super sidetracked with teaching and dealing with the biggest headache on the planet known as the Spanish Beaurocracy™️🤦🏾‍♀️ Seriously y'all, those people DO NOT know how to do their jobs! If you want to hear about the fun time of trying to get my papers in order so I could remain a legal foreign resident, lemme know! Well, even if you don't I may create a post solely dedicated to that anyway; I could use the opportunity to let out some steam.

Now without further ado, onto my first original post of 2021!!!

As you may have guessed, this is about emails, particularly those written in French. I have 2 recent-ish emails I sent off to a college French professor asking for a recommendation letter for a fellowship. Wanting to keep up my French skills (and not disappoint my former professor), I used that opportunity to practice French by setting aside several lovely hours of my life for each email... yep, you read it right, HOURS. If I wrote those emails in Spanish it would've only taken me a hour tops for each email, but since this is French we're talking about here I had to spend the majority of my email-writing time looking up virtually every other word/phrase, cringe over each eventual sentence(s) I'd create with said word/phrase, and ultimately convince myself to move onto the next sentence to repeat that same process. . . all of this with taking a break after every 3rd sentence due to being lowkey dissuaded from continuing. . . fuuuuuuuun🙃🙃🙃

Anyway, not all language learning sessions are great. BUT, ya gotta push through those annoying/bad times to achieve greatness, amirite? Right, so with that being said, ALLONS-Y!!!

So I mentioned having spent the majority of my time looking up words and phrases for these 2 emails, meaning I now have a lovely list of vocabulary to get through! Check it out below:

Le premier e-mail

La Nouveauté - innovation / novelty / originality / freshness [In the email I mistakenly used it to mean "news", when I really should have used "nouvelles"]

À part - Aside from

La folie - madness / lunacy / insanity / chaos

Supporter - To put up with / to tolerate / to bear

Pour l'instant - For the moment

Falloir (qqch)- To have to do (sth) / must do (sth) [In the email I mistakenly used it to mean "should", when I really should have used "devoir"]

Déménager - To move (house)

L'essai (m.) - Try / attempt

Remettre - To turn in / to hand over [there are many more meanings for this verb, but in the email it's used to mean this]

Le formulaire - (Application) Form

Le faute - Fault / mistake / error

La date limite - Deadline

Faire face à - To deal with / to face

Opérer - To operate / to work / to function

Quoi qu'il en soit - Anyway / either way / be that as it may

Ce que - What [As an antecedent, not a question word]

Se rendre compte de (qqch) - To realize / to become aware of (sth)

La bourse - Scholarship / fellowship / grant / stock market

Requérir - to require / to call for

Le solliciteur / la solliciteuse - Petitioner / solicitor [In the email I mistakenly used it to mean "applicant", when I really should have used "demandeur / demandeuse" according to WordReference]

Le motif - Reason / motive / pattern / motif

Si longtemps - So long [As in "such a long time"]

Le thème - Topic / subject / theme

La déclaration personnelle - Personal statement

La déclaration d'intention - Statement of purpose

Payer le luxe - To have the luxury (to do sth) / to afford (to do sth)

Urger - To be urgent [In the email I mistakenly used it to mean "to oblige", when I really should have used "obliger"]

Amitiés - Best Wishes / All the Best [Letter sign-off]

And for the sake of breaking up these two lists so you won't be too overwhelmed at all the vocab I need to study, here's a picture of the first email below:

Now for the next one!

Le deuxième e-mail

Le tour - Turn

Désolée de. . . - Sorry for. . .

Tel (m.) / telle (f.) - Such (a)

À temps - On time

Lié (m.) / liée (f.) - Related / connected

L'affaire (f.) - Matter / issue / business

Le séjour - Stay / temporary residence / family room / living room

Donc - Therefore [Grammatical position is after the verb, after "pas" if negation is present]

Une fois encore - Once again

L'objet (m.) - (Email) Subject / object / purpose / target

La nouvelle normale - The New Normal [COVID-19 related]

Vécu - Lived [Past participle of the verb "vivre"]

Propre - (One's) Own / clean / tidy / neat

Lorsque - While / when / as soon as

S'étonner - To be surprised / to be astonished / to be amazed

Chacun de nous - Any one of us / each of us

Poursuivre - To continue / to pursue / to keep up

Presque - Almost

L'enseignement de l'anglais langue étrangère - Teaching English as a Foreign Language [abbrv. "TEFL"]

Instituteur (m.) / Institutrice (f.) - (Primary school) Teacher

Le déménagement - Move / moving

Devenu(e) - Became [Past participle of the verb "devenir"]

L'éducateur / l'éducatrice - Educator

Le retour - Return

Bien que - Although / even though

La carrière - Career

La demande - Application

Écrasant (m.) / écrasante (f.) - Overwhelming / crushing / heavy

En réalité - Actually / in fact / in reality

Le résultat - Result

La ronde des finalistes - Finalist round

Alors que - While / even though

Les études (f.) - Studies

Réviser - To review

La communauté - Community

À ce sujet - On that note / speaking of which

À l'avenir - In the future

Postuler à (qqch) - To apply for (sth)

Scolaire - Academic / scholastic

S'améliorer - To improve / to upgrade / to get better

La capacité - Ability / capability

Cela dit - That (being) said

Fou (m.) / folle (f.) - Crazy / insane / mad / wild

Être en bonne santé - To be healthy

Être en sécurité - To be safe

Jurer - To swear / to vow / to curse / to cuss

Le temps de réponse - Response time

Chaleureusement - With Warm Regards / Warmly [Letter sign-off]

And here is the second email itself:

As you can see, I blocked out the name of my professor because Consent Tings™️. Hopefully the email images help with putting the vocab into context! I plan to make quizlets for these vocab words soon and will post the link to it here for y'all if you're interested in studying them! Also, DISCLAIMER: if you didn't know this before, I am by no means an expert in the French language; I'm hardly at the B1 level. Cela dit (that being said. . . see that? heh heh😏), I'm sure there are a plethora of errors in both emails. If you're feeling extra critical when reading them, please please PLEASE point out those errors to me! I want to discuss them with you and learn from them so I can poursuivre m'améliorer (keep on improving. . . once again, hehee😂)!

Alrighty, that covers just about everything! Again, I am so sorry for not having created any original posts in such a long time; life carried me away🤷🏾‍♀️ Now that I finally have my first post of 2021, here's to more frequent content creating!

乾杯(Gān bēi)! 🥂

EDIT: Links to the quizlets below!

Le premier e-mail: https://quizlet.com/_9mktlv?x=1jqt&i=3dk8u9

Le deuxième e-mail: https://quizlet.com/_9ml1s4?x=1jqt&i=3dk8u9

[henry188]

Henry Harvin TEFL reviews | TEFL reviews | Henry Harvin reviews

[thehappyteachershow]

Word Building: 3 Games!! Fun Review Activities [ESL:GAMES AND ACTIVITIES]

#ESL #TEFL #ESLgames #Teflgames #Classroomgames #Englishgames #Fungames #Learnenglish 

Word building: 

his is my recent goto idea for supplement and review days. Here you will see three different methods of implementing this type of activity, with a couple of different age groups. Even while the activities were active, I was coming up with new ideas and ways to add more competitive and interesting aspects to the games. Let me know what other ideas you come up with! 

 Other games here! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

***********************H A P P Y T E A C H I N G********************************

[literarystudies]

Hey Friends,

I am soooo excited to start working on the second issue of my zine, Antigone! A lot of people were interested in contributing to the first issue, so I thought I’d extend the opportunity for the second one as well. Given the theme I also thought the #langblr community would be interested:

The second issue is all about languages and literature in translation. Some ideas for what you could write about…

language learning tips and resources

your experiences with learning a language & if it has changed your view of the world

teaching languages (TEFL teachers also welcome!)

if you’re a linguistics student! I would LOVE to hear your perspective!

likewise, philosophy of language and related subject areas

book reviews of literature that has been translated from the original language to English

anything regarding translation work is welcome

Unrelated to the theme, I’d also be happy to include:

Inktober artists

NaNoWriMo authors

I’m going to try learn Norwegian in 30 days (!!) so if you have any tips or want to be my language buddy, let me know

If these don’t spark your interest, there will also be some recurring sections about more general topics:

An overview of your major, why you chose it, what you can do with this major after college, and what a typical day in your life looks like.

an overview of your side hustle or part time job.

your favourite bookstores where you live or where you’ve travelled.

Mainly I’m looking for non-fiction and blog post-type pieces, but I’ll also consider poetry and creative fiction.

The fine print:

bonus if you have relevant photos too (e.g. if it’s a piece about your fav bookstores).

of course you’ll retain ALL copyright to your writing, photos, anything else you submit.

I don’t charge a fee to subscribe to the zine so unfortunately I can’t offer contributors payment.

but you can use it as an opportunity to promote your blog, IG, online store, etc. if you have one.

I will do the proofreading and editing, so don’t worry about your writing being perfect.

deadline: Friday, 15 November 2019

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, let me know here on Tumblr or on instagram @teawithantigone

[tefl2215]

Solution To Favorite Site: Get TEFL Accredited And Educate The english language Abroad

Skeptical of whether you need to set money into the TEFL software or perhaps not? Does the TEFL program teach The english language words with a specialist ranges? Certainly, with TEFL, not just 1 offers the radiant ability to remain in another region, make a great looking salary, and teach Uk, but moreover it equips a single with skills, resources, and qualifications to help make which happen. This article overviews all you need to understand TEFL certification and the procedure to get it.

One among a number of reliable lessons delivered on the internet is Teaching Careersfor its TEFL study program that will help a single understand hypothesis and put into action hypothesis in real-life-style situations with all the fitness instructor.

What exactly is TEFL, TESOL: Variation? Teaching in overseas nations? FAQ’s

Let’s get the most frequently asked for worry away from our way first. Are TEFL and TESOL the same? Taking into consideration the teaching overseas sphere, both the words have little if any big difference. Usually, similarly certifications help a single workout the The british language vocabulary to non-native loudspeakers. TESOL certification is used when 1 reveals The british vocabulary to non-natural mp3 audio speakers in natural areas i.e., The the english language vocabulary-discussing countries. Lengthy narrative brief! If an individual strives to exercise English language to non-all-natural speaker systems in places like Canada, Sydney, along with the US, you may typically require TESOL certification.

Specifications of TEFL Training training course: All that you should Know

To obtain highly capable and performance as an skilled instructor, the cheapest needs are-

●100 time of training

● 6-20hrs practicum working experience

●Batchelor’s degree or diploma

To make a true TEFL certification on-line, find approved lessons with the best reviews online. Investigation, take a look at the certification vital, and publish a software for respected programs on the internet and expertise the main benefit of overall flexibility. With higher shell out and the opportunity to live abroad, TEFL certification is certainly not under a golden entry for the desired areas. Newsletter a coaching study course and effect the massive benefits TEFL provides!

[rosellenjane]

1/10 - Vung Tau to Mui Ne

So I didn’t do a post yesterday, that’s pretty much due to me spending the day doing nothing other than book my bus for today, drink a little with the people at the hostel and do a couple of hours of my TEFL course. It rained mid morning and that was enough excuse to do nothing. I had a nice catch up with my Mez Bez and ate two pots of instant noodles so you’re all upto date for yesterday’s activities.

This morning I had set my alarm for 05:45 to get up and do my last bit of packing for my bus that was arriving at 06:30 for a 4.5hr drive to Mui Ne. Just before my alarm went off I had a knock at my door from the night security guy telling me the bus would be here at 6. Bloody hell, I had 15mins to open my eyes the other 50%, pack my shower stuff I definitely wasn’t about to use and general shite lying around like chargers, pjs and insect repellent.

This time my small rucksack had 1 plimsoll with my deodorant stuffed in it and my make up bag, I’m losing at the big rucksack jenga arrangement.

I ran down at 05:57 to pay my bill and go for one last wee as I wasn’t sure if the bus would be stopping. The little mini bus arrived at 06:20 😐 so I had a nice chat with the security guard and he helped me with my stuff onto the mini bus I’d been told was taking me to Mui Ne. To my surprise we stopped off 10mins later which I thought was to let people off until I saw someone carry my big rucksack onto a coach. The girl I was next to nudged me to get off so I followed my rucksack and pointed at the coach door to the driver and he gave me the thumbs up so I just got on, I couldn’t really do much else and everyone was smiling so I went along with it. I got told off as soon as I boarded for not putting my flip flops in the carrier bag that was thrust upon me, and later on when we had a toilet break told off for wearing them rather than a pair of sliders from a big box of athletes foot that was supplied. It was a sleeper coach so all of the seats were like very reclined aeroplane seats with cubby holes for your feet. I wasn’t sure I’d fit through the very narrow aisle but I followed the guy down and catapulted myself into this little nest and he popped my rucksack alongside my legs and we set off.

I was about 30cm away from an Indian guy on my left who must have been commuting and I’m not sure if his headphones weren’t connected to his iPad or what but I had the pleasure of listening to some of his favourite hits for a long while whilst he napped, also every time we turned left his phone slid off of his little table into the aisle and I had to put it back on his iPad scared that he’d wake up and think I was trying to steal it, I ended up hoping we’d take a sharp right and it would be someone else’s problem.

I fell asleep and when I woke up I checked google maps and saw we were close to Mui Ne and the Indian guy was gone so they were obviously dropping people off. I made eye contact with the bus assistant and showed him my hotel address and he gave me a thumbs up. Unfortunately there are 3 or maybe 4 hotels under the same group in Mui Ne and once he told me to get off I found that I was at a different hotel to the one I’d booked. Again I checked google maps and found I was 20mins walk away and it was midday, it was 29 degrees and I had that toddler equivalent on my back, I checked grab and only motorbike taxis were available so I decided to walk it, for 30 seconds until I saw a taxi driving towards me waving. The hotel is called Mui Ne Hills and that’s for a reason. I’d read reviews about the hill but I thought that 300metres is nothing really, and it isn’t, until you have the weight of a 2 yr old on your back, probably a 1 yr old on your front and a 2 litre bottle of water in your hand. I was sweaty as hell when I got to reception and I was an hour and a half early to check in.

I dropped my bags in the check in area and went for a smoke and a guy who started working at the hostel today asked if he could speak to me and practice his English, no problem, he was nice and invited me to visit his family’s farm where they grow dragonfruit. We chatted for an hour or so and he learned some new English words and I showed him English money that he hadn’t seen before.

Once I checked in I charged my phone etc, sapped up the air con and then headed down to the pool. I was sat alone for a bit until the Vietnamese guy came over again, we chatted for a while and a downpour started. A couple of friends from Holland joined us and we all got to know eachother which was cool, They had met on a travel buddy website a month previous so we did the now usual conversation of ‘how long’, ‘where have you been’ ‘where’s next on your list’ conversation. This took us up until 5ish which is when the hostel activities started. First was a pool pillow fight which was the most entertaining thing I’ve seen in a long time, the guys were especially good as they clung on to the pole for so long!

The winner shared his beer tower with us so I made a few more Dutch friends which was nice. This is the Vietnamese guy and the Dutch guy competing, the Dutch guy won in the end -

Next up was flip cup where you go down the line, drink your beer and then have to flip your cup upright from the edge of the table and it goes down the line in a race.

After this me and the girl from Holland got a pizza from the restaurant and got chatting to a couple who have been honeymooning for 4 months already, they were great and so friendly. I needed to shower so said I’d catch them at beer pong. There was a quiz about to start but I was greasy as hell and needed a freshen up. I did actually only miss about 10mins of the quiz and when I got back down I joined the honeymooners, a new couple from America and a guy from Australia and we came 3rd in the quiz. One of my redeeming answers was to a riddle - what travels the world but stays in one corner???

After the quiz it was time for beer pong, There were teams of 2 and I was with the Australian guy. We were shit, absolutely shit, our game lasted around 45mins and they had to bend the rules for us and our opponents just so the game finished. I had got the winning shot but anyone who plays the redemption rule, well, what a crap rule, so we were out of the tournament. I think I’m so used to playing on whoever’s garden table that’s available that I was not equipped for a full length beer pong table. Especially embarrassing after bigging myself up as a good player.

The beer pong started at 9:30pm and I’m writing this at 3am. We played ring of fire (ring of death as the Dutch call it) so things got a little messy whilst the tournament was still going on. The honeymooners ended up winning which was nice but when they started offering out shots of rum from the bottle they’d won I decided to call it a night, I was supposed to be going on a sand dune tour at 04:30 to watch the sunrise...

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the pool tomorrow and seeing how everyone’s feeling, I’ll probably take it easy tomorrow and book that jeep safari for the following morning to get something productive done.

Lots of love,

Rosie

[searching-cubicles1]

TEFL course is one of the most beautiful and fun learning course that today competitive world have. TEFL has all the most benefits that no other  competitive exam has.

[trustedteflreviews]

"I am happy with the outcome of the course"

“I am happy with the outcome of the course”

Let’s TEFL review, written by Jules.

The course was pretty much what I was expecting from what is advertised on the Lets TEFL website. You read a chunk of text and then you complete a list of multiple choice quiz questions. The course lacked any video content and the scrolling through text grew monotonous after a couple of modules in. Also, I noticed one or two grammar mistakes in the texts.…

[henry188]

Henry Harvin TEFL reviews

[eslinsider]

Reviews on ESLinsider’s courses

ESLinsider is the site that I started working on 10+ years ago. My name is Ian and I am that colorful blue guy that you see above.

This is a collection of reviews that I have put together from various sites on ESLinsider’s online TEFL courses. I’ll point out the positive reviews and address some of the negative ones that were mostly written by trolls.

Most of the reviews on ESLinsider can be found here.

Gintare said:

At first I was sceptical about taking this course mainly because you have to dig quite deep to find it. However, once again by finding and taking this course I realized that not all good things are easy to find and not all very well advertised stuff is necessarily of good value.

Having said that I am really happy that I have chosen to take this course. Content in this course is well structured, includes loads of practical material as well as practical tasks that let you to comprehend and memorize learned content even better. No boring stuff. Moreover, Ian was always very attentive and helpful with any questions I would have. Thank you very much for not wasting my time, but teaching useful skills!

My thoughts…

True, you do have to dig deep to find it. I don’t advertise, use 3rd party review sites (more on that later) or do affiliate marketing like most courses do.

George’s answer from Quora.

ESLinsider is a legitimate company. I took the course in 2016 and learned a great deal from it despite already having been in Korea for six years at that point. The information is concise and practical with many videos of Ian actually in classrooms demonstrating the material he is presenting.

Not only is there a wealth of teaching material available in the course, he provides you with information on classroom management (something basically non-existent in most TEFL courses) and tips on how to avoid bad jobs (again, non-existent in other courses).

Ian is also constantly updating the course in order to improve the material. As a side note, I have personally met Ian and can vouch for his character. With this course you are learning from someone who has been there and done that which is far more than I can say for any other course I’ve seen. I would highly recommend ESLinsider’s courses to anyone considering teaching in Asia.

George also left a review on ESLinsider here.

3–4 years ago I did initially name my courses with “hours” like 60 and 120 hours. But didn’t like that because I felt that is a little lie in the online tefl course industry that I didn’t want to perpetuate any more.

You can’t really call them “hours” if there are not scheduled class times so I’ve changed the names from, for example, the 120 hour to “advanced” course but again some other courses used this so I wanted to be more original and changed it again to TEKA (short for teaching English to kids in Asia).

120 hour — advanced — TEKA

And since then that course has been updated.

Here are some comments from Quora.

Some of these were left originally as “answers” but Quora removed them because I guess they were new accounts and new accounts aren’t allowed to answer??? Strange policy. Anyways I told them and they came back and left them in a comment under my answer.

Karolina said:

I had to add my comment again, it has been deleted.

But as I said before, Ian’s course is100% legit. I bought it last year and still use it, Ian has always been extremely helpful and insightful, sharing his vast knowledge and experience. I haven’t tried aby other TEFL courses, so I can’t really compare, but I can say that Ian’s course is really useful, not just theory, not like read, pass some test and forget. I actually learned a lot, since I had to also submit lesson plans etc.

For sure it’s not a scam, I have no idea why would anybody think like this. You pay for the course and you get great content, reviews and help from very responsive creator. What’s more, Ian keeps updating his course, so once you make purchase you keep getting some extras later.

Couldn’t recommend more, it’s sad that somebody has an imaginary problem with it. Keep the vibes positive, people.

Kelli said:

I added paragraphs to this one for readability.

This is a completely legit course and worth every penny I paid when I completed the course in 2019. It actually makes me sad to see the reviews on here that are not from people who actually took the course.

This course was well planned by someone who actually teaches and knows what is needed to be successful. The course not only how provided how to teach English to students in a thorough and concise manner but also what to expect traveling to another country and interacting with other cultures. I found this part fascinating and exciting. He also spent a section on getting a job and how to avoid trouble.

The owner of the course provided lengthy and detailed feedback to all of the lesson plans I created. His video examples are real examples, not just paragraphs of reading and underlining nouns and verbs.

Classroom management was also covered. I spent much time deciding on a course and I don’t regret it one bit that I stumbled onto this one. I do have a college degree in Education but still found a wealth of games and ideas in the course. I truly believe I learned things about English I didn’t even know, I am a born English speaking American! Its easy to take forgranted how easy we learn our own native language.

Living in America and teaching American children English is much easier than in another country. English is everywhere and children can learn being exposed to the language in our culture. Teaching English to students in their own country requires preperation and skill to be an excellent teacher. I feel wholeheartedly that ESLinsider gave me the knowledge and skills to do exactly what his course says it will prepare me to do. I also know that I can reach out to Ian and he will continue to help me if I needed it.

This is a legitimate course, not unreasonable in cost nor fraudulant. It was not just busy work to make money and provide a certificate. I highly recommend to anyone looking to teach English as a second language.

Comment on ESLinsider on Reddit

This one was added here.

Getting a job is the easy part, but doing your job is the hard part and that’s why I think you need a visual course that makes learning easier.

Some criticism

Here’s an email I received once.

She said:

I understand the level of difficulty between the courses. However, in the 20 hour course, when answering the questions, the answer could be easily seen in the text that was meant to be studied. I would suggest more of a challenge where studying the context is mandatory to correctly answering the question. Not just searching for the match to the question.

That is my personal opinion. Other then that, the material was well put. Thank you. Sarah G.

My thoughts…

That course she took is old (3 years+) and doesn’t exist any more. And I think there is zero value in making something more difficult for the sake of it. In the case of text I try to minimize it (since people don’t read) and make it easy to find the answer so you don’t end up searching outside the course like people do here.

Here are a few other emails I’ve received.

Thanks Ian, got it. Course was spot on. Just the website (enrollment, payment & processing) could do with being more user-friendly. Smiles Steph S.

My thoughts…

Yeah, maybe that’s true.

I try to make it as efficient as possible, but there is only so much I can do with the software. First step is to create an account and then pay with Paypal and enroll.

Here’s another comment.

I have to say, the Grammar section was my favorite. There was a lot to take away from it. While I wish the technical vocabulary has more in depth definitions/explanations, being able to work out the differences between “present tense simple” and “present tense continuous,” (etc) was completely satisfying and felt quite rewarding.

Jeremy M.

There is a small section in the course on grammar which I’ve thought of completely removing. I think studying grammar for TEFL is useless. It’s the kind of thing that goes in one ear and out the other for me and it’s commonplace with many courses.

If you do a search for “ESLinsider” and reviews...

You might find some attacks written by trolls (people that don’t reveal their true identity) and I figured out who one of these troubled trolls is.

One guy owns a review site with so-called “Trusted” reviews (which are fake), a fake “Teacher’s choice award” that he uses those to promote his course tefl online pro.

You can learn more about that here or...

Learn to identify fake TEFL reviews.

A review of ESLinsider on Youtube

People say the how-to videos used in the courses on ESLinsider are super “practical”.

ESLinsider reviews

[jassciahhe]

Today we will talk about the TEFL certification program reviews, as everyone knows that educating the English language is one of the most demanding careers worldwide. Let's have look at Henry Harvin TEFL course reviews shared by Amelia.

[uniprep2016]

Teaching ESL to Children

An ESL teacher of children has a difficult and challenging job; however, the job is also very rewarding. To teach children ESL you must be patient, fun as well as playful. You might think you are teaching ESL to small adults, but this would be incorrect. Teaching ESL to children is different from teaching adults. Below are a few tips to help when teaching ESL to children.

1. Use activities that are hands-on The mind of a child is open and free therefore they can learn by directly absorbing concepts as well as ideas. This also means that children need to be active participants in the learning process. They must be engaged in activities or else they will lose interest. This is similar to adults, but the difference is in the amount of activity. Children need movement, enjoy singing songs as well as playing many games. Students will remember your lessons more if they are full of hands on experiences and activities.

2. Avoid lecture-style lessons Children have a short attention span; so, speaking at them for a long period of time will cause them to lose interest. The energy level of an ESL class full of children will drop if you run a teacher centered class. The class should be student centered. You should keep the students moving. When explaining an activity, do so quickly and then start the activity. If an activity you had planned doesn’t work, move on to the next. Always have extra ideas planned because children need constant stimulation.

3. Interaction is good Children learn well when they can interact with other students as well as the teacher. Make an effort to speak individually with each child during each class. Use a lot of group and pair activities to encourage interaction. Try to vary the groups and pairs so that the children get to practice working with a variety of other children. This helps with socialization and also creates a sense of class unity. Try to remember small facts about each student and always acknowledge birthdays. This also helps with interaction between students and the teacher.

4. Review, Review, Review and Praise, Praise, Praise! Children learn best when new information is meaningful. They like to know how new concepts connect to ones they already know. A review at the beginning of each class, discussing what was done in the previous class as well as at the end of your lessons, will help the children remember important concepts and get students engaged. It is also important to let students know that they are doing well. Positive reinforcement will make children motivated to learn and help with classroom engagement as well as management. You can praise students in many ways. It can be as simple as saying “good job”. Some teachers of ESL children’s classes use a reward system to help praise and motivate students.

5. Encourage Self-Correction Being able to correct yourself is an important part of learning. You should encourage children to ask questions about their progress in your ESL class and help other students. This can be done by pairing students, who understand concepts, together with students who might be struggling. You should also circulate around the class during group and pair work asking the students what they are working on and if they have any questions.

Teaching ESL to children is difficult at first and takes getting used to. It will also probably be the most fun you ever have in a classroom. The rewards far outweigh the difficulties you might face.

For more details about TEFL, English Teacher Certificate. Visit our website Here: https://www.uni-prep.com

[pixelatedlenses]

2017 in Review

All questions originally made from here. I copied and didn’t change them, but wanted to answer them in my own post. 

2017 is about... two hours and fifty-five minutes from being done, and while I’m tired, I do want to stay up until the new year comes so I can drink some Hello Kitty kid’s champagne with my mom then pass out on the sofa bed.

So here’s a detailed review of my 2017. Below the cut since it’s quite a bit wordy.

1. What did you do in 2017 that you’d never done before?

This year, I tried Koto! My teacher for shamisen plays both instruments -koto and shami- so I decided to give it a try. No regrets: I absolutely love it and will be playing my first concert on 1/27. It’s really exciting and has inspired me to try my hand at a few other instruments.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

No and yes: I didn’t make resolutions, but I have made goals for next year that I truly plan to keep. All of them are completely for me: I’m really making 2018 about my care.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No. I think not at least. A close friend got married though.

Wait, no! One of the ALTs got married and had a son: she lives in Tokyo now.

4, Did anyone close to you die?

Yes, a family friend at my church back home. It was quite sad, but I feel that she’s at peace right now. I, thankfully, think few others passed.

5. What countries did you visit?

Can I count Japan because… Japan. I am planning on going to South Korea in 2018 though!

6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?

Time and patience with myself. We’re working on both starting tomorrow. I would also like the ability to budget my time for me better.

7. What dates from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

July 25, 2017. It was the day that after an active four years of being in love with my best friend, she inadvertently gave me the courage to confess to her, only to find the feelings are mutual. It’s 9:39 p.m. on the last day of the year and I still can’t believe this happened.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Recontracting with my school, earning my TEFL, and going to therapy again. Also, really mastering riding my bike with two baskets: that’s a huge achievement in my book.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not getting help before I needed it and letting others influence me too much.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

In August, I got food poisoning, in September, I caught a cold, and in October, I got strep throat. It was a....rough time for my body these last four months.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Honestly, my slow cooker, bamboo tableware, and my chromebook, all last quarter purchases!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My homestay students. They showed up for a week straight to afternoon lessons with me and ended up having the experience of a lifetime in Australia. I’m just so, so proud of them.

Shoutout to my supervisor too: she’s really come through for me even though we just met.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Quite a few ALTs who are actin’ like we’re not twenty-something year old adults in charge of children and the man who spit on me.

14. Where did most of your money go?

New computer/chromebook, Yuri!! On ICE, books, and clothing.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The re-release of the W.I.T.C.H. comics. I’m still hyped, enough that I keep listening to the playlist on repeat everyday.

16. What song will always remind you of 2017?

Echo feat. Gumi by Crusher-P

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c ) richer or poorer?

Happier, thinner, and so-so on the cash.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Loving myself.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Being hard on myself and trying to change. I was incredibly critical of myself this year, and that… was not always good.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

With my mother in Japan and with my friend James in Tokyo. There was lots of FMA with the latter.

21. Did you fall in love in 2017?

All over again. I expect that in 2018, I’ll say the same about my precious partner. Once again, I’ll confess that I’m still in shock that someone is as into me as I am them, and also thinks I’m sexy. I feel immensely attractive.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Shinya Shokudo, Super Sonico, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Blazing Transfer Students.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No, and that’s a blessing I think.

24. What was the best book you read?

I really loved Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers and also Fran Wilde’s Updraft.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

REOL and Crusher-P. Shame that REOL is breaking up, but honestly, I love all three members so much.

26. What did you want and get?

I wanted to finally own lolita clothing, and I got my first outfit from indie label Lady Sloth. It’s a chocolate themed coordination, and let’s be honest: I look splendid.

27. What did you want and not get?

I really wanted to take the JLPT and I just didn’t have the chance. NExt year though.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

It came late but I really did like the new FMA live action. Also, I really loved Koe no Katachi a lot.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 25 this year and spent it with a 102 degree fever in bed. Next year, y’all.

I did, however, receive lots of drawing goods which means people listened to what I wanted. Rather pleased with that.

30. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Discovering the joys of taking myself on a date. I am really good company

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?

Soft Librarian Chic

32. What kept you sane?

Hope and knowing that everything comes to an end in time.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

None really.

34. Who did you miss?

In no particular order: my mother, my friend-turned-partner, my dog, my father, and my sisters, who are really two of my best friends from childhood.

35. Who was the best new person you met?

Probably my supervisor and principal.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017.

I’ll give you a few, actually:

You can tell how much a person values by how they start a text conversation.

Nothing can prepare you for crying on a bus ride home.

Listen to a river: it’ll help you understand what to do next.

Sometimes, people who you give to will never care to give back. Stop giving to them once you realize that’s all our ever going to get. 

It’s not selfish to expect kindness in return for giving kindness.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

So since I got big back into Italian comic series -and American animation series-  W.I.T.C.H., I want to share lyrics for what I found at the end of this year. It’s Taranee Cook’s imagine song, and really helped me when I was hurting a lot. Taranee is a character that really inspired me growing up and continues to now: though timid, bookish, and often the first to be considered weak, Taranee’s ability to overcome inspires me.

Let’s end the year with her image song “Fire”.

I often wonder what’s my purpose. I always would search deep inside. I found myself lost in the dark until the day that I let my light shine.

Each day I know I’m getting strong. The path is much clearer to me. Now I can with the world the gift that I have, for everyone, around me to see.

There’s a fire that burns deep inside. There’s a light that I use as my guide. I can put all my troubles behind me when I warm every heart with the fire that lies inside me.

[tefltraininginstitute]

Why Students Don't Like Language Class (With Dave Weller)

We discuss what we can apply to the language classroom from Daniel Willingham’s book “Why Don't Students Like School?”, with friend of the podcast (and fellow Daniel Willingham fan), Dave Weller.

Why Students Don’t Like Language Class (With Dave Weller) - Transcription

 Tracy Yu:  Welcome back to our podcast, everybody. We've got our favorite guest. Can you guess who he is?

Dave Weller:  Hurrah!

Tracy:  [laughs] Let's welcome Dave Weller. Hey, Dave.

Dave:  Hi.

Ross Thorburn:  What are we talking about today?

Dave:  I think we decided to do something almost akin to a book review on Daniel Willingham's book on cognitive psychology and neuroscience, "Why Students Don't Like School."

Ross:  We're going to try and apply what we read and what we remembered. We're going to go further outside taxonomy...

Dave:  Oh, no.

[laughter]

Ross:  ...and try and apply it to language teaching.

Dave:  The book is about neuroscientific principles. The blurb is, "A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom." He's picked nine very robust findings from the field of psychology. Now, I hope you've done your homework, and you've read the book as I have.

Ross:  I think it says a lot about us. Dave, for this, read the book twice. I read it once. Tracy read it...

Tracy:  The last 10 minutes.

[laughter]

Dave:  All it means is Tracy is a very fast reader.

Ross:  [laughs]

Dave:  What we decided when we set ourselves this challenge was that it'd be really interesting to take a book that was designed with general education in mind and see how well we could transfer the principles across to language teaching.

Ross:  Absolutely. We often comment that there's not enough taken from general education and applied to the field of language learning.

Dave:  Hopefully is we'll find out that a lot of the principles can equally apply in the language classroom as in normal classrooms.

Ross:  Great.

Dave:  Ross, one of the things I liked from his introduction was talking about why teachers are naturally skeptical of theory. There is a big gap between theory and practice. Even mental processes aren't isolated in the classroom, whereas they are in research.

A classic example he uses is that about drilling. In the lab where you isolate drilling and see the effect that it has on learning is wonderful. [laughs] The more you drill, the more you repeat, the more you learn.

However, any teacher that steps into a classroom knows if you drill your learners for an hour straight, the drop in motivation is not going to make up for the effectiveness of that technique in learning. This is why that he's taken a very teacher‑centered view of research and only picked principles he thinks can be used effectively in the classroom.

Ross:  Whatever you do read in a book, you're passing it through your own filter of what you think is going to be personally useful for you. A lot is going to get filtered out. How about for this podcast, we pick out some of the main principles?

He's got nine cognitive principles. They relate to things that happen in the classroom. How about we pick some of the most interesting ones? We can talk about how we feel language teachers might be able to apply those in their classes. Should we get started?

Tracy:  Yeah.

Dave:  With this one, the principle of that people are naturally curious, but they aren't naturally good thinkers. For me, when I read this, what struck me was how similar it is to the zone of proximal development, scaffolding, Lev Vygotsky idea.

He talks about oftentimes we think about what the answers are that we want our students to get. If we're trying to say, "What's the answer to this grammar question? There's a word that means this. What's the word?" We should be trying to engage them with the questions and leading them to the answer.

Ross:  He says, "It's the question that peaks people's interest. Being told the answer, it doesn't do anything for you." Have you seen "The Prestige" before?

Dave:  I've downloaded it. You asked me that the other night, but I haven't watched it yet.

Ross:  In The Prestige, they talk about this. As a magician, if you do a magic trick, people are amazed by it. As soon as you show them how to do the trick, people are completely unimpressed by it.

Dave:  Maybe, that's one of the reasons that task‑based learning or test‑teach‑test lessons can work well, is because you put this question at the beginning. You put the hardest part first, putting students into a position where it is difficult for them. It gets them to think about it.

It's the question that's interesting. Then it leads to the answer later on, whereas something like PBP, which we know gets a lot of bad press, doesn't put the question at the beginning.

Tracy:  That's something related to the teacher's role in the classroom. They're not just to spoon‑feeding the students. They have to make sure what kind of questions they can ask the students. They facilitate the learning.

You don't want to mix the prompting questions which scaffold student learning with guessing what's in my mind.

Dave:  Totally agree. Yes, it's a good example from real life, Tracy. One of the things to be careful with this one though is to be careful the questions you pose aren't too hard as well as grading your language, grading your instructions.

If you ask students a question and it's very specific, there's only one possible right answer, it's really difficult. They're beginner students, A1 level maybe, and you ask them, "So the past perfect continuous, when would you use this?" They immediately look up and go, "I don't know. There's no way I can know," and they immediately check out.

Daniel Willingham says, "Respect students' cognitive limits. Don't overload them with information. Don't make the instructions or grade your language too much," is how I would interpret that for TEFL. Also, "Make sure the questions you ask them are within their ability to answer."

Ross:  How about we move on to another principle, then? My personal favorite, and probably yours as well, Dave, is, "Memory is the residue of thoughts."

Dave:  No, I hate that one. Leave that one out.

[laughter]

Tracy:  Can you guys explain this a little bit?

Dave:  Yeah. From "Memory is a Residue of Thought," I think what Daniel Willingham is saying is that students remember what they think about. In your class, if they're thinking about your flashy warm‑up where you jumped up and down and screamed around like a monkey, then they're going to remember, "Hey, teacher screamed like a monkey today. That was really funny."

That's what they'll tell their parents. Whereas if they do a task where they have to figure something out and talk to their friend about the best way to negotiate with somebody or the best way to get to the train station, and they're using English to do that, then that's what they'll remember.

One of my biggest takeaways from the book is that he suggests that to review your lesson plan in terms of what the students will think about. Every task you have, every activity, every stage, put yourself in your learners' shoes, and imagine what they're going to think about as they're completing that.

My suggestion on top of that would be, "Do the same thing for the language use." Look at your lesson plan, or imagine it. Think about it from your learner's point of view. What language would you use to complete that task?

Ross:  Something else I found interesting, it was a quote from him. He said, "Fold practice into more advanced skills," which got me thinking. The way I would apply that to the language classroom is when your students advance a little bit...

Say they've moved up from present simple, and now they're doing past simple, just a cliched example. Instead of practicing just that skill of past simple, make sure they get a chance to use prior practice.

Make sure they get a chance to use the skills and recycle a language from previous classes. When they're practicing past simple, they're also integrating present simple and the other things and the other vocabulary that they have learned.

You don't just focus only on the target language for that particular lesson, but you bring in the other language that you used previously. I find a lot of teachers don't do that. They're so focused on the target language for that one lesson, they forget the previous lessons.

Ross:  That might be one of the reasons why extensive reading works so well, is because all of the forms and grammar that you might have learned previously are all going to be recycled in natural stories.

That's maybe why also genuine tasks where you don't prescribe the language for the students to use in some sort of prior practice can also be beneficial because students will get to bring in language that they've used from previous lessons.

For teachers, if you're using a great textbook that automatically recycles or has in it recycled language from previous units, that's great. Even if you don't, you can just pause in lessons and say, "What is there from previous lessons that we've learned that you could also use in this task or in this activity that could help you," and think about that when you're planning as well.

Before we finish, I wanted to talk about the very last chapter of the book which is about helping teachers improve. He makes this nice distinction between experience and practicing. Teaching, like any other complex skill, must be practiced to be improved.

It reminds me, I think the same author Rubinstein, the pianist, says something like, "I play the piano for nine hours a day, but I only practice for one." There's a nice difference there between what you're actually doing and then when you're making a deliberate effort to get better.

One of the things is that teachers are very busy. It's very easy for all of your classes to just go by in a whirlwind, but if you can find the occasional class or the occasional thing to work on for an hour a week, in the long term, that can improve your teaching.

Dave:  Actually, he suggests a good method, which I'm very eager to adopt. To find another teacher he wants to improve, he says, "Perhaps watch a video of another teacher teach and comment together jointly on that so you gain each other's kind of levels and things you talk about."

After you've done that almost bonding experience, then film yourself and swap it with the other person so then they comment on yours. Of course, be nice.

Ross:  A couple of other points on that. He says, "When you video yourself, spend time observing. Don't start by critiquing."

Dave:  I remember the first time I videoed myself or saw myself teaching. I was amazed at how many unconscious habits I had. I presented myself entirely differently than the way I thought I did. It's almost like watching a stranger teach.

It was that difference in my expectation. The image I had in my head of myself teaching was clearly very different to that. You can only see that if you have that visceral experience, when you see yourself teach.

Ross:  The purpose of watching your partner teach is to help them reflect on their practice. Often, when people do peer observations, it's so easy to just say, "Oh, you did this wrong. You need to change this. This didn't work," but the purpose of it isn't to just throw out a few quick fixes. It's to get the person to engage in their own teaching and reflect.

Tracy:  Sometimes, I don't blame the teachers. Their experience is like that because they have been criticized from day one. Even if they did something nicely, still their trainer or their manager will just pick the area that they didn't do very well.

Also, for a positive reinforcement, people are more likely to change their behavior if you tell them what they did really well. Then they could keep working on it rather than just starting from the negative aspects, and then you didn't do it very well.

I don't blame the teacher sometimes because that's what they were told. That's how they train. That's how they experience. That requires the trainers to understand how to balance it and how you demonstrate this to your teachers from day one.

Dave:  Totally correct. I think you've hit the nail on the head there, Trace, by saying what would change the behavior of the teacher, because they can't. You need to take the tack if the teaching is very directed feedback and that will work, then do that.

If they're unconfident, nervous, anxious, you need to tell them what they've been doing right as well. Don't change everything. Keep what good they have been doing and then tweak a little bit.

Ross:  If you've been convinced at all by the last 14 minutes that this book would be useful, it's by Daniel T. Willingham. It's called Why Students Don't Like School. It's subtitled "A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means to the classroom." I highly recommend it.

Also, since we're on the topic of books and you're about to plan a lesson, I highly recommend...

[laughter]

Tracy:  Wow, good. Nice segue.

Ross:  ..."Lesson Planning for Language Teachers ‑‑ Evidence‑Based Techniques for Busy Teachers" by...

Tracy:  By Dave Weller. Congratulations, Dave.

Dave:  Thank you.

Tracy:  Hope you guys enjoyed the podcast. See you next time.

[aleksikessen-blog]

by Tsika Garcia Baylan

I started working as a part-time homebased online ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher with 51talk 3 years ago. I remember I was searching online for a homebased job when I saw 51talk’s advertisement. 51talk was the only online ELT (English Language Teaching) platform in the Philippines I knew back then so I did not hesitate and immediately filled out their online application form and sent my resume, then everything was history.

51Talk Requirements

Bachelor’s degree / Graduate of a 4-year course

Experience teaching kids / K12 / Early Childhood / Elementary (preferred)

English teaching certifications such as LET / TEYL / TESOL / TEFL (preferred)

Must have passion, energy, and enthusiasm in teaching

51Talk Application Process

Initial Interview

Few days after I filled up their online application form and sent my resume, I received a phone call which already served as the initial interview. I was a bit nervous at that time but it went well as the interviewer told me that she just needs to observe how I handle myself in a conversation. It went smoothly. During this initial interview, the interviewer will just ask basic information about yourself.  Here they will get your Skype ID for further assessment so make sure you have one.

Technical Check

After my initial interview which was done over the phone, another 51Talk staff, a technical representative, contacted me via Skype to check the speed of my Internet (they require wired connection with at least 3Mbps) and the RAM (Random Access Memory) of my computer (at least 2GB is required). This is for 51talk to make sure my internet connection is stable and I have enough free storage.

Online Training via Skype

As far as I can remember, the training was 6 hours a day for 5 days. This is not paid. During this period you will be familiarized with the culture of China and Chinese characteristics. Oh, did I say your students when you become a 51Talk teacher are Chinese people? Yeah, and since you will be teaching Chinese students (adult/young learners), then you must have an idea about them so you will know how to deal with them. You will also learn phonetic symbols, phonetic pronunciations, systems, teaching techniques, and a lot more!

Mock Calls

This is the last application process where teacher applicants will be put into a test. They will have a demo to show how they teach and deal with their students and navigate the system.

What Do 51Talk Teachers Do?

Congratulations, you passed! So here are the things expected from you to do:

Teach English to Chinese learners online in a fun and engaging way.

Evaluate the learner’s performance and provide corrective feedback.

Study the provided teaching materials and always start lessons prepared and on time.

Conduct 25-minute one-on-one online lessons with students.

Create a lesson memo with the necessary feedback about the topics discussed.

51Talk Salary

You will now be asked to open a minimum of 65 slots which represents 65 students. If for example you work 8 hrs a day and all of your lessons are booked, you can get ₱21,120 in a month. Those who can go beyond 8 hours a day can get as much as ₱40,000. Do you know what’s cool about this? Your salary is all yours, no taxes, deductions, whatsoever.

Tips: How to earn more

The more students you have, the more you earn. So, (1.) your goal as a teacher is for the students to like you and be happy with how you handle your class with them. This is for you to have regular students in the future. Make sure to make a good impression with students. I’ve had students who have been with me for almost three years; I have been their teacher, their sibling’s teacher, their daughter’s teacher. (2.) Aim to have regularly scheduled classes so your students will know when you are online and book you.

Advantages of Working with 51Talk

Schedule Flexibility – Teachers can choose their preferred time to have the class except during peak hours (7PM to 10PM for weekdays and whole day on weekends where most of the students are already home from work or school). I work from 8PM to 11PM during weekdays and 8 hours during weekends.

All the materials you will be needing in teaching will be provided by the company.

51talk has a monthly survey for the teachers to give feedback on how to improve their systems and compensations. Here, you can somehow demand. Yey!

51talk encourages teachers to enhance their teaching skills by enrolling in TESOL (Teaching English to Speaker of Other Languages) and TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners) courses free of charge!

Disadvantages of Working with 51Talk

Compared to other ELT platforms, 51Talk offers lower pay.

When there’s a sudden power outage and a teacher doesn’t have other ways or sources to attend the class, then, s/he will not get paid.

Also, teachers are only allowed to teach their students for 25 minutes for every lesson, and I personally think that is not enough especially to young learners (3-6 years old).

Would I recommend 51talk to my friends who want to be online ESL TEACHERS?

Yes! 51talk is an established ELT platform in the Philippines.

Yes! We have the same standard time with China.

Yes! You can teach depending on your availability.

Yes! 51talk provides free training for kids if you want to focus on young learners.

Yes! 51talk encourages teachers to enhance their skills by enrolling them in TESOL and TEYL courses for free!

“I teach because it’s a fulfillment for me to witness my students are learning because of my help.” – tgb

Also check: The Beginners Guide to Working from Home

Thank you for dropping by!

For more virtual and interactive live updates, you can check our INSTAGRAM PAGE or follow us on TWITTER.

Be part of Love. Eat. Wander. Facebook Community Page for more updates, travel and parenting tips, or if you want to share your trip/parenting experiences with others. You can also visit our YouTube Channel for videos.

Love,

Nanay Tsika is a full-time mother and a part-time Online English Teacher. She enjoys writing DIY story books for her daughter and she has a passion for teaching as she believes continuously learning is a process for great improvements. 

The post Earn as an Online Teacher – 51Talk Review appeared first on Love. Eat. Wander..