Saturday 31 December 2011

Cool Link: Using English

Using English has lots of resources for ESL and EFL teachers and students. Their reference section has items such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and irregular verbs.  They've also got a neat teacher resource section with things such as worksheets, lesson plans, and forums.

If you're looking for tests and quizzes, then you can find these here as well.  Lastly, if you want to learn more about TEFL or TESL, then try reading some of the many articles they have up.


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Friday 30 December 2011

ESL Educators Blog Carnival: December 2011, Engaging Women in the Classroom


The topic of December's ESL Educators Blog Carnival is Engaging Women in the Classroom. You can read people's opinions on Go Teach Abroad.

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Thursday 29 December 2011

Job Site: DoDEA

The DoDEA, Department of Defense Educational Activity, has schools in many countries around the world for children of US servicemen.  Since the US seem to open military bases in more and more countries if you're a US citizen and are a licensed teacher, then you could work in one of these schools.

As with many US government documents, you're going to have to wade through a lot of paperwork, but once you're in the system you just have to wait to get hired. Keep in mind that some people have had to wait years and if you don't update your information at least once a year it will get deleted.

However, despite these, working for the government can have good perks, such as free or heavily discounted education for your own kids. In addition, the DoDEA pays pretty well, they're one of the highest among the 50 states, and the added benefits, such as housing, COLA (cost of living allowance), hardship pay (Korea's considered a difficult place to live in, for example), and flights make the package even better.

Got an idea for a job site?
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Wednesday 28 December 2011

Cool Link: Sticky Ball

Sticky Ball has lots of resources for ESL and EFL teachers: free of course. Here's a list of what you can find:


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Tuesday 27 December 2011

Quick Tip: Expose Your Students to Different Accents

People usually consider Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the US to be the 7 countries where English are spoken. While there are others that have English as an official language these 7 countries are what most immigration officers and employers would consider when they are looking for an English teacher.

Therefore you should try to expose your students to different accents as well. With the internet it's easy to find material, such as news or Youtube, that has information in these different accents. Once your students get good enough, you could expose them to different accents within these countries, i.e., a Manchunian accent vs a Glaswegian accent.

This will help your students when they work, study, or travel abroad and are faced with people who speak English differently.  Don't forget to allow them to listen to non-native English speakers. They should also get used to these accents, a German speaking English, for example.

Got an idea for a quick tip?
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Monday 26 December 2011

Cool Link: Business English Online

Business English Online is part of MacMillan.While they have some items for sale, they also some free materials that you can use in your Business English and ESP classes. If you want the free material, click on "Resources" rather than "More Info".

Got an idea for a cool link?
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Sunday 25 December 2011

Hot Topic: Two Weeks of Vacation

Teachers work hard year round and look forward to their vacations. ESL and EFL teachers are no exceptions, but things are starting to change.

As more and more teachers work for institutes, those long vacations which used to last at least a month or two are decreasing to as few as two weeks. Those who work in schools or Europe may get longer vacation, but it might not be paid vacation. Universities in Korea still offer good vacations. Some places offer up to 5 months of paid vacation.

While Americans are used to only getting two weeks; Europeans often get at least four weeks. Some people say that it's only fair that ESL and EFL teachers get shorter vacations, but others disagree. After all, teachers often spend time at home grading papers, exams, creating lesson plans, or preparing for class.

What do you think?
Are vacations too short for teachers nowadays?  How long do you get?  Is your vacation paid or unpaid?

Got an idea for a hot topic?
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Friday 23 December 2011

Cool Link: Learn English

Learn English is a German website that has been helping ESL and EFL learners and teachers for over 10 years. It's a very simple site with no frills. They've got the normal topics such as conversation, grammar, games, lessons, vocabulary, and quizzes.  They also have some neat sections such as British culture, common mistakes, and dictations.

Got an idea for a cool link?
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Thursday 22 December 2011

Job Site: Round Square

Round Square is made up of over 80 schools around the world that pride themselves on thinking outside the box. They allow students and teachers to travel between the schools and exchange ideas.

This is a great way to boost your career if you're a teacher since you'll learn about new ideas and cultures. Many of the schools in the association are international schools, while others are local schools. The mix helps promote the differences that the Round Square association acknowledges. 


Got an idea for a job site?
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Tuesday 20 December 2011

Quick Tip: Fluency vs Accuracy

When correcting our EFL or ESL students in class or grading their speaking exams, there are two things to keep in mind: fluency and accuracy.  As native speakers we are fluent in English, though we might not always be accurate.

Fluency refers to speaking like a native speaker.  Accuracy refers to not making mistakes.  Try to integrate both of these into your grading rubrics so that your students can have a better idea of what they need to work on.


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Sunday 18 December 2011

Hot Topic: On-Campus Housing for TEFL Jobs

Living on campus near your teaching job can sounds nice since it makes for a super easy commute: walk out the door and you're there.  It saves on rent and transport costs as well.

However, there can be downsides to living so close to work.  Your boss knows your coming and goings and also who you're with and when.  Some people have been given curfews as well. 


What do you think?
Have you lived at work?  Did you enjoy living so close to your job?  Would you acccept a TEFL position if you had to live very close to the school?

Got an idea for a hot topic?
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Friday 16 December 2011

Guest Posts

Guest posts allow website owners to expand their readership base and promote their site. For more information please contact Crystal Stemberger, Marketing Director at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff (tefltipsblog@gmail.com) and put "Advertising on TEFL Tips" in the subject line. 


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Thursday 15 December 2011

Job Site: CfBT

CfBT has 40 years experience helping people get the education they deserve.  They're a UK based organisation, but perhaps what's more interesting to teachers is that they place licensed teachers (those that are NQT or have QTS) in school in Abu Dhabi, Brunei and Oman.  You can find these jobs on their International Careers' section. It's not open to Americans, however. 

Since you'd be working at an international school, you'd get lots of perks and benefits that come from working as a licensed teacher abroad. If you're not a licensed teacher and enjoy teaching children aged K-12, then it might be something to look into since it can greatly boost your career. You'll probably have to specialise in primary school or a subject in secondary school, since there aren't too many TEFL teachers at international schools. Here's a list of alternative teaching license routes. Some can be done completely online.

Got an idea for a job site?
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Wednesday 14 December 2011

Cool Link: E Grammar

Just when you thought you couldn't get enough English grammar, there's another website to help you out.  The great part about this website is that it's aimed towards ESL and EFL students, not teachers.

If your students ask you for extra help, you can point them to E Grammar.  They've got the basic grammar tenses as well as irregular verbs, passive voice, imperative, conditionals, infinitives vs gerunds, is clauses, time clauses, direct and indirect objects, indirect questions, reported speech, and ESL printable worksheets.


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Tuesday 13 December 2011

Quick Tip: Use Extensive Reading

Extensive reading seems to be one of the hottest topics in ESL and EFL.  No longer can students expect to read short summaries or easy books. Now they're expected to read longer passages.

Studies have shown that this helps students in a couple ways. Not only do they increase their knowledge of the English language, but it also helps their reading skills in their native language. Sadly, with the internet and technology available at our fingertips, reading has been put on the back burner.

Reading is far better than chatting or watching a movie because reading is an active skill that causes you to use your imagination as well as boosts your vocabulary. There is a lot of information available online about extensive reading, but I've chosen 3 links that I think will help you get started.

Got an idea for a quick tip?
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Monday 12 December 2011

Cool Link: The Teachers Net

The Teachers' Net is a very simple site for those teaching young learners or children.  They have 6 sections on the main page: learning tools, educator sites, search tools, safety-copyright web evaluation teacher tools, graphic organisers, and email.  On page 2 they have links to more educator sites.


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Sunday 11 December 2011

Hot Topic: Slave Wages in TEFL

Unfortunately since it's pretty easy to get a job teaching English these days, employers are at an advantage and can pay teacher very little. With promises of a low cost of living they often lure teachers into working for slave wages.

When you work out how much a TEFL teacher gets per hour and take into account that it's not only teaching, but also lesson planning, and going to meetings, it's often less than you'd get if you'd work at McDonald's. Though, at McDonald's at least you'd get benefits.

Employers complain that the teachers aren't working hard enough, don't show up on time, or don't dress appropriately.  I'm not sure what employers expect: after all, you get what you pay for.

TEFL teachers don't help the problem either by not taking their job seriously. One month intensive TEFL courses are good, but they just provide the basic foundation a teacher needs to teach ESL or EFL. Teachers need to do more. Researching on their own, further study towards a teaching diploma or masters degree, attending conferences, and talking with other teachers.

It's a two way street. If teachers want to get more recognition, higher pay and better benefits, then they need to put more effort into teaching. If employers want serious teachers, then they need to pay them more.

What do you think?
Are salaries way to low in the TEFL industry even when you take cost of living into account?  Or do you think TEFL teachers are getting what they deserve?

Got an idea for a hot topic?
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Saturday 10 December 2011

Advertise on TEFL Tips

Years of writing free blogs for English teachers has helped me to develop an solid readership base. TEFL Tips is a PR3 and gets visitors from all over the world. If you have products, services or courses geared towards TEFL and TESL teachers, then please read on and find out how we could work together.

For more information, please contact Crystal Stemberger, Marketing Director at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff (tefltipsblog@gmail.com) and put "Advertising on TEFL Tips" in the subject line. 

Disclaimer:

Friday 9 December 2011

Cool Link: Super Teacher Worksheets

Super Teacher Worksheets is dedicated to providing teachers with great worksheets for a variety of subjects. They have ELA - Language Arts, which is useful if you teach ESL or EFL.

They also have core subjects, such as math, reading and writing, phonics (for teaching English to young learners), grammar (which also might be of interest to ESL and EFL teachers), spelling, science and social studies as well as holiday worksheets. Their puzzles and brain teasers are worth checking out no matter what subject you teach.

There's also a teacher helpers section which has teaching tools, award certificates, and sticker charts. Super Teacher Worksheets is incredibly well organised and everything is easy to find, so take a look and see if there's anything you can use in your classroom.


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Thursday 8 December 2011

Job Site: Search Associates

Search Associates is a great site if you're looking for an international school job. They have information for teachers as well as for schools and recruiters.

They hold international school job fairs that are definitely worth attending if you want to work, teach, or intern at an international school. 

They also have information about graduate programmes in education.  Search Associates has a simple site that's easy to navigate, so there's no excuse for not going there and checking out what they have to offer.

Got an idea for a job site?
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Wednesday 7 December 2011

Poll Results November 2011: What's your favorite part of TEFL Tips?

Question: What's your favourite part of TEFL Tips?
  • Articles: 50% with 3 votes
  • Polls 16% with 1 vote
  • Top 10: 16% with 1 vote
  • Job Site: 16% with 1 vote
  • ESL Educators Blog Carnival: 0%
  • ESL EFL Roadshow: 0%
  • Hot Topic: 0%
  • Cool Link: 0%
  • Quick Tip: 0%

December's poll: Where do you teach? Be sure to vote now!

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Tuesday 6 December 2011

Quick Tip: Encourage Students with Positive Reinforcement

It's very easy to focus on the bad and ignore the good.  However, people are more likely to make progress if you encourage them. 

Learning a language is hard work and the more you encourage your students, the more likely they're going to want to study and that in turn will allow them to make more progress.

Students will want to work on their own and study on their own if you give them encouragement in the classroom. So the next time you're tempted to criticize a student, take a deep breath and say something positive.

Got an idea for a quick tip?
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Monday 5 December 2011

Cool Link: TEFL dot net

TEFL.net is one of the oldest TEFL websites out there.  Since they're been around for so long, they have lots of materials for teaching ESL and EFL.

They have the usual lesson plans, articles, teaching jobs, links, and activities, but they also offer a TEFL forum, worksheet generator, teacher training information, TEFL blogs, and a whole lot more.  They have so much information on their site, you're bound to spend more time there than you planned.


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Saturday 3 December 2011

Cool Link: Lesson Planet

Lesson Planet is a search engine for teachers that provides teacher-reviewed online resources, including more than 400,000 online lesson plans and worksheets. You can find teacher-reviewed lessons and worksheets.

It's not free though. However, you can try it free for 10 days before you decide if it's worth it or not. In order to access the free trial, you have to give them your credit card info. You can cancel within the 10 days, but if you don't, you will be charged about $40 per year.


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Friday 2 December 2011

Job Site: International School Services

If you're looking for a job at an international school, then you should look at International School Services, or ISS.

While there aren't many opportunities for TEFL teachers to work at international schools, you may luck out if you're a qualified teacher back home. If you're not, you might want to look at becoming a one in order to boost your career.

If you are a licensed teacher looking for a job, then you can find lots of information at ISS.  They help teachers find jobs and also offer services to administrators, corporations, and developers.  They also have a section just for students. If international schools are something that you're interested in, then check out International School Services.

Got an idea for a job site?
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Thursday 1 December 2011

How to Give Workshops for TEFL Teachers

This article has been published on TEFL.net in November 2009. You can read the article here.

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Wednesday 30 November 2011

Cool Link: Kids' Front

If you teach preschoolers or young learners, you're going to want to take a look at Kids' Front. They've got lots of free printables for preschool aged children.

The nice thing about Kid's Front is that not only do they have English activities that are suitable for ESL and EFL young learners, but they also have other subjects as well, such as science and math. They have a special game section called, Learn with Fun and their Activity Centre and Puzzles are also worth looking at.

Got an idea for a cool link?
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Monday 28 November 2011

Cool Link: Ship or Sheep

It's not uncommon for ESL and EFL teachers to hear, "Teacher, how can I improve my speaking skills?" or "How can I improve my English pronunciation?" Obviously, the best way to improve is to practice speaking English.

Ship or Sheep is a great website that helps students practice minimal pairs. Not only can students see the differences in spelling and phonics, but they can also hear the differences.

The next time a student asks you how they can improve their speaking skills, point them to Ship or Sheep.

Got an idea for a cool link?
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Sunday 27 November 2011

Hot Topic: Unpaid Vacations

One of the great perks about being a teacher is the vacation time.  Many ESL and EFL teachers get between 2 weeks and 2 months off. The lucky ones get even more time off, like those in Korea who get 5 months.

However, the problem is that some schools are making these breaks unpaid vacations by creating contracts that only last 10 months. This way the school only pays the teacher for the time they're at school and not on holiday.

Some people like this since it guarantees them time off and gives them the chance to teach at a camp or two. Other people don't like this since they'd prefer to stay with one school and earn money. 

What do you think?
Is money more important to you than free time?  Do you prefer 10 or 12 month contracts? 

Got an idea for a hot topic?
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Saturday 26 November 2011

Quick Tip: Set Goals

Just as students set goals, so should you. It helps to have something to work towards. Whether it's a diploma, masters degree, PhD, getting published, becoming a DOS, or giving a workshop, you should have a goal or two in mind so that you can move up the TEFL ladder.

Ideally you should have short and long term goals, as well create steps on how to reach those goals. Creating and reaching goals will set you apart from the crowd and ultimately allow you to get a better job with a higher salary and wonderful benefits.

Many places recommend using the SMART criteria for goals. This mean they should be:
  • Specific
  • Measureable
  • Achieveable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound

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Friday 25 November 2011

Poll Results October 2011: Who do you teach?

Question: Who do you teach?
  • Primary schoolers: 23% with 11 votes
  • Middle schoolers: 21% with 10 votes
  • Adults: 18% with 9 votes
  • Young learners: 16% with 8 votes
  • University students: 14% with 7 votes
  • High schoolers: 8% with 4 votes

November's poll: How many years of experience do you have? Be sure to vote now!

Disclaimer:

Thursday 24 November 2011

Job Site: Institute of International Education

The Institute of International Education or IIE focuses on education around the world. In addition to helping colleges and universities connect with campuses around the world, they also manage teaching fellowships and teaching exchanges. The great thing about IIE is that they also help students in need by providing support and scholarships.


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Wednesday 23 November 2011

Cool Link: First School

If you teach young learners, you're going to want to check out First School.  They have preschool activities and crafts, such as themes and activities.  From the alphabet to holidays to colouring pages to crafts, they have a lot of ideas that will help you out in the classroom. First School is a simple very well organised site with lots of useful info.


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Tuesday 22 November 2011

Quick Tip: Make a Teaching Portfolio

You've probably made lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes, exams, and graded a lot of your students work. You've put a lot of hard work and effort into this and one way to showcase all of this is to create a teaching portfolio.

Teaching portfolios are a great way to show off your skills at the next interview you have. You should constantly update your portfolio as well.

Student work and the material you've created are just a couple things that can go inside a teaching portfolio, your CV and certificates from conferences are also useful to add to your teaching portfolio. Try reading how to create a teaching portfolio for a full list of what to include.


Got an idea for a quick tip?
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Monday 21 November 2011

Cool Link: One Stop English

One Stop English has been around for a while and they've got lesson plan ideas and even have a forum. My favourite part of the site is the material related to specific teaching situations such as Business English, EAP, ESP, exam prep, teaching children, teaching teenagers, and CLIL. If you want to get more new ideas, you can subscribe to One Stop English.


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Sunday 20 November 2011

Hot Topic: Teaching Hours

Tell people you're a teacher and more likely than not they'll tell you you're lucky because you have long vacations and only teach for a few hours.

Most TEFL and TESL teachers teach between 15 and 25 hours a week and while that may seem like few hours there are other things to be taken into consideration such as planning, meetings, grading, and creating material.

Nonetheless, there are teachers out there eager to teach 30, 35, or more hours in an effort to earn more money.  Some may teach at another school, teach private lessons, or just work overtime. Some teachers say this is bad since quantity is often traded for quality.  Others say they have no problems juggling the amount of hours.

What do you think?
Is money more important to you than free time?  Do you think if teachers teach many hours the quality of the lessons goes down?  Are you a teacher who can easily teach 25 or more hours per week?

Got an idea for a hot topic?
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Saturday 19 November 2011

ESL Educators Blog Carnival: November 2011, The English Only Movement

The topic of November's ESL Educators Blog Carnival is the English Only Movement. You can read people's opinions on Wandering Educators.

Disclaimer:

Friday 18 November 2011

Hot Topic: The Cultural Politics of Americanization


The English Only Movement in the USA has caused lots of discussion. Some people are unhappy with the fact that Spanish is rapidly becoming a second language. From nutrition facts to call centres to adverts, Spanish can be seen all over the US.

English is still a desired language and you can see this if you travel abroad. People from different countries often use English to communicate. It has replaced French as the international language. Though people are always happy if you can speak a bit of the local language.

Some people believe this is the case because the US is a superpower. However, some people view English as the only important language and don't want the USA to have any other language. 


What do you think?
How do you feel about the US having more than one official language? Why do you think English has become the international language?

Got an idea for a hot topic?
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Disclaimer:

Thursday 17 November 2011

Job Site: Council of International Schools

If you're looking for an international school job then you need to take a look at CIS.  First, you'll have to make sure that you're qualified to teach at an international school. 

International Schools can tell you about the basic requirements. CIS is accredited and helps with teacher recruitment by holding international school job recruitment fairs. You will teach K-12 students subjects, such as math and science, in English.

If you're interested in other programmes, such as teaching fellowships or teaching exchanges, try reading the article, Exchanges and Fellowships. The information on the CIS website is not just for teachers, but also for schools, universities and those on educational boards.

Got an idea for a job site?
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Wednesday 16 November 2011

Cool Link: Tools for Educators

Tools for Educators is a fantastic site for all teachers. It's a branch of MES English (check out Mark's other sites here) and if you don't know about that site, you're definitely going to want to check it out if you teach ESL or EFL to kids.

Tools for Educators is great whether you teach kids ESL, EFL, math, science, history, or art, you will be able to find something here to help you out. You'll be able to make certificates, quizzes, comics, worksheets, printables, online material, board games, crossword puzzles, bingo and lots more - even dice! 

Got an idea for a cool link?
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Tuesday 15 November 2011

Quick Tip: Writing is a Process

As teachers we often focus too much on product rather than production. Writing is a process that should students should learn step by step. It's hard enough for people to write in their native language let alone a foreign language.

ESL and EFL students need guidance when writing in English. Planning needs to be done before students can sit down and write a final draft. You should take students through these steps and have them count towards their final grade.

Perhaps the final copy could be worth 25% and other things such as notes, outlines, first drafts, editing and proofreading could make up the other 75%. Using a rubric will help both you and your students. 


Got an idea for a quick tip?
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Monday 14 November 2011

Cool Link: BBC Learning English

There's no denying that the BBC is a fantastic resource.  In addition to the regular BBC website and programmes, they have a special site, called BBC Learning English. They have general English as well as Business English.  For sport fans, they also have a Sport section.

Of course, they have grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.  The latter is nice since ESL and EFL students seem to constantly strive to have better English pronunciation.  There's a special section for teachers as well.

If you want to use technology in the class, every Tuesday they have a Flatmate video that your students are sure to enjoy. They also have podcasts, downloads, widgets, and a whole lot more, so check out BBC and make your lessons more exciting.


Got an idea for a cool link?
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Sunday 13 November 2011

Hot Topic: Money's Not Important

Updated 2 December 2014

Looking at the base salary for a TESL or TEFL position can be depressing.  Money's become an issue all over the world, even in first world countries. Just take a look at We are the 99%.

There seem to be two schools of thought about money: those who care about it and those who don't.

Some people decide to head to Korea or the Middle East where the money is. Others don't care much about money and prefer to live well, like in China for example, where you might expect to earn about $600 a month. I'm not sure what those people will do when retirement rolls around though.

However, there are often added perks no matter if you go to the countries where you can make money or those where you can live well. Housing is often taken care of and that can save you a lot of money.  Free flights are often added as well. You might have chances to earn extra cash either at work by working online or at another job.  Not having to pay for a car, gas, car insurance, or health insurance can also help a lot.

Another thing to consider is the cost of living. Back home it might cost at least $25 to eat at a restaurant, but it another country it might only cost $2. Make a chart, add up the perks and subtract items you won't have to pay for like a car. You'll see that with a bit of budgeting you might not only live well, but be able to save too.

If you want to teach at a university in Korea, I'd definitely recommend Jackie Bolen's book, “How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams.” She wrote a couple of guest posts here at TEFL Tips, How to get the university job in Korea that you want and why I love working at a Korean university. She's been in Korea for over a decade and really knows her stuff. 


What do you think?
Is money more important to you than other things?  Or do you prefer to live well and don't care about saving?

Got an idea for a hot topic?
Email me with your hot topic, name, and website (if you have one) and I'll post it ASAP.

Disclaimer:

Saturday 12 November 2011

Cool Link: English Addicts

This cool link was suggested by Brad Patterson.

English Addicts is a daily English lesson that improves listening comprehension and builds vocabulary. Written by 5 seasoned ELT teachers, each new lesson has 10 activities based on a hand-picked excerpt from Voice of America. In 2007, David Graddol prepared a report for the British Council demonstrating that 775% of people using English neither use an American nor British accent.

English Addicts seeks to prepare students for this reality as its 13 international accents attune their ear to both the English they may require, or the English they might encounter. Introduce your students to the free weekly lesson on Fridays. If they choose to invest further, there are over 1500 lessons are at their disposal, as well as tracking program that will allow you to monitor their progress. This will show them how quickly they can advance while following the news that interests them. For class purposes, teachers should also check out the itunes podcast accompanied by free discussions tasks with each new lesson on EnglishAddicts.com

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Friday 11 November 2011

Job Site: World University Jobs

World University Jobs is geared towards all types of university jobs around the world. From jobs within the teaching sector, to director positions, HR jobs, fellowships, research positions, and more, they have a lot of job lists.

You can search by keyword, date posted, location, specialty, and even sort jobs. They have an advanced search option as well.

They also have other useful info such as conferences as well as links to other sites that might help you out. If you're looking for a fantastic university job, be sure to check out this site. 

Got an idea for a job site?
Email me with your job site, name, and website (if you have one) and I'll post it ASAP.

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Wednesday 9 November 2011

Cool Link: Unique Teaching Resources

Unique Teaching Resources is geared towards reading and writing, but they have other material to help teachers in the classroom as well.

Their section on positive reinforcement is great for students of all ages and particularly in early childhood education as it can help with classroom management and discipline.

If you're working with young learners, you might want to check out their teaching resources for months and holidays.  They have a lot of neat ideas there. Teenagers, adult beginners, and intermediate students would also benefit. 

Got an idea for a cool link?
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Tuesday 8 November 2011

Quick Tip: Use Peer Editing in the ESL and EFL Classroom

More and more teachers are using the writing process to teach writing in the EFL and ESL classrooms. If you start teaching young learners about the writing process it'll become much easier for them when they have to write paragraphs and essays in the future.

Part of the writing process involves editing.  There are usually three types: self, peer, and teacher.

Using rubrics or checklists can help students use peer editing successfully in class.  Make sure students take it seriously and not just say that everything's ok. They should take time to proofread (checking for mistakes) and edit (making it better) it. One way to do this is to give students a grade for proofreading and editing another student's work.

Next time you do writing in class, be sure to give peer editing a try.  It helps both the student editing and the one receiving the feedback.

Got an idea for a quick tip?
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Monday 7 November 2011

Cool Link: The Teachers Corner

The Teachers' Corner is not specifically aimed at ESL and EFL teachers, but rather teachers who teach in regular schools or international schools.

The website is organised into sections such as lesson plans, thematic units, seasonal, bulletin boards, resources, worksheets, teaching jobs, and more.

Despite the fact that it's not directly related to ESL or EFL, there is still a lot of material that you can use in your classroom. The bulletin board and worksheet section have good ideas. You could even use the lesson plans for students who are learning subjects in English aka CLIL (content and language integrated learning).

Got an idea for a cool link?
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Sunday 6 November 2011

Hot Topic: Masters or Teaching License?

Many people have trouble deciding whether to get a masters or teaching license.  The truth is they often serve different purposes.  Teaching licenses, otherwise known as PGCE (postgraduate certificates of education), PGDE (postgraduate diplomas of education) will lead to you becoming an NQT (newly qualified teacher) and then you'll have QTS (qualified teaching status).

All these letters simply mean that you can teach in K-12 schools. If you are able to teach in these schools, you could get a job at an international school.  In other words, you should go for a teaching license if you want to work with kids.

Masters degrees are often required to work at universities.  While having a masters degree might also increase your pay if you're at an international school, it won't get your foot in the door.  You'll need a teaching license in order to teach at an international school.

Some people say that working at an international school is better since you get free education for your children, but others say the long hours and stress that go along with it aren't worth it.  Others prefer university jobs where they have less hours per week, more vacation and don't have to deal with parents.

I personally prefer working at a university since I get a decent amount of overtime, can work a bit during the breaks and still have a couple months vacation. 


What do you think?
Is it better to get a masters degree and teach at a university or to get a teaching license and teach at an international school?


Got an idea for a hot topic?
Email me with your hot topic, name, and website (if you have one) and I'll post it ASAP.

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