Blog

Teaching Listening: How to make the most of your lessons

Teaching listening comprehension is challenging for ESL learners, especially in the East Asian context. This is due to a range of factors: firstly, reading and writing skills are typically given greater importance in language learning at school as compared to oral/aural skills. In addition, Chinese, Japanese and Korean learners are typically more focused on accuracy, and often try to understand every word that is said rather than glossing over unknown words to process the larger message. … All categories, Teaching skills, How to..., Certificate courses, ESL activities

How to teach grammar clearly: an introduction to the basics

*Final revision by Bryan Holmes, James Pengelley and Tom Garside Hear from some new teachers talking about their CertTESOL experience. Often new teachers are filled with anxiety when teaching grammar. Here we outline the basic approach to clearly staged grammar lessons with a communicative, student-focused outcome. This approach is commonly called Present, Practice, Produce, and is a common starting point for teachers when they learn to teach grammar for the first… All categories, Certificate courses, How to..., Teaching skills, ESL activities

TEFL work in Hong Kong: finding your first job

Oftentimes, coming off a TEFL course can be jarring. The intensity of the course is finally over, leaving you feeling discombobulated and out of sorts. You know you have to look for a job, but just feel overwhelmed by the idea of job-hunting. What to do? Where to begin? This post looks at different entry routes in the TESOL industry in Hong Kong and what may suit you. Bridging courses / Summer camps are a good way to get experience at first. These are often advertised… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, How to...

5 Ways to take feedback and correct mistakes

Post-task feedback is the stage of an ESOL class where much of the real learning happens; it is during feedback that students reflect on their ideas, correct their mistakes and apply the language that we teach in a restricted, experimental and discursive setting. However, feedback stages are all too often focused on the product of the task (the correct answers) rather than the process of how these answers were reached. This restricts student production of language to single words, or (in the… All categories, Five ways to, Certificate courses, Teaching skills, How to..., ESL activities

What is it like to take the DipTESOL?

This week we interview a recent DipTESOL trainee, who completed his Trinity DipTESOL in Hong Kong in 2014.  After 4 years post-certificate, he was an experienced teacher looking to develop his teaching skills, knowledge of language teaching and his career when he decided to take the DipTESOL. 1) Why did you decide to take the DipTESOL? I didn't want to be just a teacher forever so I thought the Dip would naturally be the next step. It's helped me become a Materials… All categories, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters, Certificate courses

ICT: Using technology in the classroom

Whether you like it or not, the use of IT, technology, edTech, ICT….whatever you want to call it….in the classroom is here to stay.  Many schools nowadays actively expect teachers to incorporate elements of technology in their classes on a regular basis.  Many institutions such as the British Council even assess their current and prospective teachers on their ability to use and experiment with IT. So should this cause alarm?  Should you and your colleagues rush out and… All categories, How to..., Certificate courses, TESOL Masters, Five ways to

English pronunciation: variation or error?

Following on from last week's post on using the IPA with your classes, this week we ask: does your accent matter? Teachers often get asked who speaks better English; the British, Irish, Australians, New Zealanders or North Americans?  Actually, the question itself is meaningless as currently, English has many variations (grammatically, lexically, and phonologically), which do not affect the quality of the language. To compare these differences is to suggest that language is defined… All categories, Certificate courses, How to..., Teaching skills, Diploma courses

Differentiation: what is it and how do I do it?

Off the back of a stimulating PD session at the English for Asia centre in Sheung Wan, we thought we would take a closer look at making the most of differentiation in language learning. What is differentiation? Differentiation is what happens when teachers try to respond to the individuals in their classrooms in order to enhance learning outcomes.  This could be as simple as a teacher approaching a group of students and asking them a series of questions to encourage deeper thought,… All categories, How to..., ESL activities, Certificate courses, Diploma courses

What’s it like to work in EFL in Hong Kong?

I often get asked what it’s like to work in TEFL in Hong Kong and having had over 10 years working in a variety of TEFL academic contexts here, including one-to-one tuition, as a NET teacher in local schools, kindergartens, learning centres and reputable (and disreputable!) language training organisations, it’s probably safe to say I’ve taught in all possible teaching contexts in Hong Kong. Depending on your forté, be it young learners, very young learners, adults, business English or… All categories, How to..., Careers in TESOL, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters

Tips from our trainees: How to pass the CertTESOL

Last week our teacher trainers shared their top tips for succeeding on the CertTESOL course. Although, even with many years of experience, they are not the ultimate experts on what it's like to get through the CertTESOL course. In this series of articles, we interview some of our previous graduates, and ask them what it was like, first hand, to make the decision to apply, how they achieved success on their course and their top advice for what to expect on the CertTESOL. Before joining… All categories, How to..., Certificate courses, Diploma courses

How to succeed on your CertTESOL

Looking at taking a CertTESOL in Hong Kong as an entry point into the ESL industry? Perhaps you’re already an experienced teacher looking for a formal English language teaching qualification. Or maybe you’re interested in registering as a primary NET teacher in Hong Kong? The CertTESOL is one of two internationally recognized and independently accredited courses (the other being CELTA) recognized and accepted by the British Council, and is recognized by the Hong Kong… All categories, Certificate courses

Top books for new teachers

Following on from last week’s post about online resources for new teachers, this week we look at our top suggestions for our favourite print materials for new and developing teachers. I remember when I first finished my Certificate course, and was offered my first full-time teaching position: one of the biggest issues I had wasn’t lesson planning (although it still took me more than 2 hours to plan each lesson) but rather finding materials and ESL resources in order to lift… All categories, ESL activities, Five ways to