The breadth of knowledge necessary to learn the process of teaching together is vast. Add the almost limitless amount of content contained within the English language and you begin to realise just how ambitious an aim it is for the industry standard, 4 week intensive TEFL course to prepare newly qualified teachers for the classroom. So just what should a candidate expect from a TEFL course? Each candidate needs to be carefully managed to ensure they have a realistic perspective on where they are on the "teaching skills" learning curve. This is important to maintain the belief that they ...

From experience everybody will know there is nothing worse than to having to sit through a never ending boring and dry lesson or speech, and on the same note, even if the presentation is done with humor and enthusiasm, if the lesson is not chosen within the reference framework of the audience, they will battle to stay attentive. What every teacher probably wants is the magic words to help create the joy of learning in all our learners. Although there is no known abracadabra spell for this, we can achieve it, and take our minds off of our own classroom ...

What makes TEFL teaching in Asia such an attractive option for the characters of the world? Are they simply a restless breed, festering with discontent over the restraints and customs of their native lands? Do they need a new challenge, a change or, perhaps, just a good rest? The reasons are obviously manifold, but these idiosyncratic creatures are united by the fact that they are all a long way from home. This binds them, but, as it is indeed the habit of folk to be, they are all different. We will try to break down and define these stereotypes. In all ...

There is no doubt that movies offer tired teachers and classrooms a nice big motivating push! Movies present language in a way that is often more natural than that found in course-books, the fantastic visual context aids understanding and boosts listening, and students just simply love them. The question is not whether we can use movies in the EFL classroom, but which ones to use and how to use them. Let’s start with looking at which movies to use. Obviously there are cultural factors and age factors which have to be taken into account. There may even be religious issues. But these ...