The TEFL Blog

As someone who promotes English teaching-training programs at a university for a career, I'm constantly being asked by potential students, institutions, and even experienced teachers what all these acronyms stand for and what's the difference between them. I get questions like "Should I take a TEFL class or a TESL class?" or "What's the difference between ESL and ELL?" all the time, so I wanted to write a quick blog entry to address the confusion. Before I start to break down some of these acronyms, it's important to note that so many acronyms exist simply because the field of English language education is constantly evolving and becoming more specialized; especially over the last couple decades. Some of these terms may sound similar and may lead you to wonder, why do they all exist, however these slight differences can impact significant decisions like: Which type of course is best suited to my career goals? What are my students greatest needs...

For many new teachers (and even some experienced teachers), so much classroom time is often wasted on managing the behavior of your students in class. For me, the same was definitely true. My memories of doing my practicum to become a public school teacher, to this day are still enough to provoke nightmares. The stress that can come from having to focus so much time and energy on classroom management, while trying to make it through the required curriculum, is literally enough to make some teachers quit and pursue other careers.  The good news...it doesn't have to be this way. The less good news, is that there is no set of procedure or tips that will solve all teachers classroom management problems. So much of how your class operates depends on two factors: You and your unique set of students. That being said, I can guarantee the following tips will help you manage your classroom. 1. Remember you are the boss For a lot of new teachers, especially if you are only a few yea...

Good insight into the TEFL job market in 2017. Thanks Alex Stevenson from  http://ninjateacher.com https://www.facebook.com/uvictefl/

I'm going to post a bit of light-hearted entry this week, as I'm going to talk about one of my favorite parts of traveling and living in a different country: If you are like me, food makes a huge impact of your level of happiness. I also know that when traveling to a new country it can be difficult to find something that you like to eat. This is especially true when traveling or living in Asia, where the food is dramatically different than Western food options. When I first arrived in Korea I had no idea about Korean food as I'd never tried any before going there. It honestly took me about 6 months to find out what foods I enjoyed when I lived there. The same can be true about China. Sure I'd had lots of Chinese food in Canada, but the funny thing is Chinese food is a lot different in China than in North America. When you add in the language barrier when visiting many restaurants in Asia, then ordering food gets that much tougher. So here we go, my favorite...