Bics Skills

  We are going to move on to the second of the productive skills, which is writing and, again, we'll have look at the background, too, and create a typical lesson for a writing skills session. One of the things to be aware of in a writing skills lesson is that writing tends to be more formal than spoken English. So, there will be some differences between the two, such as writing very often uses less contracted forms and so on, but having said that there are many similarities between the two particular skills. So, many of the considerations that we had for a speaking skills lesson will also apply here to a writing skills lesson. Within writing skills itself there are some sub-skills that we may want to teach and those sub-skills could include, but are not limited to, hand writing...  [Read more]

  This presentation is going to cover the teaching of productive skills. To start with, if we think about the way in which you learnt your first language, most of us go through a particular process. Firstly, we listen to those around us, after that first silent period of listening to other people, then we start to make utterances. Having learned to speak to a certain extent at least, we then go on to learn how to read and to write and this process that we go through is actually covering the four skills that we're trying to teach our English students. So, we have listening, speaking, reading, and writing. If we group those skills into their different types, then the two skills of reading and listening are known as receptive skills, whereas the skills of speaking and writing are...  [Read more]

A Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate can definitely enhance your ability to teach English to professionals. TESOL certification equips you with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively teach English as a foreign language, including specialized techniques for teaching professionals. Here are some ways in which a TESOL certificate can benefit you in teaching English to professionals: 1. **Understanding Adult Learning**: TESOL programs often include modules on adult learning theory, which can help you better understand how professionals learn and tailor your teaching methods to suit their needs. Professionals may have different learning styles and preferences compared to younger learners, so having this knowledge can be invaluable. 2. **Specialized...  [Read more]

When it comes to learning a new language there are four main skills that need to be covered: Reading, writing, speaking, and listening. These four skills are further divided into two areas: Productive skills (writing and speaking) and receptive skills (reading and listening). In any ESL classroom all four skills need to be fully covered to ensure each student has a rounded English ability. It is great if all your students can speak English clearly and confidently, but if they struggle to read or write in English then they will have real problems later on when they need these skills in the workplace, for further study, or when traveling, etc. When learning our native language we first learn to listen to all the language going on around us. For ESL students listening is a vital skill...  [Read more]

To prepare for teaching English in a high-demand region, there are several key steps you can take to ensure you are well-equipped for this exciting opportunity. First and foremost, it is essential to have a strong grasp of the English language yourself. This includes a solid understanding of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence structure. Additionally, having a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification can greatly enhance your credibility and marketability as an English teacher. Next, familiarize yourself with the culture and customs of the region where you will be teaching. Understanding the local customs, traditions, and values can help you build rapport with your students and navigate potential cultural differences more effectively. It can also be...  [Read more]

We have all spent a lot of time in classrooms during our lives and we have probably all experienced what it is like to be taught by a good teacher and varying degrees of less than good ones. The good ones seem to make it all look very easy as everyone in the class is interested, engaged, and keen to learn, but how do they do it? In most cases experience is the main reason why they make it look so straightforward, as doing something over and over again allows a good teacher to develop their skills and the best methods for getting the best results. However, there are a few common skills that are generally present in good teachers no matter how long they have been in the job. It probably goes without saying that a good teacher needs to have exceptional communication skills. Successful...  [Read more]

  This presentation is going to have a look at the idea of receptive skills and how we can go about teaching receptive skills lessons. There are two receptive skills and they are reading and listening. If we think about first of all, why do we read or listen, then there are probably two main answers to that. Firstly, it could either be for entertainment or it could be for a specific purpose. Within the reading and listening areas there are a number of sub-skills that we can teach our students. Firstly, what we can do is to show different examples of reading. So, let's say, for example, that we have just bought ourselves a new video camera and along with that video camera came a whole book of instructions. In order to find out how to get that camera working, then we would need to...  [Read more]

  Before we go into looking at the actual receptive skills lesson, if we were thinking about what potential problems there could be in these lessons. So, what things could go wrong in a reading lesson? Well, firstly the students when they are reading in a language that is not their native language, they tend to read every word as a separate piece and by reading word to word it?s very difficult to get an overall impression of what that particular text is saying. Secondly, the sentence length in a lot of articles that we will get will be very long and many of our students will not be used to that structure of language. So, here it's important to have a think about the way in which the text has actually been written and will it be fairly easy to read. The final thing is the actual...  [Read more]

  So, for the study phase what we're going to do is to show them the idea of the cartoon strip. In the cartoon strip what there's going to be are some people with speech bubbles and this is going to represent where dialogue will appear and in the bottom, there are these rectangular boxes, where there will be descriptive things happening. So, it will explain the actual situation that these people are in. So, we get across the idea, first of all, that these are speech and these are for description and we can then show them a blank one of these cartoon strips and try to elicit from our students what could possibly the people be saying and in what actual situation are they in, in order for them to say that. Once we've gone through that, we can move on to our first study activity and in...  [Read more]

  So let's have a look now what might take place in a typical writing lesson and, again, we're going to use the format of a straight arrow ESA lesson. Our first stage is to the go to the engage stage and, if we think back to what we said before, what we need to do is try to generate interest. So, an example here could be we show a picture first of all taken from a newspaper or magazine and then we can ask the students some questions. From looking at the picture we can ask them if they can tell us what is actually happening now as shown by the picture. Then, we can generate a bit more interest by asking them to give us ideas about what they thought was happening before this picture took place and what happened after. So, here we're just trying to build up the idea of a sequence of...  [Read more]

  So, let's have a look at a typical receptive skills lesson. The main focus of this lesson is going to be reading, although there will be some listening involved as well and it?s going to be a patchwork ESA lesson. As a patchwork lesson, it will start off with an engage and this engage what we're going to do is to play an extract about Elvis Presley and it's going to be an Elvis Presley song and we can ask the students if they know who it is and if they know anything about him can help generate the interest in this. We can also ask them what they'd like to know about it. What we can then do is just to introduce them to the text but they're going to read the detail later on but just at this stage we'll do a quick skimming or scanning exercise to find some information from that...  [Read more]

  So, some of the ways in which we can avoid these problems occurring in the first place is to reteach the vocabulary that's going to be required in the particular activity and the grammar. Now, having said this, it doesn't mean that if we think about a particular article that they're going to read or a listening activity that they're going to listen to. They don't have to know every single word in there but they do need to know a certain number of words in order to actually make sense out of it. Secondly, most of the materials that we'll be using for both reading and possibly for listening will be what's called an authentic material. In other words, it's a real piece of material from a newspaper or magazine that hasn't been created for a particular class and so we need a very...  [Read more]

  Before we move on to the planning of a lesson for speaking skills, something that we need to look at first is the idea of the accuracy versus the fluency of speaking. Accuracy relates to the correct usage of grammar and vocabulary, whereas fluency relates to our ability to continue speaking without any interruption. Now, ultimately within a whole ESA lesson or within language learning itself fluency and accuracy are equally important. Within an ESA lesson, however, depending upon which stage we're at in that lesson, then we're either focusing on accuracy or we're focusing on fluency. Remember in the ESA lesson, in the study phase, this is where we're looking at the target language where we're doing our language learning, so it's very important in this stage that we focus on the...  [Read more]

Improving your TESOL teaching skills is a continuous process that involves a combination of ongoing education, practical experience, and self-reflection. Here are some key strategies to enhance your TESOL teaching skills: Engage in workshops, seminars, and conferences related to TESOL to stay updated on the latest teaching methodologies and trends in language education. Consider enrolling in advanced TESOL courses or obtaining specialized certifications to deepen your expertise. Collaborate with experienced TESOL educators who can provide mentorship and guidance. Additionally, participate in peer observation programs where colleagues offer constructive feedback on your teaching practices. Regularly reflect on your teaching methods, classroom interactions, and lesson outcomes. Identify...  [Read more]

To improve your TESOL teaching skills, there are several key strategies you can implement. Firstly, focusing on professional development opportunities such as attending workshops, conferences, and seminars can be highly beneficial. These events provide valuable insights into the latest teaching methodologies, technologies, and resources available in the field. Additionally, seeking feedback from colleagues, mentors, and even students can offer a fresh perspective on your teaching style and areas for improvement. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and make necessary adjustments to enhance your teaching effectiveness. Engaging in reflective practice is another essential aspect of improving your TESOL teaching skills. Taking the time to reflect on your lessons, teaching...  [Read more]

A Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate can definitely enhance your teaching skills and open up new opportunities in the field of English language teaching. TESOL certification programs cover a wide range of topics such as language acquisition theory, lesson planning, classroom management, and assessment techniques. By completing a TESOL program, you will gain a solid foundation in these areas, which will help you become a more effective and confident English language teacher. One of the key benefits of earning a TESOL certificate is that it provides you with a recognized qualification that demonstrates your commitment to professional development and excellence in teaching. Many employers, both in language schools and educational institutions, require or...  [Read more]

To enhance your TESOL classroom management skills, there are several strategies and techniques you can implement. Classroom management is crucial for creating a positive and effective learning environment for your students. Here are some tips to help you improve your skills in this area: 1. Establish clear expectations: Setting clear and consistent rules and expectations from the beginning will help create a structured environment where students know what is expected of them. Be sure to communicate these expectations clearly and enforce them consistently. 2. Build positive relationships: Developing positive relationships with your students can help prevent disruptive behavior and create a more supportive learning environment. Take the time to get to know your students, show interest in...  [Read more]

Improving your TESOL classroom management skills is essential for creating a positive and productive learning environment for your students. Here are some strategies and tips to help you become more effective in managing your classroom: Establish clear expectations from the beginning of the course. Clearly communicate the rules and guidelines for behavior in the classroom, as well as the consequences for not following them. This will help set a positive tone and create a sense of structure for your students. Develop rapport with your students. Building a strong relationship with your students based on respect and trust can help prevent behavior issues before they arise. Take the time to get to know your students individually and show that you care about their progress and well-being. Use...  [Read more]

  Throughout section on the teaching of productive skills and the teaching of receptive skills our activate activities will usually involve some form of game and our final consideration here will be the use of games in the classroom. We can start with a definition of what we actually mean by a game and it basically has three components. A game is an activity that has rules it should have for its purpose in the classroom a teaching point and by nature to the fact that it's a game it should also include an element of fun. So that will be our working definition for a game that we're going to use in the classroom. There are many different types of games and they range between the competitive and those will require cooperation and there are all sorts of games that involve both of these...  [Read more]

  For the lesson that even takes place, there are a number of things that you need to have considered. Obviously, you need a very clear idea of what it is you're expecting the students to have to do and they need to know why. It's very important before you ask them to do an activity that they have an understanding of the purpose of that activity. You should, secondly, have had a thought about what they already know. Linked to that is, will it be necessary to do any form of pre-teaching before I can expect them to do this activity and finally, we need to make sure that we have prepared all our materials and our instructions for this particular activity. So, we'll consider a straight arrow ESA lesson, the focus of which is to be speaking skills. So, we'll start with our engage and in...  [Read more]