ITTT Specialized Course

Teaching English Online

TEO 004

Unit 4
Teaching and learning

©
International TEFL and TESOL Training
Where the world is your classroom
Unit 4
Teaching and learning

4.1 Teachers and learners

n 4.1 Teachers and learners
n 4.1.1 Supplementary videos
n 4.2 Syllabi and exam systems
n 4.2.1 Supplementary videos

n 4.3 Lesson styles and methods

n 4.3.1 Supplementary videos

n 4.4 Evaluation systems

n 4.4.1 Supplementary videos

n 4.5 Parents
x

n 4.5 Unit 4 comprehension text

As you are teaching online, your language learners

could be from anywhere in the world. Many companies
focus on particular countries, while others teach
worldwide. Statistically, as more people in China are
learning English than anywhere else in the world, there
is a good chance you may teach Chinese people.

It may be surprising to learn that online lessons start

for students from three years of age upwards and
there is no upper age limit. Learners worldwide come
from all walks of life, backgrounds, motivation to learn and interests, which is why there are so many niche markets in
online EFL teaching.

Many 'classes' will be one-to-one, which would be you and the student only. Multiple student classes are taught and for
both, all levels will be available. We will mention levels in more detail below.

Generally speaking English language learners are grouped into one of five levels for teaching purposes. These five levels
correspond in some way to the examination systems which are mentioned in the next sub-section.

The five levels are often classified as follows:

Level 1 Starter
Level 2 Elementary
Level 3 Pre-intermediate
Level 4 Intermediate
Level 5 Upper intermediate/Advanced

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

Your students will have had, or will need to have, some form of level test to determine at which level they are operating.
Once this is known the teaching resources that are applicable to the level can be used. One important point to remember
is that the student level bears no relation to age. You may teach an eighty year old starter and a 12 year old intermediate
student.

an St
re o
Do a couple of placement tests for yourself. d
se p
1. An example of a placement test (Oxford Young Learners Placement Test) is at a
rc
www.oxfordenglishtesting.com/defaultmr.aspx?id=4582. h
Sign up at that site for an account and take the sample test, so that you can experience the process.

2. Another placement test (to test grammar) is here:

www.examenglish.com/leveltest/grammar_level_test.htm

Do this level test for yourself too.

Another useful reference below and on the next page relates to the largest area of online teaching, early childhood
teaching (kindergarten), from http://work.chron.com/qualities-good-teacher-early-childhood-development-8694.html.

Qualities of a Good Teacher in Early Childhood Development,

Bean-Mellinger, Barbara

A degree in early childhood development gives teachers the skills they need to help every child learn. Practically speaking,
however, teachers of young children need to possess or hone the qualities that will enable them to work with and motivate
young children, while finding the joy and success in each and every day.

Enthusiasm for Children

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the most important characteristic for teachers of
early childhood development is enthusiasm and passion for children. This goes well beyond enjoying being with children. It
means wanting to make a difference to each and every child. Teachers must have the drive to unlock every child's door to
learning, overcoming any obstacle a child may have.

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

Patience and Humor

Working with young children all day takes huge measures of patience. The nature of their age makes young children
rambunctious, with short attention spans and little self control. Every child is different, too, making the job even more
challenging. After a long, tiring day full of challenges, teachers of young children must come back and meet the same and new
challenges the next day. A patient nature, combined with a sense of humor, helps teachers take the ups and downs of every day
in stride, while focusing on the end goals.

Communication Skills
Teachers need to have learned effective skills for working with young children and for communicating with them at their level.
Then teachers need to be able to communicate with the child's parents about his needs, skills, problems and achievements, so
both parties can help the child without undue emotion. On a daily basis, the teacher must communicate with other teachers
who may teach her class, as well as the school principal and other administrators. The more effectively the teacher can
communicate to all involved -- both orally and in writing -- the more rewarding and positive her job will be.

Respect of Differences
Every child comes to school with a unique personality and learning style. To reach each child and teach each child effectively,
teachers must respect these differences and work with each child's style, rather than try to force the child to adapt to another
style. In our global society, teachers must also be prepared for multicultural classrooms with many ethnicities, cultures and
traditions represented. A classroom where these differences are not merely tolerated but are welcomed and embraced creates
an open and exciting learning atmosphere.

Creativity and Flexibility

Planning lessons that will engage young children and educate them at the same time takes creativity. Adapting lessons to
individual learning styles requires flexibility. Regardless of how organized a teacher is, and how well she has planned the day,
she needs to remain flexible to handle all the glitches that can throw off the day. She must also be willing to change plans and
ideas as needed. A successful early childhood development teacher will use creativity and flexibility to make every day a
positive one for her and for the class.

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 Unit 4
Teaching and learning

4.1.1 Supplementary videos

1. Teaching Special Groups in
ESL - The 5 Student Groups

2. Teaching Special Groups in

ESL - The Types of Beginners

3. Teaching Special Groups in

ESL - Top 10 Tips When
Teaching Beginners

4. Teaching Special Groups in 5. Teaching Special Groups in

ESL - Teaching Individuals ESL - Problems with Business
(One-to-One) English Classes

6. Teaching Special Groups in 7. Teaching Special Groups in

ESL - Teaching Young ESL - Typical Process For
Learners Business English Classes

8. Teaching Special Groups in 9. Teaching Special Groups in

ESL - Do's and Don'ts When ESL - Do's and Don'ts When
Teaching Young Learners Teaching Business English

10. Teaching Special Groups in 11. Teaching Special Groups in

ESL - English For Specific ESL - Monolingual vs.
Purposes Multilingual Classes

12. Teaching Special Groups in

ESL

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning
4.2 Syllabi and
exam systems
The choice of a syllabus and if that is going to lead to an
examination, will be made by any company you work
for. If you are going it alone you will need to consider
this also.

English exams exist for every level of student we have

already mentioned and some of the larger examining
bodies offer a whole suite of exams to allow students
to progress from the very basic level up to exams which
demonstrate they could operate at the university level
for a course taught in the English language.

If you are teaching an exam level course you must

familiarize yourself with both the syllabus content
being tested and the format of both questions and
answers.

Examples of examination systems are given in the

‘Useful links’ section of unit 6.

One of the most commonly used systems is given

below.

Cambridge Assessment, English: Exams and tests

www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/

Cambridge English Qualifications A2 Key (KET)

Business B1 Preliminary (PET)
Pre A1 Starters (YLE Starters) B2 First (FCE)
A1 Movers (YLE Movers) C1 Advanced (CAE)
A2 Flyers (YLE Flyers) C2 Proficiency (CPE)
A2 Key for Schools (KET) B1 Business Preliminary (BEC Preliminary)
B1 Preliminary for Schools (PET) B2 Business Vantage (BEC Vantage)
B2 First for Schools (FCE) C1 Business Higher (BEC Higher

Here you can see that exams at every level are available, as well as dedicated exams for Young learners and Business
English and how they compare in terms of other systems:

www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/qualifications/schools/our-exams/

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 Unit 4
Teaching and learning

4.2.1 Supplementary videos

1. Evaluation and Testing of
Students - Academic English
Exams

2. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - Business English
Exams

3. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - General English
Exams

4. Evaluation and Testing of 6. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - Practice & External Students - Placements Tests
Proficiency Tests

5. Evaluation and Testing of 7. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - Diagnostic & Students - Types of Tests
Progress Test

8. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - Forms of Testing
and Evaluation

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning
4.3 Lesson styles
and methods
When working for a company, both the teaching style
and material is often given to you. This means you do
not have to start your lesson planning from scratch, or
have to worry about any par ticular teaching
methodology.

A fair proportion of online clients will be Young

Learners, which we will classify as between the ages of
3 and 16 years of age. Obviously the teaching style will
differ drastically between those two age points. The
rest of your clients will be adults and here it is
important to remember that they are all individuals
and so they will come to the lesson with differing levels
of motivation, determination and reasons for learning
English. You should take some time to get to know all
your students, why they are learning English (if they
made the choice).

Typically when working for a company which

specializes in Younger Learners they may have their
own methodology, usually a variation of audio
lingualism or Total Physical Response (TPR).

an St
re o
Visit these websites for more information on TPR and audio lingualism: d
se p
www.tpr-world.com/ a
rc
www.teflcourse.net/tefl-videos/tefl-teaching-videos/theories-methods- h
techniques-of-teaching-audio-lingualism/

You should endeavor to read about these teaching methodologies to understand the pedagogy. When working with
adults the teaching style may well be some variation of Engage, Study, Activate (ESA), Presentation, Practice, and
Production (PPP). It is important to remember that many classes will be one to one, so these methods will need to be
adapted to those situations.

There are numerous online resources from free lesson plans to teacher forums where information can be gained freely;
you should make use of all such resources.

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 Unit 4
Teaching and learning

4.3.1 Supplementary videos

1. Theories, Methods &
Techniques of Teaching -
ESA Methodology

2. Theories, Methods &

Techniques of Teaching -
Methodology Review

3. Theories, Methods &

Techniques of Teaching -
Suggestopedia

4. Theories, Methods & 8. Theories, Methods &

Techniques of Teaching - Total Techniques of Teaching -
Physical Response The Direct Method

5. Theories, Methods & 9. Theories, Methods &

Techniques of Teaching - The Techniques of Teaching -
Silent Way Grammar Translation

6. Theories, Methods & 10. Theories, Methods &

Techniques of Teaching - Techniques of Teaching - The
Repitition Drill Example Classical Method

7. Theories, Methods & 11. Theories, Methods &

Techniques of Teaching - Techniques of Teaching -
Audio Lingualism Nature vs. Nurture

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

4.4 Evaluation systems

If you are working for a company they will probably
have evaluation systems in place for the students that
you can use. These will take the form of progress tests,
which may cover a few weeks to a few months, and
achievement tests which usually cover an entire year
or course. You will, directly or indirectly, be assessing
your students with each contact you make and you
may have to write a report for the company, or in the
case of Young Learners, the parents.

If you are freelancing you should make sure that you

adopt these same practices, so that you can give
students adequate feedback on their progress and
indicate to them where their knowledge is lacking.

It is very useful, though potentially uncomfortable, to

have your students evaluate you. The feedback you get
in this way will be the most invaluable training tool to
improve your practice.

You may want to ask students to write a 250-word

comment or set up a quick questionnaire for them to
do at the end of a course or block of study.

an St
re o
Read this article for more information: d
se p
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/tec12%20publication.pdf a
rc
h

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 Unit 4
Teaching and learning

4.4.1 Supplementary videos

1. Evaluation and Testing of
Students - Practice & External
Proficiency Tests

2. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - Diagnostic &
Progress Test

3. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - Placement Tests

4. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - Types of Tests

5. Evaluation and Testing of

Students - Forms of Testing
and Evaluation

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

4.5 Parents
A huge proportion of the online teaching market is for
young learners. The paying clients are therefore
parents and you should ensure that you factor their
possible influence into any teaching situation you find
yourself in.

Many companies will not allow direct contact with

parents and teachers. Any issues are typically directed
through the company. If you are working for yourself,
you will have to deal with this area yourself.
Parents

Guest blog post by Taylor

www.teflcourse.net/blog/online-teaching-and-interacting-with-parents-ittt-tefl-blog/

Online Teaching and Interacting with Parents

I've worked as an online tutor with VIPKid since 2017. I have also taught ESL in a traditional classroom setting. My experience
dealing with parents in these two settings drastically differs. When I made the switch to teaching online full-time, I needed to
adapt to this new way of interacting with parents.

Some online teaching companies offer classes with multiple students. Working for VIPKid, however, I only have experience in
the online classroom where the teacher is one-on-one with the student. In a one-on-one classroom setting the teacher will either
be alone with the student, the student and a parent, or in some cases the student and multiple parents.

I'm going to talk about my experience with this and suggest some ways to navigate parental involvement and concerns. First, I
will talk about the different ways parents get involved in the classroom and particularly how to deal with over involved parents.
Second, I will talk about an opposite scenario in which the parents are under involved. Lastly, I will talk about interacting with
parents through parental feedback.

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

Parents in the Classroom: Over involved

As most of my students are young, parents are often present in the classroom. They can be very helpful in encouraging
the student or helping them understand directions. If that is the case it is smooth sailing for the lesson. Sometimes,
however, their involvement can actually interrupt the flow of class and hinder the student's learning. I find this most
often when parents are over involved. They may be answering and completing activities for the student rather than
allowing them to attempt the task independently. For example, the teacher may ask, “what's your name?” and the
mom jumps in and says, “her name is Anne.” The goal here is to get the student talking and practicing speaking
English. So, a parent answering for a student before the student is able to attempt the answer themselves is extremely
unhelpful.

I have also had a few classes where the parents are yelling at the students or being too harsh rather than encouraging
them. This tends to make the students regress and feel less confident. Let's say mom or dad starts yelling at the student
when they don't understand the task and the student starts crying. This makes it difficult to get the student back on task
and complete the lesson.

So, how do we go about dealing with parents who are over involved in the classroom? My first suggestion is to
remember to always remain calm and be friendly. Parents are still able to review and give feedback on you. So, it's
important to manage them in a way that doesn't leave a bad impression in their minds. If the parent is really hindering
the students learning experience, write to the company. They will talk to the parents about better ways to be involved
in future classes. For VIPKid you can do this on the student's feedback form under the section labeled 'suggestions to
student through VIPKID'. Then by clicking 'parents involved too much' writing a comment on what specifically
happened in the class and how you think the parents can improve.

Parents in the Classroom: Under involved

Conversely, some students need more parent involvement. If a student has trouble focusing, understanding directions,
or actively participating, more parental involvement can help. For example, if Timmy is running around the room and
won't sit still in front of the camera. Just mom or dad's presence alone could encourage Timmy to focus more on the
lesson and create a more effective learning environment. Or if Timmy doesn't understand the classroom command
'click', mom or dad can show him how to click and practice using the classroom command so he can understand what
to do in future lessons without parental help.

Again, it's always important to be patient with students who need more parental involvement. One option to help with
this is calling for support during the class. With VIPKid you can do this by calling the firemen and clicking 'behavior
issue' or 'other issue'. They may be able to contact the parents and bring them in for help. You can also contact the
company after the class on the feedback form again under the section labeled 'suggestions to student through VIPKID'.
Then by clicking 'more parent involvement needed' and writing a comment about the situation.

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

Parent Feedback
Another way parents are able to interact with online teachers is through feedback. Parents are able to rate you and
leave comments. For VIPKid the rating scale is from 1 apple to 5 apples (5 apples being the highest rating). Multiple
ratings are averaged to give you an overall rating. You are able to see who wrote the review and reply with comments.
Potential students and parents can view your reviews before deciding to book a class with you. Often times this can
help boost your bookings. If your rating is low, it discourages new students from booking with you and can also prevent
you from getting certified in new classes or working with the company in other ways.

If you have a low rating you disagree with, you are able to summit a ticket to have the rating reviewed. The playback for
the class will be watch and the company will message you regarding their decision. If they decide that the rating was
unfair or inaccurate, they will discredit it and it will not factor into your overall rating. However, it will still appear in
your parents' feedback section and potential parents will still be able to view it. Again, to avoid low rating I suggest
always being patient and friendly in the classroom. It's amazing what a simple smile will do!

Conclusion
It is likely that you will have the opportunity to interact with parents while teaching online. Particularly if you are
teaching young learners. Use the parental involvement to elevate the learning experience and make the class run more
smoothly. If you have issues with parents or their feedback, contact your company for help. They will certainly take
action to help improve the parents' involvement for future classes or to rectify an unfair review. Don't confront parents
in an aggressive or unfriendly way. This could reflect badly on you and may result in a low rating that will affect future
bookings. It's always a good idea to keep your calm and seek help if you think the parent involvement could be better.

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

4.6 Comprehension text

Read the following text and additional readings.
Knowledge of the text will be tested.

10 Tips When Teaching English as a

Foreign Language to Children
www.teflcourse.net/blog/category/teaching-ideas/

Most EFL teachers abroad will - at some point in their

career - teach children. The English education market
catered to young learners is a billion dollar business and
many countries hire teachers to fill this need.

What you can do to brace yourself besides taking a

specialized course in course in teaching English to young
learners (the course here, for example) is to take the
following 10 tips to heart.

Don't Think it's a Piece of Cake

Teaching numbers and colors seems like the easiest job in the world, right? Wrong! The truth is, teaching children demands a
great deal of energy and creativity. Kids are always on the go and will keep you on your toes. These classes can be exhausting
but also extremely rewarding!

an St
re o
Additional reading: d
se p
Five Activities for Using Movies in the ESL Classroom a
rc
www.teflcourse.net/blog/5-activities-for-using-movies-in-the-esl-classroom-ittt-tefl-blog/ h

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

Involve Your Students in Hands-On Activities

Kids learn incredibly well by absorbing ideas and concepts actively. This means getting your students out of their chairs,
moving around the classroom, singing, dancing or even outside exploring the world around them. Different props and
materials will also go a long way so you better stock up on dice, colored paper, crayons, blocks, and all kinds of props you can
use in the classroom. Have them actually touch fake fruit and vegetables when teaching those vocabulary words and you'll be
surprised how attentive they will be and how well those words will stick in their heads.

Don't Talk for Long Periods

The worst thing you can probably do is the complete opposite from the point above. When you spend too much time talking
about vocabulary, grammar or even just instructions for a task, the energy level of the classroom quickly drops and your young
students will lose interest. Keep your explanations brief and move on to the actual activity quickly. If a planned activity doesn't
work, move on. Always keep a few extra activities up your sleeve just in case.

an St
re o
Additional reading: d
se p
Seven Awesome ESL Conversation Activities To Really Get Your Students Talking a
rc
www.teflcourse.net/blog/7-awesome-esl-conversation-activities-to-really-get-your-students h
-talking-ittt-tefl-blog/

Children Learn Through Personal Interactions

Communicating and interacting is key in a classroom full of young learners. Talk to each child individually and plan activities
that involve group or pair work to make the kids interact with each other.

Cater to Multiple Intelligences

Another great way to keep things fun and interesting is to plan your lessons according to different learning styles and multiple
intelligences. These include Visual – Spatial, Logical – Mathematical, Bodily – Kinesthetic, Musical – Rhythmic, Intra-
Personal, Inter-Personal, Naturalist, and Spiritual. You can accomplish this, for example, by teaching an ESL element with a
song, such as Hickory Dickory Dock when teaching how to tell the time. Another example would be to use the game of Simon
Says to teach body parts or to use maps for teaching places around town.

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

an St
re o
Additional reading: d
se p
11 Fun ESL Activities for Young Learners a
rc
www.teflcourse.net/blog/11-fun-esl-activities-for-young-learners-ittt-tefl-blog/ h

Review, Review, Review

While adult students often understand new information after the teachers explain it once, young learners really need constant
reviews. It's a good idea to do a short review session at the beginning of each class to get the material really stuck into your
students' heads and store it in the long-term memory.

Encourage Self-Correction
Self-correction or self-regulation is an integral part of learning and something every teacher should encourage. The questions
“How am I doing?” and “Am I doing this right?” should be asked in an open and non-judgmental environment. This not only
allows for barrier-free learning but also creates a safe learning environment, where your students can thrive.

an St
re o
Additional reading: d
se p
The Five Best Ways To Build Rapport With Your TEFL Students a
rc
www.teflcourse.net/blog/the-5-best-ways-to-build-rapport-with-your-tefl-students/ h

Use Learned Information in Different Contexts

Using new grammar or vocabulary in a variety of contexts really helps in making your students understand the correct usage -
and the more contexts the better. It also helps to use 'real life' context by talking about them and their lives.

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Unit 4
Teaching and learning

Praise, Praise, Praise

It might feel strange at first, but you really need to praise your young students constantly. Whenever they say something
correctly or show positive behavior you should praise them and throw a “Good Job!” out there. Rewarding your students for
positive behavior is also a big part of successful classroom management. For example, you could create sticker boards and give
out stickers as encouragement when your student is doing a good job. When the sticker board is full, they will get a reward.

Be Prepared to Deal with Parents

Last but not least, you will have to deal with parents when teaching young students. Sometimes, language schools abroad have
a separate local teacher for this due to possible language barriers but every teacher of children needs to communicate with
parents to some degree. This could be informing them about the goals for the next semester, the children's learning goals, such
as the syllabus for the school year and, most important, the child's individual progress.

an St
re o
Additional reading: d
se p
Several ways parents can help TEFL teachers a
rc
(www.teflcourse.net/blog/several-ways-parents-can-help-tefl-teachers-ittt-tefl-blog/) h
The essentials of parents’ roles in children’s education
(www.teflcourse.net/blog/the-essentials-of-parents-roles-in-childrens-education-ittt-tefl-blog/)

This topic will be discussed in greater detail in Unit 6.

You should now be ready to attempt the test for unit 4.

Go to your course control panel to open and take the test.

(Note: There will not be any questions on the test about the supplementary video content.)

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