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Redefining Your TEFL Using Brain-Based Learning

redefine your TEFL

Alone In A Room

Imagine that you are alone in a room with nothing to do.  No cell phone, no book to read or TV to watch, no other people to talk to. Just you and your thoughts for 15 minutes. How will you feel? How much can your brain tolerate? How long can you endure this boring environment? What are you going to do?

Sure, you’re going to search for something novel and stimulating as you will feel bored. Remember that I’m only talking about 15 minute-period.

Students’ Brains Nowadays

So, as teachers, we should realize how boredom impacts our students whose brains always seek engagement, stimulation, choice, movement, meaning and novelty, and many other things so as not to feel bored. However, some teachers still insist on using traditional methods of teaching with today’s students.

According to modern research, yesterday’s methods worked well for yesterday’s students. But today’s students have different brains. They spend much more time on TV and on the Internet so their brains need a different learning environment. One that is enriching with sound, images, animation, movement, and social communications so that learning will stick within their brains.

Why To Employ The Brain-Based Learning

Therefore, we, as teachers, will not be able to enhance learning unless we study how students’ brains work and know well how to create a positive, energizing, and organized learning environment for students. That’s why you should consider employing the five-E system. It is a system based on the brain with some practical classroom strategies.

The central point in this system is to understand that learning is neither mechanical nor simply an intellectual process. It is like what happens in a chemical factory – or inside each one of us as we digest a meal, a complex and dynamic process. All parts of the system play a role and the more students contribute to the class, the more profound and meaningful their learning is.

The Five-E Elements

This system focuses on incorporating five “E” elements in every classroom: 

  1. Emotion,
  2. Examples,
  3. Energy,
  4. Exercise, and 
  5. Euphoria. 

If we can include these simple elements in our classes, we will be better prepared to meet the true needs of our students.

Each element has an important and motivational effect on your journey to redefine your TEFL in the classroom and on your students’ learning as well.

But what is the importance and effect of each element and how to apply it in your TEFL?

In other words, what are these classroom strategies that relate to each element? These strategies, if applied in the classroom, will enable the teacher to reach every student and enhance their learning.

The Five-E System Guide

I’ve collected these elements in a resource guide for YOU. I also included the classroom strategies that you can use to employ these elements.

If you employ this five-E system, you will redefine your TEFL in your classes, FOR SURE.

The good news is that I offer this guide for FERR.

Immediately after subscribing to my blog, you will receive an email including a link to it so that you can download it directly.

Note: If my email hasn’t been sent to your inbox, find it in promotions or even in spam, and don’t forget to report it as not spam.

PS. After subscribing to my blog, you will be notified regularly of my featured articles on the blog and my latest publications that you can get to continue your ELT professional development.

If you have any questions or need any help on TEFL, I’m ready to help YOU to gain more control over your ELT career.

Regards,
Mohamed Ramadan

Classroom Strategies, Free ELT Publications 1 Comment

The Ultimate Guide To Using Good Stories In Teaching English To Young Learners

Teaching English to young learners through stories

Why Are Storybooks Widely Used in TEYL?

In Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL), most teachers use storybooks for a number of purposes, e.g. pleasure, fun, learning how to read, and language learning.

When Will Storybooks Be of Special Value in TEYL?

Not all storybooks are good for language learning. So, it is imperative that you choose the best ones that can offer language learning opportunities and develop other skills along the way.

When you choose the right storybooks, apply the right strategies, and children do the story-based activities effectively, the stories will be of special pedagogical value for foreign language learning. In this case, the children will be able to achieve the learning objectives with ease and comfort. Moreover, young learners will enjoy learning the language. So, there should be a plan to use stories perfectly within English classes.

What Can You Get From This eBook?

That’s why I’ve created this eBook. From this book teachers can get all the practical information that will guide them mainly to:

  • Selecting good stories to use with young learners.
  • Applying the right strategies for using stories to teach English to young learners.
  • Following the right steps when reading stories aloud to young learners.

Get The Book Now

Teacher’s Online Resource Guide

online resources for EFL teachers

What’s Good For Teachers Staying at Home?

Basically, I was thinking about a lot of teachers of English who are staying at home and trying to learn and develop professionally.

I thought it would be good if I collect links to valuable online resources for them so that they can continue learning and developing.    

The Case of Most Teachers Nowadays

I know there is a lot of interest in online learning nowadays. Every teacher is scrambling to figure out how to learn and teach online.

As a teacher, you’re probably now overwhelmed with a lot of emails including links to resources for how to work from home. I think that nearly every teacher is in the same boat.

Why Is This Guide The Solution?

That’s why I have launched my new resource guide that every teacher can use to improve their English level and their teaching practices at the same time.

In this guide, I provide the teachers of English with a lot of links that they can follow to raise their English level and improve their teaching practices.

Teachers can always rely on this resource guide when they’re stuck. Resources provided in the guide are the best that the teachers can always access while staying healthy at home.

This guide is full of all the links you should follow if you are looking to improve your English level and your teaching practices.

This resource guide includes a lot of workable links to useful websites, YouTube videos, and other valuable online resources.

What Does This Guide Cover?

All online teachers need this guide so that they will learn more about:

  • Their English language level (links to the best placement tests).
  • The best apps for language learning.
  • Links to resources to improve their English levels.
  • How to practice speaking English with native speakers.
  • Methods and approaches to teaching English.
  • Lesson planning and assessment.
  • How to teach English to young learners.
  • How to teach the four English skills; reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
  • Valuable resources for teaching English for academic purposes and business.
  • Using visual aids and technology in teaching English.

Two Main Aims to Achieve With This Guide

I’ve worked so hard to collect updated links to valuable resources for online teachers to achieve two main aims:

  • Improving their English language level.
  • Learning more about effective English teaching practices.

All these resources are available online for free and you can always access them while staying comfortable and healthy at home.

Get The Book Now

The Quick Guide To Classroom Management

the quick guide to classroom management

Classroom Is More Important For Novice Teachers

In most training courses for EFL teachers, Classroom management receives little attention when compared with more general aspects of the methodology.

Research shows that classroom management is more important than subject knowledge, especially for novice teachers.

As a teacher, if you cannot have control over your classroom, you will not be able to teach anything.

This Is The Guide Every Novice Teacher Needs

That’s why I have decided to prepare a guidebook on classroom management for teachers.

It is a quick and simple classroom management guide of the type that teachers can keep in their pockets. They cannot teach without.

The Benefits From The Book

Firstly, deciding to get this book will give you the following benefits:

  • Finding more time to teach.
  • Having more effectiveness in the classroom.
  • Achieving successful management in every class you teach.

Secondly, reading this book will enable you to overcome any teaching situation you may face. e.g.

  • Teaching large classes,
  • Teaching mixed-level students,
  • Having some hyperactive students,
  • Correcting students’ errors, … etc.

Thirdly, and most importantly, this book helps you have the students well-managed, well-behaved, and focused on learning.

Get The Book Now

Getting Students Engaged In EFL Classes

Activities to keep students engaged in EFL classes

Why Is Active Learning Encouraged?

Many teachers think that students learn while listening to their explanations in the classroom. Students may store new information for a short time. But they will not store this information in the long-term memory until they do something with it. Within this context, I encourage all teachers to implement active learning.

When Does Active Learning Occur?

Active learning occurs when the teacher uses activities that involve students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.

During active learning, students do more than just listen. They read, write, discuss, engage in solving problems, and most importantly, do higher-order thinking tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

If I may accept lecturing in teaching sometimes but I think it must be accompanied by active learning activities. So, students might not be passive listeners but actively involved in the learning process.

How Can You Achieve Mastery Of Teaching?

As a teacher, if you want your students to go beyond just hearing to mastery of learning and achieving the learning objectives as a result, you must think seriously of mastery of teaching.

You will not achieve mastery of teaching unless you achieve proficiency in the following three things:

  • Having positive expectations for success.
  • Managing the classroom effectively.
  • Designing the lessons for students to master learning.

Although achieving student mastery of learning is a challenge for each teacher, it must be the end which all teachers should try their best to reach.

When Does Student Mastery Of Learning Occur?

Student mastery of learning can occur only when teachers become aware of how to involve their students and engage them (become active) in the learning process.

That’s why I have released this eBook: Getting Students Engaged in EFL Classes: +111 Active Learning Activities to Make Lessons Engaging and Increase Students Participation. It is the resource that all teachers need to have.

This Guide Shows You

  • How to implement and incorporate active learning in EFL classes.
  • Basic active learning activities: Individual, Pair, Group, and Visual Activities.
  • +111 practical active learning activities for students to do in the classroom.

Why You Should Get This eBook

By getting this eBook, you will realize that you finally found the practicality you need to succeed in the classroom. And, you will notice your shift from traditional teaching to the active one. It will activate learners and facilitate their learning.

It provides you with a lot of various, practical activities to do in the classroom with your students to make them involved and engaged in the lesson

Don’t miss your chance to make a real and lasting impact. If you decide to get the book, you will lose nothing. But, you will gain everything compared to the benefits you will get!

I want nothing more than to see you succeed. It’s time to take the leap.

Get The Book Now