ITTO Blog | TEFL TESOL Certificate Courses Blog.

Greetings and Salutations

Happy New Year Everyone!!! It has been a year of surprises all over the place! Let us hope every country comes up with a better economy in the next few months or so. For one thing, we all need to eat.

Also, I did an ”oops” in the last blog when I said there was a Young Learners class after the ITTO class. When I wrote that, I thought it would be sent out earlier. Sorry about that. Anyway, we DO have Young Learners Certificate Classes coming up after our March ITTO class is finished.

What’s New at ITTO

If you are thinking about coming to ITTO in 2010, then check out the specials in our newsletter or visit our website at www.teflcertificatecourses.com where you can find out about fees, specials, and extra certificates.

St. Valentine’s day gift! Feb. 2 TEFL Course: Save 50% you or your significant one - Traveling alone?, save $100.00

Take advantage of ITTO’s special for this extraordinary month. Especially for friends and lovers, ITTO is letting you or your significant other have 50% off tuition if you both sign up for our February TEFL Certificate course. That means one of you will only have to pay half price instead of two full prices for this month of love, as you both register at the same time. If you DO plan on traveling to ITTO alone, however, we will give you $100 Valentine’s Day gift. This special is only for the TEFL course from February 2 through February 26, 2010. DO IT NOW!! This promotion will end on Jan. 29th, 2010.

* No other discounts are valid in conjunction with this offer.

Holyweek 2010! March 1st TEFL Course + FREE 4-day at the beach on us!

Too good to miss! Sign up for ITTO´s TEFL Certificate Course for March 1 through March 26, 2010 in Guadalajara. Mexico and you get a great vacation at the beach.! Yes! Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! And it is FREE! This fantastic 4-day vacation includes lodging, roundtrip travel by deluxe motorcoach with beverages and snacks en route, restroom on board, and leisure time in Puerto Vallarta. It occurs after your course from March 27th to March 30th. This definitely an opportunity you do NOT want to miss out on. DO IT NOW!!

* No other discounts are valid in conjunction with this offer.

Summer TEFL Courses 2010 Special! - Save $1.00 every day starting today!

From now until July 2nd 2010, you can save $1.00 USD a day for payment in advance of your start course date (only course dates listed below) at ITTO in Guadalajara, Mexico! The sooner you pay, the more you save! Be an early bird and save a bundle! (You don´t even have to catch a worm).

For example, if you pay your $200.00 deposit fee on January 31st, 2010, and your course begins on July 5th, 2010, multiply $1.00 for each calendar day… your savings: $152.00, your balance due $1,048.00!!!. Do you want a better example?, if you pay your $200.00 deposit fee on January 31st, 2010, and your course begins on September 27th, 2010 … your savings: $239.00, your balance due $961.00!!!

TEFL Course dates:
* July 5, 2010 * August 2, 2010 * August 30, 2010 * September 27, 2010

Act now, time and money are running!

* No other discounts are valid in conjunction with this offer.

Extend your experience at ITTO 1 more week!

Take our 1-week Teaching Business English (TBE) or Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) Course after your 4-week TEFL Course and save 20% on any of these Certificates:
TBE or TEYL Course regular fee: $360.00 USD
TBE or TEYL Course ITTO graduates fee: $288.00 USD (20% off)

Rio de Janeiro

Yes, we know they speak Portuguese in Rio, but not only is it an interesting city, it has been appointed as the place for the Olympics in 2016, which is rather exciting. Plus, if you wish to attend this event, you not only need to learn about the city, but start saving your coins to travel there. So, take a break and read about Rio. It is rather amazing.

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its carnival-styled celebrations, its dances, such as the samba and Bossa Nova, and, of course, its hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana, not to mention its slums. One of the most famous landmarks is the giant statue of Christ, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Summer Olympics, and it will be the first South American city to host the event. Mexico City hosted the Olympics in 1968.

Rio also boasts the largest and second largest urban forests in the world: Floresta daTijuca, and White Stone State Park. Although known for its charm and beauty, Rio is one of the most violent cities in the world. Much of the violent crime is concentrated in the slums. but it also happens in higher class neighborhoods. Rio, for the most part, faces south. It was founded on an inlet of Guanabara Bay, the entrance to which is marked by Sugar Loaf. The population is about 6,137,000, not counting the greater metropolitan area. Rio has a tropical savanna climate which means a rainy period from December to March. The temperature occasionally reaches over 40°C (104°F) in inland areas of the city, and extreme maximum temperatures above 30°C (86°F) can happen every month. In the main tourist areas (south, where the beaches are located), the temperature is moderated by the cool sea-breezes from the Atlantic Ocean.

Panoramic view of the Botafogo neighborhood and Sugarloaf Mountain. Wikipedia photo.

The Portuguese mariners named the area Rio because they thought the bay was the mouth of a big river. Calling it temporarily “the river of January” or Rio de Janeiro, they built a settlement. The small colony grew until it became a city.

The South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is made up of of several districts, which include Rio’s famous Atlantic beach coastline. The neighbourhood of Copacabana beach hosts one of the world’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve parties when more than two million people go to the beach to watch the fireworks. The West Side is the region furthest from the centre of Rio de Janeiro. The area has industrial zones, but some agricultural areas still remain in its wide area.

The City of Samba, the latest tourist attraction in Rio de Janeiro, was built in the port district neighboring downtown. There is a reason for this. It is here, considered to be “Sacred Ground,” that the Carioca samba was born.

Christ Redeemer.
Wikipedia Photo.

Christ Redeemer, symbol of the city of Rio de Janeiro, stands 38 meters high, and had its opening on October 12, 1931. The Christ is the image of the carioca people in faith and sympathy, plus it celebrates 78 years of existence as of 2009.

Sugar Loaf cable car. An idea of Augusto Ferreira Ramos, it was inaugurated on October 27, 1912, it had its ninetieth anniversary in 2002. The cable car, the third in the world, is a major icon of Rio tourism and has become a trademark of the city. Considered to be one of the safest in the world by international agencies of passenger cable cars, it has never had an accident with casualties. Sugar Loaf is surrounded by typical tropical vegetation, with vestiges of the Atlantic Forest containing native species that have disappeared from other areas of the Brazilian coast. It also boasts rare species, such as the orchid “laelia lobata” that can only be found in two places on the globe, Sugar Loaf and Gávea Rock, both of which are located in Rio de Janeiro.

Primary schools are largely under municipal administration, while the state plays a more significant role in the secondary schools. Rio has a large number of private schools that are known to offer a better education than public schools, with some exceptions. Rio is the home of many colleges and universities.

There are more than 50 museums in Rio. The principal cultural centers, such as the Modern Art Museum, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Bank of Brazil Cultural Center show international exhibits under conditions identical to the best museums in the world. There are several other important museums in Rio: the Quinta da Boa Vista, the Native Art Museum (primitives, with the largest collection of native paintings in the world), and the Indian Museum

In Rio buses are the major means of mass transportation. There are nearly 440 municipal bus lines serving over four million passengers each day. However, the Metro is Rio’s safest and cleanest form of public transport. Driving in Rio de Janeiro might not be the best choice.

If you go, send us a post card!!

Capitals

You would think that these are so simple to teach. Not true. Of course, it is because in most Latin based languages, certain words are not capitalized the way they are in English. If you are teaching Asians, it might be easier since they would be learning for the first time, not trying to remember from a Latin based language. For example, names of countries in most places are capitalized, whereas the names of languages in some languages are not. However, if you are teaching English, you must reinforce capitals as you teach. Otherwise, when students are writing, they will automatically use their L1 background and not English. This can occur in even intermediate and advance language classes.

As a general rule, capitals are taught in the lower levels while students are learning basic English terms and grammar. Be sure that you cover all the bases when you teach these. Obviously, sentences in English always start with a capital. So do people´s names. It is interesting to note that while the names of businesses are capitalized, you have to be careful. There is always someone in business that likes to break the rules- eBay, for example. Of course, in English, the names of streets, avenues, and such are always capitalized. While you are teaching these, please reinforce them in writing activities so putting capitals in the right places becomes a habit in the L2 language.

One activity might include placing names of streets on a small map. Be sure to use part of the students´ city where they can relate to the activity. Another activity might include something where the students use the names of languages. It could include a follow-up of an oral practice where you tape the name of a country on the students´ backs. Then, each of them has to guess where they are from. (“Am I from Mexico?” “Am I from France?”) After they discover which country they are from, they then have to say in English what language they speak. (A world map comes in handy with this exercise.) If they follow this activity up with writing the sentences, then they should use the capitals correctly. Integrating these activities also helps the students gain confidence. The goal, as always, is to communicate effectively in the L2 language.

One of the aggravating things in capitals is when to use the word “the” in front, such as “the United States”. Just check your grammar book for the rules and follow them. You can always incorporate these forms in reading passages to reinforce when and where to use capitals.

One last thing, do not mix “capitols” with “capitals”. Not only are they not spelled the same, they mean two different things. They are also easily mixed up if you don´t watch it. Make it fun and enjoy yourself. Have a “capital” time!

Safest Cities

Although some teachers long for adventure as well as the experience and job satisfaction of teaching, others like the feeling of being safe, regardless of the fact they are overseas in another country. This is not an abnormal need. Most people like to feel safe wherever they are. Thus, for your enlightenment, we have found the world´s safest cities.

Here are the top cities on the list:

1.- Luxembourg
2.- Bern
3.- Geneva
4.- Helsinki
5.- Singapore
6.- Zurich
7.- Katsuyama
8.- Kobe
9.- Nagoya
10.- Omuta
11.- Osaka
12.- Tokyo
13.- Tsukuba
14.- Yokkaichi
15.- Yokohama
16.- Vienna
17.- Stockholm
18.- Copenhagen
19.- Dublin
20.- Dusseldorf
21.- Frankfurt
22.- Munich
23.- Nuremberg
24.- Oslo

Teachers Resources

http://uwp.duke.edu/wstudio/resources/eslefl.html

http://www.englishforum.com/00

http://www.angelfire.com/yt/efl/

http://linguapress.com

Excellent Discounts for ITTO Locations Worldwide

ITTO is offering excellent discounts for our partner schools worldwide. Discounts range from $100.00 to $900.00 USD off tuition! These excellent savings could be used for fuelling your new TEFL career or which ever other objective you set in mind. Save 100 Euros in Prague, $150.00 USD in Boston, and $900.00 USD in San Jose or Cusco. Start 2010 acquiring that TEFL certificate you have always wanted and venture into a new career in Teaching English Abroad.

With ITTO you always obtain the greatest quality in TEFL Certification at the best investment rates available:

1. Save $150.00 USD off tuition for the January 4^th, 2010 course in Boston, USA or sign up with a friend and you both obtain a $150.00 USD discount off your programs.
2. Save 100 Euros off tuition in Prague, Czech Republic for the courses beginning on February 8^th and March 15^th or sign up with friends for the same initiation date and you will receive a 100 Euro discount for every friend that signs up.
3. For San Jose, Costa Rica and Cusco, Peru sign up together with your couple or friend and share a room, we will offer the second person a price of only $700.00 USD!

With these excellent special offers your TEFL Certification is only a click away. Submit your enrolment form HERE and begin your new career teaching English worldwide.

Greetings and Salutations

Hello everyone! Here we are again with our latest blog. For those in many countries, many people are looking forward to various holidays in this and the next couple of months. Here, in Mexico, some people celebrate Halloween on October 31^st as well as the Day of the Dead on November 2^nd. If your country has a special holiday, please let us know, and we will put it on the blog for you. For example, the US celebrates Thanksgiving (a big holiday) the fourth Thursday of November. It is a family affair with lots of food. Of course, there are also parades on TV, not to mention American football games to watch in the afternoon and sometimes evening.

This month we will be “visiting” Quito, Ecuador. The country is amazing, as is the city.

Read about it on our blog. We will also address the issue of annoying adverbs and how to deal with them in class. As usual, we will give some travel tips (this time what NOT to do) and teachers resources for you to peruse. Enjoy!

What’s New at ITTO

In case you do not know, ITTO has a special certificate course available several times a year allowing trainees to learn specifically how to teach Young Learners. Anyone who has ever taught school realizes the difference between young learners and adults. Class management itself is important, as are the activities, presentation, practice, and role-plays and games. If you are interested in taking this course, contact ITTO. You must already have a TEFL Certificate to register for the week-long course. For those wanting to teach younger students, this course can prove invaluable. Check it out at our website for times and fees.

www.teflcertificatecourses.com You will find the TEYL site located on the left-hand side of the webpage.

Quito, Ecuador

San Francisco de Quito, known familiarly as Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador. It is located in north-central Ecuador, near an active volcano in the Andes mountains. Quito is the second largest city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil. The elevation of the city’s central square is 2,800 m (about 9,186 ft), making Quito the second-highest administrative capital city in the world and the highest legal capital. The central square of Quito is located about 25 km (15 miles) south of the equator. A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator is known locally as la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world), to avoid confusion. (The word ecuador is Spanish for the word “equator”.)

Quito boasts a subtropical highland climate. However, because of its elevation, Quito has a fairly constant cool climate, with spring-like weather all year. The average temperature at noon is 19°C (66°F). The annual average temperature is 15°C (64°F). There are only two seasons: dry and wet. The dry season occurs from June through September (4 months), and the wet season lasts from October through May (8 months).

According to UNESCO, Quito has the largest, best-preserved, and least-changed historic center in Latin America, even after several earthquakes. La Carolina Park in the center of Quito’s main business area is 165.5-acres. La Carolina reminds some of New York City’s Central Park because both La Carolina and Central Park are surrounded by tall buildings.

Ecuador itself is a fascinating country that includes nearly everything. There are the Andes which you can visit nearby.(This includes the tallest active volcano in the world). The tallest mangroves in the world are found in this country, as are areas of pre-Incan cultures. The flora and the fauna are unmatched anywhere. After all, this is where you can visit the Galapagos Islands of the famous Charles Darwin. Then, of course, there is the Amazon. Ecuador provides easy access to the most famous jungle in the latin America. The wildlife is a must-see for anyone.

While most other Latin American capitals have been influenced by US culture, Quito is still a place natives stand in line for buses in their traditional clothes. Plus, it’s not uncommon to see children carried on their mothers’ backs in securely wrapped blankets. This creates a unique introduction to the country. Immerse yourself and enjoy every moment!