Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Wenquan Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Chongqing? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
Songs in the ClassroomMusic has long been a practice used for learning. One of the main reasons for this is due to the fact that more parts of our brains are being triggered than any other activity when listening to music. Due to this fact and its entertaining qualities the use of songs in the TEFL class room result in fast absorption of the English language. There are a few key reasons music is so affective for learning. Repetition is one of the key TEFL teaching and learning components. The constant repetition through music is creating a drill through a song; a once monotonous exercise becomes entertaining. The student then feels that they are enjoying the activity and creates an engaging way to conduct drilling exercises. Further to this the specific rise and fall in tone through music help students identify individual sounds and syllables within words which helps to break down the language. Apart from brain function it has long been recognized by teachers in all disciplines as well as tefl teachers that students need to be engaged in the material and have a positive outlook towards learning. When a student loses positive learning ability their absorption of the material becomes weak. Therefore teachers need to create positive engaging environments for students to learn. Music is one of the tools teachers can use to provide such positive learning environments to bring variety and enjoyment to the class. Memory is another key reason why music when teaching ESL can be so affective. The repeated rhymes, and melodies aid in the absorption and memory of grammar and vocabulary. A technique that some tefl teachers have used is to take a familiar childs rhyme and alter the words to fit the particular unit you are teaching. The students will recognize the tune which will in turn help them to remember the new vocabulary presented. For example the days of the week, months of the year or other subject areas that could be categorized, sung to the tune of "heads and shoulders knees and toes". Exposure to new vocabulary is also a key reason as to why songs are so affective when teaching TEFL. Many words that students would not usually be exposed to are now exposed. students of lower vocabulary levels would simply not be taught such words at their stage of learning. However when these such words are repeated in a song they become naturally exposed. Further to this the use of street language and conversational English becomes more evident than the rigid learning from a text book. Conversational English greatly assists the student when using the language in a real environment, hence the use of music, TV and radio greatly help expose this side of the language. Music is universal and enjoyed by all cultures. What is great about using songs to teach TEFL is so many melodies are internationally recognized and can be used to teach such a range of language in a engaging enjoyable way. I plan to use this technique in my own lessons as I play the guitar and sing, I think this will give students a break from the normal everyday teaching techniques and hopefully aid in their learning.Music has long been a practice used for learning. One of the main reasons for this is due to the fact that more parts of our brains are being triggered than any other activity when listening to music. Due to this fact and its entertaining qualities the use of songs in the TEFL class room result in fast absorption of the English language.
