Teacher Annaelle and her TEFL journey
UCT’s English Language Centre is a great place to work and is attracting highly qualified, driven and motivated teachers. Here we interview Annaelle about her experience in this special industry.
13 Jul 2018
Teaching English
Do you Want to Change Jobs?
Do you want to change your life? Change jobs? Perhaps our TEFL course is the answer.
22 Jun 2018
Grammar in the English Language Classroom
Is it possible to learn a language by only focusing on the grammar? In this blog we argue that in order to learn an English that people actually use and will actually understand today, grammar plays the same role as all the other elements! No one aspect of a language is more important than the other, and learners should approach their English learning in a holistic way.
11 May 2018
Dress for TEFL Success
Teaching English as a Foreign Language means you get to meet a whole host of different, interesting people from all over the world. But this type of cultural interaction also means that you must always consider your audience and be culturally sensitive. Teacher and TEFL trainer, Christelle, explores this topic in relation to clothing and provides some tips!
17 Nov 2017
Passion vs. Paycheck
Aqeelah, one of our newest teachers at ELC shares her thoughts on the TEFL industry and the challenges around money when you decide to pursue a career as an English teacher.
10 Nov 2017
Delta – Teacher Jerome Shares his Reactions
Jerome on his Delta Module 2: “It would be a gross understatement to say that Delta Module 2 was a roller-coaster ride of emotions. But it was also a life-changing experience. It made me see the possibilities in my chosen field; made me see myself as a professional, as much as a lawyer or a doctor is a professional. I strongly believe that every practising teacher in ELT should have a Delta (or equivalent).”
26 Oct 2017
TEFL: A Life-changing Experience
Joey completed the UCT TEFL course in January 2017. In this post he shares his reasons for doing a TEFL course, what it was like at UCT, and what his plans are for the future with his newly acquired English teaching skills and certificate.
15 Sep 2017
Teaching English Abroad
Wondering if you should do a TEFL course and go abroad to teach English as a foreign language? Here are a couple of reasons which may help you in the decision making process.
28 Jun 2017
Authentic Materials – Wear Sunscreen!
Using authentic materials in class keeps things interesting, and can be loads fo fun for teachers and students. Here’s an idea for using a famous ‘song’ called ‘Wear Sunscreen’.
26 May 2017
My TEFL Adventure in Spain
People choose to go into TEFL for a variety of reasons. Some are looking for a way to travel and see the world, while others wish to get into the industry and make a career out of teaching English. Teacher Catherine reveals her motivations and tells us about her adventures as an English teacher in Spain.
05 May 2017
Dealing with L1 Interference: Farsi
L1 interference is basically the degree to which a learner’s native tongue is starting to intervene in the learning of English (or any other language for that matter). Teacher Christelle shares with us a ‘cheat sheet’ for teaching Farsi speakers, and reveals that going that extra mile for a student not only helps the teacher understand what the issues are, but can greatly improve student confidence!
28 Nov 2016
The World Map is Wrong?
Would you be surprised to hear that the world map as you know it, is in fact, not a very realistic representation of the world? Find out why we chose to hang some unusual looking world maps in our ELC classrooms.
16 Nov 2016
Learning Should be Fun!
Learning English in a classroom does not only consist of serious, hard work and grammar exercises with one sided teacher dialogues. Fun plays a very serious part in learning too! Find out more here.
11 Oct 2016
What is ‘Learner-Centred Teaching’?
At the UCT English Language Centre we use a ‘Learner – Centred’ approach to teaching English. Find out what this is all about here.
23 Sep 2016
The English Intermediate Level ‘Plateau’
Are you at an intermediate level of English and struggling to make progress to the next level? There is such a thing as an intermediate plateau, and you may be stuck here! Christelle explains what this plateau is all about and offers some advice and tips on getting through it.
07 Sep 2016
Why universities’ Academic English courses should be valued, not vilified
The UCT Director, Simon Harrison, and Ellen Hurst, Senior Lecturer in Education Development at the University of Cape Town discuss the role and importance of Academic English in Higher Education. Harrison believes that ” it offers an opportunity to crystallise the relationship between transformation and internationalisation in a way that can support both South African and international students. It will allow the university to further its internationalisation and transformation agendas at the same time.”
18 Jul 2016
Learn English Naturally
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a fascinating approach to changing behaviour and achieving self improvement, Based on the book ‘NLP for Lazy Learning’ by Diana Beaver, we discuss some tips for English learning based on some of premises about learning native languages from Beaver’s book.
15 Jul 2016
TEFL, CELTA, DELTA…? What to look for in a TEFL course
If you decide to train to be an English as a Foreign Language teacher, choosing the right course is an important first step. But with so many different courses out there, you can soon find yourself drowning in a sea of acronyms! In this interview, Simon and Juliette explain some of the the different courses available, what to look for – and what to avoid.
07 Jun 2016
PRESS RELEASE – UCT English Language Centre Launch
The University of Cape Town’s new English Language Centre will host an official launch event on 18 May 2016. UCT English Language Centre aims to position Cape Town more favourably to take advantage of the booming global English language learning market and, provide specialised language tuition to South African university applicants.
20 May 2016
