Below, you will find common key abbreviations and terms in the inlingua iTT materials and ELT/TESOL in general.
Abbreviation/Acronym/Term |
Meaning |
Accuracy |
Producing language with few errors. |
Active vocabulary |
Vocabulary that learners actually use in speaking and writing. |
ALTE |
Association of Language Testers in Europe |
authentic materials |
Materials originally prepared for purposes other than language training and used in the language training classroom without having first been linguistically simplified in any way. Examples include newspaper articles and tape recordings of natural speech from radio or television. |
Brainstorming |
A group activity where learners freely contribute their ideas to a topic to generate ideas. |
Cambridge ESOL |
An organization in the United Kingdom that validates courses and ensures identified quality standards are met. |
CELTA |
Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (Cambridge ESOL) |
CEFR Level |
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Training, Assessment |
Chorus |
Speaking together as a group; used in choral speaking and jazz chants. |
Classroom management |
The management of classroom processes such as how the trainer sets up the classroom and organizes training and learning to facilitate instruction. Includes classroom procedures, groupings, how instructions for activities are given, and management of learner behavior. |
Communicative language teaching |
An approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. It is also referred to as “communicative approach to the teaching of foreign languages” or simply the “Communicative Approach”. |
Controlled practice |
Practice of language forms is a way that is controlled by the trainer. |
DELTA |
Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults |
elicit |
To ‘draw out’. A trainer elicits when he or she uses techniques that encourage learners to produce language. |
Error |
The condition of having incorrect or false knowledge; due to ignorance of what is correct. |
ESOL |
English for Speakers of Other Languages, used to refer to English when it is taught to learners who are learning it as a second language. |
False beginner |
A learner who, despite having had some instruction, has a level of proficiency in the language equivalent to a beginner. |
Fluency |
Natural, normal, native-like speech characterized by appropriate pauses, intonation, stress, register, word choice, interjections and interruptions. |
Free practice |
Practice activities that involve progressively less control by the trainer. |
Function |
The purpose of a unit of language. |
Gesture |
A facial or body movement that communicates meaning: examples include a smile, a frown, a shrug, a shake or nod of the head. Gestures often accompany verbal communication. |
IATEFL |
International Association of Trainers of English as a Foreign Language, a professional organization to support those involved in ELT/TESOL. |
Language learner |
A person who is learning a foreign language: in ELT/TESOL, English. |
Language skills |
In language teaching, this refers to the mode or manner in which language is used. Listening, speaking, reading and writing are generally called the four language skills. Speaking and writing are the productive skills, while reading and listening are the receptive skills. |
Lesson plan |
An outline or plan that guides teaching of a lesson. It includes the following: pre-assessment of class; aims and objectives; warm-up and review; engagement, study, activation of language (controlled, guided and free practice); and assessment of lesson. |
Lexis |
The words or vocabulary, known as lexical items, of a language. Studied in context to its grammar. |
Mistake |
A fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness; a misconception or misunderstanding. |
Motivation |
In language instruction, the desire to learn. |
One-to-one |
A teaching situation with one student to speak or do a particular task. |
Passive vocabulary |
Vocabulary that learners have heard and can understand, but do not necessarily use when they speak or write. |
Peer correction |
Also known as peer review, peer editing, or peer feedback; in writing, an activity whereby learners help each other with the editing of a composition by giving each other feedback, making comments or suggestions; can be done in pairs or small groups. |
Realia |
Real or actual objects used as teaching aids to make learning more natural; can include forms, pictures, tickets, schedules, souvenirs, advertisements and articles from English magazines or newspapers, and so on. |
Register |
Level of formality in speech with others; register depends on the situation, location, topic discussed, and other factors. |
(Positive) Reinforcement |
Positive feedback or praise form the trainer which is always used when learners produce correct language during controlled practice. |
Self-correction |
When learners are able to correct language mistakes they have made when asked without help from the trainer or other learners. |
Student-centered |
Also called learner-centered, a way of teaching that centers on the goals, needs, interests and existing knowledge of the learners. Learners actively participate in such classrooms and may even be involved in setting learning outcomes. Trainers in student-centered classrooms ask learners for input on their goals, needs and interests and on what they know before providing them with study topics or answers to questions. |
Structure |
Grammatical points about the language. CL trainers frequently introduce these as examples or model sentences, and they are often called “patterns”. |
STT |
Student Talking Time. This refers to the amount of time that a student is able to spend in class practicing speaking. |
TTT |
Trainer Talking Time. This refers to the amount of time that a trainer spends talking in class, usually understood to be negative as the more time a trainer spends talking, the less time there is for learners to practice speaking. |
TEFL vs. TESL |
TEFL is an acronym for Teaching English as a Foreign Language; TESL, for Teaching English as a Second Language. TEFL usually takes place in non-English-speaking countries, while TESL takes place in the English-speaking world. When we speak of English as a foreign language (EFL), we are referring to the role of English for learners in a country where English is not spoken by the majority. |
Technique |
A way of presenting language. |
3Ps |
Three different stages in the lesson: Presentation, Practice and Production. |