 Hey guys, nice to see you again. So it's Liza here. I'm glad to welcome you to the weekly live session and If you hear me, if you see me, please let me know that everything works smooth because like just three minutes before the live session my home Wi-Fi connection cut off and And I just had to switch on the mobile connection the mobile internet and I'm so scared that something might work Not that well So please if you see and hear me clearly, let me know that it works Okay, I Hope that this internet connection problem won't cause any troubles. Hello guys Thanks for coming. Thanks for joining. Please. Let me know that you hear and see me clearly. Okay. Oh It looks like my picture hangs For some moments Hey guys Hello, okay Rosie. Thank you so much for letting me know and Hello guys, I can see that there are some people from Pakistan what else? So I can I can also see some regulars thanks for coming here and In order to Start earlier Let's just move on to the first part of the presentation and I would like to Remember, I would like to remind you that today's topic is devoted to English grammar for non-native English speakers for non-native ESL teachers and Well, this topic is really controversial And I hope that You won't see it as Let me say as an educated Session because it's rather about motivation and understanding how to Organize your work and study So I would like just to share my personal experience and also to hear from you Because English grammar is something really important, but at the same time People pay too much attention to it Especially when they are not native speakers and when they are English isn't that fluent probably So this is the topic to Discuss to discuss from various angles and that's what we are going to do today So I won't pay attention to the comments right now, but I can see that there are so many So many hellos and greetings. I'm so Impressed guys. Thank you so much for coming today. I Hope I'll be helpful and informative. So let me just move on to the second slide and Show you some stats. So before this session, I decided to ask the audience on our face Facebook on our YouTube channel what they find Difficult in English learning Either grammar or vocabulary and as you can see from this very slide like 68 percent of people Believe that grammar is more difficult than vocabulary and I think that you are not the exception in this poll in this question and Well, to me right now grammar isn't as difficult as vocabulary I would say that they are on the same level But it's my personal opinion and I will try to Explain you why I think so So when we think of English When we think of English grammar of being something really challenging we probably Believe that there are too many rules. There are too many contradicting rules like I learned this But then the book says that forget about it. There are some Some problems which don't connect with this particular rule and this rule won't work this way however Probably the most The the most biggest the biggest Hardle in in this whole situation would be that English grammar Various a lot from your Native tongues grammar for example When we take Russian as an example There are no articles in Russian in the Russian language That is why all Russian speakers Struggle to use articles in a correct way and I believe that The same might happen in your native languages and in your Learning paths in English But well, let's just vote Do you think that the above mentioned problems are really Those issues to consider when we learn English grammar So please send me either plus or minus in the chat box So do you agree that all of those things related to rules and maybe differences between English and the native tongues are Really important. What do you guys think? Let's have this Bit of communication so that I understand that there are some people behind the screen and We are on the same page Yeah, so I can see that some of you answer that Actually rules and native tongues are really important however From my point of view It doesn't matter that much if we compare those problems to some Bigger issues as the ones I listed on this slide so When we learn English at the earlier stages of our lives Like when we are beginners or maybe intermediate level students we really find rules and differences between two different two languages are Crucial however when we reach like the advanced level or maybe upper intermediate It turns out that there are some other factors that influence our grammar ability a lot And you can see them here. So from my point of view, it's Really problematic for the non native English speakers that we don't have that much practice as Native speakers and it's probably obvious. However We believe that our best choice would be drill theoretical points drill course books but it's a great mistake from my From my point of view again And I will prove it. I will try to do that the second problem actually stems from the first one so they are like Complementary We don't have the same environment in Our countries like we are not exposed to English on the regular basis It's it's hardly possible to speak English like once or twice a week When we stay for example in Russia or in China or anywhere else in the world but in native English speaking countries and even those people Even those countries where tourism is developed well Spend not much time practicing English although there are many English speakers visiting And the last point which I consider really important is that We don't know how to learn effectively and we choose the most inefficient strategies What I mean by saying the most inefficient strategies is that we tend to drill a lot for example when we go on the internet and search like Advanced English vocabulary. We find a lot of lists of words Those words are really good. However, they are not helpful at all because they are provided as Just word lists We don't know how to use them in our Everyday life. We don't know how they are used in a context and that's the biggest mistake so I believe That to reach the advanced level both in English grammar and in English vocabulary and English in general it's really The the it's really important that we Switch between this old-fashioned way of learning things to the more progressive one to the more proactive one and Here is what is usually Common to advanced level students like we are like we teachers are So we sometimes stick to the habitual ineffective learning strategies, so We know that drilling isn't effective. We've read it in the methodological courses, right? For example two years ago. No, not two years ago back in 2017 When I took this temple course with it to team There was a module devoted to the most progressive methods of teaching And I learned that drilling Wasn't effective at that time. I still didn't stop using using it Myself as a learner. I stopped Making my students grill, but I didn't stop doing it myself Because it's my bad habit so I Accept it, but I can't help myself Stop doing it and do you have anything like that in your bad habits list? Let me know Another problem Which is also quite common to the advanced level students is that we stop taking English classes so for example being an English learner at The intermediate level we want to Level up and we want to reach the advanced level. So in order to that to do that we take English classes we work on our Vocabulary and grammar on a regular basis We want to pass exams and stuff like that but When we reach this desirable advanced level, we just Stop doing it Because we feel like okay, that's enough. I'm okay with the advanced level So I have already learned English by heart. That's okay. I'm done and Here is the struggle It's it's really It's a real con to stop doing that it's a real con to stop learning English to stop Continuing this English learning process And another problem would be that many English learners and English Teachers Don't try to communicate But communication is something which English is made for like if we use it as a global language so To practice grammar to practice vocabulary, we have to communicate, right? What do you think? And the and the last point to mention but not the least We ignore Other opportunities to learn What I mean by some other opportunities It's for example taking part in competitions in English or Maybe joining a community or a study group in English so Taking as many possibilities to practice English and E-dust English grammar in the daily life. It is really important to Take part in some other activities, but in English not in your native language, right? and As for mastering grammar On your own. How how could you do that? First thing first stop drilling Stop using word lists. I know that I've mentioned I do it myself. So it's my guilty pleasure I'm ashamed of it But I I still try to Stop drilling And at the same time I would recommend you to Try to connect English to something really meaningful. For example, I noticed that my That the biggest state the biggest step I took Was that I started watching English movies. I I Started watching movies in English without any subtitles and that way Helped me to understand English grammar in the most natural way And for example right now. I take part. I take English classes to prepare for the CPE exam and We focus on the most Challenging grammar points these days Which is inversion? Conditional sentences and stuff like that, you know the most challenging points for maybe all English learners and native speakers as well and I found myself useful reading in English So let me show you my book. So it's my Extensive reading book right now It's called Extremely loud and incredibly close. I know that this book is like a bestseller And when I bought it, I just wanted to Read its content, but when I started I realized that it is full of conditional sentences It is full of inversion and other grammar stuff which Before made me feel so crazy So this way Is probably the most beneficial way to understand English grammar So always try to connect it to something meaningful to you Don't learn English grammar solely from the other skills If we go back to the very first slide with the stats You would see that there are just two options like grammar or vocabulary What is more difficult? And obviously there are some other areas in English which might Make you feel depressed sometimes for example speaking or Maybe listening. I know that some people are Like more visual People more visual individuals and they accept the materials When they are visualized better So they they tend to have problems with listening and Again, when you listen to something you also hear some grammar When you read something you face grammar rules as well So my recommendation is that you start implementing Your grammar learning into your daily life and you try to You try to find grammar all over yourself like in English books in TV shows and Wherever you can So this is why I believe English grammar isn't that difficult It's just our attitude and approach to learning it Okay, what do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree and The next point would be Well, should there be any formal learning? When we talk about grammar I believe formal learning is still useful Sometimes we just don't want to invest that much money into formal classes for example But this way You can get Some more experience from for example native English speaking teachers So as for myself as mentioned before I take classes in in the CPE group and Our English teacher is from the United Kingdom He's trained In this exam stuff. So when we work on the grammatical points or on vocabulary Or any other aspects of English he gives the most proficient feedback on how to use this or that in the daily life or What else maybe how to write Appropriate letters or essays and stuff like that. So I still think that taking classes Is something really beneficial for you as a learner and At the same time Formal learning might take place in your own study process, but I would recommend to combine like some formal ways to learn English and grammar as well and Some informal practices. So for example, you take a grammar book and then well, do some exercises and After that go to practice watching your favorite TV show and try to Focus on those grammar points, which you have just faced Okay, so this strategy is more proactive and is more helpful from my personal experience as well Okay, and I also know that some people Struggle to practice grammar grammar in their daily life, especially in the speech Because they don't have this environment. They don't have this community of open-minded people That is why I would like to invite you to the group. I have created for this very purpose I would really like to build a community of Open-minded people who are interested in English and Who want to use it in their daily life? So if you scan the skewer code, you can get directly to that group Although it doesn't have any content yet. I have just created the first the first banner But I promise to create several posts this week And share some tips on how to work on your grammar as well so that there there would be a Real approach like not just motivation like right now Okay, so I hope that it's something that might interest you and I I would like to welcome you all in this group Let's just keep in touch. Why not? We can make a great community there Okay, and What else? Alright, so let's go to the next slide. I Want to Send you a link to this group actually so that you could Find it from the desktop as well So I will be really pleased if you get into the group and maybe send me some of your feedbacks for example in this session or Just I don't know just your greetings. I'm really really eager to communicate with People from all over the world. It's something which fascinates me a lot and actually last week there were Last week I did the session About Miro and lesson design and some of you Well, some of you added me as a friend on Facebook and they had such a nice conversation Thank you Thank you, Sidra. So Sidra has just joined the group. So there are two of us. That's so nice to hear Okay, and Let me see what's next I would like you to invite to brainstorm I know that your guys are pretty experienced in English teaching and in English learning and Do you have any idea on how to improve your English grammar? So if yes, and if you are not Afraid to share your Just gold experience, please do that right now and I will share Your responses on the screen so so that everyone could see it. So what are your strategies to? English to master English grammar. So as I have already mentioned The way I work on my grammar is more active than passive Of course, I take English classes and I study by the book, but I still try to Find grammar Wherever I can when I watch TV shows for example the last one I was watching I was binge watching Is how to get away with murder helped me to Practice like conditional sentences because there were so many of them And as for this book as for the reading part, I also find a lot of difficult Difficult examples in terms of tenses. What else? Inver inverted sentences Conditional sentences as well and many useful vocabulary like some advanced words and phrases Okay So let's see Yeah, that's right. So it's important to practice Grammar in your speech as well. So if you for example learned some grammatical points But you don't know how to practice them in your speech It's a great idea to write down a sentence and practice it as a part of your writing routine And then probably just read it out loud and record yourself so that you could see So that you could hear that you use this grammar point correctly So that's also a great idea And I believe it's really useful Sometimes I actually do it myself and by the way For some reason I forgot to add it to the slide but my favorite way to learn grammar is to teach it Again speaking of the Tefl course As a part of the Tefl course, especially of the 120 hours course There there is a great amount of grammar in it and it explains how to teach Challenging grammatical points well So it's also a great way for teachers to understand grammar better What do you think and by the way Tomorrow, no not tomorrow next week next week on Wednesday. I start teaching a Group of advanced students. They are actually going to be like Mixed ability students, but some of them are pretty advanced and The approach I would like to implement is more Active so I will try to stick. I will try to focus on speaking and Maybe some other productive skills like writing instead of Doing some exercises and stuff like that. So it's gonna be like a conversation group and I'm so excited that I I could fall that I could find such job such a job opportunity because I think This way will help me to work on myself as well. Yeah so Teaching grammar is a great way to practice it as well as an English teacher and as an English learner So if you want to nail it just start teaching it Okay And I can see that there are not that many strategies, but Maybe you guys are some hesitant So don't be afraid to share your ideas. So maybe You use some really interesting strategies on how to learn grammar and they might help some other people Don't be afraid to share your ideas on the comments section and right now let's go To this section of the presentation, which is the Q&A section here we discussed various aspects like TEFL teaching English learning and whatever might interest you. So if you have any specific questions Just feel free to ask me via the chat box and Also, what else? Let me think. Yeah Here you can see this QR code It is the QR code that gives you this really nice 30% discount of any ITTT courses. So if you are willing to start your teaching career So this is the first step to take You can just simply scan it and then choose the most Interesting course as you think Okay Okay, so I can see that there are some other ideas on how to learn grammar and I'm trying I would like to share it with you. So the best teach Requires two things target center teaching and taking notes of what Of what extent the student is capable of yeah for four skills Are really important. That's right Yeah, I agree But this is more like about teaching right Rather than learning. What about some points on how to learn English grammar? Well, what do you think? Well and again anyway We are here to discuss all stuff around TEFL and EFL Learning so feel free to ask me whatever questions you have and I will try my best to help you out with it. Okay So maybe you're interested in a specific TEFL course, but you are doubtful, so It's the time to ask me Ian by the way, I would like to make an announcement About the section not section about the session next week So I am going to invite my friend who is now working in China to have an interview and Yeah, I think this topic will be extremely interesting to many people because I know that there are still Many teachers willing to teach Abroad and China is probably one of the most interesting destinations so Stay tuned Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, for example, or the group on on Facebook and keep in touch Because we will make this announcement maybe At the end of the week, so I will create a new event Related to this interview because I Think last week one of the One of the viewers from from this regular sessions asked me to Talk a little bit more about Jobs abroad and he wanted to know more about China But as long as I I stopped teaching in China quite a lot Quite a lot years ago like how many years let me think so I stopped teaching in China two years ago and I hardly know Anything about it right now. So I I still have we chat on my cell phone But that's all I don't communicate with any recruiters. I don't follow any Groups for English teachers in China. So I don't know anything but I really want to be valuable and I want to share the most up-to-date content with you. That's why I decided to Invite my friend who is now there and by the way he had been teaching in China the whole quarantine period and He's still teaching there Actually, so that's a really interesting topic to discuss quarantine in China Like how how was that and what did they do how much money they got like, you know everybody was sitting at home at that time and I I just I'm just really curious about the The point of money Okay, so if you guys don't have any questions on temple teaching and stuff like that I think that that is all of today's for the today's Session Just let me remind you that ITTT is presented All over your favorite social networks. So if you want to keep updated Please subscribe to our Facebook group and maybe Instagram if you like it and yeah, keep in touch Of course, if you get any questions related to Tefl or Teaching abroad for example, you can ask us On the messenger or you can email us And we will try to be as helpful as it is possible okay, so This is the end of today's session and I think that Grammar stuff was pretty fast well, I Would like to remind you once again that I created this Facebook community for English learners and English teachers who really want to feel as A part of a community and as a part of a global community So feel free to join me and I will try my best to Share my personal experience and some useful content Thank you so much that you spent these 40 minutes with me. I know that we all are busy people and sometimes it's like Useful useful to watch some webinars, but sometimes it's not I still hope that my Life session was interesting and it helped you somehow But if you want to keep in touch with me personally, so join this group or Add me as a friend on Facebook. I really like to communicate and I will be Just amazed if there are any people interested in making friends with me so Stay tuned on the next sessions topic It's going to be really interesting and I hope it will work out because my friend is pretty busy in China, obviously And I hope that we will find the most We will find the best time to make that conversation Okay, so thanks a lot guys and I'll see you next week. Bye. Bye