If you
have studied an ESL teaching course you were probably given a lot of advice on
how to teach English by tutors, and by well-meaning friends, colleagues or
strangers. Sometimes it's too much to take in so here is what I have found
useful.
The 10 most helpful "How to teach
English" pieces of advice:
1. You don't need to stick to a lesson plan.
This
may come as a shock, but things will happen in your classes that you don't
expect! Students will finish some activities too soon and take longer on
others. Some things will be easy for them, and others that you expect them to
understand quickly will be tougher. It is more important to be flexible than
stick rigidly to something that isn't working.
2. You don't need to know all the answers.
Another
shock? I taught some classes where they asked me questions I couldn't answer
right then. I told them I would find out for them, and I did. As long as you
are honest, say you don't know, and then give the answers later, that's fine.
3. Every student is different.
Now,
that may be obvious, but so many teachers forget this when they are teaching
and treat each student in the same way. That won't work. Get to know your
students, their learning styles and their strengths and weaknesses. If
possible, create a variety of tasks to suit different students in the class.
4. You can't force students to learn, nor should you.
Teachers
often feel responsible if their students don't progress. You can give them the
tools for learning and inspire them to want to learn, but then it becomes the
individual student's responsibility to learn, not only yours.
Be
yourself. Let the students see you're a human being and not a teaching machine.
Laugh at yourself if you make mistakes. Bring humor into the classroom.
Error
correction is essential in the right circumstances, but if you correct every
mistake then you can easily destroy a student's confidence. Praise good work and never tell students they are stupid. Students who think they are stupid
lose motivation.
7. Balance your lessons between different skills.
A
teacher who teaches 90% grammar is not helping the students. Communication
skills, reading, writing, and vocabulary building are all as important as
grammar. Possibly even more important than grammar!
8. Keep an emergency resources box.
Include
games, paper, colored pencils, extra worksheets, magazines etc. This will be
invaluable if you need to add a new activity into the lesson or to extend
something the students are working on.
This is
controversial! You can't force students to do homework, but if you give them
the choice then they will feel encouraged and they can take responsibility for
their learning. It is really important to mark the homework if you do give it,
and not leave it on your desk for weeks.
If you
enjoy your lessons, then your students will too.
These are the pieces of advice that helped me
learn how to teach English and I'm sure they will help you too!