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Teaching skills in the classroom pose a special importance to the teacher, as it is difficult to uniformly adapt to the needs of the students when the class has already started. It is also difficult to alter the fundamentals of a lesson plan without the proper foundations in the classroom, these being good rapport and a flexible plan. Establishing rapport is a skill that teachers need to possess in order to manage a class successfully, and this is conducted differently depending on the nature of the class (business, young learners, special purpose, etc). Learning student’s names builds high rapport and can engage students. Discussing your own background in language they understand, without too many details, can help build necessary rapport. When a teacher first enters a new culture, however, it is important that they do not discuss culturally sensitive topics or perform erroneous gestures until they understand the culture and the students. Understanding cultural contrasts and opposing views within classes of mixed students is prudent for the management of the class. Some teachers find that a routine is helpful in the class to retain rapport and increase engagement, as the students will better understand the lesson plans and their purpose. However, a lack of unpredictability often causes students to become disinterested, especially in young learners, and therefore is important that a degree of flexibility and spontaneous activities are employed. A teacher’s ability to teach visually is often the best asset they have in helping students understand a language point. It should be the teacher’s focus to teach vocabulary and grammar items based on performance and exhibition, rather than by simply telling the students. Teaching by examples helps students commit the information to memory easier than memorizing strict English definitions. If the vocabulary is too difficult to teach, then reverse elicitation may be useful, especially in business English classes. Checking student understanding is another operation that is important can be considered a skill. Instead of asking the students if they understand, which they will likely reply 'yes', using the students to demonstrate instructions or answers questions can be the best way to check. This also increases student participation and allows them to feel confident and check themselves on their correctness. Be adaptable, as it is the students that drive the classroom and not the teacher. Skills in lesson planning are important, but having a strict lesson plan limits the teacher’s ability to counter potential language problems that may arise in certain students. This can also be helped by introducing new vocabulary early in the lesson before the study phase. This ensures that students understand the lessons and the instructions and can fluidly commit to the projects. This gives them the tools to be successful. Lastly, the teacher’s ability to determine level differentiation is often a key asset in addressing every student level in the class. In some cases, students are placed into classes without regard to level, and this causes different levels on understanding. This is often the case in business classes since companies put all employees into the single classroom for the program, especially if there is only one teacher. Assessing student levels and addressing different levels in the same lesson plan is essential is a skill necessary for classroom teaching.
