Teach English in Hexi Zhen - Ankang Shi

The best thing I have learned from my TEFL/TESOL course can span a variety of different topics, but the topics that stick out most to me are as follows: Level testing and needs analysis, The learning environment, Authentic and non-authentic materials, Games in the classroom and Cultural issues. 1) Level Testing and Needs Analysis. a) Level testing can be a very useful tool for finding out the level of English your students may already have. This is achieved by taking a short test ( usually a gap fill excercise ) which is graded. Therefore , the questions in the test start off reasonably easy and become harder as the test goes on. If the first ten questions are answered correctly, then this means that this particular student can be placed at level two and so on. There are five different levels under the body of `The Common European Framework.` They are: Starter, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate. b) Needs analysis can give the teacher an idea of the students previous learning experiences, and what they will use English for, and the most beneficial areas for them to study in. This analysis can be a simple questionnaire of finding out which parts of English they are strongest at and also their weak points. On completion of both the Level test and the Needs analysis, the teacher can now be in a position to arrange the students into their groups. Bearing in mind that even on completion of the tests, the teacher should have his/her first lesson based on a needs negotiation but this cannot be possible for all age students. 2) The Learning Environment. The Learning environment in this case relates to the both the organisation and the physical sorroundings in which teaching takes place and the classroom atmosphere. When we are engaging with our students, there are many different ways in which we can lay out our classroom. This can be in the form of setting the students tables in a specific way. There are a number of different wayys in doing this. Here are a few examples of such: Circular, Semi-circular, Group tables and Rows. Each layout can have an advantage and a disadvantage. For example in a full circle, this can mean that the students can see each other better but it leaves the teacher as an `outsider` and can be difficult for students to see what is on the whiteboard etc. Probably one of the best seating arrangements would be a Semi-circular pattern as this allows all students to interact with each other and the teacher, thus enabling each student to see everything on the whiteboard. The teachers position is important in the classroom, which is why a Semi-circular approach is probably used often and can be benificial to both the teacher and student for freedom of movement without disturbing others. 3) Authentic and Non-Authentic materials. Authentic and Non Authentic materials can have its advantages and disadvantages for both the teacher and students. a) Authentic materials are materials designed for a real purpose and not for the classroom. Examples can be: newspapers, comics, postcards, brochures etc. This can be of a huge benefit for the students as they actually have real material to work from, and can also lighten the work on the teacher in regards to making material from `scratch`. The disadvantage for the teacher is that it can make him/her lazy and less creative. b) Non-Authentic materials can be in the form of course books and other educational documents that were specifically designed for the classroom. The advantages for the students is that these particular documents have been tested for the purpose of teaching and can focus directly on the language point of each lesson and so on. The disadvantage is that the course book can become boring for the students. The advantage for the teacher is that the he/she does not need to design a syllabus for each lesson, therefore lightening the work load. The disadvantage of this for the teacher is that he/she can lose the motivation of the students. 4) Games in the classroom. As once a student in a German language course, I understand the importance of games, from being fun and creative but most importanly, learning from it. From my own experience as a student, it is nice to get away from the books once in a while, and the games can help in memorising particular parts of speech and so on, obviously depending on what language point the teacher is focusing on. For adults and children alike, games can make a relaxed and fun environment and can also be used as an ice breaker for the first lesson of a new group of students. However, teachers should not just use games for the sake of having fun. They should be relevant to the language point and once finished the game, the students should have learned something from it. 5) Cultural issues. Cultural issues is something we must approach carefully and proffesionally. As a teacher, it is important that you leave all political or religous issues aside. In the end, if a teacher is working in a foreign country, then the teacher must realise that he/she is the foreigner and has to adapt to that particular country`s customs. For the country that you intend to teach in, it is worthwhile checking up on the history, religion, what is appropriate to wear at school as a teacher, formal greetings and so on. There could be many more so it is imperative to do some research before you apply for employment at a school in a particular country.