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The natural tendency, especially for inexperienced teachers, is to dispense information orally in a teacher-centered manner. Often, the lesson is presented in a lecture format with little interaction between the instructor and student(s) with the exception of limited questions and answers. There is no genuine method to determine whether or not the recipients of the lesson were learning the material that was being “covered.” By the time chapter or unit assessments are conducted in the form of tests, written or oral, it’s too late. The students do not demonstrate competency but the curriculum and pace must be adhered to, so the class continues to move forward. While the above method may be effective in certain circumstances (where the instructor is a recognized expert in his or her field, in many college classes, or classes with a large number of students), it is not in most learning environments, formal or informal. As teachers, company department managers or as coaches of an athletic team, the results of using this format are usually disappointing as the desired work output or performances are not achieved. This is especially true when teaching second language learners, where it is more difficult to ascertain whether or not the student “gets it.” This is most clearly evidenced when teaching the Productive Skills of speaking and writing. Students whose native languages, both oral and written, diverge from English face the most difficult challenges. This is especially the case with many Asian students where the characters and structure of the language bear little resemblance to English. The role of the teacher is most effective as both a manager and facilitator of learning which begins by assessing the ranges of student proficiency, and in the case of second language learners, the individual’s language level. Once this assessment is complete, effective teaching can commence. Much of the time the teacher spends will be on “monitoring” learning and developing a keen understanding of what skills students are lacking or what they need further help with. The method the TEFL program advocates, Engage – Study – Activate (ESA), provides a framework for students to demonstrate their understanding of the lessons in multiple formats. By using the ESA (and its derivative forms) method comprehensively throughout lesson delivery, the teacher will have a fairly complete picture of what students need. What this looks like, in the delivery of a typical lesson, is minimal Teacher-Talk to “introduce” the lesson along with some minimal procedural directions; and a combination of Student-Student interaction via role-plays, debates and other forms of participation enabling the second language learners to practice and demonstrate their use of English. These types of activities enable the teacher to provide feedback and prescribe other materials or strategies, including adapting a Patchwork lesson to bolster areas of weakness demonstrated by the students. If a text is a part of the standard curriculum, the teacher can readily augment with other sources, including the insertion of authentic materials. The role of manager-facilitator is further exhibited as the teacher strives to optimize the learning environment. The effectiveness of most of the classroom lessons delivered in the ESA format can be enhanced by how students are grouped to match compatibility and competence levels. A variety of seating arrangements can also be employed to stimulate interaction and participation and, in some cases, it may be used to have better control of any discipline problems. The teacher-centric role still exists to establish the goals and objectives of the class, determine the pace at which the class moves, set the tone of the learning environment and finally, to assess student competence. To be effective in the actual delivery of a lesson, however, he or she does not simply transmit the information. Rather, the teacher manages and facilitates learning and acts as a conduit for the learner to arrive at a better understanding and use of the English language.
