Teach English in Anren Zhen - Dezhou Shi

Troubleshooting is part of the teaching experience A typical ESL lesson always presents problems. But , there are other problems that rise when the teacher has to face particular situations. A good ESL teacher should be capable to diagnose these usual problems, and work to fix them properly Being a new teacher isn’t easy and regardless of how trained and skilled a teacher is, facing a classroom for the first time can cause nervousness. One of the hardest part of being a teacher is to establish a rapport student/teacher and in the case of a new group, between the students themselves. In fact, the initial problem to face is to understand correctly needs, aspirations, language level in order to tailor the future lessons to it. This is essential for the success of the whole course. Another problem that can concern a teacher is the constant need to keep students motivated . As a result , a bored student always gets distracted creating discipline problems. The teacher’s responsability is to make the lesson fun and interesting If a single student can lead to problems, we can imagine these circumstances applied to large classes. Generally, large classes need to be carefully organized. The first problem is the classroom size and arrangement. Large classes are composed of a significant number of students whose participation has to be ensured with a correct arrangement that allows all students to be involved in the lesson. In any case , even smaller classes can bring concern to the teachers because of the different level of language . This is a common problem for any classroom and can happen because of a non-efficient level testing procedure or a different pace in the learning process. Therefore, it’s up to the teacher to find the correct balance of activities to cover the gap between weak and strong students. In additon, another problem a teacher could deal with is more likely to be found in a particular type of class: monolingual class. Monolingual classes are those where English is the foreign language. In these classes the English is not the main vehicle of communication. The students have a common background and the only way they will ever learn to speak with fluency in English is through practice. Despite this, the recourse to native language is very frequent.So, the teacher has to encourage the use of English and allows the native language only in those situations where the understanding of the students can be compromised or when they lack the words to express their ideas, or don’t know how to pronounce them. Reluctant students, instead, are those whose participation in the class is prevented by cultural reasons, lack of self confidence, intimidation.This kind of students will do the least amount of work possible or will be completely excluded from classroom activities. Lastly , a common problem for teachers and students of all nationalities is related to listening skills. In some cases problems with listening texts could depend on the poor quality of audio source, the incorrect choice of material for the students’ level, the wrong class arrangement Cutting out listening from teaching in not the solution a professional teacher will adopt but he/she will find the appropriate measures to deal with it. Despite the different problems, troubleshooting is something that is part of a TEFL teacher‘s preparation . To sum up, if experience plays an important role in the solution of problems, it’s also true that a TEFL teacher at his/her first lesson is provided with all tools necessary to make the learning environment comfortable, stimulating and equal for all students.