Teach English in Xushui Zhen - Hanzhong Shi

Most everyone recalls that “one” special teacher that left a place in their hearts even after decades go by. What makes that teacher so memorable is the impact they leave on their students. Memorable teachers are those that genuinely care about each student’s well-being and go over and beyond to make sure that each student feels valued and is engaged. Plain and simple, if a student isn’t motivated to learn it will be a challenge for concept attainment to be mastered. Learning a second language in particular can be very challenging if a pupil isn’t motivated. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of the teacher to do everything in his or her power to help motivate each student to reach their potential. It takes a motivated teacher to help students’ attitudes while assisting them with their learning objectives. Part of planning a class involves activities which should take into consideration the individual needs of those who will be taught and how to keep the class interesting. While teaching should always take a serious approach, part of motivating a class entails making it fun so those who are on the receiving end learn better. There are so many educational games that can help a class have fun while learning. What many people don’t realize is that learning doesn’t need to be rote memorization. Too many teachers rely on textbooks and worksheets as their sole curriculum instead of using them as a foundation to improve upon. When students are smiling it is apparent that they are enjoying themselves. On the other hand, if a student is bored it is likely they will neither exude effort nor will they absorb the lesson. Besides spicing up learning with activities and games, it is crucial to get to know your students and understand how he or she learns best. In order for this to occur teachers must understand the different learning styles such as your visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners. Good teachers will incorporate visual aids---the more colorful and easy to see the better. Young children will light up when a teacher uses props such as puppets and real objects that are mentioned in the lesson. This not only makes learning more interesting, but also helps the young learner connect meaning in different languages while transferring an abstract idea into a concrete concept. All learners will benefit from a teacher that varies his or her tone and teaches enthusiastically, which will be portrayed not only in voice but also in body language. Speaking of body language, it is imperative that teachers use hand gestures when communicating. TPR (Total Physical Response) can help motivate novice language learners using gestures that they can relate to. Students can “move” around as they imitate hand gestures with music and poetry. Classes should always be prepared ahead of time following the Engage, Study and Activate pattern. This pattern is key to start with a warm up which helps everyone by thinking in English and be ready to immerse themselves in class. The ESA pattern has different configurations where the study part can be repeated as well as the activation to keep concise flow of the class. A typical engaging phase can include showing objects to the class, playing a passage from a cd, making drawings, asking questions about what everyone knows from that day’s topic, etc. The study phase can include the spelling of words, the analysis of dialogues, gap filling sentence, or any other exercise that can deepen thinking while learning. The activate part can include debates of a particular topic, surveys, and story building. These activities can be done in pairs or groups. Incorporating ESA and all components of teaching requires teacher preparedness. When a teacher is not prepared a student can tell. This becomes obvious when teachers read the lesson verbatim and struggle with lesson pacing. The more a teacher is familiar with a lesson, the more engaging they can make it because they know it like the back of their hand. They then can focus on how to better motivate their pupils instead of mulling through the lesson. Lastly, it is important for teachers to be both patient and understanding when students struggle with their lessons. In order for students to excel they must remain confident in their abilities and understand that learning a new language takes time and practice. Giving positive feedback even when the answers are not right is crucial to help student motivation. Teachers need to praise and encourage in a positive way, rather than point out mistakes saying things like “you are wrong” or “no, that is not correct”. Instead, say “well done” or “you are almost there” even “think again”. Cheering up students and focusing on their progress will enable them to feel more confident learning a foreign language. Master teachers know their lesson content, are prepared, make their lessons engaging, and tailor their lesson to their students’ needs. Not every student is motivated to learn a new language and it’s the job of the teacher to do everything in his or her power to help each student excel to the best of their ability. It is my hope to be the same kind of teacher that my students will forever remember.