Teach English in Ciying Zhen - Jincheng Shi

The main reason why I took up the TEFL course is to be able to learn how to teach English. Although I consider myself as a native English speaker, that is barely enough to properly teach a student which is why this course was very helpful. Aside from the grammar lessons, this course tackled different methodologies and techniques to teach English effectively. One of the most useful tools for me is the ESA teaching method. A technique that encourages teachers to first engage with the students by getting them to talk about the topic and piquing their interest. When this part is done, that is when the study phase comes in. This is the stage when the teacher uses various exercises like drilling and gap-fill activities to make the students remember the lesson accurately. Last is the Activate stage where the fluency of the students is enhanced by giving them activities that will allow them to use and practice the lesson they just learned. What’s most important is to keep the class active and interesting so every student will want to participate. Some techniques for this are using visual aids, talking about what the students are interested in, playing games, etc. Other than the teaching technique, this course also discussed how we can effectively manage classes. Especially, when the students are made up of different types of people. Some may differ in age, level of fluency, culture, etc. Despite this, we should still be able to teach everyone effectively. This course has suggested many methods to accomplish this like conducting a needs analysis or a diagnostic test prior to starting the lesson to find out which level everyone is on and what their motivations are. This way, preparations can be made in advance. Also, part of managing classes is making sure everyone is learning and participating. The way to achieve this is to first build rapport with the students and to make sure all of them are given the right attention. Some of the students might be weaker than others which may lead to them not participating enough. Or, the stronger ones might get bored. This where the teacher must find a way to balance the class. We can do pair works where the stronger students are paired with the weaker or we could elicit topics or words that they are all interested to learn. Seating arrangements can also be used to encourage a more conducive learning environment. There are also many types of equipment and teaching aids we can choose from when teaching a class. There are traditional tools like the board and cassette tapes. On the other hand, there are more modern tools like IWBs or videos. Providing students with a more visual approach to teaching, I think, will be much more effective. The tools for this can range from pictures, drawing, gestures, videos, etc. Finally, this course also taught us how to discipline students properly. It’s important to be patient and to never lose our temper when handling students. We should also never make threats that we won’t be pushing through with. One of the most relevant tips I got from this lesson is that we don’t need to always correct the student’s mistakes. It may be advantageous for their language accuracy but sometimes always correcting students can be counter-productive, especially when training is about enhancing the fluency of the students. The way we correct their mistakes should also be considered. It should be done in a way that does not humiliate the students. The better way is to find a way where they can correct themselves or their classmates as this can also be a learning experience for them. Whether the class will be large or small, made up of young or adult students, the principle is the same. Keep everyone interested to learn and adjust to the needs of the class as a whole. It is the teacher's job to ensure that every single student would learn from the lessons and not get left behind.