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Teach English in Qinchi Zhen - Jincheng Shi

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Qinchi Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Jincheng Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.

Why It Is Important for the EFL Teacher to Have Foreign Language Experience Foreign language skills are a valuable asset in many career fields. This is especially true for the EFL teacher. Being multilingual not only enhances the EFL teacher’s communication skills but also garners her the respect of her students and gives her direct insight into the learning process required for second language acquisition as well as areas of difficulty related to the process. Firstly, it is important to keep in mind that many EFL students already speak more than one language and may be somewhat surprised to learn that their EFL teacher has never ventured beyond her own native language. This can lead to a sense that perhaps she does not have a genuine understanding of what is really involved in learning a new language and can generate a kind of disconnect between teacher and students. This can be somewhat demotivating. Weaker students who already speak two or three related languages may develop a sense that English structures, vocabulary, and pronunciation are so vastly different from other languages that it is just not realistic for people to be proficient in English and these other languages at the same time. The teacher’s monolingualism serves to reinforce this idea. By mastering a second language herself, the teacher is showing her students that it is possible to learn to communicate effectively in a language that is foreign to you and to understand cultural nuances and function effectively in a culture that is foreign to you. The teacher is not only a model of correct English usage and pronunciation but also of successful second language acquisition. Students respect this quality as they know that their teacher has already put forth the same hard work and dedication that they are now putting forth and that she has experienced the same frustrations that they may now be experiencing as they strive to master English as a Foreign Language. This creates a sense of mutual understanding and camaraderie in the classroom. At the most basic level, students realize that their teacher is not expecting her students to accomplish something that she herself has not already accomplished. It is doable. My students often ask me how I learned the foreign languages I speak. They utilize this information when assessing their own learning experiences and deciding on strategies to enhance their EFL learning, but most of all this knowledge offers them encouragement. My ESL students in the U.S. also like learning about my own experiences studying and teaching abroad. As newcomers to the U.S. where they encounter cultural situations and language they may not always understand, they find it reassuring to know that their teacher has also had similar experiences and managed to figure it out. Additionally, a background in foreign language shows respect for one’s students. Students feel more respected when the teacher has made an effort to learn something about their native languages and cultures. This shows an openness to students’ backgrounds and an appreciation of who they are. In my experience, students who feel respected in this way are more eager to share and participate in class. It’s important to remember that the EFL classroom is a kind of cultural exchange. We are asking students to learn and respect the rules of English pronunciation and usage and cultural norms. Likewise, it is important for students to have the sense that there is a similar respect for their own languages and cultures. Next, a teacher’s foreign language experience gives her first-hand exposure to a range of methodologies from the vantage point of the student. As a child, she may have heard the language spoken at home or by ethnic groups in her neighborhood. She may have had formal classroom instruction at different stages of development with a variety of teachers using a variety of methods. She may have lived abroad and learned the language people “really” speak. She may have used mobile apps, software, or a plethora of language-learning websites. She knows what it feels like to be a learner in each of these situations, and so she will possess an understanding of the advantages and shortcomings of each learning experience. This is insight that she can bring to the classroom as she tries to determine the best ways to present language points to the specific students in her class and understand the learning issues her students may encounter as a result of each methodology. This insight is especially important today as students normally come to the EFL classroom with a range of prior learning experiences with English. And finally, understanding similarities and differences between other languages and English can guide the EFL teacher in addressing areas of potential conflict between the first language and English. The teacher can easily address the natural tendency to carry over structures from L1 into L2 by simply making students aware of the level of similarity or difference between these structures when she teaches the new language point. Similarly, the EFL teacher with foreign language experience is also in a good position to introduce cognates and faux amis and demonstrate differences in intonation. She is equally qualified to address common pronunciation issues such as b/v in Spanish, v/w in German, and r/l in Chinese. In my experience, students appreciate having a teacher who is able to quickly analyze these areas of language interference and provide specific instruction for correcting them. In summary, I recommend EFL teachers acquire as many languages as possible as this can only serve to enhance and enlighten their teaching practice. At the very least, I think it’s beneficial to acquaint oneself with some basic vocabulary and grammatical structures of the native languages of one’s students. As for myself, I am proficient in Spanish and French and have studied Italian, Portuguese, German, Irish, Arabic, and Chinese. Going forward, I would like to add Russian to my wheelhouse to help me provide even better instruction to the ever-increasing numbers of Russian-speaking students I see in my classes.


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