STARTBODY

Teach English in Xiaolukou Zhen - Jining Shi

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Xiaolukou Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Jining 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.

As an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher, one of our key objectives is to support successful student learning. We strive to meet this objective by incorporating a variety of teaching theories, methods, and techniques – some more effective than others. In fact, as noted in this TEFL coursework, each method and technique has its advantages and disadvantages. Some theories and methods have been in place for hundreds of years, while others have been gaining traction in the last few decades. More recently, a lot of attention and focus regarding classroom teaching and lesson planning has been placed on strategies and techniques that tap into students’ intelligences – different competencies and predispositions in different areas. Gardner (1983) in his book, Frames of Mind, describes how “a person has different capabilities and tendencies that can be described as multiple intelligences, intermingled in different ways.” Gardner believes that there are multiple types of human intelligence, each representing different ways of processing information. For example, verbal-linguistic intelligence refers to an individual's ability to analyze information and produce work that involves oral and written language, such as speeches, books, and emails (Gardner, 1983). Gardner’s proposed theory on multiple intelligences has had a strong impact on education and in particular language learning. As Yalmanci and Gozum (2013) stated, “Gardner’s MI theory has two important advantages in education. First, it paves the ways for planning the education program in a way that students realize their potentials and move toward their desires. Second, it makes it possible for us to reach students who are more active because learning would be more attractive in a condition that learners are trained through the use of these intelligences.” For EFL teachers, the degree of awareness of and ability to incorporate MI strategies into our lesson planning activities needs to be comprehensive and intentional. In Unit 3 of the TEFL coursework, we are introduced to a very effective methodology – the foundational method around which this TEFL course is structured – attributed to Jeremy Harmer and referred to as Engage, Study and Activate (ESA). The strength and effectiveness of the Engage-Study-Activate methodology is its flexibility in providing a balanced range of activities for the students, as well as a great platform for EFL teachers to incorporate a variety of MI strategies and techniques to support student learning success. Unit 13 – Pronunciation and Phonology - of this TEFL course provides a great example of how to apply multiple intelligences techniques and strategies to a lesson on phonology. In the video, Phonology Class Demonstration, led by teacher trainer Eric Haeg, the instructor uses a game in the Activate stage of the lesson (around 51:00 mark) to reinforce the students’ learning regarding phonetic sounds and phonetic symbols. This activity supports student learning by tapping into their bodily/kinesthetic, verbal/linguistic and interpersonal intelligences. From the video, it is clear that the students are completely engaged in their learning using a variety of their intelligences. Having an understanding of teaching theories and methods from which we all can learn, as well as a toolbox with a variety of ways to present content (MI strategies and techniques) to students, is valuable for increasing the accessibility of learning experiences for all students. Providing different contexts for students and engaging a variety of their senses - for example, reinforcing learning about phonetic sounds through MI-focused activities is supported by research. The possibilities of using MI theory in a foreign language classroom are numerous. Experimental research and pilot studies (Haley, 2004) have shown that the theory of MI has a potential to create a positive influence on both language learners and language teachers. In terms of EFL teaching, the MI theory raises the awareness of teachers of the diversity of student potentials which exist in a language learning class and the different ways that students learn. References Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York, NY: Basic Books. Halley, M.H (2004). Learner-Centred Instruction and the Theory of Multiple Intelligences with Second Language Learners. Teachers College Record, Volume 106, Number 1, pp163-180. Yalmanci, S. G., Gozum, A. C. (2013). The effects of multiple intelligence theory based teaching on students’ achievement and retention of knowledge. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 4(3), 27-36.


ENDBODY