Teach English in Wangfeng Zhen - Liaocheng Shi

In recent years we have had so many countries trying to learn English since English is a universal language spoken all over the world. A majority of these countries trying to learn English so fast is the Asian countries. In a quest to learn English, most of the learners from different nationalities face a lot of problems and most of these problems turn to be similar no matter wherever they are. Before trying to look at how to solve the problems faced by students of different nationalities, it is of paramount importance to first of all examine some of these problems. One of the major problems facing students of different nationalities is the fact that most of the students are not open. Most of them often shy away for the fear of making mistakes. Most of these students shy away to ask questions or even when they need clarifications on an issue they don’t understand, they prefer to let go just because they are shy to speak. This obviously retards their progress in learning. Also, most of these students especially those from Asia also shy because of their culture and this poses blocks to the students’ flexibility in the classroom. Also another problem faced by students of different nationalities is always the use of their first language during lessons. It is common place to always have the learner’s first language interfering during lessons. Also, most of the assistant teachers also use the student’s first language to facilitate the students understanding. There is therefore no cultivation of an English enabling atmosphere for the students to keep practicing what they have learnt or to make an effort in using only English. Consequently, the students turn to speak or use very little English during lessons and this is not helpful at all and like they say ‘practice makes perfect’. The more you practice, the more you learn and perfect yourself. Another major problem faced by students from different nationalities is the lack of interest in learning a foreign language coupled with boredom as many at times the lessons are not fun filled to make lessons much more interesting and motivating for the students. Lack of interest is also provoked by the complex nature of English grammar and vocabulary. Also, the tenses in English my present a big problem as it’s not easy for learners to easily understand the structures and usages. This provokes the students to lose interest in learning the language. Finally, another problem faced by students of different nationalities has to do with problems of pronunciation. Pronunciation is a big problem as we always have the students’ native languages and ascents interfering in their pronunciation of some major words and syllables. Their accents makes it very difficult to produce certain sounds and the students in turn replace these sounds with their first language or ascents. This poses a problem. As discussed and analyzed above, one can clearly see a number of problems facing students from different nationalities. But as teachers and instructors, we always need to be smart and be aware of these problems and always try to provide solutions to facilitate the students learning process. To solve the problem of students’ first language always interfering during lessons, the teacher should first of all avoid using the students first language to communicate with them even if he/she knows the language. Also, he should create and environment or rule whereby English should be the only language of communication during lessons. Also teachers should try as much as possible to improve on the students’ pronunciation. The teacher should always have time for pronunciation, stress and intonation practice. This will make the students to be aware of the importance of accuracy and clarity of communication and will therefore build the students confidence in using the language. Moreover, to solve the problem of students’ shyness, the teacher should always encourage students for any attempts made and also praise the students for their efforts. Corrections should not be demoralizing but rather encouraging the students to know its normal to make mistakes and also learn from the mistakes we make. Also, about boredom, the teacher should try as much as possible to always make lessons fun filled with activities involving all the learners. This will make the lessons exciting and motivating for the students. These interactive classroom activities should always be in line with the topic. To conclude it is of paramount importance for a teacher to always take note and be aware of the problems faced by the students and always try to look for possible solutions to these problems so as to facilitate the students learning process.