Teach English in Xiagang Zhen - Tai'an Shi

On its surface, teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) may appear to be a simple task for any native English speaker. The material taught during an EFL course comprises a linguistic system that, although complex, is effortlessly applied by native speakers every time they communicate in English. However, being able to speak, write, and understand English is not the only prerequisite for being an effective EFL teacher. Effective EFL teachers also have a knowledge of English grammar that likely surpasses that of the average native speaker. Additionally, they must have the skills to successfully impart this knowledge to students and must also be prepared to perform a variety of roles in the classroom that extend beyond the simple conveyance of teaching material. For these reasons, the average native English speaker is likely not prepared to begin teaching English immediately. However, completion of a TEFL course is an excellent way to fill in these knowledge gaps and build a strong foundation from which to begin teaching EFL. One of the most obvious yet valuable reasons to complete a TEFL course is to better understand how the English language functions. English and its grammatical system are complex in ways that native speakers often take for granted because the complexities were absorbed more or less unconsciously during infancy. However, just because a native speaker is able to accurately use each of the conditionals in English, this does not mean that they understand why they use each, what the underlying governing logic is, or even how many conditionals English has. As a learner of foreign languages, one of the most frustrating experiences I’ve had is asking a native speaker “why do I need to say it like this?” and receiving an answer of “I don’t know, it just feels correct that way.” After completing a TEFL course, however, native speakers are much better prepared to articulate and explain the basic rules of English that many others are not even aware of. An additional benefit of completing a TEFL course is to learn strategies for imparting information to students. While it is certainly important for an EFL teacher to understand and be able to state rules for using various grammatical forms, this does not necessarily mean that their students will understand or be able to use the rules. Successfully imparting this knowledge to students requires teachers to be able to communicate with students of any level and develop examples and targeted activities that help students absorb new information. For example, telling a beginning student “The negative of the present simple tense is formed using the auxiliary verb ‘do’, the word ‘not’ and the base form of the main verb” is technically true but is not at all an effective method for explaining this concept. A more successful strategy would likely involve providing a multitude of select examples, a fill-in-the-blank exercise, a verbal activity, etc. A TEFL course provides the necessary strategies and techniques for teaching grammatical concepts, as well as realistic examples of classroom activities that serve as guidance and inspiration for new teachers. Finally, a TEFL course provides new teachers with insight into the variety of roles that they will be required to perform in the classroom. While the main objective of an EFL class is to learn English, simply imparting linguistic knowledge to students is not sufficient. EFL teachers should strive to make their classes fun, engaging, and generally enjoyable for students. Often, teachers must actively monitor and adjust the social dynamics in the classroom in order to serve as motivators for students who may not be interested in learning English, confidence builders for shier students, and conflict resolvers in the case that students do not get along with one another. Completion of a TEFL course helps prepare future teachers for these various roles and provides strategies for handling the many different kinds of challenges that can arise in the classroom. Teaching EFL is an incredibly complex task that requires teachers to wear many hats simultaneously. At its core, English language fluency is possibly the most critical ability for a teacher to have. However, this in and of itself is not nearly enough for a teacher to have success in the classroom. The additional knowledge and skills that make an exceptional EFL teacher often do not come naturally, especially to native speakers who never had to consciously “learn” English. Completing a TEFL course is one of the most efficient and effective ways to develop these skills and put a new teacher on the path to success from the very beginning.