Teach English in Xiaoxie Zhen - Tai'an Shi

Teaching is an experience not afforded to many; however, teaching English as a foreign language is a rewarding experience. I have been teaching English as a foreign language for the past two years during the summer at a university. Although I have taught English and Reading for many years, some may argue that teaching students whose second language is English has the same mechanics as teaching native students. After taking this TEFL/TESOL course, I have learned that it isn’t all quite the same. The three main things that I have learned is how rapport with students can effect motivation and the dynamics of the classroom, classroom management, and knowing when to elicit Teacher talk time (TTT) and Students talk time (STT). Depending on the age rage and the teacher, it may be challenging to motivate students, but is it not impossible. Motivating students is contingent upon the level of rapport the teacher may have with their students. As a foreign language instructor for the past two years, I have learned that the interests will differ as the culture differs. For example, a student from Brazil may be interested in football (soccer), and another student from France may be interested in tennis, while another student from Morocco may take a strong liking to music, having absolutely no interest in sports at all. Having a rapport with my students would have already given me this insight; therefore, planning lessons around their interests was not. This is a way to have students stay engaged in the lesson, develop the English language, and be motivated to learn. While teaching at the University, learning about my students by inciting discussions about their culture, their likes and dislikes, and their goals and aspirations opens up the opportunity to build rapport. Also, the other students will have an opportunity to learn about their peers’ interests as well, which will expand these discussions as they may have common interests. It is also helpful for students to have a rapport with one another. As previously stated, building a rapport with students is helpful for the teacher, but can be beneficial for the students as well. This can be encouraged through classroom management. When I heard the word classroom management, the first thing that would come to mind is managing student behavior or behavior modification. This course taught me that classroom management does not only deal with behavior, but how the classroom structure can affect learning. This course has taught me that classroom management helps to drive instruction, motivate students, and foster independent and group learning. Depending on the lesson, how the tables or desks are placed can effect learning. For example, having students in rows typically means that the teacher will give a lecture. Having the desks in a circle would foster a student-led group discussion. In this case, the teacher is simply monitoring the student’s discussion, but not giving any feedback. This is an example of the Activate stage, where students are applying what they have learned in the group discussion. A horse shoe, I have learned, can be used for discussion, but the instructor is among the students, as opposed to being on the outside. One mistake that I have repeatedly made, before taking this course, is constantly correcting students in the Activate stage. I learned that this can impede growth of the usage of language and can also discourage students from speaking it. Placing students into groups is another way to manage the classroom environment. I have learned that students who may lack confidence or are too shy to present in front the class can benefit from being in groups. Here, they can build their language skills as well as their confidence as they can present to the peers closest to them. Lastly, teacher talk time versus student talk time is a factor of classroom management. This course has taught me that allocating the appropriate amount of TTT and STT is of great importance when it comes to teaching a lesson. I have learned that speaking too much can make the class boring and it takes away the interest from the students, which can potentially effect the objective of the lesson. What I will do in the future is curtail my speaking time so that the students will have a chance to speak, especially if it is conducive to the lesson. Another strategy that I can implement with my foreign students, as I have done with my native students, is have them teach a concept that they have already learned to the class. This will engage the students more, as they see a peer leading the class. This will also give the students who are teaching an opportunity to develop their usage of the English language and also apply what they have learned. It will also challenge them to answer any questions the class may have. I can also use their teaching as an observation or evaluation purpose to determine whether they have mastered the content or not.