Teach English in Chengguo Zhen - Yantai Shi

When I first started teaching standardized testing abroad, I was the good cop and the teacher training me was the bad one. At the time, we shared students, so they were exposed to the routine that one frequently sees on crime dramas. I mention all of this, not to share my personal feelings, which would go against the stated instructions, but to discuss the ways in which a good cop-bad cop routine can be effective for teachers in general. I first became aware of this before my teaching experience when I enrolled in a foreign language program. We were assigned three teachers, each focusing on a crucial aspect of the language (speaking/listening, reading, and writing). What I noticed was that the teachers were quite friendly, always willing to help when needed. However, they sprinkled in a strict teacher every now and then. That terrified many of us initially because it was such a contrast. Our “nice” teachers were always smiling at us even when we didn’t finish the exercise properly or do all our work. Our “mean” teachers didn’t accept any of this, telling us sternly that we needed to do everything that was assigned and in a proper manner. So what ended up happening was that with our “nice” teachers, we felt more comfortable talking in class, practicing our conversations in a safe environment. With our “mean” teachers, we focused more on the nuances of the language because the last thing we wanted was a stern lecture on getting the job done right. For TEFL, two major areas that students need to improve in (if they are to master the English language) are fluency and accuracy. It is not enough to just have one, because a fluent speaker may get his or her point across, but it will not be graceful. In fact, the listener may have second thoughts about hiring such a person if this were a job interview. An accurate speaker or writer may get everything done in a technically impressive manner, but speed is a major factor when talking and sometimes when writing. The listener will also have second thoughts if the speaker takes twenty seconds to say something that a native speaker can say in five. So what is an effective way to get the student to improve in both areas? I believe the answer lies in this good cop-bad cop routine. When I taught my students, they felt more comfortable practicing the concepts they learned with me. But they didn’t always do their homework because I was so “nice” and would usually let them off with a warning. So they gained fluency but not the accuracy. With the “mean” teacher, the students always completed their homework because anything less than that would have invited a stern lecture on responsibility, often accompanied by shouting. This was not pleasant for any of the students. However, through this, they gained accuracy (but not fluency, of course). When I looked through the ITTT course material, I saw numerous recommendations to build rapport with students. Once a student’s trust is gained, then the student becomes more of an active learner. I agree with this principle in general, but I do want to point out another common saying: “Familiarity breeds contempt”. Sometimes a student can get too close to a teacher, thereby causing the teacher to become more friend than mentor. This can be problematic when trying to get students to complete all their assignments. This is key because language development doesn’t just occur inside the classroom. The students need to review constantly in their free time, doing all the assigned homework in a timely manner. Without this, the student will not develop as quickly as a more diligent one. And to address this, teachers working in a good cop-bad cop tandem can be quite effective when used properly.