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Teach English in Qifeng Zhen - Zibo Shi

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

Learning a second language is always challenging. When that second language happens to be English, replete with a myriad of irregularities, irrational spellings, and difficult sounds, the task becomes even more of a challenge. Students learning English as a second language can easily become discouraged, especially when their success is often tied to future-determining test scores or their assimilation into a new country. In addition to providing students with quality instruction on grammar rules, vocabulary, and nuanced pragmatics, English as a second language teachers should also ensure they receive healthy encouragement. With the appropriate amount of motivation, students can not only learn more English but also get more enjoyment out of the learning process. There are several key ways an ESL instructor can encourage their students: knowing and encouraging students’ goals, using an appropriate level, and connecting English to their lives in a meaningful way. One of the first steps many teachers take with a new class is to survey students’ general interests or goals. Depending on the type of class, this could be through a handout or a one-on-one talk. This not only serves to let the teacher get to know their students a bit better, but also understand why it is that they are learning English. For many school children, it wasn’t their own choice. They are learning English because of school requirements, their parents, or to get into a competitive university program. For many adult learners, they choose to learn English and give their own time and money to do so. This could be due to a desire to expand job opportunities, to confidently travel, or they have moved to an English-speaking country. These types of students are only two that will have different motivations. As an example, an adult ESL student has moved to the U.S. with his family. His goals are to gain conversational English to interact with co-workers and communicate in daily life at shops and restaurants. By taking those goals in mind, the teacher can present grammar and vocabulary in scenarios like ordering food at a restaurant. As time goes on, ideally the student will see their progress in these daily activities. Ordering a hamburger, once a daunting task, becomes manageable after practice and feedback from the instructor. By focusing on students’ goals and personal motivations, the teacher can allow students to see and be motivated by their own progress. Another important consideration the ESL instructor should bear in mind is the level of their students. For instance, if learners who are just beginning to learn English hear rapid, complex sentences from their teacher that they haven’t yet had the time to learn, they can easily become discouraged. Before teaching a new group or person, an ESL instructor should give a diagnostic test to determine strengths and weaknesses. Using that information, they instructor can make sure they are using materials that are challenging, but not completely above the students’ level. As the students progress through the course, material they already have a firm understanding of as well as some that just needs review should be included. This way, although there may be a new and confusing grammar point, by being able to use part of the language they have already mastered they won’t feel so helpless. A final way to motivate ESL students is to connect what they are learning to their lives outside of the classroom. Although this can be done with students’ specific goals as mentioned above, it is also important to find a way for students to use their English knowledge for their own enjoyment. For many, this can be through entertainment such as movies or music. If someone likes cooking, then they could find English-speaking chefs and try their recipes. If the teacher can use material that the student would normally consume in their spare time and bring it into the ESL classroom, English can start be less of a chore and be associated with areas of life other than school. Using English for something they enjoy can also improve their attitude about it. It can also greatly encourage students when they can begin to recognize words or understand what is said or written in “English-in-the-wild”. This way of motivating students can be difficult to implement in larger classes, but through open-ended activities or homework, students can be free to pursue what they want.


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