Traveling to a foreign country and teaching
english to non-native speakers is a career that presents many exciting experiences and challenges. Therefore, many adventurous people are interested in trying out such a career. For native
english speakers, the idea of teaching
english to non-natives seems quite simple: Fly to a new country, teach the eager students the ABCs and 123s of
english, and consider the task completed. However, what many aspiring
english instructors do not realize is that becoming a successful
english teacher takes preparation and education. Therefore, completing a solid
tefl course is a both helpful and necessary step in preparing to teach non-native speakers of
english.
One advantage of completing a
tefl course is learning various technical aspects of
english grammar and effective ways of teaching
english grammar. Just because someone can speak
english does not necessarily mean they have the tools to teach it effectively. A
tefl course breaks down important aspects of
english grammar and provides insightful tips and effective activities for teaching grammar. A
tefl course gives future
teacher the necessary instruction on important parts of speech, verb tenses, and other grammatical concepts that an
english instructor must know how to teach.
Another advantage of completing a
tefl course is the preparation such a course provides in
teacher-student relations.
teachers of
english play a very important role in their students' lives, because they are teaching the students new skills that will be transferable into every area of their lives. For many students of
english, they are learning the language in order to open new doors of opportunity for themselves, either related to education, jobs, or social opportunities. Therefore, the
english teacher plays a very important role in the students' careers. Learning a new language can be intimidating, and many non-native students can feel thrust out of their element and comfort zones when learning a new language. Therefore, it is important that the
teacher develop a good relationship with the students and make the students feel nurtured and encouraged. A good
tefl course provides useful tips on how an instructor can establish a good rapport with the students and create a warm and welcoming classroom environment that encourages student participation and experimentation.
Finally, completing a
tefl course is invaluable to any aspiring
english language instructor because it provides the aspiring instructor with a game plan. A good
tefl course teaches aspiring
teachers ideas for organizing the course, how to plan effective lessons, and how to effectively manage a classroom. Good lesson planning skills are the hallmark of any great
teacher, and a good
tefl course helps an aspiring
teacher to develop these skills. Learning how to plan an effective lesson and how to manage a classroom gives a future language instructor the ability to approach any classroom environment with confidence and ease. Having these organizational and management skills will allow the
teacher to focus more on creating fun, exciting, effective lessons rather than worry about how they will fill classroom time and manage discipline problems. If a
teacher can plan and execute great lessons, he or she will naturally have more control over their classroom environment and keep it productive.
In conclusion, knowing how to speak
english and knowing how to teach
english are two vastly different skills. Being able to speak
english fluently is only half of the battle when it comes to being an effective
english instructor. Understanding the technical aspects of the language and knowing how to effectively interact with students are equally as important. Completing a
tefl course helps native
english speakers to bridge the gap between knowing the language and being able to teach the language effectively.