TEFL Richmond Vermont

It is clear in the titles “english as a Second Language” and “english as a Foreign Language” that there is a difference between the two english learners. Christina Lynne Renoud notes the difference in her book english as a Second Language Listeners' Perceptions of Different Varieties of english on pages four and five. Renoud describes esl students as “non-native english speakers who are residing in an english using country.” Renoud goes on to describe efl as an “adult/youth english-language instruction that takes place in a country where english is not traditionally a native language.” Understanding the differences between the two english learners can help a teacher prepare a classroom specifically for the language learners. esl students are surrounded by english both inside the esl classroom and outside in their everyday life. This submersion in the language provides wonderful opportunities for the student to use english outside of the classroom. Because english surrounds the esl student it also provides incentive for the student to want to learn english. esl learners may have a better chance of being in a multilingual classroom setting than efl students. Being in a multilingual classroom will discourage the students from reverting to their native language during the classroom. There are many benefits to being taught english in an english speaking country. A teacher should be able to use these benefits to create an effective lesson plan. The teacher may include lessons that will be easy to use outside of the classroom which will hold the attention and motivate the students. teachers may also focus less on group work because they know that the students will have time to work on english communication outside of the classroom. efl students are surrounded by their native language. Because the students are in a non-english speaking environment the students will most likely find little opportunity outside of the class to communicate in english. After the students leave the classroom they will likely leave english behind and return to speaking their native language. Within the classroom most students will most likely speak the same language in a class full of efl students. The monolingual classroom may cause a difficulty. This may allow the students to use their native language in the classroom rather than stay submersed in english. Because the efl students will not have as many opportunities to use english outside of the classroom they may not see much purpose for the class and may become unmotivated. Another problem is that the students may not be able to practice english outside of the classroom. These difficulties in an efl classroom can be overcome with proper planning by a teacher. Enforcing an english only classroom especially for intermediate and above levels may help students submerge themselves in the english language. Giving students lots of time during class to work in partners and interact in english may make up for the limitation in english being spoken outside of the classroom. The time within the classroom is very important in an efl setting because this will be the only time a student will be surrounded with english. efl and esl classrooms are definitely different settings. A teacher must be aware of the differences in the classrooms and plan accordingly. efl and esl can be effectively taught with the proper preparation of the teachers. teachers must adjust their lesson plans to effectively teach students who will be exposed to different amounts of english outside of the classroom. Works Cited Renoud, Christina Lynne. english as a second language listeners' perceptions of different varieties of english. ann arbor, MI; ProQuest Information and Learning Company, 2008. Print.