Ten ways to be a better language teacher
What do your students think?
I asked my students how teachers could be better at their job. These are the ten things they mentioned (in no particular order):
- Don’t put students down when they have difficulties. Be patient. Encourage them.
- Evaluate your students’ needs, and give extra help if necessary.
- Make students aware of their weaknesses/the areas in which they can improve.
- Encourage students to use English outside of the lesson (reading, video, internet, etc.).
- Aim for a good balance between consolidating/practising and learning new things.
- Work to keep the students’ level of attention high – change the pace/activity frequently (i.e. speaking>grammar>listening>feedback>game).
- Establish an empathy with the students – use fun activities when you sense students are tired.
- Identify common areas of interest to develop conversation and then later introduced relevant language content.
- Use games i.e. crosswords.
- Don’t tell students the correct answer immediately – give them time to work it out.
What do you think?
But students don't always know best. What does an experienced teacher think are the 10 best ways to be a better language teacher?
- ALWAYS provide at least some NEW language input (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, listening, texts, conversation).
- Keep up an appropriate pace, not too fast or slow and never be BORING or repetitive
- Consolidate previous learning and encourage self-study with regular games and tests.
- Teach students about learning – make them more independent learners.Help them exploit the resources of THE SCHOOL (library, software, etc.)
- Establish a PERSONAL relationship with your students. Language is for communicating, and you may be the only native speaker with whom your students can communicate – but communication needs to be a two-way process – you need to put some of YOU into it!
- Learn new techniques and ways of doing things - experiment.
- Understand the level system, where your students are coming from (what they have/haven’t already studied) and where they’re going to (what’s in your course, and in future courses). Plan lessons on the basis of the WHOLE LEARNING PROCESS, and not simply on the basis of what’s in the next unit of the book. For example: pre-intermediate book – chapter on present perfect - you should know: have they studied it before (in the previous course)? Will they study it again (in future courses)? What should the objective of the teaching/learning be AT THIS POINT?
- Manage uncertainty and anxiety – learning and using a language is an inherently stressful activity. Reassure students that it is normal to feel insecure. Help them become more comfortable with the language.
- SHARE with colleagues... exchange winning ideas to everyone’s benefit
- GET TRAINING – great teachers are unlikely to develop in a vacuum!
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