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This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
Teaching Beginning StudentsOne of the biggest challenges I?ve encountered when teaching beginner students is avoiding the usage of their native language, mostly because I have always been in a situation where I know that language. Learning a new language from scratch is daunting and beginner students are often quite intimidated to speak English when they know so little of it. It is therefore important to set a firm precedent of only speaking in English during a lesson. During the first few lessons, communication will be very limited, so the teacher must rely a lot on the usage of gestures, facial expressions, and visuals. When faced with a monolingual group of students who all know each other but don?t know you the teacher, it is easy to feel awkward and perhaps embarrassed. It?s time to put pride to the side and get animated. Adding some humor to the situation will go a long way towards putting the students at ease. If they see that you are ready to make fun of yourself or act silly, beginner students will be more motivated to attempt speaking in English, even if they think they sound silly too.
Depending on the class dynamics and the type of beginner students you?re dealing with, it can be challenging to know where or how to begin. For example, say one is teaching just two or three adult beginners with a rough knowledge of the Roman alphabet who just want ?conversational? English to be able to speak with tourists. The methodology here will differ from teaching a group of teenage school students taking their first English course. For one, the motivation levels will probably be higher with the adult beginners because they have a ?real life? situation for which they want to learn the language. However, the classroom dynamics may be extremely informal, with no available chalkboard, and the only resources available would be pen and paper. In these situations, it?s difficult to have very structured lessons, so it?s important for the teacher to come prepared with some sort of visuals and an outline of materials to cover. The students may be reluctant to focus on writing down notes and information because they are uncomfortable with the alphabet. The teacher should therefore spend time each lesson reviewing the alphabet both orally and in writing form. It is important for the students to be able to write down what they learn in a way they can later review and understand on their own.
After the first few lessons with beginners, the teacher should begin to see quick progress, which can be quite gratifying. Learning new vocabulary is exciting and an easy way for students to notice self-improvement. A great way to get students talking is by pointing at different objects in the room, or body parts for example and having students make a phrase with this new-learned vocabulary. Hangman is also a fun warmer activity to boost energy and confidence in a beginner class. Finally, I?ve learned it?s helpful to spend time outside of the classroom getting to know more about the students and their daily activities. If I show interest in learning their language and participating in their culture, I will build better rapport with them and get ideas on lesson topics for classes.
