Making A Contribution
WHEN YOU’RE THERE
l Don’t worry about it, they know you’re a foreigner
l Observe what locals do
l Take particular care with certain areas
(e.g. religion and physical contact)
l Ask other foreign teachers l Ask local teachers
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We Suggest:
l People are forgiving if you make a naïve mistake
l The main thing is to be aware. Observe what people do
Below are the areas that tend to have the most cultural issues (add more if you like). Think of a country you’re interested in teaching in and note down any really important
social rules you can think of: Religion
Gender
Physical Contact
Dress
Food
Reflection & Action
Complete the sentences below:
My most important aim as a TEFL teacher is to
______________________________________________________________________ I’m going to
______________________________________________________________________ I’m going to avoid
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SUMMARY
l Teaching TEFL can transform your life l Have a professional attitude
l Be aware of your environment
KEY RESOURCES
Cultural differences in TEFL:
http://esl.about.com/od/esleflteachingtechnique/a/culture_dif.htm
Interesting ideas on taboo topics in the classroom:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/taboo-classroom
See what TEFL-Travellers have to say!
The lack of English speakers was difficult and took me some effort to adjust to. However, by the end of my stay, I got so accustomed to this different way of communication (lots of hand signals, acting out, and even sketching and pointing to things!) that it was my preferred way to communicate with most everyone! When I’d meet someone who spoke English fluently, I felt a little disappointed that I wasn’t faced with the challenge of body language and the challenge of using my drama skills!! I even found that I was communicating on this level with my fellow volunteers - I learned to speak slower, clearer, and with more active body language. Unfortunately, since being back in Sydney, I’ve readjusted to my previous way of communicating (i.e. speaking fast and mumbling at times!). I can’t wait to speak to a non-English speaker again!”
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2What Do Students Want?
See what TEFL-Travellers have to say!
The most memorable experience I have when teaching English to my students is my everyday teaching & every time I see my students speaking the language… or when their parents tell me that their children are speaking English at home… or when they come to me and I can see that they try hard to talk to me in English; that to me is memorable because I can see that I am reaching my students interest in applying their knowledge of the language with me or other people.
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Monica Viteri from China
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DID YOU KNOW?
l There is a lot of research on what students like and don’t like in the classroom l The teacher is the most important factor in motivating students
First Thoughts
Think back to when you were a student. What sort of teaching did you like? What didn’t you like?
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Consider these questions.
l What does the above mean for your teaching?
l How can you do the things you liked, and avoid the others?
l Are you ready to teach now, or do you need some sort of training or further professional development?
The Facts
There are a number of studies regarding what motivates and de-motivates students. Here are the main problems that TEFL students can have in the classroom. How would you solve these problems?
Problem Solution
It’s boring.
The teacher talks too much.
We don’t get enough speaking practice. Each student just reads out one sentence at a time. The teacher doesn’t like us.
The teacher always praises one student.
The teacher always criticises one student.
We can’t follow the instructions.
We don’t know what the point of the lesson was.
The teacher doesn’t know the material.
The CD player is poor quality.
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We Suggest:
l We all remember how hard it was to stay awake in a class, sitting in the same seat for hours. Plan a range of activities with different skills and different interactive patterns. Encourage physical activity. For example, students first mingle and survey each other; they then work in groups; they then form two teams and race to the whiteboard to write something relevant to the activity.
l Stop talking! Get students to do activities, not sit and listen to you. l Get students talking in pairs and small groups.
l This can come from nerves (remember the students are more nervous than you are). Get to know the students before class and in the breaks. Change the class dynamic, so it’s not just you out in the front talking. As students do activities, move around the classroom and don’t forget to smile!
l Treat all students fairly and spread your attention and interaction evenly. Don’t have any classroom favourites.
l Don’t ever single out students and make them lose face.
l Keep instructions really short and clear. Demonstrate an activity rather than explaining it (for example, it would be crazy to explain to someone how to play chess without showing them the board and how the pieces move).
l Have a clear aim for your lesson. You can write it on the whiteboard.
l Prepare your lesson! Course books generally explain language really well, but make sure you’ve read the unit beforehand and understand it.
l Somehow get good equipment. There is nothing more demoralising for a language student than hearing a recording and not understanding a word.
l Try to supplement a course book with interactive activities and with authentic materials (as we discussed in Section 5).
Almost all of the above are issues you can control in the classroom.
Reflection & Action
What qualities will you bring to the classroom that students will like?
Draw three circles which represent three positive aspects of your character. Then brainstorm what this will enable you to do with your students.
For example:
Won’t favour certain students
Will encourage students to give their opinions I am fair
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SUMMARY
l Build rapport with students by showing you like them and are interested in them l Keep your classes active with different types of tasks and interaction patterns l Have a clear aim, and be prepared
l Learn what de-motivates students and avoid it
KEY RESOURCES
On student motivation in TEFL:
http://teflbootcamp.com/Student-Motivation-in-EFL.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/tefl-articles/motivation-motivating-efl.htm
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See what TEFL-Travellers have to say!
It seems that conversational English is valued with the students more than you trying to grill grammar into them. In fact, their grammar was probably better than mine because they’ve learnt it through memorisation and continual practice of proper English. Whereas, us, in everyday ‘spech dun talk properly and dun spell stuff right either - so its prolly harder 4 us.’
Most university students in China are hardworking and earnest in learning what you have to teach, but it does take a while to tune into what they want to learn and the class’ mastery of English is at all different levels - you’ll get some really good ones and get some students who just don’t get it, all in the same class.
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3Getting
Students Talking
See what TEFL-Travellers have to say! It so happens that I have been to China, before I took a TEFL course, on a mission trip. There, I was able to implement some English language teaching in local classrooms and in conversation corner settings that helped the students hear an American and ask questions in English. The food, though mostly delicious, was different and hard to adjust to using chopsticks, but I managed to use them quite well as time went on.
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Karen Smith from the USA
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DID YOU KNOW?
l You need to plan activities to get students to talk to each other – students won’t usually talk without a purpose
l Whole-class discussions often don’t work – try smaller groups instead
First Thoughts
If you were an English student, which beginning lesson would you enjoy most? Why?
You can guess we suggest the third option. But is it just about enjoyment, or is there a serious purpose as well? What sort of atmosphere is created when the class begins with a student-to-student speaking activity?
The teacher asks one student
at a time ‘How are you today?’ The teacher says ‘Today we’re going to learn about the past tense. In English usually it is formed by adding –ed …’
Students stand up, mingle, and greet all the other students in English.
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