Choosing to study English as a second language is a big undertaking that can be intimidating. As a teacher, you should understand what this means to a learner. They may be new to the country and are feeling displaced. You can help them embrace their new language and culture by helping them learn to speak English in a fun and engaging way. Applying their new vocabulary to real world situations gives their English lessons more meaning and relevance. In this article, we have some advice for people who are teaching English so that they can make a difference to their students.
Your job as an educator begins before you even meet your students. As you plan your curriculum, think of ways to make the students want to learn English. Make your lessons exciting, visual and fun. This will engage your students. You should also consider who the English as a second language (ESL) students are and the unique challenges that they face. When you meet them they may initially look at you like you have grown a second head. Don’t worry! You may be the first English speaking schoolteacher they have ever met. Give them time to get to know you.
As a teacher, the toughest challenge you can face is getting your students excited about the course material. For your purposes, you want the learners to find English interesting and fun. The best way to do that is to show them how their newfound vocabulary can be used. Perhaps they can visit an online English chat room to speak to people with common interests. Have the students perform skits of common situations like ordering a meal in a restaurant. Anything that will put the English lessons into real life situations will help the students.
As you are going through a lesson, check periodically to make sure that your students are in fact comprehending the material. Don’t just ask them, as they may be afraid or embarrassed to admit that they are struggling with the lesson or language proficiency. Ask some friendly but pointed questions to make sure they are absorbing the lesson. For instance, if you are learning the names of animals, ask someone if they’ve ever seen a lion or a tiger in the zoo before. If you are learning colors, go around the group and ask them to say what their favorite color is. Personalize the question so that it is relevant to each individual. This often encourages group discussions which is a wonderful atmosphere for learning.
Coming up with new and innovative ways to teach course material is part of a teacher’s job. Instead of having a students repeat their vocabulary ad nauseam, find a game to play or show them how the word is used in the real world. This will help them put their new language into perspective and really gain the knowledge that they need to speak English fluently in the real world.
