Ilchester, Maryland TESOL Online & Teaching English Jobs

Troubleshooting was the topic of Unit 20. Some common problems that arise before and during teaching a class often occur from the very first class. Teachers should be aware of what type of class they will be teaching. If it consists of a group of new students who have never met each other, then the teacher will need to ensure that he or she introduces himself or herself to the students, but that all of the students introduce themselves to the each other. For an existing group of students who already know each other, it falls on the teacher to get to know them individually and as a whole class as well as introduce himself or herself to the students. Creating a good rapport from the beginning can often reduce the chance of future problems. Rapport can be established through conversation and finding out things that interest the students, what they want to get out of learning English, and even a short process in discovering their individual English level. Playing games that encourage conversation or using questionnaires are great ways of learning about students and about the teacher. A good method to get students ready to learn English at the start of every class is to begin with a warm-up activity of some kind. Rather than immediately jump into vocabulary, grammar, or other English topics, allow the students to acclimatize to the class through the introduction of a game or fun activity that is related to the lesson, but is not cut and dry. This helps them start talking in English and thinking in English. In some cases, the mixture of students in a particular class may not be ideal. Students who have stronger English skills than others could be in the same class because of limited availability of teachers. Therefore, teachers must be able to cope with these mixed classes by using creative methods and alternative materials. Stronger students could be asked to do more detailed work during activities or add extra steps so that all of the students will generally finish at the same time. Not doing anything about the skill level difference might create a situation where weaker students get frustrated and stronger students get bored, so teachers must be cognizant of the problems associated with ignoring this kind of situation. Larger classes may make it difficult to be as focused on individual students as some teachers may prefer. Using materials, introducing pairing or group work, and choral repetition can often help overcome these difficulties because it helps involve all of the students. Teachers must ensure that all students can hear and see the lesson so clarity is very important. Sometimes it is helpful to have a group leader that help hand out materials, organize the classroom chairs, or collect handouts. As with all English lessons, it is important the teacher try to avoid using the students’ native language if possible. Certainly in emergency situations or as a last resort, it may be appropriate to use the native language, but during class, the teacher must keep the focus on English and also encourage the students to only speak in English for the entirety of the class. A reluctant student may require some extra care from the teacher. This can be compensated by using pair work and grouping these students with more confident students. This will help place the weaker or reluctant student in a more comfortable situation rather than speaking out to the whole class. Controlled practice, role-play, and taping conversations can also help alleviate shy or less-confident students and encourage them to break out of their shell and participate. Teachers should be prepared to use a variety of methods. Listening texts can be problematic especially when they are not presented correctly. The teacher must ensure that the equipment is working and that all of this students can hear the audio clearly and at an appropriate volume. Tasks associated with listening texts can sometimes be easier for some students and the teacher should have additional or more complicated tasks ready to assign to the stronger students in order to keep the pace of the class as even as possible and ensure that all students have enough time to finish assignments.