Teaching English as a foreign language.

[dogsbody70]

For those of you who teach English, Are you qualified and have passed examinations on teaching English?

Which method do you use and how do you teach. Do you follow the Cambridge Method?


How easily do you think your students absorb the lessons?

[RobinMask]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

For those of you who teach English, Are you qualified and have passed examinations on teaching English?

Which method do you use and how do you teach. Do you follow the Cambridge Method?


How easily do you think your students absorb the lessons?

I've taught English to native speakers and a non-native speaker. I wasn't qualified at the time, all I had to go on was half an English degree, although now I've gotten my TEFL certificate - it was online, so I did miss out on face-to-face interaction, but I learned so much about grammar and teaching methods that I got an awful lot out of it. I find I can really empathise with the students now, and it's also helped me to understand my own needs in learning Japanese, I also found because I was learning a foriegn language I could relate more to the course, too.

To be honest I'm not entirely sure what the various methods are, insofar as names and things, but I try to cater for all types of learners. Some people are visual, some aural, and so with my native speakers I did a mixture of reading aloud, writing, comprehension work etc., and wtih my non-native speaker she was so young I was able to use a wider variety of tools. I started off playing games and things, then when she was older we'd play writing games or go for walks and read all the signs we saw and things. The more involved the students were, the more they were able to use the language, especially in interactive excercises, the happier and more confident they became. They realised that they were able to use what was being taught, that it was more than just theoretical knowledge, and they began to use it more and more. My native speakers read more in their spare time, and my non-native speaker is now entirely fluent (although I don't take all credit for that).

I think how the students absorb the lesson depends entirely on the student and - to an extent - the teacher. When I first started teaching I was given no training or guidance, just 'get in there and teach', and I think my lessons sometimes were repetitive, so students (especially boys) got bored at times as they wanted to constantly do something new. Luckily I've worked on that and learned a lot from my degree and certificate. Some students though just don't want to learn . . . you can make the lessons fun and lively, which helps, or adapt your plans, but some are just really resistant to learning, in which case there's only so much you can do. Overall they asborb the lesson well though.

I really look forward to other's responses on this My own experience with teaching is pretty limited to native speakers and children, and I've not long had my qualifications. It'd be great to hear someone's opinion with more experience and knowledge. I have to ask: what's the hardest part of teaching for the English teachers out there?

[Suki]

I've tutored kids in English and from my experience I'd say phrasal verbs are by far the hardest and most troublesome for them to learn and use in the right context. As for the method, pretty much the one used in prepararation for the ESOL examinations. These books are filled with plenty of exercises that go over the same grammar over and over again so eventually it gets stuck in your brain.

[BobbyCooper]

I give private lessons at home for kids up until the A-Level. I was lucky enough that my current students are all in 9th-grade and below.. so that the level is still manageable for me to teach them.

From time to time it gets pretty basic like Suki already mentioned. They all pretty much focus on grammer and writing, just like they do in school. So if you did that a couple of times then your an expert at it.

I'm looking forward to teach in Japan next year, hopefully to middle school Gonna be an amazing experience for me.

[RealJames]

I've taught in Kenya, Korea, for foreign university students in Canada, and in Japan.
Surprisingly little of the experience from any one of the places could be carried over to the others... well Japan and Korea a tad alike, but that's an overstatement.
I would have sometimes been better off with no experience rather than trying to adapt what I thought I knew.

Teaching in Japan, honestly, is a walk in the park compared to other places. The grammar base is so strong it's just giving chances to speak and a better teacher notices repeated mistakes and their underlying common misconception then drills that form a little.
This of course can't be applied so easily to someone with a weaker grammar level than spoken.

I recently conducted about 30 interviews because I'm hiring a 2nd teacher at my school. all but 3 of them were absolute shit. there are so many absolute shit teachers out there who aren't teachers at all, just native English backpackers or no-lifes hoping to get laid in Japan

Edit;

about how easily lessons are absorbed.
I've tried various teaching methodologies, and honestly the retention depends far far more on motivation and time spent exposed and in practice than teaching system or even age do.
I was shocked last year when one of my best students, by best I mean advanced the fastest, was 75 years old! (Learning English to hit on boys while traveling lol)

edit2;
@robinmask; the most difficult part is to keep caring about individual student's needs when you are #2000 and your schedule is filling up a lot and it starts to feel too much like a job than a service to another human... Thank GOD I no longer work at a school that made me feel that way!

[BobbyCooper]

Hey James, maybe you would like to employ me at your school next year? Then you can skip all those time-consuming Interviews?

middle school would be nice

not a native speaker^^

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by BobbyCooper

Hey James, maybe you would like to employ me at your school next year? Then you can skip all those time-consuming Interviews?

middle school would be nice

not a native speaker^^

lol no, I wouldn't hire anyone I want to throw out the window lol

[SHAD0W]

I'm a qualified Primary (Elementary) school teacher with experience in teaching native British children and those with English as Additional Language in both England and Japan. It takes a lot of work to get children with English as Additional Language to understand your lesson especially if they are completely new to the language. Try and develop language for social practice such as play time words before developing technical words for subject understanding such as explaining grammar.

Jim Cummins has done alot of work on this, I suggest you read up.

Any questions, PM me.

Originally Posted by RealJames

lol no, I wouldn't hire anyone I want to throw out the window lol

I lol'd

[BobbyCooper]

Originally Posted by RealJames

lol no, I wouldn't hire anyone I want to throw out the window lol

Well^^ nobody can say I didn't try right ;D

Originally Posted by SHAD0W

Any questions, PM me.

Looking forward to it

I lol'd

I lol'd too

[Umihito]

Originally Posted by RealJames

I recently conducted about 30 interviews because I'm hiring a 2nd teacher at my school. all but 3 of them were absolute shit. there are so many absolute shit teachers out there who aren't teachers at all, just native English backpackers or no-lifes hoping to get laid in Japan

Just out of curiosity, did any of these people (or any pre-interviewee) try to apply without a university degree or something needed for a visa? I've always wondered how many people just apply completely on a whim without any research. :L

With how you made them sound, they seem exactly that type. I'm a bit jealous I couldn't have been there tbh :L