Here are my Top Ten Tips:
- First try to show beginners any connections their language has to English. Most languages have borrowed words from English. And most students, even complete beginners will have picked up a few words from previous learning experiences or m Show the students that they actually know many words in English even if they don't speak English. DVD, CD, email....etc.
- Speak slooooowly but in a natural rhthym. And write everything you say on the board!!! Many students can puzzle out the meaning of a sentence in written English more easily than they can hear and separate the sounds for spoken language.
- It helps to think about what you're going to say before the class. You want to avoid talking like a caveman; at the same time, speaking above a student's head can discourage them from learning English. When I first started teaching lower levels, I literally usd to script my instructions onto my lesson plans ahead of time. After a while it became second nature.
- Instill a sense of fun into the lessons. Having beginners think of their lessons as fun is one of the keys to gaining a long-time learner. Which is essential if they want to learn English. And essential for your career!
- Get them talking as much as you can. I don't care how simple these conversations are. I don't care if they are simply reading a script. I don't care if they are doing something silly. They need to be talking. You don't learn a language by reading a book or memorizing grammar rules. You learn a language by speaking the language.
- Repetition, repetition repetition. Along those lines:Revise, revise, revise.
- Respect your students. Many of them are cleverer than you are.
- Never. Never ever. Never ever ever ever ever NEVER make students feel stupid about mistakes they make. Even if it is really funny. Save the laughter for the teacher's lounge.
- Short activities. Variety. Change things up. Get them moving. Learning is tactile. Learning is visual. Learning is intellectual. Learning is silly.
- People learn by playing. Use games as a prime tool to get student's producing English.
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