Rules of teaching English as a Foreign Language

[Lime]

Hello,

How do u do?

Well i wish to know if we can use the native language of the student or any language which teacher and the student have common to make the learning better.

I as teacher am teaching the student English as foriegn languageso students does not know English at all. Some people say that in English Language class teacher is not permitted to use any other language but English and all explanation has to be done through English lanhuage or Pictures.

Please help me out here!

Regards

Lime

[Mister Micawber]

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Hello, Lime.
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There are no rules, and teachers use different methods that work best for them and their students. Of course, if your school has a method policy, then you must follow that.

Here in Japan, many commercial language schools operate with both native English teachers, who speak only English in the class, and Japanese English teachers, who use much or mostly Japanese in order to explain grammar points, etc.; students may attend classes taught by each.

Current thinking suggests that the more the target language is used in the class, the faster the students will learn it; however, there are few teachers who do not fall back on the students' language to make an occasional explanation or translation when it is necessary.

Good luck.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Alan]

Hi,

As MM says, there are no 'rules' as such. There are situations where the teacher might use the foreign language of the students as for example if they are all of the same nationality or if it is a one-to-one situation. Generally however, certainly from my experience as a class teacher, it is a dangerous step to take because you can end up simply being a translating machine and of course if there are many nationalities in the class, one group will get preferential treatment.

A
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Words, words, words...

[Conchita]

We all seem to agree so far. A common language between teacher and students does simplify things, especially in the early stages of foreign language learning or when it comes to explaining difficult grammar rules, for example.

Ideally, however, this option should only be a last resort. English-only classes give the students more exposure to the foreign language and are usually recommended. Of course, this is much easier to achieve if the teacher doesn’t speak the students’ mother tongue, as reverting to a common language for complicated explanations requires less time and effort on both parts.

[LimeLight]

Hello,

Bundle of thanks for helping me out. Well now i have decided to use least of any other language but English in class room (provided i start teaching again!). Do you think my English language skills are good enough that i can be a teacher?

[Alan]

Hi Limelight,

That's a huge question. How can we know? Tell us more about you.

A
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English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story The Name of the Game

[LimeLight]

Hello dear Alan,

I am afraid there is not a lot to talk about my self. My basic education is in Marketing and and thats what i started doing soon after the completion of my Masters degree. Then after 4 years of that job in Sam Sung i suddenly felt i have got too bore of it. I left that job and while i was relaxing at home my freinds told me that there is a vacancy in British Education & Training System. They required a Head for thier English Language department. I had never been a teacher before but i went for the interview and wo! To my surprise i got the job. I took a class of IELTS and students got fond of me and so they hired me. I served there for two months and those became the best years of that institute. We had maximum number of students ever, even in winter season which was considered as dead season. BETS has a branch in LOndon too.

Then i left that institute because with the change of the GM the systems started changing too! For example they started stuffing 100 plus students in one class! I mean how can you take class in this way!! What the poor student would learn when he is unable to breath!! After repeated unlistened requests i left that place and joined Gallop. I am still serving in Gallop as Director Marketing. Well the good things is i still teach but at my place because lots of students contact me and i do try to take out time for them.

I want to learn English as much as possible. My passion is teaching and acting and thats what i am going to do in future once i get full comand over this language.

I gues that will be enough for one post. I do not know if people will be able to read such lengthy mail!

Regards

[Torsten]

Hi LimeLight, many thanks for sharing your experiences and ideas with us. Your initial question was about rules for teaching English as a foreign language. Maybe we should change the topic slightly to "How can I share my learning experiences with others so they start using some of the techniques that have worked for me?" Then English won't be a foreign but a second language and you won't be a teacher but a coach, a consultant, a trainer and a friend. The entire concept of teaching is changing constantly as more and more people start assuming responsibility for their own situation. Let's say, somebody wants to learn English grammar.

They can either turn to an English teacher who explains everything to them or they can read a book about English grammar and then ask specific questions. Or somebody wants to know how to improve their writing skills. They can either wait until a teacher tells them what to do or they can start reading articles, stories, newspapers, books, etc. in English because by doing so it will be much easier for them to create texts in English. What I'm saying is that a good 'teacher' is somebody who sees the potential in another person and guides that person in a certain direction. Technically you learn everything without a teacher. You need a 'teacher' to motivate, encourage and lead you. Apparently you have those skills. You have worked as a trainer before. If you refine your methods and techniques and create a system that can be used by others, then you are a great 'teacher' (coach/trainer/tutor/consultant/advisor/etc.)

By the way, did you see our thread about the 30/30 Challenge? What do you think of it? Oh, and there is something else I wanted to ask you: You said you are now working for "Gallop". Maybe this is a typo and should read "Gallup"?

Regards,
Torsten
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