Aims

 

The aim of this first unit is simply to get you thinking about what good English teaching is.

 

 

Think About It

 

Before we start, a moment of reflection: 'Have you ever tried to learn a new language?'

 

Think back to that time. Write a few words that an outside observer might use to describe how you learnt - your behaviour, your motivation, and your interactions with others while you were learning. What worked for you? What didn't?

 

If you have never learned a second language, think about something else you have learned – maths, science, to play a musical instrument, a new sport – and ask yourself the same questions.

 

Please write your thoughts here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, imagine a child in your classroom. How is it for them? Is there anything you can learn from your own experience for the lessons that you teach?

 

Please write your thoughts here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, let’s get started.

 

Please answer a few questions about you as a teacher, and what you think works in your classroom.

 

Just write down a few words for every question. Please do this – by writing things down, you are articulating all those thoughts and ideas in your mind. You will also have something you can look back on at a later time.

 

 

A.   About You

 

Please write down your answers to the following questions.

 

1. How would you describe yourself as a teacher?

 

 

2. How would your students describe you?

 

 

3. What are your strengths as a teacher?

 

 

4. And your weaknesses?

 

 

5.Why do you want to take this course?

 

 

6. What are the 3 main things you would like to learn from this course?

 

a.

 

b.

 

c.

 

 

 

 

 

B.   Previous Teacher Training

 

Write down the name(s) of any teacher training course you have taken, and say what the main learning points were for you.

 

a. the name of the qualification:

 

b. the length of the course:

 

c. when you took it:

 

d. the main things you learnt from the course:

 

 

 

 

  

C.   Good and Bad Teaching

 

Think about your experience, both as teacher and as a student. Think about the times you've watched others teach, and all those conversations you've had with others about teaching. Now answer the 2 questions below:

  

1. What makes a bad teacher?

 

Write down 5 things and feel free to ask a friend or colleague what they think too. Sometimes discussing questions with others can generate many more ideas and memories than on your own.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

4.

 

5.

 

 

 

Here are some of our ideas.

 

A bad English teacher....

 

• is boring
• talks too much
• doesn't let the students do anything
• makes the students repeat things without checking they understand what they’re saying
• doesn't prepare for lessons
• is not sure of the subject matter

 

 

2. What makes a good teacher?

 

As above, write down 5 things and feel free to ask a friend or colleague what they think too.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

4.

 

5.

 

 

 

Here are some of our ideas.

 

A good English teacher...

 

• is interesting and engaging
• makes students look forward to the next lesson
• makes students laugh
• gets students doing things
• lets students find the answer for themselves
• gives students a sense of progress
• knows what s/he's talking about

 

 

 

3. What makes good teaching in practice?

 

Now think about what 'good teaching' means. What happens in the classroom? What motivates and engages students? What makes them laugh? What makes them learn?

 

Write down 5 things a teacher can do here:

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

4.

 

5.

 

 

 

Here are some of our suggestions:

•   Involve all the students, so everyone is part of the learning journey
•   Do things that make students laugh
•   Do things that make students speak lots of English
•   Make your students think - set language challenges like puzzles or problems, ask a few tricky questions
  
•   Play language games
•   Use different types of exercises and activities
•   Use pair and groupwork, so students are talking and learning together
•   Explain language points clearly and check that everyone has understood
•   Ask students to use English to talk about their lives

 

 

Conclusion

 

These questions were to get you thinking, and to introduce some of the key ideas that will run throughout the course.

 

Look at the course contents now. This is a modular course. This means you can select which of the different modules are most useful to you. You don’t need to do them all – though you can do if you wish. You can also decide which order to do the modules in. This means you can prioritise the ones that will be of immediate relevance. It's up to you to take an honest look at your teaching and decide what works for you.

 

This is also a practical course. It’s essential that you try the ideas out in the classroom, and see what works best for you. We are most interested in giving you lots of teaching ideas and tools that can be applied in practice. And don’t worry if some things don’t work first time – change it a little and try again. These ideas and tools are all used successfully in classrooms all over the world. They are designed to make your classroom a place where learning is fun, engaging and inspiring.

 

We hope that this course will give you new ideas and new ways of teaching English in your classroom. We hope that you will be inspired to examine your teaching and look at areas you feel need improving. We hope you will enjoy teaching more, and that your students will enjoy learning more and make amazing progress in their English.