5 Worst Mistakes All Beginner ESL Teachers Make
(And
You Too?)
Oscar Wilde
once said, “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes”. This holds
true for everyone starting out in a new career, and ESL teachers are no
exception. But one thing is accepting we’ll make mistakes as we go and chalk it
up to a lack of experience, and another is completely ignoring the worst kind
of mistakes you could make. Since anyone can learn from their mistakes, then we
can certainly learn from the five worst mistakes beginner ESL teachers make.
1)Taking up all of the talking time
In an ESL
class, what is the most common reason students are enrolled? They want to SPEAK
English! And what happens when the teacher speaks most of the time? They don’t
have enough chances to actually practice their speaking skills. Those who are
new to ESL teaching often make this very crucial mistake: They take up too much
of the talking time, either because they feel uncomfortable around silence or
long pauses, or because they are over-enthusiastic to share their knowledge. So
clearly, hogging most of the talking time is out of the question. But, how to
find the right balance between student talking time and teacher talking time?
As a general
rule of thumb, students should speak for 70% of the class time, while teachers
speak for the remaining 30%. These percentages could be tweaked in cases where
students are absolute beginners (50-50), or at the other end of the spectrum,
very advanced learners in need of intensive speaking practice (90-10). This
means that in most cases, your participation should be limited to giving
instructions and explaining essential points, but above all to eliciting
response from students and facilitating all types of speaking activities.
2) Ignoring boundaries between teacher and students
ESL teachers
should be friendly and strive to bond with students in order to achieve the
best learning outcomes. But there’s a line between being friendly and being a
friend. A teacher is meant to be an authority figure, one that is most
definitely not on equal terms with students. This is a very common mistake in
young teachers, especially because they might be the same age as their
students. It's all right to share some personal things and talk about family,
pets, interests or hobbies. But you must never let it get too personal. Any
personal information shared must be supplied to give students context when they
are learning something new. It is not meant to be shared so you may be accepted
by students. This is when the lines become blurred and students get confused.
You lose all authority and any effective classroom management is severely
compromised.
Be on friendly
terms, talk about your dog or what you did last weekend, but make sure students
feel there is a boundary that can’t be crossed.
3) Poor or inconsistent classroom management
This is one of
the mistakes that is often made due to a lack of experience. Classroom
management is not an exact science; it’s not like teaching the past simple
tense. Each group of student is different and rules must be set as a group. The
problem stems from the fact that new teachers may not have a clearly defined
teaching style. So, they either become too strict or too lax. There are plenty
of articles you can read on effective classroom management; you may agree with
some of the techniques, you may disagree with others and choose to implement
your own. For example, you may choose to forego stickersas a means of rewarding
students, and choose another method. It’s not about being stricter, but rather
being consistent. There’s nothing worse for a group of students than empty
promises or weak threats. Once you define how you'll manage your class, stick
to it!
4) Forgetting cultural differences
Some teachers
are so focused on teaching things about the English culture, they completely
ignore their students’. Some gestures ESL teachers commonly use in the
classroom, like the gesture for OK, may be very rude in other cultures. In some
countries, students may be used to lecturing, and may not react positively when
you propose a game. This is a mistake ESL teachers make above all in foreign
countries where the culture is very different from Western culture, like Arabic
or Oriental cultures. Learn about their customs, especially greetings, and use
this information to create a positive learning environment.
5) Not gathering enough information on students’ backgrounds and needs
How many
beginner ESL teachers start a lesson with a new group and don’t even find out
where they’ve studied English before, how long, and with which results?
What if you
have a student who has studied English countless times, off and on, over the
last 20 years, but is still at an intermediate level? It doesn't matter if you
obtain this information from your department head or from the students
themselves; this is essential information to have if you want your students to
advance, to make progress in their English language skills.
Don’t be
afraid of making mistakes, for mistakes will surely be made. There are valuable
lessons to be learned from each and every one. Start by avoiding the ones
listed above, and you’ll start your teaching career off on the right foot.
We’d love to
hear from all of the experienced teachers out there! If you’ve made any
mistakes you'd like to share with us, please do so below in the comments.
(Taken from:
http://busyteacher.org/4113-5-worst-mistakes-all-beginner-esl-teachers-make.html)
Prof Gustavo Passarin
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