My teaching approach

Nowadays English language has become a global language. In globalization times to learn English as a second language is necessary from perspective point of view. There are many reasons why people need to learn English. They may need English for Academic purposes, planning to travel abroad or find a job in the international company. An effective teacher should also consider what factors contribute to successful acquisition and usage of the language. The approach must be student-based and student-directed, even though this direction might be implicit.

When we think about the way to teach English such words as approach, method and technique are coming up. There are many theories on language teaching but the reality of class must focus on engaging activities and teachers have to use specific techniques to teach the language. This is why language teachers may develop their own techniques as a result new methods appear, but these techniques are theoretically related to an approach and to some extent different methods.

There are many well known methods in language teaching: the Grammar –Translation Method, the Direct Method, the Audio- Lingual Method, the Silent Way and Total Physical Response. All of these methods are focused on different aspects learning process.

The approach I would take is to base on syllabi on more functional approach to learning and teaching in context while introducing grammar as part of the activities using vocabulary and topic based lessons. I advocate using a mix of elements from communicative approach, the total physical response and the Oxbridge approach to teach students. They each have their part to play in achieving what the student wants and that is to be able to communicate in a spontaneous and fluid manner.

Throughout the beginning stages of language learning, grammar and vocabulary are the necessary building blocks, with fluency introduced as soon as students have acquired enough skills to express ideas. At this point, I will introduce more complex grammar, but the focus will shift to fluency. I always try to remember that teaching is not about what the teacher wants to teach, but what the student wants to learn.

When I teach I to take into account some factors such as the age of learners, one-to-one teaching, group teaching, student personality, reactions and respond to stimuli. Creating rapport with students is essential, as we need to have a good connection with them. I always consider to take into account their attitudes, for example, work, family, studies etc. It is important for me to find out whether the student have had any previous experience of learning languages before so I can adapt the material for the need of my student. Personal factors show that there are different types of people with different characters, such as introverts and extroverts. Some people are shy, have fear to speak and also a psychological barrier. My task as a teacher, to break the barrier and allow student to feel comfortable speaking other language.

There is a good way to learn a second language with communicative approach. Before starting to speak about teaching aspects I will start by testing student’s level. Relevant type of assessment should be created to find out more information about your student. After grading the student, I’m going to consider all the details and work out the syllabus for the whole course.

Teaching beginners is absolutely different from teaching higher level students. Just as young children practice saying the words that they are hearing until they can be understood, students must practice until they can achieve correct pronunciation for clear communication. Accompanied by pictures, gestures, and objects, the teacher searches to impact meaning to the words that the students are hearing and speaking. After, is easy to associate the sounds of new language with the meaning of the sounds, without the translation step from the object to their native language to the target language that happens in a traditional setting. This will help students to avoid using interlanguage, as they practice learning a language directly. Speaking about in-class material I would provide pictures, audios and realia so students try to understand the meanings without translating and get used to thinking in English.

At this stage, key word would be a repetition. While children have good listening for years before forming complex sentences, students want to learn the TL as quickly as possible. Most students have hard time remembering new words, and often confuse them with similar words. So, within a lesson I will carry out repetition activities. I will give short and clear instruction, and I would give them as many examples as needed to model. I would use language in specific situations related to student’s interests. Continued and immediate correction is necessary so that the student learn correct structure and pronunciation before developing habits of speaking incorrectly. Useful activity would be a game which helps to create context for memory whereby students, when attempting to recall a word or a phrase, will not only associate a sound to the words, but will recall laughter, movement, colour, situation factors, all of which aid in bringing the learning context (in the past) into the attempt to communicate (present). For such activities we can use kinaesthetic exercises, role plays, question- answer game, etc.

I will make students to practice more listening and speaking in unexpected ways, it  will prepare them for interacting in the world. This method would play out differently with different age groups as well as depend on the type of situation in which one is learning. Younger students may be more willing to play and experiment than adults who are working, for example.

Speaking about advanced students, I can say that as they have a good command of L2 they feel more confident and complement in many situation with peers and teachers. They almost never use mother tongue, as they think in English. My teaching approach would be different with higher level students. What they need is to polish their English in terms of accent and they eager to learn new vocabulary such as English for specific purposes. So I would focus my attention on making them speak about different subjects, polish their pronunciation in role play activities. The necessary material would be articles from internet, video, audio and pictures for them to speak and improve their fluency. I would also take reading activities for them to see vocabulary in context and I would drill in pronunciation.

While teaching, there can be some difficulties with L2, so I would pay more attention to assure the student to feel more confident, and would give him a positive reinforcement so he feels that he is making a progress regarding L2.

To success in classroom management my class will be well prepared and engaging of course. If there is a disruptive student, I will change his seating place or just have a small talk. Apart from it, in the future I’m going to consider their personal needs and objectives in order to plan an effective lesson where everybody is engaged.

Motivation is the essential part of the language learning and acquiring process. Self-motivation is easier to find in adults and high school learners because they have special needs. On contrary, young learners, have no motivation, so for me a goal is to encourage them to be successful in language learning. I will reach my goal, if I see the progress of children.

Nowadays, modern teacher should have a combination of qualities. I see myself as a guide, psychologist, coach and play maker. But what really matters are characteristic: open-minded, enthusiastic, cultural sensitive, engaging, dynamic, creative, organized and a person who can build a good rapport with students.

Error management is the part of learning process. By teaching Spanish students we have to have in mind their frequent errors such as pronunciation and grammar. I prefer to correct with a smile on my face so students feel that I care about them. I believe that praising them and giving them positive reinforcement makes them feel comfortable with themselves, with the teacher and with L2 learning process.

My main concern is that a student learns how to speak English. I would pay a lot of attention to communicative activities to achieve this. Listening activities are also important, students have to keep their ears open from very beginning. When a student reached a certain level I would start introducing reading comprehension activities and practicing writing. As a teacher I like to transmit my passion for English to my students and try to make them feel comfortable in English environment. I like going into class with a positive attitude and smile, so students relax and start having fun. For some students I create my own material. Nowadays there are plenty of recourses to use for a lesson such as article, menus, newspapers etc.

I would be satisfied to see the result with my student at the end of a course.

Lesson plan must be guided by the student’s interests and needs, as deciphered by the teacher as well as requested by the student. Here is an example of a lesson plan.

LESSON PLAN