My teaching approach
Joel Holmes
TTT methodology (Teach Travel Talk)

My teaching method consists of using all four macro skills, reading, writing, listening and speaking.  My method uses all past teaching methodologies and blends them together to create a unique, specific teaching style. It is mainly focused on the communicative method. Bodily and kinaesthetic language is frequently used. The ESP (English for specific purposes) is mainly focused on the students and why they want to learn and how they can use everyday situations to improve their language skills.

There will be a Specific syllabus that focuses on the two macro skills in the morning. (reading and writing) and then in the afternoon it will focus on the speaking and listening aspects of learning a language. The students will go out to specific locations and spend a certain amount of time listening to native speakers speaking the language. Then at the end of the afternoon they will practice speaking, followed by a quiz. I think this is an effective factor as hopefully most students will be confident speaking the chosen language of choice by the end of the afternoon. The activities in the afternoon will be relevant to the student’s level and personality. For example, this teaching methodology pushes students to learn the new language in situations they will find themselves in frequently. For example – at the supermarket, in a bar or café. Or just with certain friends chilling out. The teachers will try and focus the learning on student’s specific hobbies also. I believe this is effective because if a student is practising the language doing something they enjoy or using it in everyday situations there is a higher chance they will remember it. Also, the students have a choice to do the afternoon communicative activities with their peers or alone. It all depends on their preferred learning style.

For me there are two main stages of Language Learning – the Comprehension stage and the Communication stage. These are better understood in teaching terms as two different approaches we should take and use within our teaching practice. Within these stages, we will use different methodologies that focus on different Macro skills.

The Comprehension is effective as it refers to the method of learning a new language through the process of understanding the meaning of words and expressions in the language as opposed to any other form of language learning. Comprehension learning includes the process of learning the letters, symbols and other representations of the language first before actually understanding the meaning of the words. The comprehension approach usually involves a silent period when the learner tries to assimilate the various meanings of the words that make up the target language. How long the silent period lasts depend on the skills of the learner in terms of comprehension ability and general cognitive skills, as someone who is a quick study may be able to quickly grasp the basic concepts of a new language faster than others. During the silent period, the new language learner will try as much as possible to understand what the words mean and how to pronounce them. 

An advantage of the comprehension approach to language learning is the fact that when the learner eventually understands the meaning and the correct application of the words, the language will sound more effortless when he or she speaks it in contrast to other forms of language learning, which may result in more stilted efforts. Since the comprehension approach requires a deliberate effort to understand the language first, it often leads to situations where the language learner might understand the general gist of the language, but lack the ability to speak it.

The communicative method is effective, because without communication there would be no need to practice the comprehensive aspect of teaching. Communication is key through speech and gestures. And with practiced communication that is eventually how students become confident and develop a higher speaking ability. It will be portrayed in my method using a social aspect. Allowing the students to feel comfortable (after thorough comprehensive work) when speaking with different nationalities.   

Speaking is the key. Speaking English should be the aim in every single class, in every single activity.

A good quote I will give to my students is that You don’t learn to play football if you watch football matches on TV or if you read about it in newspapers and you can’t learn chess if you only read books about chess. You have to participate in the activity. And be motivated to progress.

My role as a teacher will be essentially to have my students confident speaking the language they are learning. I will achieve this by using a thorough lesson plan that enables the students to have fun whilst learning. There will be some elements of using the teaching method Audio lingual as some activities may be slightly repetitive and drilled. And the main focus will be on short vocabulary verbs. Very similar to the use of the Oxbridge method nowadays the target language will be a daily target for the students and the students will be graded higher if they use the target language learnt in the morning and use it communicatively in the later afternoon speaking activities.

Here is a graph showing the lessons syllabus for beginners.

 

My students will be a specific type. This methodology is aimed at backpackers. I have chosen to do this as most backpackers I have met personally are already motivated people. The course will be aimed at ages 18-30. This is a perfect age for learning I believe as the students are still young but also mature So, they will appreciate learning with a fun aspect. Using this teaching methodology to motivate and inspire the students more so, I will introduce a trip once a month to the student with the highest grade after a month. This will work well as been backpackers they already love traveling! And the trips will be to destinations specific to the language they have been learning. So, if they are learning Spanish for instance they might get a trip to south America for example. With this prize, it introduces an element of competitiveness and more motivation for the students which I think is essential for the proposed students.
the students will be assessed daily, they will be graded on their attendance, (punctuality) their score on the quiz, and how vocal they are during the vocal activity. Finally graded on the work produced in the morning lesson. All of these gradings will go towards the prize at the end of the month. And the student with the highest-grade wins. They will be advised to do homework but it is not forced upon. They will be advised to watch movies, read books and to go out and socialise using the chosen language. The students will be assessed and eventually be given a level, much similar to the Oxbridge level system. Beginners starting at S1 and working all the way up to the highest level of P5. They will progress levels by being punctual and when improvement in all aspects of learning are noticed and they feel confident then they will be marked higher. Students are beckoned to speak to the Teacher about gradings and levels, if they feel they are struggling at a certain level they can move down some levels or move up if they find it too easy. It’s all about communication where no student will feel nervous or intimidated, due to the positive environment.

Finally, Teaching should be all about the Teacher and student connection. With the help of a good teacher that the students look up too anything can be achieved. The faster a student can get used to the natural use of the language being taught the sooner they can begin to engage in real-world exchanges. As Bill Gates once said: ‘Technology is just a tool, in terms of getting the students motivated and working together, the teacher is the most important’.