We Learn:
10% of what we READ
20% of what we HEAR
30% of what we SEE
50% of what we SEE and HEAR
70% of what is DISCUSSED with OTHERS
80% of what is EXPERIENCED PERSONALLY
95% of what we TEACH TO SOMEONE ELSE
My primary aim when teaching will be to have students comfortable enough with what they learn to be able to teach it themselves, if they were so inclined. I hope to achieve this by using varied but simple methods in classes in order to ensure total comfort with the teaching material. I am young, naturally enthusiastic and inquisitive, and I firmly believe this is intrinsic to how I teach and interact with others. I hope to share my enthusiasm for languages and language learning with students so that they too can reap the rewards. I want students to be motivated and comfortable with the English that they want to learn, as opposed to, for example, knowing every conjunction or all regular and irregular verbs in a test, but not how to use them in practice. The practical application (in whatever form it may come) of a language, to me personally, is fundamental and what I want students to be most comfortable with. Finally, I too want to learn while a teacher!
Due to the fact that I was brought up in a family that moved a lot domestically and abroad, I can appreciate the difficulties and rewards of learning a new language and being immersed in new cultures. I can also appreciate attempting to learn a language at different stages of life, having been thrown in at the deep end moving to rural Spain at 9 years old, learning French in my teens, and learning Latin and ancient Greek in my 20s. Each language I learned was different, how my brain processed each language changed not only as I grew older, but also because of the prior knowledge I had of different languages and the manner in which they were “taught” to me.
I have found that my personal experience of learning languages has benefitted me immensely in terms of how I think about teaching, and putting it into practice. It allows me to consider different methods of teaching students, and different ways to give explanations, meanings, and ensure not only that the material covered is understood, but how to use it too. I am able to understand the perspectives of both student and teacher, which is something that, while far from being unique, really aids my teaching.
Consequently I most enjoy teaching in an interactive manner, I find visual and physical stimuli can facilitate understanding and engagement in classes, particularly when the students consider the material to be particularly difficult. For example, by introducing a simple ‘match up’ game students think about the material differently, but are also more comfortable with it, as a game format can allow them to relax and think more clearly, as opposed to feeling as though they are on the spot or under pressure to understand.
I have found, and am continuing to learn that there is no right way to teach anything, particularly a language, nor is there a right way to learn it. Every student has different requirements and goals, as well as a different brain (!); as a teacher it is important to be able to gauge a student’s ability and motivations, with motivation being a key factor to effective language learning. If a student wants to learn, then they most probably will learn.
“Games” and a greater level of interaction as previously mentioned, can motivate students within class, which is a great help when learning or improving a second, third fourth (and so on) language. Motivation to learn outside of the classroom is also a key factor and when I meet students I enjoy learning why they have chosen to study English. Do they want to travel? Is it for work? Is it a hobby? Will a better grasp of English help in a familial, platonic or romantic relationship? Often, understanding these motivations, and also reminding of them through inquiry or otherwise also facilitates the learning of a new language. I enjoy drawing upon these motivations when teaching, for example, by using pictures of where they would like to travel, as they blur the line between learning in class and their personal real life application of English. It allows students to appreciate the benefits of learning, and increases their motivation, which as when learning anything, can sometimes drop.
With regards to my teaching experience prior to the Oxbridge TEFL course, which I have undertaken, I have experience tutoring children and young adults from the ages of 4 years old to 18 years old with the “CCA” (Castle Community Action) scheme that was run by my college at university. It was an outreach scheme that was run by volunteer students of the college, myself included, with the intent of benefiting and giving back to the local community in Durham in the United Kingdom. I was an active member of the homeless and elderly divisions, but it was with the primary and secondary school divisions that I did most of my tutoring. I have found my experience tutoring with the secondary division to be the most beneficial to my teaching now; tutoring then consisted mostly of going through the students’ GCSE, or A-Level subjects usually Classical Civilisation, Spanish or French, and reviewing their weaker areas to prepare them for exams. I soon learned that every student is very different, that every student has different goals, and different levels of motivation.
I found that a major factor in learning was the age of the student, age can affect so many aspects of what is taught including: appropriate or relevant content; the pace of the class; and even the structure of a class. However, that is not to say that there is ever a right or wrong age to learn a language. Younger students, in theory, will be more able to grasp the different pronunciations of words, or learn and retain vocabulary more ably. Notwithstanding, it is younger students whose desire to learn a new language can be lower as older students are more self-motivated. It is important to bear in mind that these are generalisations and that the most important thing is to consider the individual needs of a student in order to best use your time in and out of, but more importantly, their time in and out of class.
With the able and comfortable practical application of English as my primary focus when teaching I will provide an example of how I might teach a class:
To conclude, my teaching method is varied, interactive and (hopefully!) fun. I find it important as a monitor, to do exactly that – monitor the needs abilities of students in order to make learning efficient, enjoyable and enthusiastic. I want to motivate students of English so that they can realise their potentials and have as much fun with languages as I have, and will continue to have.
