Teachers are in a unique position to have a direct impact on their students. Teachers can see their work in action, see the changes they affect, and in so doing they witness firsthand their goals coming to result. A mechanical engineer may be able to design affordable cars for people in need but will not be able to meet every person who benefits from his noble intentions. But teachers have direct interactions with the people they are helping and whatever their goals may be. This allows them to see these goals realized.
Goals for teaching are highly individualized: Only you can answer the question “Why do you want to be a teacher?”
A great teacher should love educating students, and one of the principal goals many teachers set for themselves is to be the best educator they can be. There is something extremely gratifying about imparting information to your students and working with them to ensure they understand not only concepts, but practical applications as well.
There are different methods you can use to teach, and while your teaching style is unique to you, the most important thing is that you engage, motivate and inspire students to learn.
For example, in my opinion a fundamental skill you will need to teach English as a foreign language successfully in a S1, P2 level groups is the ability to use body gestures and signs effectively. At these beginner levels, sings and gestures will make it easier for the students to understand what you are trying to say or explain.
Many students find that they learn a new language better when they are forced to speak only in that language in the classroom. By refusing to use your student's native language, you force them to learn the new language.
I believe a great teacher creates an atmosphere and motivates their students to study and research. A great teacher encourages and guides their students to find answers, information, and solutions. Happy students think they have a great teacher. And they learn better and retain more when they are forced to get new knowledge with their own efforts, rather than just being 'given' information.
On the other hand, to learn English, students should speak as often and as much as possible in English. This is the best way to learn the language. There is nothing better than conversation to help students to improve. Whereas, you can practice reading, writing, and listening on your own, it is obviously better to have a conversation with someone in English. The best way to do this is to be in an English speaking environment, take an English course in an English language school, or better still, learn English in an English-speaking country.
It’s also good to watch TV shows, movies or news programs in English. Initially it will be difficult to understand, but the more you listen the more you will pick up. As an exercise, it is good to have something you can listen to over and over again. For example, a DVD can be repeated whereas a news report can only be heard once. When listening to something more than once; first, try to catch the general meaning, then, listen a second time for more in-depth information.
Listening is the language skill which learners usually find the most difficult. This often is because they feel under unnecessary pressure to understand every word. To achieve the goals related to this skill, the teacher plays an important role in this. It is important that the teacher ensures that the pupils understand the language they need to complete the task and are fully aware of exactly what is expected of them. The next important step is to help pupils to predict what the answers might be. The teacher can help them further by asking questions and using the illustrations to encourage pupils to guess the answers.
Generally, we must take into account that the level of language input (listening) must be higher than the level of language production expected of the students. So we have many speaking activities used in the first levels (S1-P2) that enable students to participate with a minimal verbal response. However in the higher levels (P4-P5), students are encouraged to begin to manipulate language and express themselves in a much more personal way.
In order for any speaking activity to be successful students need to acknowledge that there is a real reason for asking a question or giving a piece of information. Therefore, make sure the activities you present to the students, provide a reason for speaking, whether this is to play a game or to find out real information about friends in the class.
Teachers must make reading an interesting challenge as opposed to a tedious chore, it is important that students do not labor over every word, whether they are skimming the text for general meaning or scanning it to pick out specific information. Other things to keep in mind are: When choosing texts consider not only their difficulty level, but also the topic of the reading, as with listening activities, it is important to spend time preparing for the task by using the illustrations (a usual feature in reading activities for children), students' own knowledge about the subject matter, as well as key vocabulary to help the students predict the general meaning of the text.
Since many students at S1, P2 and P3 levels are not yet capable either linguistically or intellectually to create a piece of written text from scratch, it is important that time is spent building up the language they will need and providing a model on which they can then base their own efforts. The writing activities should therefore be based on a parallel text and guide the students, using simple cues.
At these levels, the students' work will invariably contain mistakes. Again, the teacher should try to be sensitive in his/her correction and not necessarily insist on every error being highlighted. Where possible, encourage students to correct their own mistakes as they work.
After all the explanation about how I will approach my classes, I have to say that I agree with Oxbridge, they were convinced that teachers can only ensure the students learn if they improved the teaching process that the teachers used in the classroom. They realize that if they took care of the teacher, they took care of the learner. It is very interesting that Oxbridge has developed a new and modern approach to teaching using and sharing material that was created by and for the teachers.
Speaking English should be the aim in every single class, in every single activity. Learners sometimes also forget what getting a language is for and ask the teachers to prepare them for passing exams at school or session for a certificate. Languages are alive, communication is alive and only in successful interaction you can prove that you have a good command of that language.
I like to finish the essay setting an example on how to plan a class for P4 students on Current News Topic.
Title: Festival Season.
Objective: Students to express their opinion and launch a Music festival.
Intro: Have you ever been to a Music Festival? If not, why?
Good things and bad things about a Music Festival?
Would you prefer to go to a music festival or a concert? Why?
Activity:
READ TEXT
Go through vocabulary that students aren't sure about.
Festival Season!
Britain is enjoying its hottest summer for years, which means civilized barbecues and picnics in the park, never more than a short STROLL from clean toilets, running, water ice-cold cocktails and great music.
What more could me and my friends ask for? We’re all in our thirties, and we've grown accustomed to a certain level of civility and comfort in our social lives. We are not kids any more.
However, my friends' enthusiasm for festivals seems to grow each year. I hate everything about Festivals. The crowds of people mean you can BARELY move; the overpriced junk food; not being able to get the drink you want (and when you do it’s expensive, warm and in a plastic cup); the bands you can't even see without BINOCULARS.
But it seems the rest of the country disagrees.
I simply don’t understand why people would want to go to festivals, especially as most of the artists present are so MAINSTREAM, and are not elusive figures on the live music circuit.
Others tell me it's not just about the music. It's about the whole experience but why not go to a venue which is cheaper, more comfortable, has nicer drinks, and allows you to return to your PAD afterwards? Think about that while you TOIL to find your tent in a strange field this weekend. I'll be watching on television from my COZY sofa.
CREATE OWN MUSICAL.
Students have to create a music Festival, see attachment two for topics to discuss.
Wrap Up:
Where do you like to STROLL?
Use the word BARELY in a sentence?
When was the last time you used BINOCULARS?
Name something you think is COZY?
