Teach English in ShougAng QiAnAn Kuangqu [Shougang Qianan Mine] - Beijing

Clear Communication in the ClassroomIntroduction Many qualities are ideal or even essential for a good tefl teacher: kindness, knowledge, good rapport with students, liveliness. But while one can have all of these, it does not matter unless he or she is communicating clearly. Communication is essential for the teaching of any subject, but while teaching English as a foreign language, clear communication is supremely important. students are learning from the moment they walk in the door and are greeted by you, while you are speaking, even if it is not on the subject material, they are learning English. It is not just about diction and enunciation, but understanding the students? frame of mind, and then speaking and assigning with that idea. Off the Bat ? Expectations It helps to ask students on the first day or before class even begins to identify the reasons they are there. They should be able to identify some goals, even if they are only in the class because their parents made them. There are several reasons for this activity. One is the straightforward reason, that students should communicate their goals to the teacher so that he/she knows where the student is coming from. Another is that the student will be forced to reflect on the reason he is here. On a related note, it will help him to think of the learning process as one of agency, where he has an active role rather than the passive experience that causes many students to lose interest in school. choose Input Carefully An article on classroom communication from National Association for the Education of Young Children urges: ?understand that without comprehensible input, second-language learning can be difficult.? While this sounds like stating the obvious, it underscores the importance of focusing on the input for students. It?s easy to think of this as output, what we as teachers say to students, but for them it is the only instruction they are getting. Words should be chosen carefully and not used too often; using too many words will only confuse students and dilute the message that is coming across. These are students who are listening to a language that is literally foreign to them and what they know, which is their home. The simplest sentence structures will be the most easily absorbed and comprehended. Don?t Underestimate the Power of Context The classroom provides several different contexts for the student to learn in: group work, pair work, monologues, teacher-class interaction, and so on. Each of these settings provides a different communication environment for students to both learn and to show what they have learned. The differences can be an advantage for the teacher, as long as they are kept in mind and used to the students? maximum benefit. Group work and pair work allow students to collaborate, and to use the language while speaking to each other about the assignment, in addition to using the language on the actual assignment. They are a way for students to practice and hear other students speaking and giving ideas, both of which will add to their language experience. Working with the teacher, either alone or as part of a class, is another setting, one in which students can hear an exemplary form of English. This is important as it gives students material to imitate and creates a baseline for them to compare their attempts with. Different settings thus can enhance different types of communication in the language learning experience. It should be noted that different types of students will communicate differently in these settings. Some students, perhaps those who are slow or are shy, will often self-monitor in group work or speaking in front of the class, while they will not face that issue when writing or speaking to a teacher or student one-on-one. Some, including researcher Kathleen Peets, suggest that the best way for students to practice language, especially its complexities, is in a classroom setting with little teacher control. The lack of a controlling or authority presence ostensibly would allow students to form their thoughts at a larger volume and at a more thorough level. This might be difficult for some students who crave structure or prefer an authoritative teacher. As a whole, there are many variations on the classroom experience when it comes to teaching English. These can vary with culture, level, personalities, and many other factors. Clear communication, however, should be the utmost goal, since it is essential for the learners, and it is the aim of what they are learning: how to communicate effectively in English. Works Cited International tefl teacher Training, Unit 1, Page 1. PBS: Linguistic and Cultural Diversity - Building on America's Strengths, 1999. http://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/read_linguistic.html Peets, K.F. (2009) The Effects of Context on the Classroom Discourse Skills of Children With Language Impairment. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools Vol.40 5-16