Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Houjie Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Dongguan Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
Unit 4's main topic was classroom materials. Classroom materials are defined as any materials that teachers can use to aid them while teaching in the classroom. A few examples might include worksheets, pictures, visual aids, tapes, recordings, \"realia\" (real objects), etc. There are two types of materials: 1. Authentic materials and 2. Non-Authentic materials. Authentic materials are materials that have already been produced such as real magazines, radio clips, TV shows, etc. that are not specifically made for language and educational use. Whereas, non-authentic materials are materials created specifically by a publisher or the teacher for educational purposes such as language learning or practicing a certain language point. In terms of activities, teachers should carefully explain the instructions, so that students are not confused and could possibly result back to their mother tongue or be disruptive. After explaining the instructions, teachers should demonstrate how to do the activity, so that students can visually see what they are supposed to do. Teachers should avoid asking the general question, \"Do you understand?\". Rather, they should ask specific questions to check for students' understanding. For games, the teacher could do a practice round with a student to show the rest of the class what to do and allow them time to ask questions. Lesson plans are not only useful to help teachers conduct their lesson, but they also provide a written record of what was taught that day. The lesson plan can include the date and time, number of students (*expected number of students), grammar point, goal of the lesson, anticipated problems for students/the teacher, and possible solutions to those problems. Course textbooks are invaluable resources; however, they may not suit a specific culture or grouping of students. Teachers should be sure to continue to motivate students, try to make lessons interesting, and provide various new/supplementary activities. Teachers may choose to omit, replace, supplement, and adapt course books and materials. In terms of classroom management, teachers should be able to adapt their teaching styles. However, they can maintain control via: their voice, body/hand gestures, eye contact, how they group students, using student names, classroom management (ex. changing up groups so that they don't form cliques), teacher/teacher's desk position, monitoring and giving feedback, giving clear instructions, and getting to know their students. ITTT recommends: respecting students, not shouting, being interested in students, preparing well before class (including the lesson plan), sticking to the class and school rules, and not being overfriendly before really getting to know the students. Overall, unit 4 had a lot of good suggestions for selecting materials, information about preparing good lesson plans, and tricks to avoid misbehavior with great classroom management.
