Teach English in JiAngchuAnlu Jiedao - Shanghai Shi

Teaching Skills in the Classroom The major skill which I would like to bring to the classroom would be the ability to put into practice what I have learnt from the TEFL course. I consider that the teaching skills in the classroom start in an EFL class with knowledge about the students themselves and an appreciation of their current level of understanding of english. This is achieved by initial evaluation. I can then know how to balance the lessons so that the stronger do not become bored and the weaker are not left behind. An initial introduction will tell the students that they can only use english in the classroom. I shall look forward to each lesson and hope to create a rapport with the students by making the lessons interesting and varied. They are, after all, in class because they want to be and they should not feel nervous. I am always available. The students? minds should be put at ease to promote free thinking. One way in which to get the best out of students is role play. A Student can naturally hide behind a character when acting out a role given. Students should be encouraged to participate. There should be no wall flowers and natural shyness overcome. Groups and pair work help to get past such barriers. Also in open class it is possible to involve all by throwing a ball to any student from whom you want an answer. A skilled teacher should be concentrating on his/her delivery to ensure that the delivery is understood. To do this, he/she will vary their voice pattern and focus on intonation and pronunciation. With pronunciation, it is likely that students will have trouble being understood in english, due to accents and local variations. Here the use of dictionaries is to be encouraged as many use the phonetic alphabet. Dictionaries are amongst many items of reference material. Nowadays, but always assuming where the class is held, a variety of equipment and teaching aids are available. The skill is in their use. The most basic form is the whiteboard. This is still a focus of students? attention and the teacher can use it in sections to display all manner of teaching ideas, This can be retained for reference during lessons. Another skill the teacher might want to adopt is the use of an overhead projector. This will allow him/her to stand at the back of the class with the students in full view at all times. If the teacher is lucky, he/she might have the use of a computer(s) which is a good aid to reference material available on line and provides presentable papers for handouts. A computer?s monitor also provides a screen for video clips, from cameras, or DVD?s, but if not available a TV screen might suffice. Should no such equipment be available, the teacher will have to resort to the time honoured methods of pictures, drawings, photos and the like displayed on the whiteboard. Cassette recorders and CD players are also good tools for listening and recording, provided that they are sited correctly and the volume is properly set. If all else fails, there are course books. The skill in using course books is in adapting the lessons to suit the level of students to be taught. Course books have tried and tested methods, but the teacher must think outside the box when using the material in a course book. Also generally available are resource books and they are often a rich source of games and supplementary material. Games themselves provide diversions which are good for a teacher to use to create an entertaining and rewarding diversion to the more mundane lessons. There is such a variety of games and students of all nationalities and ages enjoy the sense of competition they can bring. One thing which a teacher cannot ignore is the progress being made by his/her students. Periodic tests to assess knowledge attained and weaknesses are essential. The teacher?s skill will then be in correcting any deficiencies, prior to the final achievement test. I will make use of all of the above teaching skills in my classes, tempered with patience, kindness and a love of teaching.