Teaching English Articles

1). Native Speakers? By : Brenda Townsend Hall
In a recent poll, I asked readers if they thought English language teachers should be native speakers. The result was interesting, as the vote from those with an opinion was close with 48% believing they should be native speakers and 41% saying no. I don’t know what you think about this but I’ve always had mixed feelings. The first question I would raise with those who believe being a native speaker is an essential prerequisite for an English language teacher is, which nat...
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2). ESL Exams: A Teacher's Guide By : Keith Taylor
It's the end of another class, and one student has stayed behind. No problem, you think, maybe an easy grammar question, or a comment on how they enjoyed the class (or not!)... or maybe it's a question about an ESL exam. "What's the difference between TOEFL and TOEIC?" "Should I take the FCE?" "Who recognizes IELTS?" So if you don’t know your BEC from your KET, or your CAE from your CELS, here's a brief guide to the most popular ESL exams.
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3). Older Teachers By : Brenda Townsend Hall
I met a retired engineer the other day and she told me she was half way through a TEFL training course. She wanted to know what I thought her chances were of finding a teaching job when she has completed the course. Well, I can't disguise the fact that there is a lot of age prejudice in the world of ELT. I think all sorts of reasons combine to make this a profession dominated by young teachers.
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4). English Teachers And Culture Shock By : Brenda Townsend Hall
I was talking recently to a young woman who had just returned from a teaching post in Korea. She said her first months in her job were a nightmare because of the unfamiliarity of everything. It made me wonder how teachers can prepare themselves to cope with culture shock. Anyone who leaves their familiar environment for a prolonged spell is prone to the stress of culture shock. Although we know on a rational level that we are going to meet unfamiliar routines and customs, ...
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5). Teaching "Used to" to ESL students By : Keith Taylor
Here's a way to introduce the structure "used to" to your ESL students. 1 Find or draw on the board a picture of someone who looks like they could have just won some money. A photo from a magazine of someone driving an expensive car, or sitting in a luxurious room, for example, would work well. Give the person a name, and set the scene for your students of someone who has just won the lottery, or elicit it from them ("Why is Jane driving an expensive car?"; "How did she afford her expensive clothes?" etc.
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6). Using DVD and Video in Your ESL Class - Part One By : Keith Taylor
Have you ever wondered how to use movies in your ESL classes, without just sitting your students down in front of the screen, hitting 'Play' and sitting back to watch? Here are a few ideas to get you started, using very short movie extracts to present and practise new language and develop communicative skills. 1 No picture Choose a short extract (2 or 3 minutes) with plenty of sound effects.
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7). Dangerous Liaisons By : Brenda Townsend Hall
We've all met them. They're young, handsome, newly qualified and out to see the world. John is just one more young man using his English teaching certificate to help him travel before he settles down. He's done a stint in Mexico, in China and now he's in Eastern Europe. Of course all his female students adore him. But John is too professional to become entangled with a student.
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8). The Hallmarks Of A Professional Teacher By : Brenda Townsend Hall
Have you ever wondered what the qualities of a really professional teacher are? I know that all teachers want their students to like them, but being liked isn't the be-all and end-all really, is it? I mean teachers have to make some unpopular decisions sometimes. Teachers can be popular just because they are friendly and helpful, but to be truly professional and effective they need other qualities.
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9). Language And Culture By : Brenda Townsend Hall
The native/non-native-speaking-teacher issues open a whole can of worms of how standards are regulated. I still think the key point about teacher selection is to find the best person for the job. If the non-native speaker fits the bill, then surely that's all that matters. As for regulation, well I agree that students should be protected from sham schools that take their money but don't offer a professional service. Each country, it seems, has its own regulatory system, some ...
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10). Is A Degree In ESL Worth It? By : Brenda Townsend Hall
A recent poll asked whether English teachers should have a degree of some type. Approximately 64% of the respondents thought they should have a degree for teaching ESL: quite a high "yes" because, as always, there were some "don't know" meanings that makes the "no" camp very small. I am generally in favor of teachers being first educated to degree level.
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11). Do You Know How Your Students Want To Learn? By : Brenda Townsend Hall
Learner power is the topic of this article. I wonder how many school directors think about asking their students how they want to learn. The idea of conducting a needs analysis to find out what students want to learn is nothing new, but I’m not sure if we are quite so used to trying to find out their preferred learning styles. I mention this because it strikes me that so many teachers come from the same mould, having qualified through courses based very much on progressive western views of educational practice.
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12). To Teach Business English? By : Brenda Townsend Hall
Mid-career crisis? Have you got what it takes to teach English for business? Teachers often ask me what direction they can take after a few years of teaching general English. To continue as an ordinary classroom teacher seems like stagnation, so choices have to be made about how to develop both professionally and personally. Specializing in English for business can be a fruitful move if the teacher is able to transfer existing skills to the business context.
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13). Choosing A Timetabling Software By : Brenda Townsend Hall
Recently, I was asked for information about timetabling software. I don't feel I can recommend a particular product as each school will have different requirements, but I thought it would be worth discussing some of the issues involved in choosing software appropriate to your needs. I think the first consideration is ease of use for those who need to operate the system.
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14). An Acronym By Any Other Name By : Brenda Townsend Hall
I don't know about you but I loathe acronyms. Yes, I know they have a convenience factor but they also seem to me to be potentially sinister, redolent of George Orwell's Newspeak. Our field has its fair share of them and woe betide anyone who uses one wrongly. Never, for example, say ESL or TESL when you mean ESOL or TESOL. Why? because you might unwittingly.
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15). Mixing Spaghetti And English: Teach English In Italy By : Michelle Simmons
For those who dream of teaching abroad, Italy is often the first country that comes to mind. Beautiful, historical, and surrounded by a sense of romance, Italy is a dream for most Westerners who plan on traveling for a career. It should come as no surprise, then, that English teaching jobs in Italy are somewhat difficult to obtain. There's a lot of competition and a lot of applicants, and if you're hoping to secure a position you should be prepared to prove yourself.
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16). Health Matters By : Brenda Townsend Hall
I guess nobody likes thinking about what can go wrong with the recruitment process. We all like to think we are reasonable employers, offering a fair package in return for a professional job. Yet, we do operate in a market that is prone to certain complications. Think about it. We recruit mainly young teachers who travel a long way from their home and friends, perhaps to a country they don't know anything about.
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17). How Long Is An ESL Working Week? By : Brenda Townsend Hall
It seems that some schools combine long hours with revolving days off so that teachers find it hard to recharge their batteries, let alone keep up the quality of their teaching. As so often this comes back to cultural norms. Many teachers come from a background in which it is normal for the working week to run from Monday to Friday leaving Saturday and Sunday free.
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18). What's The Best Way To See The World? - Teaching English Abroad By : Michelle Simmons
Almost everyone dreams about traveling and seeing the world. What better way to do it than with a rewarding career? If you're considering teaching English abroad, chances are good you've got the wanderlust... and little fear of being gone for a good period of time. If you've already weighed the pros and cons and decided that this is the career for you, chances are good you know what the requirements are.
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19). Teaching English As A Foreign Language: A Life-Altering Challenge By : Michelle Simmons
If you're considering teaching English as a foreign language, congratulations. You've chosen a career that many people don't attempt. Although it's one of the most rewarding jobs imaginable, the truth is that it can be a massive commitment. Of course, if you have a passion for it, then the work involved will be a true pleasure. There are two basic ways to teach English as a foreign language.
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20). ESL Activities With Little Preparation By : Keith Taylor
How often do you find yourself preparing a class, racking your brain for something different, a new activity to liven up a group of tired students, or just to bring something fresh to the classroom? If you are like most teachers, thinking of something new and exciting every day is not easy, and often we simply don't have the time (or energy!) So we revert to our tried and tested (and sometimes a little worn) ideas, or to following page after page of a textbook.
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21). Entre Nous By : Brenda Townsend Hall
Non-native speaker to non-native speaker In thinking about the ways English is evolving, we have to recognize that it is frequently a lingua franca between non-native speakers. This has strange implications for teaching. I have been told that it is not worth learning any standard form of pronunciation because “the people I talk to wouldn’t understand” and I’ve been asked to simplify verbs to eliminate tenses! Of course, as English has developed from a highly synthetic lang...
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22). Forewarned Is Forearmed By : Brenda Townsend Hall
The teacher can represent a coveted trophy or a sympathetic ally to an impressionable young student. If the society is not tolerant of such relationships, the student may be further stimulated by the idea of "forbidden fruit". But two things seem to me to be important messages from this story and some of the experiences people have recorded in their comments. First the teachers themselves must not stumble blindly into different cultures and then flounder because they don't...
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23). Better Late Then Never By : Brenda Townsend Hall
Whenever I talk to teachers I don't usually have to wait long before they start listing their concerns about students. I wonder what would come top of your list of teachers’ complaints about student behavior. My guess is that punctuality would come pretty high. It doesn’t sound too difficult on the surface to insist that students should come on time to their lessons but in practice there may be factors that make the lateness habit difficult to break.
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24). Do Something Exotic With Your Degree And Teach English In China By : Michelle Simmons
The demand for English teachers all over the world is growing quickly. As more countries interact with each other through business and other types of communication, the need for English speakers in foreign lands is growing. And nowhere is this need greater than in China. If you're considering teaching English in China, you've chosen a challenging and competitive field.
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25). Can You Get Teachers To Love Admin? By : Brenda Townsend Hall
I recently discussed a recurring issue following this question from an employer: “My teachers do an excellent job in the classroom and feedback from students is positive. But when it comes to administrative duties, I find they are lax. Registers are sometimes forgotten, lesson records are sketchy, and reports on students are late and not very full.
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