Be a GREAT English Teacher by Mastering These 15 Skills

Summary

In this video, Chris Westergard, an ESL expert, shares 15 essential skills for English teachers to master in order to excel in the classroom. These skills range from creating engaging materials and prioritizing student talking time to incorporating humor and empathy into lessons. Chris emphasizes the importance of clear communication, error correction, monitoring students, and maintaining a brisk pace during lessons. Additionally, he advises teachers to create a goal-oriented learning environment and adapt to the unique needs of each student. Ultimately, these skills are designed to help teachers build strong rapport and inspire respect and admiration from their students.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on creating engaging materials by adding color, props, and adapting boring worksheets to make lessons come to life.
• 😀 Prioritize Student Talking Time (STT) by using pair and group work, making your classroom interactive and student-centered.
• 😀 Engage your students by using your voice, body language, and fun activities like games and competitions to maintain interest.
• 😀 Master your voice to make every word count, ensuring it's clear, audible, and easily understood by your students.
• 😀 Incorporate humor into your lessons, as it’s a powerful tool to create a fun environment and build student rapport.
• 😀 Elicit information from students actively rather than lecturing, using both verbal and non-verbal methods to make learning interactive.
• 😀 Use Concept Check Questions (CCQs) to ensure comprehension and avoid relying solely on students saying 'yes' when they may not understand.
• 😀 Use demonstrations to explain activities, ensuring that students know exactly how to complete tasks and understand their purpose.
• 😀 Run lessons entirely in the target language (L2) to improve learning and language immersion, even if it feels challenging.
• 😀 Actively monitor students by correcting errors, providing positive reinforcement, and ensuring they stay on task using English in class.
• 😀 Set clear goals for each lesson and always work towards those goals, helping students understand their progress and what they need to improve.

Q & A

Why is it important for English teachers to focus on making their materials visually engaging?

Making materials visually engaging helps capture students' attention and enhances their learning experience. It transforms otherwise boring worksheets and activities into interactive and interesting lessons, which encourages student participation and excitement.

What is the significance of maximizing student talking time (STT) in an English classroom?

Maximizing STT ensures that students are actively practicing the language, which is essential for language acquisition. By using pair and group work, teachers can create a student-centered environment where students speak more than the teacher, thus improving their fluency and confidence.

How can humor enhance the effectiveness of an English teacher in the classroom?

Humor can build rapport with students and create a positive, engaging atmosphere. It helps make lessons more enjoyable and memorable, encouraging students to relax and participate. Even teachers who may not be perfect in other areas can still be well-liked if they successfully incorporate humor into their teaching.

What does eliciting mean in the context of language teaching, and why is it important?

Eliciting refers to drawing information or responses out of students, rather than just providing them with answers. It encourages active participation and critical thinking. Eliciting allows students to discover meaning and use the language actively, which leads to better retention and understanding.

Why should teachers avoid asking simple comprehension questions like 'Do you understand?'

Asking 'Do you understand?' often leads to inaccurate responses, as students may say 'yes' even when they don't understand. Instead, teachers should use concept check questions (CCQs) that require more specific responses, ensuring that students have truly grasped the content.

What role does the teacher's voice play in classroom management?

The teacher's voice is a powerful tool for communication. It should be clear, audible, and used sparingly to ensure that each word has impact. An effective voice can guide the class, maintain attention, and help students understand instructions and key points more easily.

How can demonstration improve the effectiveness of language teaching?

Demonstrating activities helps students understand what is expected of them without relying solely on verbal explanations. By modeling tasks such as role-plays or activities, teachers can set clear expectations, motivate students, and make the activity more enjoyable and engaging.

What is the benefit of running a class entirely in the target language (L2)?

Using only the target language (L2) immerses students in the language, which accelerates learning. It forces students to use English in a natural context, enhancing their comprehension and speaking abilities. Even if students make mistakes, the constant exposure to the language fosters improvement.

What are the key components of effective monitoring during lessons?

Effective monitoring involves observing students closely, providing error correction, reinforcing positive behaviors, ensuring English is used, and pushing students to use specific language structures. It also includes building rapport and offering encouragement, which helps students feel more confident.

Why is error correction such an important skill for teachers, and how should it be done?

Error correction helps students improve by addressing mistakes that hinder their language development. Teachers should correct errors quickly and tactfully, often eliciting the correction from the student rather than simply providing the answer. This encourages self-awareness and more accurate language use.