201. Communication, communication


I'm sorry, but I lost the source site of the picture above. They are students in London; Japanese students. Thank you, anyway!
Here you have a comment I made yesterday, Monday Nov 9, to an interesting post one teacher entered into the website of The British Council - BBC. His post was about the communication skills a teacher ought to have in the classroom.


And beneath his post you have the reply to my comment, by the same teacher who had entered the post. He is a good teacher, from what he states. You can see his name.


You can contribute with your ideas to that website forum. For sure you have interesting things to share with us, teachers.


Remember we teachers are educating and forming the people of future. On top of that, also remember that it's his or her parents the ones who have the obligation and right to educate and form their children.




Fernando M Díez...


Communication skills for teachers of English


Submitted on 9 November, 2009 - 12:12


Hello, Albert and Girish,


I have just read your entries. I appreciate telling about your experience.


Definitely this point is paramount: communication. This is the goal of our job.


In case it be some useful for any teacher, I briefly tell my experience, plus what I have learned from my trainers, to whom I am so grateful.


My classes are fully in English. No Spanish. Although the students may be (false) beginners.


I pretend I do not speak Spanish; it's like a game: they do know I speak Spanish. It's funny.


In that way they struggle to make themselves understood with their English, and helping each other.


I try all things available for me to make myself understood. All kind of skills, and we all have real fun in the class-periods. We practice the grammar and vocab by games.


I use entonation, speaking slowly, giving examples, enthusiasm, good humor, the white board, mimicry, gestures, acting out.


We do have some communication, authentic communication.


The basic plan for my students are: first step: just words; second: we'll try full sentences; thirdly: conversations.


Just one more point. I notice a nice learning strategy by them: they try to "invent" the word they need in English; they try to make a mental but fast theory of what the real word might be. I gently praise them when communication is accomplished.


Someone told me that a teacher with enthusiasm fosters and boosts their students' success in learning/acquiring a foreign language.


Further about my experience and research on http://fernandoexperiences.blogspot.com


Best for you all


Fernando Diez Gallego


Granada (south of Spain)


*




albertrayan


Dear Fernando Many thanks for


Submitted on 10 November, 2009 - 07:38


Dear Fernando


Many thanks for sharing your experience of making your students communicate in the English language. You have written: "Someone told me that a teacher with enthusiasm fosters and boosts their students' success in learning/acquiring a foreign language."


Yes, I do agree with the person who has made the statement. A great teacher is energetic, enthusiastic, and encouraging. A teacher of English who cannot smile at their students should not continue to be in the teaching profession.


Best wishes


Albert








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