Experiences of a teacher of English

Now with remote teaching you teacher may be addressing each student, individually or otherwise by groups. Let’s hope the Covid-19 crisis be left behind and die out pretty soon. Thus I pray to God it would ensue in that way.  Face-to-face teaching may be the normal thing anyway in most of our cases as teachers. And we may have small classes or large ones.  What I intend to write today about is that it seems good to address and appeal to each student in a direct way.  We may have quite many students in the classroom but it seems sound to address each student. We don’t address a mass of students but we want to teach each individual.  Our students should not hide in a mass of people. We have otherwise to address each and every student.  In order to do that way we can sweep the class of learners and thus appeal to each student’s responsibility when speaking to them. That is the only way we will achieve to teach and educate each student.  As well we teachers sho...

In Spain, and some other countries alike, we are leaving – little by little, okay? – the thing of being that much confined and cooped up at home – well, we may have done so many things at home and have had more time for spending with our families.  The school year is approaching its end and schools are thinking of ways of closing out that school year, taking into account the families, the teachers and the students. Okay?  I guess we are not having more face-to-face lessons, this school year, but the thing still could change.  Some days ago I came across something from the Web about the English-language teacher’s good qualities. Or the best English-language teacher’s qualities. I post those features for you. They may make us think… Also now at this very special period when we may still be confined.  The qualities of the good teacher appeared on a FAQ setting, by using Google. I guess they’re too fine – have a peer to them. Obviously those qualities could be applied to...

We teachers may be still confined at home. Also our students. We might be working on the end of this school year by addressing our students remotely.  Well, also now may be the time to briefly think of our students and how to really help them, or help them more fully.  When I plan my classes – and this will hopefully ensue next school year – I have to think of the students I have before me in the classroom. I may take into account the syllabus and all the stuff, yet I have real and specific people in the classroom: It’s them I have to serve!  As well – and this is something I’m actually doing – now when confined at home I can think of my lessons in a more detached way, and I can possibly draw conclusions about what I have to change in my lessons.  I’m longing to have my students before me again, though I reckon that my classes take me a great effort.  Now I can contemplate my lessons in a more ample angle of vision. And therefore I can think of changing this poi...

We second language teachers do wish our students would learn that language, right?  In my opinion the communicative approach is the best one to teach/learn a language. Even better we could follow a more eclectic approach, by taking from different language-learning methodologies.  If we want to follow a communicative method we have to create chances for real communication in the classroom.  As well we could try to implement activities where our students have to carry out diverse tasks. In those tasks the students have to use the second language in order to fulfill those aforesaid tasks.  In that way they can learn and acquire that tongue: They have the necessity of using the target tongue.  Thus they will see they are carrying on an activity which is worth to invest their best efforts in: They will feel they are doing worthy and meaningful exercises, and eventually they might get pretty motivated.  In other words: They will feel the ...