Experiences of a teacher of English

  I’ve been teaching English for quite many years now, you know. Something I’ve noticed is the following fact. When you ask your dear students questions as prompts, and speaking is one crucial skill to practice in class, and out of class, you may note something specific. By the way, we English teachers do ask a lot in class. A friend of mine – a head teacher himself – once told me that we are all the time asking questions, you know, and he meant that half-jokingly. Well, some students answer those questions. Most students do answer those questions. But some of them add something else, from themselves, so they facilitate real communication in class, and they say more things about the same point. And others, with a lower level maybe, may answer with something short and that’s all.  I mean, all of them are in favor of lessons and the teacher, but you notice there’re some learners who try something else. Usually those latter students work on their own, more than the students who j...

  Who is the protagonist in class, in the classroom I mean? Obviously both the teacher and the students.  That person is developing his or her job, hopefully with professionalism. And their students … also are developing their job or profession now, for their job is learning and studying, if they are kids.  Today I wanted to pinpoint that in a second or foreign language lesson the teacher must speak a lot, thus showing a model to his or her students.  I’ve taken that idea from Spanish teacher, pedagogue, and philosopher Gregorio Luri, although anyone could think that way too: the teacher has to show – and teach – the language to those kids, or adults. Only in that way will he be able to attain his students will learn and acquire English, or French, or any other language.  As well that teacher should show a lot of written language to those learners – and as you may know, I’ve insisted on the fact that you may learn and acquire English through massive and intensiv...

  So you have heard me that we teachers ought to plan our lessons, so they may really help our students learn a lot of things in class and at home with homework.  Today I wanted to share some things with you online, things that might perhaps help you plan your lessons effectively and in a rather short time.  If you teach a second or foreign language, you could start the lesson with a warm-up set of questions to those students, like for example asking them today’s date, having some discussion about the weather, and practicing some grammar patterns they’re learning or any stuff about lately lessons. That may be a nice occasion to communicate with your dear students in the target language, with authentic communication, and by using the vocab and grammar you’re dealing with.  Then in class you may carry out activities where the four language skills are combined: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Or otherwise if you utilize a text- or a course-book, well those bo...

  Believe me, it’s something great to teach English to both kids and adults, and to help them learn and acquire it. It’s great, tiresome though. Well, which job is not something tiring?  We cannot, however, as teachers confine our work to just teach English, or any other language. We need to be aware that we are facilitating some people would talk to some others. There is the core point of the issue. We are connecting people with one another.  We have to bear in mind that our job is that great: one person communicates with another one. We teach English for practical purposes, communication in a word. And communication is something so human! And in class there must be that communication, between the teacher and the students, and among them all.  We do not confine to teaching language facts, although we have to also teach them. We are making up bridges among people. And that’s simply great. Isn’t it?  Thus let’s have in mind that we are treating human people, huma...

  I’m an English language teacher. And I consider that my dear students would speak in that language is the main goal, don’t you think so?  They often say sentences in class, if they are at a low level of mastering English. My higher-level ones intervene for longer and we hold nice discussions in class. Definitely I have to have them all of my students would contribute to the class for longer than mere sentences. I must have them speak for rather long.  Some years they have prepared oral presentations to speak for some minutes … or the whole lesson sometimes.  Definitely also it’s not the same to say just sentences than to have some conversations or some discussions.  Lately more than before this current school year I can observe that the textbooks we’re utilizing help out a lot.  By the way, I teach adults and when I ask them, well, I try and ask tactfully, because obviously they have their privacy.  Moreover if we wish we would have discussions in cl...

  On the last post I told you some practical things on lesson planning which hopefully might help you out, my dear colleague teacher, or you may be a prospective one, or a novice or rookie one. There may be several different situations and circumstances.  As well right here and now I join in some way all the victims of recent floods here in our dear Spain – it has been so terrible, as you may have learned from the news. Poor people, and I pray for them as well. It’s been the worst natural catastrophe of the century in Spain. A lot of volunteers are helping out there.  Let’s carry on with our usual work.  Lesson planning is so paramount so as to have better and efficient lessons in class. And the teacher may pass on so much – if he or she is well prepared and mature. The students have to hear good English in class: a lot from their teacher – better if they are native speakers, otherwise we have to set an example and learn more and more, plus they can listen to class a...

  Lesson planning, you asked? You, like I do, may think that that is essential to teach efficient lessons. You may also be a second or foreign language teacher.  Today I’m telling you something of what I do, just in case it helps you out.  When I sit to plan a lesson, first I think about my dear students and what they do need, and perhaps also what they may be expecting. And then I specify a couple of aims and write them down at the beginning of the lesson plan, at the top.  Even sometimes I let my students – and I teach adults but the same may be applied to teenagers I guess – know what those two goals are – also for them to become more aware and more involved in the class. The more I get them involved in their own learning English, the more they will learn, sure thing!  So I first think how things are going on my lessons and try to solve those possible problems.  And the body of the lesson plan includes stuff where I have my students speak a lot, a lot, a...

  You may be a second or foreign language teacher, like me. I would like to tell you today about clear messages in class so your dear students may understand you.  It’s well-known that you may speak to them in a bit above their level of the target language, for example English in my case. In that way they will understand much of the messages and will likely learn new vocab and new grammar – a drop above their English level, as I said.  On these new school year first lessons I’m teaching I can observe whether my students can follow me or otherwise not, and I try and speak a little above their level – well, sometimes quite much. The intake language thus must be finely tuned in at more or less certain level.  Also as I said I have to convey clear messages, for example clear instructions to carry out such and such activities in class. Otherwise the class becomes a pandemonium – a mess, in other words.  Clear messages I said. As well a temptation I have to fight agai...

  Are you a second or foreign language teacher? Well, you may have realized the fact that that school subject is different from others.  We are dealing with a practical subject, a very practical one indeed.  We teachers do not confine to teach language facts, but we help our students would speak in that language, English for example. Even lessons are conducted in that language.  We do not confine to explain some concepts, like grammar patterns, and subsequently our dear students learn and study them and eventually they will have to pass an exam or test.  We teach them to use the language. And in class we carry out some practical activities, so our dear students partake a lot: both teacher and students are the lesson protagonists.  Well, by the way, we must expose our students to much English, by us ourselves as teachers plus from videos and audios.  Dick Allwright said that in class there must be “exposure, motivation, and opportunities for use”. Those...

  I teach English to adults. It’s so great … and demanding.  Adults have some characteristic way of learning the language. For example they tend to focus on specific grammar patterns and ways of saying things in the target language. Well, it’s something I also do when learning that language myself. And it is something I cannot change. It is something we can take advantage from, anyway.  Even in that way they can learn quite a lot. You know, it doesn’t matter they would ask me questions in class that show they are focusing on grammar. It’s ok. It’s ok ever if also we as teachers facilitate there is plenty of communication in English in class.  I mean, do not confine as a teacher to teach grammar and language facts, but provide a lot of communication in class.  When some newcomer arrives at one of those groups of mine – and I’m thinking of one specific group – that new student says kind of, Oh I can see my classmates have a lot of fluency while in my case … Why do...

  We have agreed that you may be a foreign or second language teacher, and you may think that you have to foster communication in class, and not only grammar rules, though these latter ones are of importance anyway.  Well, the good teacher asks his or her students in class so there may arise a lot of communication. Ok, that seems the right way.  And that good teacher asks in some special way, let me explain.  He or she addresses those questions tactfully, bearing in mind he is addressing persons, with a lot of dignity, the one any person deserves. Any student is unique too.  He asks questions or anyway he prompts to create that communication, which is among persons.  In other words, that teacher does not confine himself to implement the textbook activities, yet he gives, with those questions, affection and benevolence love, seeking what is good for the students. Affection, yet with nothing posh or silly or ridiculous, but with prudence at the same time....

  Let’s proceed into a new point. You may be a second or foreign language teacher, like me. And you wish to carry out your teaching effectively, right? And you may be subject to fulfill a curriculum, or syllabus, or program, right? Anyway, let me tell you that although we may be kind of obliged to fulfill that program, I think we should try to lesson-plan for our dear students to really learn and acquire that language.  I mean, ok, you plan your lesson with a set of activities; well, what about thinking, How could I implement those exercises so that they actually learn and acquire the tongue?  In other words, each lesson ought to be for them, the students, a firm step forward in learning the language plus improving their communicative skills in that language.  That step may be small apparently, but one step plus another plus another … in following lessons make a big figure!  Even you may have more freedom to plan the kind of activities you think they are more ap...

  It seems that a communicative approach to teaching/learning a second or foreign language may be the best, and actually most teachers apply it in the classroom.  Thus the learners would learn and acquire that language by communicating in the target tongue, and also they would learn that language in order to communicate both in and out of the classroom.  As well their dear teacher would not confine the classes to giving language facts but to communication (plus language facts, if you wish, of course - they are necessary).  Okay.  However, that teacher cannot confine the tests and exams to measure grammar learning and other language facts.  If the classes were communication, the stuff measured at those tests and exams has to be also communicative. A few questions can be devoted to grammar, anyway, but also in accordance to what already done in class.  The students shouldn’t encounter questions in the tests which they haven’t been trained for.  Othe...

  Are you a teacher yourself? I mean, a second or foreign language teacher?  I’m going to tell you something today which hopefully may help you with your lessons. Let’s see to it.  It’s common to say that we language teachers have to have our students practice the language they’re learning and we should not confine our teaching to teaching language facts. And that’s okay. We should not confine our teaching to grammar and little else.  Yep, that’s right. However, let us not think we cannot teach those grammar facts, like for example verbal tenses or the use of the comparative of irregular adjectives.  Thus, if I’m teaching a bit of grammar or lexis, I don’t have to think I’m doing something wrong. Come on, as well you have to give your dear students language facts and grammar and the like, because those students do need those facts… to be able to precisely communicate in the target language. And above all if they are adults or even teens.  They do need the l...

  Are you a foreign or second language teacher? If affirmative, let’s think of some points that may help you, both if you are a novice teacher or an experienced one. With experts’ help, of course, and what they put into teaching debates.  We language teachers ought to have the main goal for lessons as mastering that language, so we can foster activities which foster communication in that language, yet bearing in mind that those activities should have interesting contents, respectful toward our students’ ways of being and what their parents wish for them.  Now I want to focus on those language activities.  They should promote communication in the target language, thus we create an atmosphere in class where that tongue is the communication vehicle.  That said, like a web is created in class where the normal thing is communicating in, say, English – which is the tongue I teach.  Something essential is planning each and every lesson. And thus when planning a le...

  Teaching a second or a foreign language may be fantastic. And somehow hard.  That teacher has to be alert: he should teach language facts… but mainly he ought to foster communication in English or whatsoever the target language is.  Thus he may ask his students questions as prompts for further communication in the classroom.  Asking questions also by other students may be great – I have seen it in class this week. A female student asked another female student how this latter one managed at home if she only cooked simple meals. They have an intermediate level and we utilize a coursebook which is A2/B1 level – some lower intermediate grade. The question was absolutely spontaneous.  That questioning each other also can further the communication in the classroom.  Another point, look. It is not the same our students would convey just sentences or otherwise they would convey oral presentations of a few minutes or even longer, of course.  They can choose a...

  We have already started the new school year and some lessons may have been taught.  One of the most important points for a group-class and their teacher is there should be nice rapport amongst them. The teacher seriously has to be an authority reference in the classroom, and at the same time he or she will get their dear students in his or her pocket.  That teacher will seriously try and get them immersed into the lesson.  In order to achieve that, he has to address each student by his or her name, all with affection and interest, real interest in each one of them.  Out of the classroom he will talk with his students yet he will not be their buddy.  You accomplish all that by treating each student with respect, interest, affection, deference, seriousness. Affection with prudence plus without being a simple buddy to them.  And in a foreign language class he will try to get their learners plunged and immersed into English or whatsoever the target langu...

  So we may be starting a new school year. And thus the first and the second lessons are so important.  Let’s suppose we teach a second or foreign language. On the first and second classes I think we teachers have to set high standards.  Ok, and may we speak to our students in their mother tongue? Because we are giving them paramount information!  I’m personally talking to them first in Spanish, their and our mother language, then the same in English. Chunk by chunk, a piece of info after another piece, combining both tongues.  And over time I will – I hope – speak in the target language, some 90% of the class language, or even more. I am to use their mother tongue because also I have to help them get acquainted with a sound and good but complicate course-book.  Oh, you know, something quite important I have to bear in mind is that along the school year I have to have the main goal as to provide communication in class: a second language teacher must not con...

  One month ago, while I was suffering some Covid-19 at home with minor symptoms, I wrote a series of remarkable points to take into account for my English lessons, if I wish my students would accomplish to learn and acquire that adorable language. Namely they are:  1. To read English graded readers or books they could get at a given recommended bookstore.  2. To foster they would give oral presentations in class about a topic of their choice, for a quarter of an hour or so.  3. To pass them on the lure of learning English also on their own, so they would become “autonomous, independent and self-relying learners” (Jeremy Harmer 2003).  4. To have discussions in the class about the activities we are carrying on in that class, or about pictures I show them, or about topics they like (my students are adults).  5. Assign homework to them by emailing, and demand that homework in the class.  Well, actually I wrote down more points, yet I wanted to pinpoint t...

  At last I’m back with you again, readers. And I’ve recently suffered from Covid-19, fortunately and thank God with minor symptoms. And I’m glad I’m back also with my dear students.  I'm reading and thinking and I was considering that an English language teacher like me has to think twofold. On the one hand he or she has to think that they are teaching a foreign or second language for people, for their students to communicate with other people.  And in the classroom those language teachers will try hard to establish and build up real communication in that atmosphere. And that will be created if that teacher tries hard also to empathize with each and every student he has in front of him. As well he has to be a good listener to what his students tell him.  He will detect whether his students are bone tired, or happy because of something specific that is occurring to them recently, or a bit disgusted with each other, or worried because of exams, or…  Teaching is s...