Experiences of a teacher of English

  You may be at the summer break now, if you’re a teacher in the north hemisphere. Anyway, I hope this post can help any teacher wherever you may be in our dear planet.  So you may have had a hectic and busy school year, as any teacher has. And you now seek to rest, relax, and rejuvenate yourself, right? Also because you want to start again in fall to give yourself to your work as a teacher. I think you have good ideas thus.  Even more, when the new school year begins, you wish to give yourself to your dear students, as I’ve seen in many many teachers: in class a good teacher gives him or herself to their students so that these ones may really learn and work and study. And they end up tired after the class - the teacher I mean.  As well what about considering to also give yourself – in that way – to their families? Even also to your colleagues the other teachers? The good teacher can be like a light beacon who lights up the place where he or she works, also the perso...

  Let’s see. I’d like to say some things which could help teachers develop their careers, and more focused I’d like to state something about classroom behavior management.  For example Claire English says that one of the main things we teachers can do to maintain order in class is to stay calm. You know, if the teacher is calm, well, more likely he or she will transmit that calm to their dear students.  If the teacher is but jumpy and agitated, more likely he or she will need more effort and struggle to keep order in class, and discipline.  I totally agree. And our dear students need but a peaceful atmosphere in class to work and learn and get to know our world. I have seen it, and I’m thinking of my colleague Pepe Asensio: when I was giving my first steps at this wonderful teaching career in his classroom to young kids, he did accomplish a so peaceful ambiance in class with a class of nearly thirty lions, I mean, kids.  And I said something about Claire English...

  We may be about to start a new school year, at least at the north earth hemisphere. And you may be a hectic teacher. And you have to plan that school year by following the premises given by the school plus the points perhaps the school does not demand from you but you think they are important for your daily teaching.  That is what I’m doing. And maybe you’re a committed teacher who wants to get hold of every problem that might turn up in your pathway and your students’ one. Ok, great.  All the same I would tell you not to specify every mishap which could pop up during that school year. Even more if you tend to be a perfectionist teacher.  You will face any trouble when it occurs. Even you may have some transcendent view of life and may trust in God and his loving providence. Do not get everything tied and super tied up. Also because we may not know the students we’ll have soon.  Each and every one of them is unique and can provide their richness to the lessons...

  You may be a hectic teacher and even a bit stressed out, and in no way do I wish to overcharge you with more difficult points for your lessons. I just offer you points that might help you work better and become a better teacher, if I can afford it.  I knew a teacher who tried the following, which might help you out.  He taught English, and all this stuff I’m going to tell you may fit adult and adolescent students.  He tried to think the lesson was one study hour of that language, if classes last one hour. I mean, he came in the classroom to hold one study hour with his dear students: they would be learning English together.  You know, on those lessons he also learned English, with the very same points he dealt with those students, so it was kind of some review for him.  And he kind of tasted when dealing with such or such grammar pattern. In that way he was more relaxed – otherwise he would be tenser if just dedicated to teach the lesson.  Do you kno...

  Quite many students learn and acquire a second or foreign language by reading books. Me myself.  Well, as you know you need to practice all four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Ok. I always have a book in English which I’m reading. Now, two: a graded reader plus Jeremy Harmer’s The Practice of English Language Teaching .  I’m learning and re-learning quite a lot from this latter one. Well, also from the graded reader. From Jeremy Harmer I’m learning a lot of insightful points for teaching my English lessons.  Now we have summer vacations, but I’m taking lots of mental notes for those classes I’ll teach in fall. And the graded reader, well, basically it’s B2 level, yet it serves the purpose for me for reviewing lots of expressions and ways to say such and such things in English. Remember that level is upper intermediate.  When I come across a new phrase or word, I stop reading, study and take like a mental photo of it. In that...

  You may be a teacher, one of a second or foreign language. Well, that’s is a marvelous enterprise.  Now I wanted to draw some lines about what a good lesson could be, according to my experience plus others’ one.  Thus we can start the class with a warmer or warm-up activity. I ask my dear students about today’s date, and about the weather. Then, within that warmer, we practice saying sentences with such or such grammar structure, one we are practicing lately. Or they answer some questions by me. Or by them, to each other.  Then we work on the homework set on the previous lesson. Every day I set some homework, at the end of the class. And usually they’ll have to review what done in class – me giving examples of what and how they may revise at home.  And next we may work either on photocopies I hand out, or on the textbook we are working on.  Much weight should be given in class to speaking in the target language.  I plan each and every lesson, on a no...

  We teachers have to learn from the experts. If we want to teach our dear students fine.  So Stephen Krashen – an expert on learning a second or foreign language himself – put his first theories in the seventies and eighties of last century. According to them we know that we can learn a language, ok, but – and it’s good news – as well we can acquire that dear language. Subconsciously.  We can acquire a language without being aware we are learning that tongue.  For that we have to receive comprehensible input in that language, for example by reading a fiction book we have selected ourselves, not necessarily an assigned class read.  Of course also we can learn that language: it’s when we study its grammar and such in an aware way we are learning.  And – if you let me say so – to produce that language (to speak and write) we can hand those both learned and acquired languages, which is what I note I do when I speak or write in English – which is not my mother ...

  The teacher in a face-to-face or online classroom? He or she must be elegant. I mean they have to be tactful, respectful, loving toward their students. What I mean by loving is one with benevolence love, i.e. they will seek the best for their students.  For example, that teacher has to know how his or her students are at each moment, and whether they feel good with the activity he or she is carrying out before those students.  And this value is obtained through those affection and benevolence love, plus through experience at the classroom.  As well that teacher will try and be discreet, cautious and tactful. And he or she will say things that will not hurt their students.  Furthermore that teacher will seek what builds up their students’ personality, in accordance with what their parents want for them.  I said he or she won’t say anything harming in the classroom. For those people have some or a lot of sensitivity.  Over time that teacher knows how ...

  You as a teacher want for your students to learn and work a lot? So do I.  Now I can tell you something that works with us. I teach English as a foreign language. And in class we carry out diverse and varied activities, so the thing turns out as something interesting. All I can tell you about is something I owe to others.  As well I try to give some doses of pushing my students upward in their learning process, in class and outside.  For example I write something as a group or class email I address to all of them, and there I insist on some points, like set and assign some homework, I let them know what is working better lately in class, etcetera.  I address those emails to them as blind copies, so their email contacts keep protected.  As well some of those doses are directed to foster learning in them, to arouse their learning. For example I tell them about some learning strategies they can use to learn English, and which ones are taken from my own learn...

  And now I’m trying to say something which could hopefully help you out on your lessons, above all if you are a teacher. I’m telling you something from my classes to adults, yet same things could be said for teaching kids.  Ten points, ten.  I would say that for teaching English or any other language and, if possible, you the teacher ought to say all in that target language, or more than 90%. Well if everything is said in L2, much better. Even your announcements to your students, about logistics. The communication problem may be convenient for them to learn and acquire the foreign or second language.  Second, while talking to your students, look in their faces also for them to have eye-contact. That will help you reach them more fully with your messages and also that will help you keep the class tight – for classroom management and sere discipline.  Third, your messages to them have to be clear: speak in a finely or roughly tuned level, so that they can follow ...

  You are the teacher? And want to teach a language effectively? I’m working on it myself.  These days I’m reading from great British expert Jeremy Harmer, and you know what? I’m finding out a couple of principles that may serve to teach in that effective way.  Namely I’m reading about language teaching methods. And I would highlight, as I said, two principles that I think they are at the basis of any success. They are: it’s the learner who has to really wish to learn a language, plus the teacher ought to foster in the classroom to lower the affective filter.  Among the methods I’m reading and studying about, those two principles come up as common in most of the methods.  You are the teacher, okay, well you should bear in mind that it is the student the one who should WISH to learn. If we achieve this learner would WISH to really learn a language, well we will accomplish success, believe me!  In those methods I’m reading about the student is so active at le...

Two posts ago I told you that we adults have a lot of positive features in our favor to learn a second or foreign language, and we do have indeed!  Also lately I’m commenting on H. D. Brown (1989). You can peek at the last posts from this blog. From that great book now I’m quoting something else about the way we grownups learn that language. Here you are, “It’s not ridiculous, is it, that adults are potentially superior to children in foreign language learning? If we could only harness that ability! Research on successful language learners shows that a significant portion of adult success is attributable to optimal conscious learning. You need to be just childlike enough to relax with the language and not be overly worried about all of its details. But at the right moment, you need to be able to monitor yourself or your language with your zoom lens, then take corrective action. In short, try not to think too much about your language learning process, but allow yourself optimal o...

Many of us wish and need to learn a language. How to achieve this stupendous goal? By relaxing. We learn when we are relaxed. Also in other circumstances, but better if relaxed for example in classes.  Some sane and healthy tension, however, is necessary. But we have to be somehow and rather relaxed.  I notice that my dear students now are rather relaxed in the classroom, or at least mostly so.  When you’re relaxed, the language input may more easily get stuck in mind. You learn more easily. And of course as well you can subconsciously acquire the language.  Thus there is a nice atmosphere of cooperation in the classroom.  Perhaps in your classroom now there is more tension, but what about trying to get as much as possible that nice and relaxing atmosphere? As much as possible.  Another point that helps both teach and educate your students is love them, with benevolence love, this is, by seeking what is good for them. We have to love our students. With prud...

What teacher does not wish to be the best one or at least a very good and professional one? And all this in today’s circumstances, with the coronavirus thing, when quite many teachers keep on tele-teaching in some way or another.  Okay then, we can have the best teacher ever, but if his students do not want to learn, we have no learning at all!  A good teacher in some way tries his students should work hard and learn a lot. The teacher’s main aim is also having his students learn. That is his main purpose: His students should learn and wish to do it so.  That teacher in some way or another will try to help his students become autonomous learners.  And even more now, when face-to-face teaching is not possible – we have a great portion of the world in quarantine.  I can think of a marvelous teacher who passes on his own enthusiasm to his students. That teacher passes on the itch for learning to his learners. His students in that way might not ...

All throughout the world or at least in many many parts of our dear planet we are suffering this pandemic.  Angela Watson says something which is very sound, “When we are stressed out, anxious, and sleep-deprived, our immune system weakens. We are less able to fight off infection”.  So please calm down and relax. Some of us are tele-working, but let’s not press our students and their families too much. Also this was taken from that expert quoted above.  Something else I’m doing regarding my students is praying for them and their families alike.  Today Monday, March 16, 2020, I wanted to tell you the following message.  All of us have drawbacks and defects at working. Yet we may be trying to improve as professionals and persons. Something else we can do is to try to reduce those defects by potentiating and putting up our strong points.  You may know people that have drawbacks but they strive a lot to put up all their good qualities. ...

Teaching is great, tiring though. Currently I teach adults. And at the beginning of the lesson, as a warmer or warm-up activity, I do what I tell you now. I teach English as a foreign language. First I write on the whiteboard today’s date, and we have a brief discussion on today’s weather.  Then I tell them about learning English: tips which could help them learn English, from some scholars and experts like H. D. Brown, Jeremy Harmer, Rebecca Oxford.  My purpose is for them to get aware that it’s the student who has to be like a powerful learning-engine! Each learner has his or her own personal learning style, which it’s them who have to find out about.  The learner is the main responsible one to learn.  You wish to learn, you will achieve it. You don’t really want to, no learning is accomplished. There’s effort, there’s a step forward. Each item learned, one step forward. Each effort invested at communicating in English, one step has been walked for...

All of us teachers need a class with our students in a peaceful environment, right? We wish that environment!  Well, we have to set that peaceful atmosphere, but it’s a business of our students too: not all depends upon us teachers.  If our students get engaged in the activity, more likely they will work, and work in a gentle way. So, it’s important our students would get engaged. Demotivated students may be disruptive, so disruptive.  Also, if they know how to work that activity out, they may get engaged. Otherwise they may distract their classmates and us their teachers! If they understand the activity, they can work fine. Moreover, in that way they will have some nice self-esteem. If they don’t understand the activities, they may feel bad and eventually also their self-esteem can fall down.  As well we have to make them participate and contribute to the class, for they together with us their teachers are the protagonists of the class! So, class ma...

Some teachers do not feel well in the classroom, because they feel somewhat anxious, they say. But, if you let me tell you, don’t you attend the class in order to seek what is good and convenient for your dear students? I would like for you to be somewhat relaxed in the classroom. I apply that principle to me myself. Better said, some sane and nice tension is desirable in order to attain your jobs as teachers of your class-groups. Teaching ensues some easy tension, let’s say: You cannot teach or work anywhere else without some tranquil tension, so as to say.  Those class-groups together with you make up working-teams, where everyone can contribute to the learning processes.  Education is precisely to extract from your students the best from themselves. Education also is leading our dear students toward becoming better persons and ones that can afford their own lives.  As well we have to educate our students in accordance with what their parents wish for t...

The main resource for classes is the teacher himself. And this teacher needs to have a growing capability for planning the lessons and for creating a nice atmosphere in the classroom for his students to learn better and better.  This teacher needs to have a growing agile mind to face the problems he will likely encounter and even to boost his students’ eagerness to learn.  Something I advise is for the teacher to make up the situation in which his students are. I mean, the teacher has to be able – through practice – to visualize each class of students and what they need most.  For this class of students they need this, for that other class of students they need that, and so on.  It’s a kind of clarity of mind to visualize what his students need most necessarily.  Also I advise to carry out this task by strolling. Yes I sometimes carry out this kind of visualization by strolling along a park or the countryside, or other times by relaxing in an ar...

Most of us teachers in earth north hemisphere may be on vacations. And we know that this break may be somewhat short. So we have to make good use of time.  Do we know how to rest? Do we know how to make good use of this resting and relaxing time?  I do know that we teachers on holidays may have other things to do at this time. But we must learn how to rest. I would say that this recess is for gathering forces and strength for the coming school year 2019-2020.  It’s the time for rejuvenation and recovering our lost forces and strength. It’s a time to perhaps strolling around the countryside or along a solitary beach and think of things that can boost our ordinary work and laboring.  It’s a time to think of our students in a new and fresh way: we’re educating the people that are our society’s near future.  We deal with persons and do not dedicate our nice time to manufacture screws: we work with persons, human beings. And those our dear studen...