Experiences of a teacher of English

  A lot of us people want to learn a language – I teach English and keep learning it! – and we have to practice all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  For me and many of us listening may be the most difficult skill to acquire, but with practice you do improve a lot, believe me.  Anyway, today I would like to tell you especially about reading. Reading books, articles, websites. And also believe me, it’s a great skill to practice.  Stephen Krashen stated that by reading books you can learn a great deal of a second or foreign language, and I can assure you it’s thus. I have no big problems to read any text in English: fiction, non-fiction … except Joseph Conrad’s books perhaps, for they show to be extremely difficult for me to understand – even I had an Irish friend, Connor by name, who told me also that for him it was tough to understand, and he said that he read like one page per day, of his books. It’s curious, Conrad was Polish by birt...

  I’ve been perceiving a curious fact on Granada streets lately, well, from a few years now. It’s parents with their children, walking or cycling anyway, and they’re Spanish definitely, yet they speak to those kids in English, and these ones sometimes respond in the same language.  I guess Spain is not kind of an isolated country anymore – it used to be one like that after our civil war, in the 1930s and afterward, and now it’s pretty simpler to find young people talking in English on the streets, for example a Spaniard to a foreign person.  And stays abroad now are much easier and more common than forty years ago, so as to speak.  A lot of young parents try their kids would learn English as a matter of fact.  However, today I’d like to point out something I do myself to learn English. On other previous posts I wrote that one way to increase my lexis and subsequently to learn English is what follows, just in case it may help someone.  I read a lot, or quite...

  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...

  A lot of people want to learn a second or foreign language. Me too. So do I.  At the same time I teach that language I’m learning and acquiring, namely English.  And you may know that I often say that reading books and graded readers help learn and acquire those target languages. Indeed. It’s my experience, plus Stephen Krashen says it’s so, even he pinpoints and says that fiction is better than non-fiction.  Ok now I can say that only after having read a lot and used the dictionary also a lot can you learn many a word. Hundreds of them, perhaps thousands.  Only then some or many words get stuck in memory. Well, maybe you'll learn a lot of vocabulary by other means. Then you can use them when speaking or writing in the target tongue. Because you’ve gotten a massive tank of lexis.  Of course there are more words you can understand than the ones you can use when communicating. Passive vocab is ampler than active vocab.  Then you can remember many words...

  The good teacher must know how to plan his or her lessons. They have learned over the years. Now I’m referring to second or foreign language teachers. They learn how to plan efficient lessons for their dear students to learn effectively.  And there’s a plus. They achieve to plan in rather short time.  That kind of teacher plans his classes with their actual students in mind. He wants for them to really learn and acquire that target language.  He knows how to get the most from a class text or a photocopy he has gotten from his resources – they may be modest, though.  He learns how to be imaginative and he’ll accomplish – as I said – to get the most from a photocopy.  And he plans several activities from that sheet of paper. For example, as follows.  First he plans a listening comprehension activity while his students do not have the copy yet. And he has planned a lead-in activity for that listening, for example, a first exercise of predicting what the...

  If you are placed in the northern earth hemisphere, you may be on vacation. Maybe not. Anyway, today I wanted to say that our students must be, at any level we may be teaching, the protagonists of their own learning. No protagonists, no significant learning.  I saw it last school year: I’m thinking of a particular student who has significantly improved his English – I teach English to adults.  Why so? Why has he lifted off a great deal at English language learning? Because he has strived hard to learn it… and he is like a strong and powerful engine that does a lot on his own.  When I say that our students have to be protagonists, in no way do I mean that we teachers have to come down to foolishly create an atmosphere where they do just what they feel like doing by looking down their teacher. No. The teacher is the teacher and his or her students are right there as students and learners.  Perhaps if we teach a modern language we have to read through Rebecca Oxf...

  We foreign or second language teachers may wish there should be peace and communication amongst people.  Also we try hard there should be communication and immersion in the target language in the classroom.  And I am a language learner myself, and I will always be a learner myself. And thus I can help my students learn that target language, namely English.  Something I do to learn more and more lexis or vocabulary is intensive reading books. Next lesson with my students I will show them the notebook where I register and keep the words I’m learning, in case that may help them out.  You know, it’s like a diary or journal. Some time in the evening every day I write down one or two… or five words, expressions or idioms I have learned today: words and terms that have attracted my attention, from the classes, or from the Internet, or from the book I’m reading now.  I write for example a sentence where a nice word showed up in the book I’m reading, maybe with so...

  I love other teachers or other people in general would visit my blog. I have taken a three-week recess, after the school year has finished. It’s been a lovely year. Next year I expect we will be able to have face-to-face classes, always if the pandemic allows us to.  On that recess or break I have read and studied a lot. Also English. Purely – concerning English – I have taken a dictionary and learned some words each day or nearly. It was a bilingual dictionary. As well I could grab a big one, also bilingual, but I wanted to study the smaller one, yet it offered thousands of words.  I have not read any other book in English.  However, I can tell you I have learned quite many daily words, words we use on a regular day of ours, everyday words.  At home I have heard family stories about people who used to learn words of a different foreign language by using just a dictionary, for example of Japanese (!).  And can anyone learn a language by studying from a di...

Every teacher in principle wants his or her students would learn, right? Yep, it’s so, I would say.  Sometimes in the classroom or on remote teaching we teachers might be focusing on our teaching, but up to what extent do we track our students are actually learning? I know most of you operate that way and are concerned about your students’ learning.  Okay, in my career as a teacher I have encountered mainly two scholars who have made nice emphasis on learning strategies, applied to learning a language. Those writers are H. D. Brown and Rebecca Oxford.  We teachers should learn about learning strategies, thus we could help our students more fully.  Learning strategies are operations employed by the learner to aid the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information. ... They are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations. Those words appear on...

If you’re learning or teaching a second or foreign language, you should remember that any language has four skills to practice: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, ok?  Today I would like to say something about reading. Reading is so great. The language learner has to read intensely and massively, and that counts toward a lot of learning that tongue, whatever that tongue is.  I personally read a book at least some brief minutes a day. I try and enjoy it. Reading is great, as I said.  When reading you’re thinking in that target language.  I come across some new words and enjoy learning them.  I use the dictionary rather little – I’m learning English, by the way.  I read a couple of pages each time or so, and then I come back to what I’ve read and then randomly I pay attention and focus on some words and idioms and take like a mental picture. Memory is something you can train and it's elastic, like chewing gum... In that way I can tell you that I’ve le...

Reading may be so motivating. For our students and for us their teachers. As well reading may be a skill that makes you learn a lot of a foreign or second language.  I’m a foreign language teacher: I teach English to my countrymen Spanish people. And I can assure you that you learn a lot by reading. Also you acquire the language: you learn it in a not adverted way: you internalize a lot of language without being aware of that fact.  Currently I’m re-reading some English literature. It’s great. And I’m learning a lot. Now more than when I read it for the first time.  Something to bear in mind: we have to accept that we learn little by little: a language is not learned by big chunks or by vast lots. Little by little. And if you’re enthused, much better. Just dedicate some minutes every day.  By reading a lot you are creating and building up the language sense: you are able, you become able to discern whether something is English-like or not, you c...

Teaching is… great, once again. And watching and observing how our students are progressing or not very much… - so far - is also great.  We have to plan our lessons with our students in mind. But I can also see and perceive that I have to keep on improving my teaching. Once and over again and again. No problem. If you've been teaching for some quite many years, you can discover and find out what your students are in need of.   Well, my students try to do their best. I teach English as a second language. This morning my students were saying what some words meant, from a worksheet with sentences and one longer text. That was one of the activities we were carrying out.  That was good practice and I intended for them to notice and reckon that: that was good practice.  For next class I will also say what those words mean, and thus I can mold the exercise for my students to have some more examples to imitate or to build up their definitions upon, ...

Something which constitutes a big booster to learn a second language is just reading. Well, all four language skills ought to be practiced: listening, speaking, reading and writing. But I can confess you that reading books massively and intensively really helps you learn and acquire that language.  One of the books I’m currently reading is Harry Potter, namely the third episode or sequel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . I read it also some ten or more years ago, so I know the story. And it is still interesting.  I read also for just fun or entertaining.  And I do not get too trapped in looking up words I don’t know – I enjoy the reading.  As well I’m studying and working on a C1 English textbook and I can assure you also I’m learning quite a lot. C1 is one of the levels of mastering a language: it equals to advanced level, with C2 as the highest level possible. They’re levels at the European framework of reference: A1 and A2 are basic, B1 ...

Learning and acquiring a foreign language, like English in my case and my students’, demands learning and acquiring a vast vocabulary. This is clear enough, right?  Something I implement when daily learning and acquiring English is reading books in that language. I consciously try and learn new words from those readings. Every single day.  And when writing for example these blog posts some words come up to mind and then I use them, while writing. For example ways of saying things in English, or single words, or phrases. Or whatever.  I am sure also I gain and acquire words I’m not aware I’m acquiring. Also those words may come up when writing. More often when I read more.  Currently I’m reading a book about teaching English by great Jeremy Harmer plus a book on Apollo missions to the moon in the sixties and early seventies, when I was born and a young infant. Great.  Sometimes I read as if I were writing those texts, word by word, and in tha...

We teachers have to encourage our students to learn the second or foreign language. But it’s these latter ones who have to want to learn.  Learning vocabulary is one point that deserves their attention and effort. Each word they learn is a step forward.  In order to have a vast lexis they have to learn word by word. I insist on purpose: each word which is learned is a step toward success at learning a language. No words, no language. Many words, a lot learned.  And a skill that promotes learning many words is reading massively and intensely. For example novels, or simplified and abridged readers. With contents that are respectful to our dear students.  When reading is a skill that has been largely fostered and practiced, the learner learns and acquires words even in an unaware way. And that learner is acquiring the language sense, this is, the capability of learning in a thorough way and the capability of using the language for communication with oth...

Reading both fiction and non-fiction books may be so good to learn new vocabulary of the language you’re learning.  By reading you can learn quite many new words, but they need practice to get those words learned and memorized.  It is not necessary you look up every single new word in the dictionary. Only from time to time or when the meaning of the text cannot be understood by you. Enjoy reading! As well quite many words are not only learned but also acquired or gotten in an unaware way, and they pop up when writing or speaking in that language.  Over time you get the language sense: you have a nice background to guess and know intuitively some other language aspects. In that case you kind of feel the language: you know that native speakers say things in that way and not other. You have the language sense when you’re capable to understand (both by listening and by reading), speak and write in that tongue with enough fluency.  Only after some yea...

I currently teach English at two schools. Plus some private tuition. And my students are adults. And I make worksheets for them.  Nevertheless I notice my dear students do need more vocabulary, which one I cannot provide in the classes I teach them.  Thus I’m thinking for next school year to encourage them to get a reader, one of those simplified and abridged books. In one of the centers where I work they already use one, because they also attend classes with another teacher and they’re working on Great Expectations , by great Charles Dickens. I’m going to ask them in one of the classes I have with them how they get the reader, whether it’s at certain bookstore or where else.  I foresee, however,  that if I choose a reader with certain level, and since my students have different levels of English, some of them could find the reader as an easy one while others may encounter it so difficult. So I’d have to have a look at some readers with my students ...

We have to foster our students would learn the foreign or second language in a super-way. And that, inside an atmosphere of immersion in that language.  So we have to also give announcements for the daily logistics in that language. And perhaps and if necessary, we could also give them in the first language afterwards.  Nevertheless if we say those announcements in the L2 and they’re clear, let’s not repeat them in the L1...  And for that goal our dear students should acquire and learn massive vocabulary.  One way our students could get those words stuck in mind is by means of using and using and using those words. Unless they utilize those words, they cannot learn them or most of them.  For example they could write sentences with those words. Some days ago a student of one of my classes told me he really thought that writing sentences with that lexis is paramount to learn it.  Something else I do to learn and acquire words myse...

Memory. It is a great value for learning.  I can assure you it is kind of elastic and susceptible of being trained, even when you’re rather old. Even it can prevent from Alzheimer. Or other similar diseases.  When you practice your memory, you can get a big one.  I notice all this concerning vocabulary. And memory is necessary for learning a language. I’m an English language teacher and learner too. I’ve read massively and intensely through years. And my memory has become greater.  And thus I realize that when writing these posts some useful words come up to mind while writing. I have created a tank of vocabulary. And everybody or close to that can achieve the same goal.  Also I can answer to most of the questions my students ask me about lexis. I can cope with those questions so far.  Something I often do is that I have some book being read, at least from time to time. Should I be reading always? Maybe. I have other stuff to re...

  My experience at reading novels in accordance to human dignity and therefore learning English is great. When you do this you learn… and acquire a lot of vocabulary. And then words will come to mind when writing or speaking. As you read and read and read you create and make up kind of a net of words and you’ll learn more and more words in an easier way. Plus you will take the sense of language: that language passes to be a second one of yours. It’s so great! You learn and acquire words in a mature way. As you read you become able to learn and acquire more lexis, and you may become capable to compare your use and usage of lexis to the one of a native speaker, more and more, with likely mistakes and errors, but you do advance on this pathway to success at learning and acquiring a foreign or second language. It’s so great! / Photo from: JourneyLeaf – Typepad. I post a picture of a rainy landscape, like lately in Spain: it is raining with profusion and abundance, t...