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This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
Motivating Students
It is a widely accepted belief that individuals must be outgoing, extroverted individuals in order to be great teachers. However, many teachers continue to prove that this is not always the case; great teachers must be able to organize and manage their classes with a friendly attitude, while maintaining good student discipline. First of all, teachers can effectively manage their classes by using skillful eye contact. Eye contact can be used in a variety of different ways, like getting everyone involved in a lesson or indicating who is to speak. Gestures can also be useful for a number of different reasons. They can be used to substitute or reduce verbal explanations or to grab the students’ attention by adding visual interest. Furthermore, good teachers should have the proper knowledge of how to use their voices. Teachers must be able to understand when it is appropriate to raise and lower their voices. For example, in a class of 10 students, the teacher may not have to be as loud as he/she would in a room of 50 students. This is because in a larger class, the noise level would naturally be higher, so the teacher would want to speak over the class. Not only should teachers pay attention to their volume, but also to the complexity of their language. To a room full of elementary level students, the teacher may want to use simple, easy words so that the students do not feel overwhelmed. Moreover, teachers can use variations in their voices to keep the students interested in class topics. Speaking in a monotone will quickly bore students, who will become lackadaisical and unfocused. Lastly, it is important for teachers to know when it is appropriate for them to be speaking and when it is appropriate for the students to be speaking. Teachers should speak more when they are teaching the lesson, giving instructions, or establishing rapport. They should not over-elaborate on explanations and instructions, but keep everything as easy and concise as possible. Students should have a lot of opportunities to participate and interact with each other during activities. In addition, grouping the class in different ways is a great way to manage class effectively. The different class grouping options are as follows: Whole-class, pair work, individual work, and group work. The whole-class grouping is the standard method, where the teacher is usually the only one talking in front of the classroom. This is a good method to use when teachers want to have control of the class. However, the disadvantage of this is that it reduces opportunities for the students to speak in class. They have to listen to the teacher most of the time. On the other hand, when students are put into pairs, they are given the opportunity to interact with each other. In pair-work, students have the freedom to share their thoughts and ideas with one another. However, a disadvantage of pair-work is that students may be paired up with someone they don’t like. Teachers can also have students work individually on certain tasks and activities. This allows teachers to respond to individual needs and to help students become more self-reliant. However, students are not able to interact with each other as freely. Lastly, in group work, students are encouraged to interact with each other as in pair-work. Contrary to pair-work, however, personal problems are a lot less problematic in group work because there are more than 2 students in each group. A down-side to group size is that a few students may do all the talking, while more passive students may not be able to contribute as much. In addition to everything mentioned above, teachers can manage their classes by altering seating arrangements. To follow the traditional form of seating arrangements, teachers can put students into orderly rows. In this arrangement, teachers have control of the class because all the seats are facing the front of the class. This makes it easier for teachers to give lectures and to prevent behavioral problems. In smaller classes, teachers may want to put students into circles so that everyone can see each other, causing the class to become more intimate. However, to create a more informal environment, teachers may want to seat students in small groups, where they can work together to complete tasks. Finally, teachers must properly manage their classes by maintaining student discipline. In order to avoid disciplinary problems in the first place, teachers must be punctual, be well-prepared for class, and be respectful to the students. When problems arise, teachers must remain calm and act immediately. It may be beneficial to keep the problem student behind after class to solve the problem instead of embarrassing him/her in front of the whole class. When reprimanding students, teachers must remember to focus on the problem and not on the student. In conclusion, the widely accepted belief that great teachers must always be outgoing, extroverted individuals is an erroneous one. There are other more important qualities that constitute a great teacher. First of all, great teachers must be able to organize and manage their classes with a friendly attitude. This can be done in various ways, which range from maintaining good eye contact with students to arranging seats in a special way. Secondly, teachers must maintain discipline by reprimanding students when the need arises. When doing so, teachers must remember to focus on the problem, not on the student. However, they can take measures to prevent behavioral problems in the first place, such as showing respect to all students.
It is a widely accepted belief that individuals must be outgoing, extroverted individuals in order to be great teachers. However, many teachers continue to prove that this is not always the case; great teachers must be able to organize and manage their classes with a friendly attitude, while maintaining good student discipline. First of all, teachers can effectively manage their classes by using skillful eye contact. Eye contact can be used in a variety of different ways, like getting everyone involved in a lesson or indicating who is to speak. Gestures can also be useful for a number of different reasons. They can be used to substitute or reduce verbal explanations or to grab the students’ attention by adding visual interest. Furthermore, good teachers should have the proper knowledge of how to use their voices. Teachers must be able to understand when it is appropriate to raise and lower their voices. For example, in a class of 10 students, the teacher may not have to be as loud as he/she would in a room of 50 students. This is because in a larger class, the noise level would naturally be higher, so the teacher would want to speak over the class. Not only should teachers pay attention to their volume, but also to the complexity of their language. To a room full of elementary level students, the teacher may want to use simple, easy words so that the students do not feel overwhelmed. Moreover, teachers can use variations in their voices to keep the students interested in class topics. Speaking in a monotone will quickly bore students, who will become lackadaisical and unfocused. Lastly, it is important for teachers to know when it is appropriate for them to be speaking and when it is appropriate for the students to be speaking. Teachers should speak more when they are teaching the lesson, giving instructions, or establishing rapport. They should not over-elaborate on explanations and instructions, but keep everything as easy and concise as possible. Students should have a lot of opportunities to participate and interact with each other during activities. In addition, grouping the class in different ways is a great way to manage class effectively. The different class grouping options are as follows: Whole-class, pair work, individual work, and group work. The whole-class grouping is the standard method, where the teacher is usually the only one talking in front of the classroom. This is a good method to use when teachers want to have control of the class. However, the disadvantage of this is that it reduces opportunities for the students to speak in class. They have to listen to the teacher most of the time. On the other hand, when students are put into pairs, they are given the opportunity to interact with each other. In pair-work, students have the freedom to share their thoughts and ideas with one another. However, a disadvantage of pair-work is that students may be paired up with someone they don’t like. Teachers can also have students work individually on certain tasks and activities. This allows teachers to respond to individual needs and to help students become more self-reliant. However, students are not able to interact with each other as freely. Lastly, in group work, students are encouraged to interact with each other as in pair-work. Contrary to pair-work, however, personal problems are a lot less problematic in group work because there are more than 2 students in each group. A down-side to group size is that a few students may do all the talking, while more passive students may not be able to contribute as much. In addition to everything mentioned above, teachers can manage their classes by altering seating arrangements. To follow the traditional form of seating arrangements, teachers can put students into orderly rows. In this arrangement, teachers have control of the class because all the seats are facing the front of the class. This makes it easier for teachers to give lectures and to prevent behavioral problems. In smaller classes, teachers may want to put students into circles so that everyone can see each other, causing the class to become more intimate. However, to create a more informal environment, teachers may want to seat students in small groups, where they can work together to complete tasks. Finally, teachers must properly manage their classes by maintaining student discipline. In order to avoid disciplinary problems in the first place, teachers must be punctual, be well-prepared for class, and be respectful to the students. When problems arise, teachers must remain calm and act immediately. It may be beneficial to keep the problem student behind after class to solve the problem instead of embarrassing him/her in front of the whole class. When reprimanding students, teachers must remember to focus on the problem and not on the student. In conclusion, the widely accepted belief that great teachers must always be outgoing, extroverted individuals is an erroneous one. There are other more important qualities that constitute a great teacher. First of all, great teachers must be able to organize and manage their classes with a friendly attitude. This can be done in various ways, which range from maintaining good eye contact with students to arranging seats in a special way. Secondly, teachers must maintain discipline by reprimanding students when the need arises. When doing so, teachers must remember to focus on the problem, not on the student. However, they can take measures to prevent behavioral problems in the first place, such as showing respect to all students.
