What not to do as an ESL teacher
The best types of teachers are the ones who can identify their mistakes and learn from them. Here’s a list of tips on what not to do as an ESL teacher.
1 Don’t follow the ESL textbook 100%, but don’t abandon it completely
Yes, of course you can skip or preferably adapt the useless activities that don’t look quite right, but your textbook still provides crucial structure for your classroom and some of the content might still be very important for students’ learning in the future! Also, the students usually paid for the books, so don’t let it go to complete waste.
2. Don’t be a know it all
Everyone’s English has its limits, even you or me as an ESL teacher. When a student asks a question that you might not fully know the correct answer for, don’t make one up or guess the correct answer according to your knowledge. Tell the student you’ll get back to them and take some time to research the question and provide the best possible answer.
3. Don’t try to improvise
Some teachers might be under the impression they have a unique skill where no prep work is needed to teach effectively. Sure, you might have days where you didn’t find the time to prepare a lesson plan, but try to always be prepared. A lesson plan will give you great confidence, increase your motivation and will help you enjoy your class overall, plus you’ll feel good about yourself knowing you’re giving your students all the effort they deserve.
4. Steer away from “Do you understand?”
The response you’ll get is going to be yes 95% of the time, but funny enough when you check up on them 5 min later, you realise that most of your students are still confused. Rather than asking, do you understand, learn how to ask concept-checking questions and use them for most of your activities to create familiarity.
5. Don’t blame students for not understanding
A young learner who doesn’t understand is your responsibility as a teacher. It’s not the student’s fault for not understanding. Try to present the information differently so he/she can understand. Explain, illustrate and model concepts until they get it!
6. Never forget to provide feedback
Help your students correct and improve their errors with feedback, whether it’s a writing assignment, homework, tests or word searches! Providing feedback and letting your students ask questions after each task is a great way to transition between activities.
7. Don’t talk too much
Try to make your class student focused, instead of teacher focused. Allow your students to launch discussions and let them help you answer questions after exercises. Learning to speak English requires young learners to speak English. It might take some time and practice to get it right, but it’s very beneficial once they’re the ones doing the communicating.
8. Don’t let the extroverted students dominate the class
You know the kid we’re talking about! At first their contribution might feel like a blessing, but you’ll soon realize that other learners might quiet down when they’re taking over. Try to make everyone feel included and give everyone a chance to speak.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is to do the best you can. Try to improve everyday and follow a life of life-long learning. We hope these tips help you on your teaching journey.