Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified in Texas? Are you interested in teaching English in Woodsboro, Texas? Check out our opportunities in Woodsboro, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English in your community or abroad! Teflonline.net offers a wide variety of Online TESOL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Here Below you can check out the feedback (for one of our units) of one of the 16.000 students that last year took an online course with ITTT!
Good eye contact is very important to establish with students, however, the teacher should not stare at the students for no reason. Eye contact helps to show students that they are involved in the classroom, to maintain discipline, to signal and indicate as means of communication with students, and to check that the students are participating. Gestures are important to use in order to convey the meaning of language, manage the class, add interest to a lesson, increase the pace of a lesson, and as a function of nonverbal communication. Gestures should only be used if they are clear and understood by the students. The teacher’s voice must be interesting and demanding of authority. The tone varies with the audience (adults will be different than children). The teacher should use a student’s name at the end of a sentence to keep all students engaged (because they will not know who is being addressed). Whole-class grouping creates a sense of belonging to the class, allows students to interact with each other freely and can be more comfortable for students who are shy to speak in front of the class. Students working alone allows the teacher to see individual student’s pace and for students to be self-reliant, however, it does not promote the relationships between students. Pairwork promotes student to student interaction and the sharing of ideas and knowledge between students, however, this allows students to revert back to their natural language and pairs may not get along well. Groupwork has the same pros and cons as pairwork, however, the personal drama between individuals is decreased as well as the sharing of ideas since there are more members in a group. The arrangement of students depends on the space and seating available, ages, nationalities, and personalities of the students. Orderly rows are very traditional in school settings. It helps increase eye contact and reduces disciplinary issues. It can sometimes be the best/only option for large groups. Circles and horseshoes are used in smaller classrooms and make the teacher less demanding to the students. The circles work well for group work and make the classroom feel more intimate. Separate tables make the classroom informal and easy for the teacher to work with students in small groups, however, the teacher is not able to maintain eye contact with all the students. During language presentation and while giving instructions, the teacher should be standing in front of the class. Sitting and casual monitoring is appropriate for the teacher to do during reading activities. Once at the activate stage, the teacher should leave the students to be completely alone, yet still available for help if it is needed. It is important for the teacher to know all the students' names and to treat all students equally in general. It is also important for the teacher to keep language simple and concise when talking to students; no over elaboration. This is also to be said about giving instructions. While giving instructions, the teacher should be consistent with the exact words in the question/directions to help the students notice the patterns (remember the meaning faster). The teacher should always make sure the students do not have any questions before finishing the directions. In order to establish a good rapport, the teacher should always make sure students are aware of each others’ names. The teacher should always have a positive attitude and look like they enjoy the job. Smiling is very important to make students feel comfortable. Teachers should also make sure to change the seating arrangements every once in a while to allow students variety. The main reasons for student behavioral issues are family problems, low self-esteem, boredom, peer pressure, lack of respect, and class size. The best way to prevent disciplinary issues as the teacher is to be on time and prepared for class. It helps when the teacher keeps the class interesting and respects the students. It is important for teachers to act immediately to behavior issues and to respond respectfully are careful while dealing with the student; it is not okay to lose temper or create unnecessary rules.
