Whole Brain Teaching The fastest growing education reform movement in the worldParentVUE and StudentVUE Access I am a parent I am a student Contact Privacy. Language Arts 1 will cover all the components of an English education at the seventhgrade level. The first semester will provide a comprehensive coverage of grammar. English Rules Homework Program 3 Llc' title='English Rules Homework Program 3 Llc' />One of the first things you do when you start a new class is lay out the rules. Raise your hand Eyes on your own work But its time for teachers to learn the rulesafter all, if youre teaching ESL, youre going to have to follow some rules too if you want to survive. Teachers need to hold themselves to certain standards, just like students do. Its not enough, as an ESL teacher, to just know how to speak the language. Really communicating English to an ESL student is far more than knowing how to speak your own language though thats a good place to start. Weve got 1. 0 important rules to follow as an ESL teacher to make your classes even more effective and your teaching worthy of that A. Do Your HomeworkYou probably send your ESL students home with a fair amount of homework every evening, but dont forget that you have homework to do too Each ESL class demands an enormous amount of preparation from the teacher just picking a lesson and exercises out of the textbook isnt enough. Imagine that youre planning a 1 hour long lesson on a grammar point. You should be planning an interesting 5 minute lead in activity to get your students thinking, a core lesson, and several different exercises that test what youve taught. This is important, as if youre planning on teaching something like the present perfect, you need to choose an exercise that tests the present perfect, not the present simple Theres no reason to use ready made lessons, as youll need to target your class needs, but you can find some great handouts and worksheets online to make this part of your homework a little bit easier. And of course, you can also plan homework for your students to do once theyve learned the lesson at hand. If youve done your homework right, youll know what problems are likely to arise, what questions your students may have for you, and what the answers are to all of the questions you plan to ask your students before the first bell even rings. Dont Point. When teaching ESL, youre obviously going to have to call on your students now and again. Sometimes, youll want to call on them by name, but other times, its easier not to break the flow of a quick paced activity, in which case, you may be tempted to point. Resist the urge Pointing is just plain rude, particularly in certain cultures. One of the first things little kids learn in school is not to point. But theres another reason you should avoid pointing at your ESL studentsit puts them on the spot, making them feel as though theyve done something wrong. Instead, gesture with an open palm to invite the student to participate. This gesture is far less aggressive. Dont Be an Echo. It can be very tempting as an ESL teacher to repeat a students response, whether it be correct or incorrect. The problem with this is that no matter how talented an ESL student is, when you repeat what theyve just said, it will always sound a bit different than the way that they pronounced it and this will make them feel as though they are being corrected, or worse, as though youve stolen their correct answer and made it your own. For example Teacher Can anyone give me the name of an animalStudent Anelephant Teacher An elephant, right The teacher has appropriated the students answer. The teacher should have said, Yes or Great ideaBy making a rule of not echoing in the classroom, a teacher is also permitted to use echoing as a form of gentle correction. Teacher Can anyone give me the name of an animal Student A elephant Teacher An elephant, right Especially if the ana distinction is not part of the lesson, theres no need to zero in on it, but by restating the sentence correctly, the student hears the difference and appropriates it. Which brings us to4. Correct the Grammar Point, Not the Sentence. As an ESL teacher, you will hear many, many sentences that are not utterances that you, as a native speaker, would ever consider saying. And yet as a teacher, you need to resist the urge to correct every mistake you hear. Learning a new language is unlike many other subjects in that its hard to learn just one part at a time. A student learning even the simplest of structures, like the present tense, runs the risk of making a mistake with pronunciation of an unfamiliar adjective, choosing the wrong article or even forgetting words entirelyResist the urge to overcorrect, particularly with beginners. Overcorrecting makes students nervous to participate, and it isnt helpful. If a student has not yet learned a grammar point and uses it wrong in class, its best to ignore it and focus on whether the student has used the grammar point at hand correctly. If a student includes an incorrect structure in a written assignment, it is up to you to decide whether the student will benefit from correction and explanation or not. Be Consistent. By creating a consistent atmosphere, students will begin to understand what to expect and will be more primed to succeed in your class. Try to create a regular class structure, so that students know that every day, you will give them an opportunity to ask questions right before the end of class, or that at the beginning of the class, you will ask them to participate in a game. When students know what to expect from the class structure, it is easier for them to zero in on the novelty of the class, namely, the lesson itself. Of course, this doesnt mean you cant change it up every once in awhile Having a game day or a movie day is a fun treat for both you and the students. But when your regular class schedule is consistent, these special occasions are even more exciting. Get to the Point. Know where youre going with your lesson. If youve followed the steps of doing your own homework, this will likely be a no brainer, but especially for new ESL teachers, it can be easy to let the students decide how long youll be spending on each activity. Try to be the invisible puppet master insteadThis doesnt mean that the students need to know from minute one what theyre going to learn, but you do. If youre starting class with a game, make sure that the game is going to end with an introduction to the focus of the classfor example, if youre asking students to describe themselves, the class will likely be about adjectives. If youre asking students to describe their house, maybe youll be talking about prepositions. If youre letting students try some tongue twisters, maybe youll be concentrating on pronunciation. Make sure that each activity leads into the next whenever you decided that it would. Students might not know where youre going with the game or intro activity, but you absolutely shouldand you should ideally be able to wrap up the class in a way that validates everything from even the first activity. Stay Relevant. Every ESL teacher needs a good textbook, but thats not enough to make sure that your students are staying interested in their English language lessons. Microsoft Text Speech Voice S. Scour the web and the TV to make sure that youre making the most of current events, movies and pop culture by bringing those things into the classroom. That being said, be sure to bring in relevant outside sources intelligently. Theres no reason to discuss a modern song if youre just going to talk about it. Get creative Use Came in Like a Wrecking Ball to introduce never and ever. Explore negative contractions with What Makes You Beautiful. If youre doing your homework, youre sure to find creative ways to include even more songs and other types of pop culture in your class. Dont Let Students Hide, But Dont Put Them in the Spotlight. In your ESL class, youre sure to have a variety of students. Some will be gregarious, and some will be almost painfully shy. As an ESL teacher, it can be difficult to find the proper balance between inviting shy students to speak without scaring them and asking the more outgoing ones to step aside without silencing them. One of the best ways to deal with this is to ban hand raising in your class.