Teaching English as a second language to beginners would be a challenge for anyone. In fact, by carrying out this work, obstacles on the path will be on the agenda, regardless of one's training or experience. Just as with teaching other subjects, each individual student has a different pace and way of learning. Furthermore, the pupils' native language itself brings with it unique challenges. In any case, with a lot of study and commitment, it is possible to acquire the necessary knowledge to devote oneself to this profession.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Teaching the Basics
Step 1. Start with the alphabet and numbers
These are in fact the very first topics to be taught, as they allow to lay the foundations for the study to come.
- Invite students to learn the alphabet up to a certain letter. For example, you can learn it from A to M, and then from N to Z. Complete it at a pace that suits everyone's needs. The point is to encourage pupils to commit and improve, but without putting them under pressure.
- Invite them to work on the numbers. You can use the same method used with the alphabet, which is to start with 1 and proceed gradually according to the learning needs of the students. You could prepare exercise cards and distribute them to pupils so that they can practice writing letters and / or numbers.
- To help you teach and encourage learning, use flashcards. Write a word on a teaching card for each letter of the alphabet.
- Learning the writing system is obviously easier for students who already use the Latin alphabet in their native language.
Step 2. Teach pronunciation, especially for more difficult sounds
This is extremely important for anyone teaching English as a second language. Try to focus on particularly complex sounds for learners who are not native speakers, such as:
- Th. The th (found in words like theater or thing) is present in very few languages. Consequently, for many non-native speakers (such as those who speak Romance or Slavic languages) it is relatively difficult.
- R. The r is just as complicated for many non-native speakers. The reasons are different, one of these is the variation to which the pronunciation is subject in the various regional dialects.
- L. For some non-native speakers, l is another complex sound, especially if they come from East Asia. Give her some extra time in case of difficulty.
Step 3. After teaching the alphabet and numbers, move on to nouns, which is one of the easiest topics for students to assimilate
In fact, all the things around them offer the opportunity to enrich the lexicon.
- Start with common objects found in the classroom.
- Switch to common objects found around the city, such as car, house, tree, road, and so on.
- Follow up with items that students use on a daily basis, such as food, electronic devices, etc.
Step 4. After the nouns, the next step is to teach verbs and adjectives
These parts of speech are of enormous importance to be able to develop complete sentences (written or oral).
- Adjectives modify or describe other words. For example, you can teach adjectives like wild, silly, troubled, and agreeable.
- Verbs describe an action. For example, you can teach verbs like: to speak, to talk and to pronounce.
- You need to make sure that students understand the difference between the parts of the speech. If they don't know how they work, they won't be able to speak or formulate sentences.
- Spend more time on irregular verbs. One of the most used and difficult is to go, whose past tense is went and the participle gone.
Step 5. Having dealt with the nouns, verbs and adjectives, go on to deepen the tenses and explain the articles
If students do not understand how these parts of speech are used, they will not be able to come up with complete sentences.
- The tenses determine the moment in which the action indicated by the verb is carried out. Explain how they combine with the past, present and future.
- Articles (a, an, the) are accessory parts that provide information about nouns, such as gender and number.
- Make sure students master verbs and articles, parts of speech that are of primary importance in order to be able to elaborate sentences and to express themselves correctly.
Step 6. To teach English even more effectively, invite students to practice and use common expressions
It is important that they do this, otherwise the literal meaning of the words will not be enough to understand the meaning of many commonly used phrases.
- You should encourage them to repeat (and use) these phrases until they can naturally fit them into a conversation.
- Start with expressions like never mind, no doubt, or make-believe.
- Provide a list of common phrases for them to work on and reflect on.
Step 7. Teach how to articulate a simple sentence
Having taught the alphabet, verbs, and other parts of speech, you should begin by explaining how a basic sentence is processed. This is an important step, as it lays the foundation for good writing skills, not to mention that it will help improve reading and comprehension skills. Teaches the five main schemes in which a sentence can be formulated in English:
- Subject-Verb. Such a sentence is very simple, in fact it has a subject and a verb. Example: The dog runs.
- Subject-Verb-Object. Such a sentence presents a subject followed by a verb, in turn followed by an object complement. Example: John eats pizza.
- Subject-Verb-Adjective. This type of sentence has a subject, a verb and an adjective. Example: The puppy is cute.
- Subject-Verb-Adverb. This sentence is made up of a subject followed by a verb and an adverb. Example: The lion is there.
- Subject-Verb-Noun. This sentence presents a subject, followed by a verb and a noun. Example: Emmanuel is a philosopher.
Part 2 of 3: Promote Good Habits
Step 1. Encourage students to speak only English in class
To facilitate learning, one of the most effective ways is to encourage pupils to speak only in English, not in other languages. This way they will be forced to use what they have learned and will master English better. In addition, the teacher will optimize their work and students will have more learning opportunities.
- This method is most effective with students who have already mastered the basics (i.e. they know how to ask simple questions, they know greetings, the alphabet and numbers).
- When a student makes a mistake, correct it appropriately.
- Always encourage students.
- This method is very effective when you invite pupils to repeat after you and / or to answer a question. For example, you can make a statement or ask a student something, so that he or she will have the opportunity to answer in English.
- Don't be too strict. If a student is having difficulty and is forced to say something in their own language, do not scold them, listen to their concerns.
Step 2. Provide oral and written instructions
When explaining an activity or giving instructions on homework, exercises or projects, you should always do it both verbally and in writing. Students will be able to hear your words and see them printed at the same time. This will help link the terms and improve pronunciation.
Before explaining an activity, print the instructions and distribute them to students. If you teach online, email them before discussing the topic via video
Step 3. Monitor students' progress constantly, regardless of the type of lesson you take or the activity assigned
Examining them will allow you to observe the improvements and see if they are struggling.
- If you are teaching the class in a real classroom, walk around the desks and talk to students to see if they have any problems.
- If you teach online, text or email students, asking if they need help.
- Try to be as helpful as possible when students are doing activities in the classroom or elsewhere.
Step 4. Promote different learning methods
Diversification allows you to teach English much more effectively. Variety is important for learning, consider that every student is different and learn at their own pace.
- Speak in English and encourage students to do the same
- Promote writing
- Encourage reading
- Stimulate listening
- Try to promote all forms of learning equally.
Step 5. Break up the lessons
If you teach beginners or very young students, break the lesson into segments of about 10 minutes, this way the attention will not drop, and you will also make sure that you do not put too much meat on the fire.
- You don't necessarily have to go back within 10 minutes, you can even take a few more if you feel like it.
- Each mini lesson must be different from the others, so students can keep their minds fresh and always be attentive.
- Change mini lessons daily. Try to offer as much variety as possible to keep students' attention and constantly stimulate them.
Part 3 of 3: Teaching while having fun
Step 1. Use the game to reinforce a concept
With games, students can learn while having fun, and at the same time they can be encouraged to think in an original and different way.
- Try scoring quizzes to get students to compete with each other.
- If you want students to collaborate, you can divide them into teams to take a quiz.
- Use flashcards to play memory games or riddles. For example, show a flashcard with a clue and ask students to guess the correct answer.
Step 2. Use pictures and videos to teach
This method is important in order to improve the ability to associate words. By using visual means in this regard, students will be able to reinforce the connection between new ideas and terms learned in class. Consider:
- Pictures and photographs
- Postcards
- Video
- Maps
- Comics (they are especially useful because they combine images and text).
Step 3. Promote the use of targeted language learning apps
Incorporating the use of mobile applications is another effective way to teach English. The apps are in fact very useful to better fix the concepts acquired in class, because students can use them to practice their language skills or learn new expressions and words.
- There is a large number of specific language learning apps available on all operating systems.
- Many, like Duolingo, are free.
- Some apps give you the ability to collaborate with other students to learn.
Step 4. Take advantage of social networks
They are useful for teaching English to beginners. They offer the opportunity to introduce colloquial expressions and commonly used words. In addition, they allow you to observe the concrete use of the language and put your knowledge into practice.
- Explain a new phrase each time you teach. Choose a common or colloquial one.
- Invite students to follow famous people on Twitter and translate their tweets.
- Open a group on a social network and invite students to share news, explaining it or translating it into English.
Advice
- Try to deepen your teaching knowledge by taking a course, even a short one. You will better acquire the basics, ideas and techniques of this industry. Courses for English teachers are available almost everywhere.
- Always try to have enough resources to give a lesson.
- Prepare everything you need for the lesson in advance, establishing an order of use. Keep extra materials available too, you never know. In some cases it proceeds faster than expected. Some topics may be of little interest to students, so it would be boring to deal with them even for just 10 minutes.
