Teach English in Xindianzi Zhen - Huhehaote Shi — Hohhot

As the English language continues to gain popularity all over the world as a requirement for most educational and professional purposes, many students from non-native countries (whether adult or child) are seeking for a proper English education. Many language schools employ different methodologies when it comes to teaching non-native speakers English. These different methodologies, also called teaching styles, can be defined as the general principles and management strategies that a teacher uses inside a classroom to give instruction. While the institute might have a specific teaching method outline, every teacher has his/her own style of teaching. With the ever growing world of business and culture, teachers are continuing to adjust their approach to suit the students’ learning needs, however, there a few fundamental styles that can be recognized as the most common and efficient: The direct method, the grammar translation method, the Audio Lingual method, Suggestopedia, Communicative Language Teaching, The Silent Way, Community Language Learning, Task Based Learning and The Lexical Approach. The Direct method otherwise known as the Natural way is a style that uses target language that the students are trying to learn. The main focus of this style is to develop oral skill and this is done through repetitive drilling. The Grammar is taught using an inductive approach and the students need to try and figure out what the rules are through the teachers’ presentation. The Grammar Translation method just like its name suggest, relies on a lot of translation. This method requires that the teacher be proficient in the students own language. The main idea is that new language is taught through translation by finding the equivalent in the native language of the student. The students would learn all the grammar rules and this could take away from the natural way of learning and the input that would come from it. This is a ‘classical’ or traditional way of teaching and it is still commonly used today. The Audio-Lingual approach is based on the behaviorist theory that suggests things are able to be learned by constant reinforcement. It focuses on long repetition drills that are aimed at conditioning the students to use the language properly. Suggestopedia is also another behaviorist theory, it relies heavily on the students beliefs about the method’s effectiveness. Its focus is on the comfort, confidence and peace of the students. This method could also feature personal element in which the teacher and the students exist in a parent-child relationship. The idea behind the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach is to help learners communicate in a more correct and effective way when they find themselves in realistic situations. Its focus is mainly on the functions such as agreeing, inviting, complaining, or suggesting, etc. It takes away the over reliance of grammar and vocabulary. This style is aimed more at completing a task rather than the accuracy of the language. The Silent Way is a methodology where the teacher tries to say as little as possible. The teacher would simply act as a facilitator to encourage the students to be more proactive in their learning. There is a large focus on pronunciation and the teacher would mainly evaluate the students through observation. Community Language Learning is where students are given control and they must decide what they want to focus on or speak about. It is one of the styles where the learner feels the safest and it is mainly student-centered. Task-Based Learning focuses on task completion. The teacher would usually set relevant and interesting topics and the students are expected to use their pre-existing knowledge of the language to complete the task. The Lexical approach focuses on Vocabulary and lexical components in the order of their frequency and usage in the real world. It believes that words and phrases encourage a better acquisition rather than grammar and rules. With so many options and different styles to teach, one should be able to find which style best suits their students needs and thus will be more effective. A good teacher should always be sensitive to the classes’ needs and differences as this might affect the overall productivity and outcome of the learning experience. Teaching has been shown to be a very rewarding occupation and thus both teachers and students need to ensure that they do all they can to benefit from this experience.