Teach English in Heqiao Zhen - Wuxi Shi

Per ITTT’s definition in Unit 1: Teachers and Learners, a beginner language level student is someone with zero knowledge of English to a very basic knowledge of English which cannot be quickly or easily activated. In other words, a beginner student has not been exposed to English or either they understand that a language called English exists but never needed to use it. Personally, I think beginner students are the most important level where a teacher must be careful as instructors because a student’s first opinion about English and motivation to learn the language is dependent on how the teacher shares and teaches English. Similar to first impressions are lasting impressions, first experiences can affect a student’s attitude when learning a new language. Therefore, as a teacher for beginner students, one must constantly be thinking in two perspectives, teacher and student mindset, when lesson planning, setting up the classroom environment, or interactions with the students. In the teacher perspective, one has to constantly think about the lesson structure, activities, flow from study stage to activity stage, and emphasis on clear and simple instructions. The lesson structure should be more straight-forward with a clear objective stated in the beginning, so the students will not be overwhelmed and can easily remember the objective. Activities are important because this will capture the interest of the learner and if the activities are engaging, then the students will effectively learn and more likely to commit to memory any new things that have been taught. Additionally, a teacher must also be thinking in a student perspective like, “What tools in this lesson can I do on my own and practice? Why is it important to learn about grammar?” By thinking in the student perspective, a teacher can understand the why behind most activities and be able to predict any challenges that students may face during the lesson. Therefore, the teacher will be prepared to answer any questions. Furthermore, there are 3 additional approaches that are fundamental to teaching beginner level students: energy level, confidence mindset, and practice focused. Energy level is something that the teacher can control and should try to evoke the same energy level from the students. Since the students are learning English for the first time, the classroom should be high energy and positive, so this creates a safe environment where the students feel comfortable and willing to learn. A student almost always senses the teacher's energy and will bounce off from the energy that the teacher exudes. When a teacher is excited about a lesson, then students are more likely to participate, and the more interaction will make the lesson interesting. Similarly, if a teacher is sending a positive message that they want to be in the class, then the students will have more trust in the teacher and will attend class consistently. Overall, the importance of energy level is to create a fun, safe environment, so the beginner students can explore English. Secondly is a confidence mindset, this is an attitude that the teacher must cultivate within each student as they are learning. A teacher has a lot of control in this aspect because the student trusts the teacher’s feedback. Therefore, a teacher must be mindful of how and when to correct a student’s mistake or behavior in the classroom. If the teacher shows they are confident in their students answers even if it is a mistake, the teacher should be encouraging because at least the student tried to answer. Similarly, even for difficult lessons, the teacher should be confident that their students will be able to understand a hard lesson and help make their students realize that they aren’t learning alone but any challenges will be tackled together. This type of mindset requires being patient with the students and creating room for self-discovery where the student finds their own confidence and decides to not give up even if there are obstacles. The teacher should be there to provide guidance when needed. Lastly is the practice focused approach. This is something that the teacher must facilitate and incorporate in every lesson. As a beginner learner it is crucial that they understand the importance of practice, because learning any new language requires becoming familiar with the language. As the student is learning vocab, grammar, or diction, the teacher should always have a listening audio ready to play for the students to continually hear the sounds of the alphabet or how a native will normally speak English. While keeping this in mind, the teacher should try their best to speak in simple English and not in the native country’s language, if they are able. Although, I would argue that English teachers who know the foreign language are at an advantage and are better equipped to teach beginner level students, since they can easily communicate and receive feedback to improve the lessons. Overall, the practice focus approach is emphasizing that practice will help the students become comfortable hearing themselves speak in English, therefore, they’ll be able to eventually start catching their own mistakes.