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Teach English in Tiandian Zhen - Xiaogan Shi

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Tiandian Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Xiaogan Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.

I am a non-native English teacher, currently living and working in China. Honestly, I was hired by my first school, when I had absolutely no experience of teaching English. In my first training center, the absolute majority of students were preschoolers or students of a primary school and I also had a part-time job in the kindergarten. At first, it was hard for me to understand what really attracts kids to learn English in such an early age and what motivates them to come to our center twice a week and what keeps them interested. With the time, I understood that there are two essential things in teaching preschoolers or very young students – personality of a teacher and activities that he or she holds in the classroom. At first, it was extremely hard for me, as I did not know any games, which are fun but at the same time are education-oriented, so sometimes my classes were quite boring and I could see that on the face of my students. That was not inspiring at all. Eventually, my colleagues and me started to hold meetings. We found and created quite a lot of different games and activities. Changes came immediately. I found out that the receipt of success in working with young learners is to keep them interested from first until last second of a class. At the same time, I should admit that I was using games quite chaotically. As I got more experienced, I understood that each type of activity should be used in the suitable situation. For example, if I see that my students look sleepy or tired, I would try to play games that are more active in the beginning of a class to embolden them. E.g. games with soft hammers, ball or “bomb word card”. At the same time, if I see my students overactive I would try to play quite games or use simple worksheets, which include coloring, matching etc. So, games do not only keep children interested and help to establish good rapport between teacher and students, but they are also a powerful instrument which helps teacher to control the flow of a class and students’ mood. After finishing TEFL course, I have a very useful information about structure of ESA lessons. For instance, now I know that prior to individual drilling, we must drill together to imbue students with confidence. Therefore, I use certain games for the drilling with the whole class and other games to drill individually and check the pronunciation. And of course, I use certain games and activities for the engage and activate stages as well. Right now, I can say with confidence that my classes are better structured and balanced as I allocate my activities more efficiently. I would like to be brief in the conclusion: games and fun activities play an essential part in teaching of young learners. Correctly chosen and allocated games can not only keep students interested and motivated, but also make process of teaching much more effective and attractive.


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