Teach English in Shentan Zhen - Zhuzhou Shi

Troubleshooting refers to a teacher’s ability to correct or alleviate problem situations that arise when Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Although each student is the one responsible for getting the most out of their own education, it is still the teachers duty to impart information effectively. Failure to address these problems effectively an significantly hinder a student’s learning ability. So, for teachers who care and desire to be effective, understanding what problems can arise and how to troubleshoot them is absolutely essential. To begin, when students arrive at class they may not necessarily be in the mood to learn English. A variety of things could be weighing on the students mind or they could be physically tired, thus not in the proper frame of mind to readily accept instruction. For instance, if a student already had mentally challenging classes all morning, then eats lunch, then when he arrives for the English lesson he quite possibly be physically fatigued and mentally exhausted. As a result of those factors, he is not going to be looking forward to having more instruction to understand. Unmotivated students are not likely to pay attention, or try to exert themselves to learn English and this is where teacher troubleshooting really helps a student clear this obstacle. There are many methods for warming a student up and getting them in the mood for English. One method is to begin the class with a simple game of hangman. For instance, the teacher could select a word that is related to the theme of the lesson, such as the seven letter word “vehicle”. The students could even be challenged by placing a 14 letter guess limit on them. Following completion of the game, the teacher could transition directly into a study phase for vocabulary by asking the question “What are different vehicles people use to travel?” And have students complete a vocabulary worksheet that matches pictures to the appropriate vehicle. Even if a student was not initially motivated to learn about transportation vocabulary, after the game and smooth transition into the study phase, they will feel more motivated to learn. However, even after motivating a student with a successful warmer to get their minds focused, a student might still hesitate to participate in the lesson. Reluctance to participate presents another obstacle for students of English. When students do not want to participate in the lesson, they lose out on valuable opportunities to produce the language. Reluctance can be caused by a variety of factors such as peer intimidation, confidence, or even the student’s cultural background. So, discerning the reason why a student appears reluctant will help in providing an effective method for encouraging student participation. For instance, if the student feels that they are not very good at producing the language and would rather not participate to avoid appearing unintelligent, then a teacher could allow time for controlled practice. Controlled practice in pairs would then give the student an opportunity to practice and receive teacher assistance, prior to speaking out loud before the class. Troubleshooting in this instance builds the students confidence, thus increasing the likelihood of their participation in class. In conclusion, these are just two of many problems a teacher could experience while Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Both the need for warmers and student reluctance are problems that can negatively impact a student’s ability to learn the English language. This is why a teacher needs to be aware of not simply teaching the language, but also understanding how to help students overcome hurdles the their personal learning experience. Navigating such hindrances successfully makes the teacher more effective and enables the student to focus on learning without distractions.