How I teach
‘Speak! & Speak English!’
First and foremost, a relaxed learning environment needs to be established. Students need to feel at ease in class, have no fear of embarrassment or criticism, and simply enjoy their time learning English. I have a professional, yet informal, laid-back approach. I'm always well-prepared, with a plan of what I would like to cover in class, but if the lesson goes in a different direction due to the students’ interest or needs, then so be it.
I don’t waste face-to-face time giving students lengthy reading and writing tasks; these I give for homework, when wanted. Time together is predominantly for speaking practice and language exercises, and I expect students to speak. Danes nearly always claim to be worse at English than they actually are. What they lack is confidence. I encourage students not to worry so much about making mistakes. We learn from mistakes. I encourage students to simply try, and if they can’t express their meaning one way, then try a different way. All the time I am noting the difficulties each student is having, and these problems are then addressed. By speaking more, students realise that they can make themselves understood, and their confidence, as a result, will grow. As they speak, they activate more and more of their passive vocabulary - words that once sat at the front of their minds but over time have drifted further back.
I firmly believe in the merits of 'total immersion' – that is, the best way to learn a language is to totally immerse yourself in it, only hearing and speaking that language. Ideally, this would be done living for a time in the country it is spoken, but for the 2 or 3 hours a week, total immersion is what students get. And it works! A teacher is not a talking dictionary – a quick translation into Danish does nothing to help the student to remember the word/phrase and use it effectively.
Teacher-talk vs Student-talk
The balance between teacher-talk and student-talk should weigh heavily with the latter (the students). It’s more beneficial for both the teacher and students if the teacher has a less-involved role – the teacher can focus entirely on what the students are saying, where they are experiencing difficulties, what errors are repeated and in need of attention, what words and phrases are being over-used or used wrongly, what words they lack, and what words are being mispronounced or are too formal/pretentious/impolite/dull etc.
Handling grammar
It’s almost impossible to avoid grammar entirely, but there are ways to make it a less dull and daunting prospect. There are few things less inspiring for students than a teacher standing at the front giving a long-winded grammar presentation full of bewildering terminology, then saying ‘Got it?’ These teachers should be shot on sight.
I employ two language teaching approaches that avoid such lengthy grammar monologues. One is known as ‘Guided Discovery’. Essentially, students ‘discover’ for themselves grammar rules and how to use them, guided by the teacher through activities where the grammar focus is not apparent. In this way, the students are learning through doing, not listening then trying. The other technique is the ‘Lexical Approach’. Essentially, this approach takes the focus away from grammar and puts it on the lexis of the language – the words and phrases that make up the language. By building up phrases, and showing the different ways that words interlink, grammar takes very much a secondary role. As I believe these two approaches are the most effective, especially for Danes with grammarphobia, I select and develop material that shares my principles.
I should note here that having been teaching for 23 years, including stints in grammar-obsessed countries such as Poland, my grammar knowledge is excellent, and if students want grammar, then effective grammar teaching is what they’ll get.
Meeting needs and wishes
In regard to meeting the needs and wishes of students, I’ve spent 23 years doing this and have no doubt as to my competence in continuing to do so.
By spending time on research and preparation, all subject matters can be taught effectively. You don’t need to be a doctor to teach medical English, a lawyer to teach legal English, or a banker to teach financial English. You need to be a professional English teacher committed to spending time exploring the subject matter. Just because you’re English, it doesn’t mean you can teach the language.
‘Speak! & Speak English!’
First and foremost, a relaxed learning environment needs to be established. Students need to feel at ease in class, have no fear of embarrassment or criticism, and simply enjoy their time learning English. I have a professional, yet informal, laid-back approach. I'm always well-prepared, with a plan of what I would like to cover in class, but if the lesson goes in a different direction due to the students’ interest or needs, then so be it.
I don’t waste face-to-face time giving students lengthy reading and writing tasks; these I give for homework, when wanted. Time together is predominantly for speaking practice and language exercises, and I expect students to speak. Danes nearly always claim to be worse at English than they actually are. What they lack is confidence. I encourage students not to worry so much about making mistakes. We learn from mistakes. I encourage students to simply try, and if they can’t express their meaning one way, then try a different way. All the time I am noting the difficulties each student is having, and these problems are then addressed. By speaking more, students realise that they can make themselves understood, and their confidence, as a result, will grow. As they speak, they activate more and more of their passive vocabulary - words that once sat at the front of their minds but over time have drifted further back.
I firmly believe in the merits of 'total immersion' – that is, the best way to learn a language is to totally immerse yourself in it, only hearing and speaking that language. Ideally, this would be done living for a time in the country it is spoken, but for the 2 or 3 hours a week, total immersion is what students get. And it works! A teacher is not a talking dictionary – a quick translation into Danish does nothing to help the student to remember the word/phrase and use it effectively.
Teacher-talk vs Student-talk
The balance between teacher-talk and student-talk should weigh heavily with the latter (the students). It’s more beneficial for both the teacher and students if the teacher has a less-involved role – the teacher can focus entirely on what the students are saying, where they are experiencing difficulties, what errors are repeated and in need of attention, what words and phrases are being over-used or used wrongly, what words they lack, and what words are being mispronounced or are too formal/pretentious/impolite/dull etc.
Handling grammar
It’s almost impossible to avoid grammar entirely, but there are ways to make it a less dull and daunting prospect. There are few things less inspiring for students than a teacher standing at the front giving a long-winded grammar presentation full of bewildering terminology, then saying ‘Got it?’ These teachers should be shot on sight.
I employ two language teaching approaches that avoid such lengthy grammar monologues. One is known as ‘Guided Discovery’. Essentially, students ‘discover’ for themselves grammar rules and how to use them, guided by the teacher through activities where the grammar focus is not apparent. In this way, the students are learning through doing, not listening then trying. The other technique is the ‘Lexical Approach’. Essentially, this approach takes the focus away from grammar and puts it on the lexis of the language – the words and phrases that make up the language. By building up phrases, and showing the different ways that words interlink, grammar takes very much a secondary role. As I believe these two approaches are the most effective, especially for Danes with grammarphobia, I select and develop material that shares my principles.
I should note here that having been teaching for 23 years, including stints in grammar-obsessed countries such as Poland, my grammar knowledge is excellent, and if students want grammar, then effective grammar teaching is what they’ll get.
Meeting needs and wishes
In regard to meeting the needs and wishes of students, I’ve spent 23 years doing this and have no doubt as to my competence in continuing to do so.
By spending time on research and preparation, all subject matters can be taught effectively. You don’t need to be a doctor to teach medical English, a lawyer to teach legal English, or a banker to teach financial English. You need to be a professional English teacher committed to spending time exploring the subject matter. Just because you’re English, it doesn’t mean you can teach the language.
Gareth Prichard g@speakenglish.dk tel: 40988817