Tips for new teachers

[wernst]

Ive been doing some private teaching the past couple of weeks and I must say it's going better than I expected, the students pick up more than I hoped for.

Yet I feel I need to shape up my classes and get some basic structure going, now i'm just going from one direction to another.

I hope someone could give a beginning teacher some tips, tricks, insights on how to properly educate students. What is your basic teaching structure?

Im teaching 2 hours classes is this too long? should I do only 1 hour classes? Where would a teacher best promote he is looking for students?

Mind you, just doing this aside my regular job, don't want to do this fulltime.
However I want to do it properly.

[KansaiBen]

I hope someone could give a beginning teacher some tips, tricks, insights on how to properly educate students. What is your basic teaching structure?

Im teaching 2 hours classes is this too long? should I do only 1 hour classes? Where would a teacher best promote he is looking for students?

Mind you, just doing this aside my regular job, don't want to do this fulltime.
However I want to do it properly.

Probably too long to give you a CELTA type lesson here, are you using a textbook or are you just winging it? Do you know what you want to achieve by the end of the lesson? Do you have an favorite lessons to teach certain things, eg giving directions, asking the time?

Some things I usually do.

Do a warm up activity, dont just go in teaching cold. Spend ten minutes teaching pronunciation/intonation or a vocabulary brainstorming.
Do you do pre-speaking activity? what does student know about the topic? Does he/she have any opinions? Related vocabulary? Like the movies, set the mood first.
Tie activities to students life, so they understand why its relevant or they have something to connect to.
Vary the activities dont try and do too much at once.
Most important thing is relax, be approachable. Go at students pace, not yours.
Review regularly as they forget stuff.


I teach a four hour class at the moment, usually 90 minutes is about my limit but a break is needed after 2 hours. Depends on age and ability of student.

[wernst]

Probably too long to give you a CELTA type lesson here, are you using a textbook or are you just winging it? Do you know what you want to achieve by the end of the lesson? Do you have an favorite lessons to teach certain things, eg giving directions, asking the time?

Thank you for the quick reply mate. Well I always do first lesson free so I can hear what their goal is and based on that I decide what I will teach.
I'm not winging it persee but I do feel Im not well prepared. I usually write down what I want to do during a class but I get lost during the first subject and sometimes spend too much time before moving to the next.

Some things I usually do.

Do a warm up activity, dont just go in teaching cold. Spend ten minutes teaching pronunciation/intonation or a vocabulary brainstorming.
Do you do pre-speaking activity? what does student know about the topic? Does he/she have any opinions? Related vocabulary? Like the movies, set the mood first.
Tie activities to students life, so they understand why its relevant or they have something to connect to.
Vary the activities dont try and do too much at once.

I usually start off with a basic conversation, see if they picked anything up from a previous lesson. Correct them where needed.
Tie activities? I assume you mean they should think how something is said in English then Japanese in their daily life?

Most important thing is relax, be approachable. Go at students pace, not yours.
Review regularly as they forget stuff.


I teach a four hour class at the moment, usually 90 minutes is about my limit but a break is needed after 2 hours. Depends on age and ability of student.

Yep figured that out. I kind of told one student that I would give her some homework and that she would have to repeat her vocabulary often if she wanted to improve. Never heard from her again.

Thanks again mate.

[Ken44]

....Thank I kind of told one student that I would give her some homework and that she would have to repeat her vocabulary often if she wanted to improve. Never heard from her again.

Let that be a warning and remember for most language schools the motto is, “Lose students. Get fired"

[KansaiBen]

Thank you for the quick reply mate. Well I always do first lesson free so I can hear what their goal is and based on that I decide what I will teach.

what you are talking about is needs analysis. not so much goal setting. Thats only part of it. Ask questions and (get specific answers rather than the waffly vague) I want to speak English BS). If you dont know where you are going you wont know when you get there. Its like setting a course on a cruise ship (Gee I want to sail to Guam how do I get there?)

1. why does the student want to learn English
2. where might he use English most (home? study abroad? work)
3. what of four skills is most important (reading writing, speaking listening? Rate them 1-5 in order of importance
4. Most lessons require a combination of all 4.
5. How will you teach the lesson? (seems you have the"what" but not the "how" worked out)
6. will there be any assessment (checking whether they understand what they learn, lots of students fake it or think they do a unit they have mastered it)
7. Ask student what they want to be able to do in 3 months, 6 months? Rome wasnt built in a day, be realistic, take whatever student says and divide in half.

I'm not winging it persee but I do feel Im not well prepared. I usually write down what I want to do during a class but I get lost during the first subject and sometimes spend too much time before moving to the next.

If you are writing it down during class that is too late. When I was teaching kindy kids I was winging it and soon realised I need structure. Buy a notebook, for each lesson write down in 10 minute increments what you plan to do. Warm up activity, speaking activity, information gap (where they seek information from partner, fill in the blanks). Vocab exercise. Writing exercise. Free speaking.

Understand how to be able to do each task, Dont wait until you are in front of a paying student, so they can see you have no idea what you are doing. They are paying you to teach them, not you teaching yourself.

I usually start off with a basic conversation, see if they picked anything up from a previous lesson. Correct them where needed.

If you talk for the sake of talking you will run out of topics, conversation. Students need vocab and grammar to hold up their end of a conversation, have neither and conversation will wither on the vine. I have a new private who wants free speaking and text book but I said he has no vocabulary. You have to structure speaking activities within the lesson. It would be like asking you to have a chinwag in Japanese despite you being at the katakana, N5 level in Japanese.

I assume you mean they should think how something is said in English then Japanese in their daily life?

all beginners will translate and process language into Japanese until it becomes automatic, usually around the intermediate level. I find free conversation easier with that level than beginners which is like pulling teeth as I mentioned above. Japanese and English can not be directly translated as some things are based on nuance, situation e.g. use of sumimasen,. Im sorry, gomen nasai etc. Use of polite or friendly language.

I kind of told one student that I would give her some homework and that she would have to repeat her vocabulary often if she wanted to improve. Never heard from her again.

Thanks again mate.

Then set some ground rules. rather than have them think they are paying you to entertain them or they learn by osmosis. tell them if they want to get better they HAVE to take responsibility for their own learning. If they dont want to do that they are wasting your time and theirs. If they want to pay so I can talk at them then fine, its their money. Not a good use of your time or you really need the money.

You also have to educate students on how to study and learn effectively. 90% dont have a clue and if you dont know either then its the blind leading the blind here.