EnglishClub TEFL Forums (archived)

Hello everyone,

An inexperienced English teacher here asking for some advice.

I graduated from a very reputable university in Turkey, and teaching English was not really among my career plans. Yet, with some twist of fate, in the October of 2017 right after graduating I started teaching at this private institution. Things work in this institution in such a not-educationally-professional way that several months ago I quit the job. But now I am back and going to be working here for a while at least. So I have decided to -do my best to- figure out a way to make teaching here easier for me, and maybe even enjoyable. For this I need your advice.

In this institution there is no failure: even though a student may fail all the exams, if they have attended %70 of all classes they are given a certificate. Knowing this, students do not bother to learn. Most of them do not even do the homeworks. What I end up ultimately is a B1 class where some students cannot even speak A1 English. Because I can't fail them and they proceed to the next level nonetheless. So teaching in this kind of classes gets unbearable for me.

So here are my questions:

I) What can I do to make the students study? What can I use as leverage?

II) How can I acquire a method based more towards making them speak English, rather than mere grammar and vocavulary?

III) Any particular, efficient way of teaching a particular skill, or advice on teaching overall: they are all welcome.

Thanks!

This is a very common problem with teaching in many countries where all students are required to study English.

Basically, you need to look into student-centered activity-based lessons.

Plan for a warm-up activity at the beginning, something not too challenging.

The main lesson content in the middle with a presentation, practice and performance structure (PPP).

Close the lesson with another activity or game.

Use the stronger students to help with the presentations. Pairwork and groupwork can also allow stronger students help weaker classmates and makes lessons more of a social activity than having students work individually

You can make study interesting by following many techniques just like extracurricular activities, games and explain things practically. When you do all things apart from education, then you can motivate them with eagerness to study.

Oh man this exactly what I'm going through!

I teach English for vocational trainees who know in advance that that they'll pass no matter what they do in class. They are severly lacking in motivation, and as a new teacher I feel that this institution is hindering my progress. I've been teaching there for two years now and I feel that I learned nothing at all!

We, teachers who teach English as a compulsary supporting course often suffer from 3 main problems:
1- Students weak motivation or lack there of.
2- Unrealistic textbooks which are often of a much higher level than that of the students'.
3- Very disparate levels among students. I have students who can't read English with ones who are able to differentiate between past and present perfect tenses!

I really don't know if there is actually a soultion to such problem. How can you teach a student who really doesn't want to learn? Learning a new language a journey that requires patience and perseverance on the part if the learner.

I apologize if my reply is pessimistic. At least know that there is someone out there who feels your anguish