This is my first semester teaching Freshman Composition for ESL. I mean, on my own. I was a "grader" for ASU's online Freshman Composition classes (English 101 and English 102), but I didn't design those courses. I didn't have any say on the assignment sequencing. But, in a way, it was an ideal gig. I learned a lot about freshman comp writers (from all around the world!), the goals of freshman comp (including the WPA outcomes) and more. (It's because of this gig that I learned about Weebly and created this website!)
So it's not surprising that when I agreed to take on this English 107 (English 101 for ESL) at the community college, I thought about the assignment sequences, discussions, and other teachings in those online ASU modules. In fact, I constructed my own essay assignments based on what they did in those courses. I had a lot of fun designing the course! But as I executed these assignments and was with my students throughout their writing processes (not just the final draft grading, like I did for ASU), I found something I didn't expect. My ESL students struggled to exhibit critical thinking. What is critical thinking? It's something, I realized, I do all the time but never really thought about where I learned it or even what it is--- let alone how to teach it! Stumped and unsure about where to begin in defining and/or teaching critical thinking skills, I reached out to some experienced colleagues of mine. One of them shared an entire module on Canvas about critical thinking. In it, it defined critical thinking in this way: "Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following:
She also shared this video with me, which I asked my students to watch and respond to. I asked them to think about and rate their own critical thinking skills. The answers were interesting, varying from some students never having heard about critical thinking, to student claiming that they do it all the time. The challenges in teaching critical thinking So, I'd defined it and asked them about their abilities. Now it was time to "test" them on it. (Not a formal test or anything, but I wanted to see how they did at a critical thinking task.) I created an in class activity, which consisted of them watching a ted talk and reflecting on how the concepts taught might relate to their own lives. I picked an awesome ted talk, probably my favorite ever ted talk: The Danger of a Single Story. Here's what happened: 1) they complained, and 2) they summarized the ted talk on the worksheet I gave them. /face palm/ I didn't know what to do next, so I went to another colleague of mine, and we talked about the challenges of critical thinking skills in different cultures. See, this friend of mine had taught in a lot of different places and had learned a thing or two about the way some cultures view critical thinking. It turns out (and this makes sense!) that some cultures discourage and/or don't practice critical thinking skills. Not all cultures celebrate or value the individual. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but it explains why (maybe) my students didn't know how or didn't feel comfortable exhibiting critical thinking skills. What I did... So I went back to the drawing board. I discovered that there was nothing wrong with my critical thinking activity. In fact, when I assigned it as homework, they did quite well on it! They just needed some time on it, I guess, which makes sense. Thinking (let alone critical thinking) takes time. Oftentimes, I tell students (particularly in the tutoring center) that you know you're doing critical thinking right if you're head hurts. I suppose that's true. But I think what ESL students really need to learn critical thinking skills is 1) practice and 2) permission. The moment I gave them permission to talk about themselves (my writing projects were critical thinking driven), they took off like a rocket. It was amazing to see their unique, and interesting responses to the prompts I gave them. After all, it's one of the reasons I love teaching ESL so much. They have worthwhile perspectives.
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In my advanced ESL writing class (the bridge course that bleeds into Freshman Composition), I've been known to write THE TRANSLATOR IS THE ENEMY in big letters on the whiteboard and ask my students to say it out loud. Say it again. Louder! Scream it to believe it! Of course, this often results in giggling and sometimes eyes rolling, but they, hopefully, get the point that at this level of ESL, I expect them to not reach for their phone to translate something every two seconds.
In the tutoring center, I often give students "the translator talk." It's not the sex ed talk, but it's an important conversation to have with ESL students as they are advancing in their language abilities. At my community college, we have four levels of ESL (plus the bridge course, which is, technically, level five).
Giving the "translation talk" I've given this "talk" to all levels of our ESL program, but mostly the conversation begins at level three. I'm a little more straightforward about the disadvantages in using the translator, obviously, with my level four and five students than I am with those lower levels. But I help even those newbie English speakers know that their dependency on the translator will need to be broken at some point if they hope to become a fluent, confident English speaker. But here's the kind of conversation I might have with an ESL student. The tone and examples and length may vary, depending on my relationship with the student. It goes something like this (and usually when I notice the student translating a word that I think would be better learned via context and/or using the learners dictionary): "Oh, you're translating. I think translating little new words-- like chair, computer, or dog--- when you're first learning English is natural and helpful. But here's the thing. Your English is advancing. You're going to start running into situations where the word you're translating doesn't have a clear translation and visa versa. There are words or ideas in your first language that doesn't exist in English. Maybe you've encountered it before. Maybe not. But you will if you haven't. And that's a good thing! It means you're becoming more fluent in English... Idioms are good example of this. If you translate 'piece of cake,' you'll misunderstand the phrase. You'll think it's about cake when it's not. But idioms are not the only ideas that can be mistranslated. Be careful, because you could learn the word wrong. I encourage you to try figuring out the word using context clue and/or comparing the translation with a reliable dictionary. At some point, though, the translator will become your enemy. It will stop you from progressing in your language if you depend on it for everything..." Sometimes I have a follow up "translator talk" which is where I talk to them about needing to feel uncomfortable. That's a sign that your English is advancing, but to seek out appropriate resources and develop skills that will help them through that transition into fluency. (aka: tutoring center, office hours with instructor, asking trusted friends who speak English, learner's dictionary, identifying context clues, active listening, etc.) Translation is for survival, not fluency As I wrap up the blog post, I just want to make a final note, and that is that translation is a survival tool. Have I translated English words into other languages? Yes. Have I used google translate to do that? Yes. Have I successfully become fluent in another language by doing that, though? No. I've traveled and needed words in other languages to help me order my food, to find my hotel, to get cold water instead of room temperature (etc). Usually I ask a friend how to say this word in their language. When I was in Australia, I met a lot of people from different parts of the world. I collected how to say "I love you," in over twenty languages, not because I was learning twenty languages but because I wanted to tell my friends that I love them. Or say hi. I've collected how to say "hello." That's fine. But I don't expect to learn a language by translating. And neither should our students. Even with my newbies, my level one students, I try to help them find ways to lessen their need to translate. One way is to invite them to look up the word in google images. Seeing a picture and learning the word in English is a lot better than code switching back and forth. A student could, also, draw pictures of the words that they're learning and quiz themselves. Of course, not all words can translate to pictures perfectly, so in this case, I like to put the word in a sentence. Give several examples of the word, actually. That's super helpful! I wish there was a magic button that allowed us to learn a language, but there isn't. It takes time to be fluent. But when I give the "translation talk" to students, I always point out that they're having this problem because they're getting better at English, that this is a good thing, and that I'm here to help them, so don't give up. Part 1 of this blog talked about why I feel it's important to teach peer review skills to ESL, and Part 2 began dissecting my current methodology and practices for teaching peer review to advanced ESL writers. If you haven't checked those out, or my post on balancing feedback in ESL writing, do that, and then come back to this one... As I mentioned, my methodology for teaching peer review is not full proof. I can't promise it will work in your classroom or for all levels and ages. Even I have to tweak it (I teach the same course every semester), depending on the dynamics of the members of my class. With some variation, though, I generally go through these phases of teaching peer review, sometimes repeating and/or emphasizing some aspects more or less, depending on the group I have:
I've shared my thoughts on phases one and two, so let's jump into the third aspect of my teaching peer review to ESL students.
Even if I could, my students will go on to other classes, like freshman comp, where the teacher might not spend as much time explaining the types of suggestions they need to be writing on each other's papers. And, I've been there. I know what it's like to receive stink reviews from peers. For me, it's hit and miss. It'll be the same for my students. So, while they can't always control the kind of feedback they receive, they can control the kind of feedback they give. This phase in teaching peer review, then, is all about helping them give the right kinds of feedback. What this looks like in my teaching
4. PEER REVIEW TAKES TIME AND PRACTICE Before I break them into peer review partners, I tell them to share their contact details (phone, email, etc.). "You won't finish this activity in-class. If you do, you're doing it wrong." I remind them of this, again, at the end, just before letting them go, and encourage them to plan a time and place to continue the activity. The library? The tutoring center? I also tell my students that they will be graded on the peer review they give to the peer I assigned; however, they are more than welcome to set up additional peer review partners of their own choosing from our class. They just need to follow the guidelines/ steps I give them. I emphasize, again, the idea that it's better to give than receive, but also that peer review is a skill that needs to be practiced. The more they do it, the more comfortable and confident they'll be in it--- and their writing will improve because of their peer reviewing efforts. Believe it or not, some students take me up on this suggestion. They'll have two or three different peer review partners, and they'll do it at different stages of their process. Yes! *fist pump* What this looks like in my teaching
As I mentioned in part 1 in this blog, I believe teaching peer review skills to ESL is important--- essential. It needs to be part of their writing process. English is challenging. If they don't ever ask for help from a peer, tutor, or instructor, they may forever drown and/or think they are bad a writing, when it's really the process that they struggle with. I'm still tweaking my methodology, so don't think I'll forever teach it like this, but these are the aspects of peer review my ESL students need to learn and relearn.
I times the anxiety, stress, writers block, and discouragement I've felt as a writer by at least double when I think about my ESL students. They're writing in a second language (sometimes third or fourth language!). That's amazing. While teaching writing to ESL, please, always keep that perspective, and help students keep that perspective, too. What they are doing is challenging. Not impossible, but challenging. HOW TO TEACH PEER REVIEW TO ESL As I mentioned in the first part of this blog, my methodology for teaching peer review is not full proof. I can't promise it will work in your classroom or for all levels and ages. Even I have to tweak it (I teach the same course every semester), depending on the dynamics of the members of my class. With some variation, though, I generally go through these phases of teaching peer review, sometimes repeating and/or emphasizing some aspects more or less, depending on the group I have:
Writing isn't like that. I've learned that the writing process is not linear. The steps are often repeated over and over. It's messy. It's time consuming. So that's the first thing I teach my students. After I feel like I've hammered that idea, I then start in on the cultural implications of peer review, which is a unique aspect of the writing process. Americans love to collaborate I often ask my students if they've ever done peer review. I usually have one or two hands go up. The rest just stare at me with blank faces. It could be that I teach freshmen, and they are the masters of blank stares, but I also believe that peer review is a unique thing that we teach in our American (western-culture) colleges. We're all about collaboration, working in teams, small groups and getting individualized and personalized feedback. We value the "average-Joe" or individual voice, so when we write, we need to make our ideas original and help each other express our ideas the best we can. And, as ESL, we can use all the help we can get! (Most students believe that part.) What this looks like when I'm teaching
2. PEER REVIEW ISN'T EDITING OR POINTING OUT ERRORS This is the probably the aspect in peer review I emphasize the most for my ESL students. I often go around during peer review to make sure students are practicing this because a lot of them have it in their head that the only feedback you can get (and give) in writing is grammar. It's this misunderstanding that causes most of my students to have poor experience with peer review. They get "bad" or "wrong" advice from peers. It's also the thing that makes students feel like they can't be good peer reviewers. They don't feel qualified to do the "teacher's" job.
If they happen to know the correct past tense for a particular irregular verb or spelling of a difficult word, they can comment on it, but they don't have to. Their job is not to check the grammar. Their job is to share their opinion--- as a reader!--- and what the writer could do to better express his or her ideas. This can come from good questions about the content, looking for and commenting on the effectiveness of the thesis, etc. What this looks like when I'm teaching
A tutor sits down for a session in the writing center with an English as a second language (ESL) student. “What are you working on?” the tutor asks. Digging through his backpack, the student says, “Paper for class. I just need help with grammar.” Finding the paper, he places it on the desk. “Fix it..” The student pushes the paper towards the tutor.
Maybe it is for some people, but after a few years of teaching, I'm finding that it's pretty much the same thing for me. I find students highly concerned about grammatical errors when what they really need is a solid thesis statement. I know you're probably anticipating the part 2 to my "Peer Review" blog post, but I wanted to establish a few things about teaching writing before we jump into teaching our students to teach each other. (AKA: Peer Review) The first things to consider As a tutor, I always ask a few questions to the writer before I dig into their writing. My first writing center coordinator always said, "We help writers, not just writing." I have about four questions that I ask before I look at their writing, but the three in the picture below are essential for tutoring, I think. (And for student-teacher conferences.)
Global versus Local concerns It has been a common belief among tutors, students and faculty that a tutor cannot discuss global concerns before first addressing any and all grammatical errors in second language students’ writing. Gillespie and Lerner (2000) strongly dispute this myth, claiming that most who come into the center asking for grammar help generally need more than that (p.121), including “clarity, focus, and organization” (Blau & Hall, 2002, p. 35). I learned in my MTESOL that, even though ESL often tend to struggle with English grammar more than native language speakers--- (Let's be honest, the language is crazy!)--- they also need to learn to follow the writing process, which is to (as much as possible) reserve editing exercises for the last stage of the process. When working with ESL writers, we need to read through the grammatical errors and see the ideas that are being presented and help them identify ways to improve their organization. We need to use all the tricks in our bag when working with ESL and not give up and take-over their revision process simply because the grammar sucks. If we do this, we could be teaching the student that they need an editor when the reality is that they can express their ideas in a second language fine and, with practice, get better at English grammar, too. They can become their own editors, just like native English speakers. (It just takes time and persistence.) Nothing means more to an ESL writer than saying, "I understand your idea in this sentence or paragraph." They need to hear this despite the poor grammar choices. And let's be fair--- the majority of the grammar errors I see at the level I'm teaching are often similar to native speakers anyway: comma splices, fragments, run-ons, verb tense agreement, etc. Yes, prepositions, too, but those shouldn't hinder the reading too much. You can read through them. I'm not saying we shouldn't teach grammar. Of course we should teach grammar! But teach it when they're at the editing stage, and... teach it. Don't just give it to them. Advice for finding balance Recently, I gave a mini-workshop to all the writing, grammar and ESL tutors in the tutoring center I coordinate. (Yep, you read that right. I'm the tutor coordinator now, as of January 2017. Boo yeah!). I've attached my powerpoint for that workshop below. Essentially, (and this can apply to student-teacher conferences), when I meet with a student about their writing and all they want help with is grammar help, I slip in these three principles as much as possible: Even if you're a stickler for grammar, you'll be upset if your student wrote a process essay when you asked for a comparison, right? Telling students this "secret" will help them want to work on their thesis before (or alongside) the grammar. Even if you know the assignment instructions (heck, sometimes we've written them!), it's a good idea to read them with the student because it shows them how they can find their own answers. They can figure out the things the teacher is most concerned about (and how they'll be graded!). It will help them know what they're "supposed to write." They can identify where they went off topic in their own writing, too. Conclusion I strive for student autonomy. I want my students to become independent thinkers and writers. We're not always going to be there to tell them which modal they need, or how to start a new writing project, so it's important we help them learn the process and become self editors. It's a tricky balance, but with practice, you can get better at giving feedback to ESL writers.
First of all, let me give you a bit of context. You can read my full bio, but I teach ESL (English as a Second Language) at the community college. I've taught lower levels before, but for the past three or four years I've been teaching advanced writing to ESL. I, specifically, help with what I call the "bridge" course. It's basically the writing course after all of our ESL courses (we have four levels of skills) and just before our freshman composition.
Exploring the importance of Peer Review Over the last year or so I've been tweaking (a lot) with the idea of how to better teach peer review to ESL. As a writing tutor for ten plus years, I've had a lot of training in how to work with writers and best practices for giving useful comments that will help writers gain confidence and learn to brainstorm, draft, revise and edit on their own. And for many of those years I was a peer tutor, which means that I was a student like them, not an instructor. (Although, truth be told, peer tutoring isn't much different than tutoring as an instructor, which I currently do at the community college and online.) My Master's thesis was, essentially, on helping students to take control of their own writing process and discussing tutor strategies for avoiding appropriation (taking-over) in a session, specifically in helping ESL writers. I called it "Finding Feedback Footing," because it's a tricky balance, especially when working with ESL students. Why do we teach peer review to ESL? Well, I can't speak for all ESL teachers, but I started teaching peer review in my advanced writing classes because I knew that my students would be expected to do it in their freshman comp class. I wanted them to have a head-start in it. I also wanted to do it because I'm a tutor and I strongly believe in seeking out and giving advice for writing projects. Like I said, I was a peer tutor, so I was in the Writing Center while I was earning my English degree. I often tell people that I learned everything I needed to know about academic writing while tutoring. When you teach something, you learn it better, so I really liked the idea of helping students have the opportunity to teach others, like I did. How to teach peer review This is something that I've been playing with since I started teaching advanced writing, and I'd like to say I have a perfect solution that will work with any class, but I can't. I don't think I could even promise you that my current methodology will work for all community colleges. Nevertheless, I'm quite proud of my teaching process, especially this week because I just witnessed a student having an ah-ha moment during peer review, and it was priceless. So...I want to spend some time dissecting the process I go through to teaching peer review (because it's grown, especially, over the past year), but before I do that, I just want to mention that I was at AZTESOL this last weekend, and someone there mentioned that he teaches his basic writing students to practice peer review. And I thought, why not? As I've been thinking about my lessons on peer review this week I thought about whether or not what I teach my advanced students would work for beginners or basic ESL, and I think the answer is yes! Of course, I'd have to change the language, some of the videos and examples, but the steps I teach them are applicable to them. I think it's a great idea to introduce the idea of peer review as soon as possible. Empathy This blog is a two part. I've got a lot of thoughts on this topic, so you'll get more on my ideas for teaching peer review in the next post, but before I close this one, I just want to say some things on empathy. Something I promised myself when I became a teacher is that I would never ask my students to do something that I haven't first done myself, so (for example) when I did my book talk assignment for the first time, I did all the steps. I chose a book, I read it, and I gave a four minute presentation (no powerpoint) to my students. I've tried to incorporate this promise to myself for peer review. I've experienced peer review throughout college, but I think the best empathy-building experiences have come as I started my creative writing certificate. I had to read my poems and short stories in front of the class, as well as share it with the whole class---not just in pairs or groups, which I've done as well. I think it's important to remember the fear and stress I've felt sharing my own writing with others when teaching peer review. But then you have to times that fear by at least ten because these ESL students are sharing writing that is not in their first language. They are doing amazing things! Stuff that I could never do!... so that's a message that I try to share with my students as often as possible. So, there you have it. My thoughts on why teaching peer review skills are so important. Now read about my process for teaching it in part two. I haven't done a ton of private teaching, I'll admit, but I've learned some things from the little experience I have, and I've heard "horror-stories" from friends of what not-to-do. I'm an optimist, so I'm going to focus on the things TO DO or must-knows, as I like to call them. But first! Let me explain that I, personally, prefer working for a university or college. Recruiting students can be a challenge, especially if you're wanting to make private teaching your main source of income. Sometimes students "fall into my lap," just from being an instructor at a university or college, so I sometimes end up private teaching. (That happened to me this summer. I'm teaching two Chinese students, referred to me by a fellow ESL instructor). Each time, it's adventure! My first piece of advice when considering private teaching is... For example, I'm used to teaching college-age, so I wouldn't feel comfortable teaching anything younger. If I'm not comfortable, I won't enjoy the teaching. Of course, you want to be open-minded, but it's still a good thing to think about and consider when you're thinking about private teaching ESL. 2. Know what you are good at. I like reading and writing, so that's what I offer for private teaching. I'm qualified to teach Listening and Speaking, and still do a bit of that, but I tell students straight-up that my strength in teaching ESL is reading, grammar, and writing, especially academic essays and creative writing. What are your strengths? What do you enjoy? 3. Know how to assess needs. You're assessing what they want to learn and what they already know. The first day I meet with someone for private teaching, I give him/her a little form to fill out. The first half asks general questions: how long have they been learning English? What kind of skills are they hoping to learn from me? I have them tick boxes for some of the questions, almost as a shopping list for what I can offer. The second half is a little grammar and vocabulary assessment. Then, if I know he/she wants help with writing, I give a little writing assessment. (It usually takes about 20 minutes). I'm including my latest drafts of assessments at the bottom of this blog. My assessments don't end there, though. People like to know they're getting what they paid for. This summer, I've started using "exit tickets," which is something you give student at the end of each lesson. It's a quick card that asks what the student liked about the lesson, what they'd like to learn more about and/or what they think would improve the lessons. I also fill out one, telling them where I think they're starting to improve in. 4. Know what to charge. Every state and country is a little different, but most private teachers (right now) are charging somewhere between $20-$75 an hour. If you have a TESOL certification and/or degree, AND you have experience in teaching, you can charge on the higher end. Of course, if you're nice like me, I usually land in the middle ($40-$50 an hour). The best advice given to me? Have a contract and ask for the payment upfront. It's not rude. It's business. This summer, I'm teaching a Chinese couple, and I tell them to pay me for the entire week on every Monday. Of course, you can have them pay for the month or two months in advance, depending on how you want to do it, but always get payment upfront. Middle-Eastern students, by the way, will negotiate the price and form of payment. Other students will as well, but Middle-Eastern students are notorious for bartering. My advice is to only negotiate if you feel comfortable with it; otherwise, just state the price and stick to it. If they want lessons bad enough with you, they'll pay the price you ask for. 5. Know your personal limits. Private teaching is unique because you're basically tailoring the learning to meet the individual. In that way, it's quite rewarding. It can, however, consume a lot of your time. Again, students want to know that they're getting their "money's worth." Your lessons need to be organized, professional, and thorough. Don't take on too many students, especially if you have other commitments. BONUS: Know where to meet. If you're meeting with students via Skype or some other online mode, make sure you clean-up your room and dress professionally. It can be easy to just "go to work" in pajamas, but that can lower your credibility with students. If you're doing it face-to-face, know where you're going to meet. My friend had a spare room in her apartment and set-up her private teaching in there, but not all of us have that luxury or feel comfortable with "strangers" in our homes. I suggest a library or some other study space. Most libraries allow you to reserve a room. Right now I'm meeting my private-teaching students on campus in one of the study lounges. That works for us. Choose somewhere that works for you and make it consistent. Try not to change the location and time of lessons too often. That's about all I have for you today. Enjoy the documents below. Tweak them to your needs. Happy teaching!
My best friend is teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in China. (Well, technically it's called English as a Foreign Language--- EFL) She's been asked to teach an ESP (English for Special Purposes) course. Engineering. Neither of us know anything about engineering. She's been doing as much research as she can as she meaningfully puts her lesson plans together, but she sent me an email an hour ago pleading for online resources. As many of you may know, China has a lot of restrictions on their Internet use; therefore, her resources are limited. I did some googling. I found some stuff. I turned them into pdfs for my friend. In the process, I found some new favorite websites! This experience has gotten me thinking about my favorite ESL online resources, so today I will share with you 5 of my favorite online resources. I could have done more, but 5 just seemed like a nice number. Let's get started! 1. Dave's ESL Cafe This is a classic website. If you teach ESL and you haven't heard of Dave's ESL Cafe, you haven't lived! Find lots of great videos, idioms, exercises and more! 2. English Page I regularly send my students to this website, especially if they have problems with verb tenses, which is my favorite feature in this website. I love all the verb tense diagrams and endless practices. 3. ESL Right Now This is one of the sites I found when I was helping my friend look for Engineering stuff. Even though I don't teach ESP, it's a site I'll probably use in the future because there's more to it than ESP stuff. 4. Using English This is another one of the sites I found when I was helping my friend find things for Engineering. I literally got lost in here! I'll have to keep this one on my radar for sure! 5. Azar Grammar Betty Azar is a genius! If you've been teaching ESL for a while, then you've probably heard of (or used) her famous books. But did you know that she's created PowerPoints for all of her lessons? There are handouts and additional grammar practice, too! You know---- I probably could have gone to 100! It's an awesome time to be an ESL teacher (or ESL student.) I didn't even touch on:
And, of course, there are a number of blogs, like mine, that talk about teaching ESL. Mine is more of a musing, but there are blogs that actually have lesson plans you can steal! Happy teaching! I get this question all the time. It happens like this:
You: "What's your job?" Me: "I'm a teacher." You: "So what subject do you teach?" Me: "English... as a second language." You: "What other languages do you speak?" Me: /facepalm/ There it is. The most frequently asked question. It happens nearly every time I talk about being an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. I teach in English First of all, it would be impossible to speak all the languages represented in my classroom. It's super diverse, 5-10 languages and cultures often. How can I possibly speak Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German, and French all at the same time while I'm teaching? hmmm... Secondly, research has shown that it's actually better to teach a language, like English, without knowing your students' first language. (What?!) I know, weird. But it's true. I'll get to that more later on. Some ESL teachers, yes, speak another language. I'm not saying that you shouldn't to be an ESL teacher. I just don't. (I tried Spanish, but it didn't stick.) I often wish I knew all the languages spoken in my classroom. (Then I could hear if they're cheating or what they really think about me as a teacher!) My best friend speaks Mandarin Chinese as her first language, and English as her second. She's teaching in China right now and her Chinese has pros and cons for her teaching. My friend Mike learned English first and than Japanese. Another friend, Sarah, speaks English first and then Korean. Others of my teaching-buddies are like me and speak English only. The essential requirement for teaching English, it seems, is knowing English. And lots of schooling. Lots! All of the people I mentioned have at least a Master's degree, which is what I have, too. So before you ask the question of whether or not native speakers are better teachers than those who are ESL, let me tell you that my best friend is a better ESL teacher than I could ever hope to be. She may not be blonde and blue-eyed like me, but she knows what she's doing! Just because you grew up learning a language doesn't mean you can teach it. How we learn languages There's a lot of research about how we learn languages! I'll try not to bore you with the science of linguistics. Instead, I'll invite you to think about how you learned your first language. Probably when you were a baby, yes? Chances are that your motivation for learning (which is key to learning a language, by the way!) was out of necessity. You wanted your caregiver to know you were hungry or that you wanted a toy. Crying and screaming did the trick for some things you wanted, but not everything. Eventually you had to learn words and sentences to get what you needed. Then, there's the social necessity. You needed to communicate with your friends, too. Generally speaking, this is a similar process for learning a second (or third language) effectively. There must be a necessity for it. (Whether that's feigned or not.) Can adults learn languages? There's the "Critical Period Hypothesis," yes, which I figured you'd want to know next. Lenneberg proposed the theory in 1967, basically saying that kids must be exposed to a second language before puberty (generally 13 years old). Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible for that person to learn a second language. There is truth to this, to some degree, but not entirely. Otherwise, I'd be out of a job. All of my students are adults. I've come to learn that it is difficult for adults to learn a language but not because they're brains are fully formed and not as moldable as a child's. (That's part of the more modern version of the "Critical Period Hypothesis.") Simply stated, the necessity to learn a second language isn't as high for an adults because they know a first language that can usually get them by. (This is why I never fully learned Spanish, by the way.) Also, there are other responsibilities that kids don't have to think about which puts adults at a disadvantage: paying bills, choosing a place to live, finding a job, etc. These things could potentially give necessity for learning a second language, but more often than not, it takes adults away from practicing and perfecting a second language. There's a lot more science and research behind all this. If you're really interested, you can earn a Linguistics degree or an MTESOL (Master's in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.) I did the latter. Quick advice from me if you want to learn a second language? Be super motivated, disciplined and don't be afraid to make mistakes; if possible, immerse yourself in the language! How I teach ESL using only English Here's where we finally get to the heart of your question: how I teach English without knowing any of my students' first language. There are a lot of theories and practices out there! I'm not going to pretend there's a one-fit-all solution. (By the way, Rosetta Stone is only effective for probably 1% of the human population. We're not robots!) I have a teaching philosophy statement, which I framed and put above my office desk. It includes things like building a safe classroom environment, instilling student autonomy and giving timely and individualized feedback. In general, however, my teaching varies in two ways, whether I'm teaching beginners or I'm teaching intermediate/advanced speakers of English. When I teach basic students (or beginners), my teaching is a game of charades:
When I teach intermediate or advanced speakers of English, I build motivation (the necessity factor, I mentioned), and create (for lack of better wording) a-close-to-real-world-experience:
Teaching ESL is a great profession. It's difficult, don't get me wrong! There are days when I want to pull my hair out. (That's true for any teaching job, though!) But I love it! I learn a lot from my students. They bring interesting and new perspectives, they're motivated and have worthwhile goals. I admire the sacrifices they're making, coming to a new country to have a better life for themselves and their families. English is a crazy mutt language, and I commend for their persistence and hard work! So, yep. I'm an ESL teacher. I teach English... in English. |
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