Do’s and Don’ts for teaching english esl in China

Teaching english esl is becoming more and more popular. The demand for teachers is increasing rapidly. So how to make your lessons effective and efficient so that the students can benefit a lot from your classes? Here are some basic rules to follow.

Do speak slowly and clearly. If you are teaching english esl in China, this is very important. Because English is not their native language, they need enough time to think and response. You should always remember this Chinese students are thinking in two languages. There is switch between English and Chinese for them. After asking a question, you need to wait for several seconds before asking someone to answer. This provides time for all the students to think and process.

Don’t speak too fast. And if the students don’t understand you well, you need to explain it in another way. Don’t repeat the same thing again and again, louder and louder. Some Chinese students are shy and they are afraid of making mistakes before so many students. By doing this, they can be encouraged to speak out what they don’t understand and make this lesson more beneficial to them.

Do use some body languages, cards and games. This is very helpful for teaching english esl to little kids. They are too young to understand what you say or write. So gestures and body languages are very necessary. And you need always prepare some cards and games for kids to get involved in the class well. For their age, game is a beter way to learn things. They will feel it easy and interesting to learn new things. If you are talking all the time, no matter how well you say, they will feel bored and lose interested in learning gradually.

Don’t stand in front of the class. If you are teaching english esl in a public school, there is usually a desk in front of the class. Some teachers like to stand in front of it and teach. Actually, it’s not good. You need to walk around the class and make the students concentrated on what you are teaching. You can walk back and forth and call someone to answer your questions from time to time. You can also play a little “tricks” on students to make the whole class vibrant.

Do check the feedbacks of students. You need to check regularly whether the students understand your lessons well. You can say “It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the lesson well or there is still something unsure, just let me know.” Students may be afraid to ask questions, so you need to encourage them and let them try to be honest with you. By checking their understanding, you can know what else you need to do to make your classes better and this can also help the students to be aware of monitoring their own understanding. It’s a very good study skill.

These are just a few tips for teaching english esl, not a complete guide. You can find your own ways through teaching.