Friday Short: Tips and Tricks

“Sarah is so pretentious with her bachelor’s degree and her Fulbright fellowship. She’s only been teaching two weeks and she’s already giving tips and tricks for teaching.”

You’re right.

Regardless, I have a few tips for teaching ESL/EFL learners that I’ve learned over the course of my training in the Georgetown College Department of Education and in the active classroom.

1 – Model everything. If you want your students to do an activity, you have to model it. Step-by-step, method-by-method.  We teachers call this “scaffolding.” While this can become tedious at times, modeling is critical for students to grasp and retain important material.  If you do nothing else right in your teaching career, learn to model everything.

2 – Keep words minimal. In and ESL classroom, it’s important to not speak too much.  I know this sounds silly, but it overwhelms students. If you took a foreign language class in high school or college, you may know how intimidating the sound of a foreign tongue can be.  Instead, try to (simply!) explain using pictures or other images. If using PowerPoint, also keep text to a minimum. I have found this works best.

3 – Straight to the point. In an ESL class, be straight to the point. Don’t use elaborate words, say what you want to say. For example, if you want your class to  be quiet, I have found that it helps to say “Stop!” or to count backwards. When teaching your topic, be as simple as possible with your language.

4- Enjoy your lessons. If you don’t enjoy teaching your lesson, then your students won’t enjoy it either. You’ll both suffer and then you’ll die. On the inside. If you’re able, teach important English language lessons using topics that you enjoy. If you like shopping, teach clothing words! If you like sports, do a sports lesson! Make it work for you.

Of course, this isn’t a definitive list, but these are methods that I have found that work in my classroom. Also, many of the lessons I learned during my undergraduate education training have come in handy (mad props to Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky). No, I’m not an expert teacher. However, these two weeks of teaching have taught me quite a bit about how students, particularly ESL students, learn and process languages.

Geon bae from a different kind of south,

Sarah

Dependence and mercy.

I have learned that living in a country where few people speak English on a regular basis, you have to be dependent on the mercy of others.

Mercy helped me get around this hotel. And find an Internet connection.

When you mispronounce the name of the city you want to go to at the bus terminal, you have to trust that the kind lady behind the counter will issue you the proper ticket.

When it’s time to stand up in church, you have to trust that a  native speaker will tell you that it’s time. Or what you’re trying to say is the Apostle’s Creed.

When you’re trying to buy something at the convenience store and the worker behind the counter remembers your name from your name tag and then proceeds to help you.

When you didn’t know from the forecast that it would be raining during your walk to church (even though you’ve lived here a month) and your Korean language teacher lets you under her umbrella.

Yes, in a world of a different tongue, you rely on the mercy of others.

Now let’s turn back to life in the United States.

For almost three years, I worked at a popular chain restaurant (that ends with “Barrel”) that boasts fine Southern cuisine and pancakes. As a courtesy to the many guests (and many faithful employees) that do not speak or read English fluently and want to enjoy a good meal, the company provides Spanish-language menus. One night, an older gentleman came in with his friends and as he waited for his table to be cleaned, he spotted the menus tucked in the back. He made a snide comment about the Spanish menus and then I sat his group. It’s been over a year since the incident, but I remember it lucidly.

I’m not trying to be political on this blog, but as a teacher to English language learners, I feel that it’s critical to show mercy to those who may not speak the native tongue of our nation (specifically the United States). Sure, it might be America, and you think you shouldn’t have to “Press 2 for Spanish,” or read bilingual shampoo labels, but the fact is that each year, many people arrive in our country looking for  better opportunities. Regardless of your views on immigration and non-English speakers, this is a reality each and every day.

Also, If you’ve ever been abroad, you may know how uncomfortable it is to not speak the native tongue. It’s even harder to communicate what you may want to say. It can be terrifying and awkward. Believe me, I know. However, many Americans expect the world to speak English at the drop of a hat once they leave the borders of their homes and enter the U.S.  However, if my blossoming Korean language skills (and disparities) have taught me anything, it’s that life requires dependence and mercy.

On that note, perhaps mercy can be found in a bilingual, non-English restaurant  menu.

-Sarah