Learning 6 longs ' —— introduction for new teachers cm Weird Be)Learning to Teach English Peter Watkins PUBLISHINPublished by DELTA PUBLISIING Quince Cottage Hoe Lane Peaslake Surrey GUS 9SW England E-mail: info@deltapublishing.co.uk www.deltapublishing,co.uk © Peter Watkins 2005 First published 2005, Reprinted 2008 ISBN 1 900783 746 All rights reserved, No part of this publication may be ina retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, reproduced, store’ photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Photocopiable pages ‘The publishers grant permission for the photocopying, of those pages marked ‘Photacopiable' according to the following condition. Individual purchasers may make copies for their own use in the classes they teach. ‘Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale or included in any other publication for resale. Edited by Xanthe Sturt Taylor Designed by Christine Cox Ilustrations by Phillip Burrows Project managed by Chris Hartley Printed in Malta by Progress Press Co. Ltd ‘Author's acknowledgements would like to thank Nick Boisseau and Chris Hartley for their guidance and unstinting support for this project. 1 would like to thank Xanthe Sturt Taylor for her editorial expertise and suggestions. I would also like to thank Linda Taylor, Jenny Pugsley, Roger Hunt and Rebecca Platt for their helpful comments on various drafts of the manuscript. Dedication For Sarah and CharlieContents Introduction Chapter | Language, learning and teaching Commentary Chapter? Roles of teachers and learners Commentary Chapter3. Managing a class Commentary Chapter 4 Teaching vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation Commentary Chapter 5 Teaching vocabulary Commentary Chapter 6 Teaching grammar Commentary Chapter 7 Teaching pronunciation Commentary Chapter 8 Developing reading skills Commentary Chapter9 Developing listening skills Commentary Chapter 10 Developing writing skills Commentary Chapter 11 Developing speaking skills Commentary Chapter 12 Fluency and accuracy Commentary Chapter 13 Correcting learners Commentary Chapter 14 Developing learner independence Commentary Chapter 15 Leamer variation Commentary Chapter 16 Planning and example lesson plans Commentary Chapter 17 ESOL and other teaching contexts Commentary Chapter 18 Professional development Appendix | Basic grammar terminology Appendix 2 Verb forms and their common uses Appendix 3. Phonemes of English Appendix 4 Material for use with example lesson pl Needs Analysis Form 93 100 102 105 107 7 ns 127 128 133 135 138 139 LagIntroduction English language teaching (ELT) For various historical and economic reasons there isa hhuge demand for English language training in many parts of the world. The needs and circumstances of those wanting instruction vary enormously, but the majority of them want contact with a teacher, whether it’s through a structured course, or through individualised private lessons, and therefore the demand for teachers is Very high. It should be remembered that with such diverse needs and differing contexts in which teaching takes place, there is no one ‘right’ way to teach. However, the techniques and methods described in this book give teachers a starting point from which they can modify their practice to suit the needs of individuals and particular groups. Itis certainly true that simply being an ‘expert user of English, whether as a native or non-native speaker, does not guarantee that someone will make a good teacher, The skills of teaching still have to be learned ‘The term ‘English language teaching? suggests that English’ can be neatly defined as a single entity. However, itis probably more accurate to talk of ‘Englishes, taking into account the different varieties of English spoken. The English used in the USA, for example, is slightly different to that used in Britain and differences can be seen even between regions of Britain, In addition there is the English that is used between non-native speakers for whom English is a common language but not a first language. Its important to remember that no one particular variety of English is intrinsically ‘better than any other and English language teachers can come from any linguistic background. This book is written in standard British English and the examples are taken from ‘British English teaching context. However, the methodology could be applied to teaching any variety of English, or indeed any language. Who this book is for ‘This book is designed to help people who want 10 become teachers of English to adults. Many people embark on what they hope will be a rewarding career by ‘enrolling on an initial training course such as The ‘Cambridge CELTA course or a Trinity College London Certificate in TESOL course. This book will prove a useful preparation for such courses, as well as a useful reference tool throughout the course. Any initial training package will usually present a lot of new material and ideas in a short space of time. This can be very daunting and when thrown into a first job a new teacher can often struggle to recall all the information from the course. This book will help by being a permanent record of ideas that can be referred back to for as long as necessary. Some people are not sure if a career in ELT would be right for them. This book will help to convey the nature of what teaching involves on a day to day basis and can therefore help to inform their decision on whether to pursue FLT as a career. Some people may know that a long term career in teaching is not for them but may be planning to travel and would like to supplement their money with some informal teaching as the opportunities present themselves. This book is an efficient way of picking up basic teaching techniques without spending a lot of time and money following a course. Ifyou are starting out, or thinking of starting out, on a career in ELT this book willbe useful to you. Ic is written to be easily understood by those with no previous experience of teaching. Many of the chapters also include ideas for activities that can be used directly in lessons, and in this way the book provides support both during, initial training courses and when teachers take up their first jobs.How to use this book When someone is reading material on a subject of which they have little experience, it is easy to fall into reading in a very passive manner, You read the words but they are not fully processed, and as such the information is difficult to recall even a short time later. This book aims to make the reader more active and so enhance the chances of material being both fully understood and remembered. There are many questions and activities to think about and complete as you go through the book. ff you have no experience of being a teacher, it may be that you will not have thought about these Lupics before. However, we all have notions of good and bad teaching practice (sometimes based on our school experiences) and the tasks will help vou to review what you already instinctively (ecl about teaching. The answers to the questions and activities are contained in commentaries following each chapter, and sometimes these commentaries also supply additional information. For those completely new to ELT it may be best to work through each chapter in chronological order. However, those who have had some training or experience can use the book as a reference to read about areas of particular interest. Itis important to remember that this book is an introduction. ‘here are many complex issues in teaching, but topics are dealt with as simply as possible here. There are often alternative techniques and strategies that can be used in situations but sometimes, for the sake of simplicity, only a limited range is given here. As teachers gain experience, so they often find ways of adapting techniques to benefit their particular classes, but this book will help to give a foundation on which to base, and evaluate, alternative techniques. [t is important to remember that what is described in these pages is a way to teach, not the way to teach. on Introduction