Teaching without a purpose or aim is not an effective way to teach and is not conducive to learning.

I am about to finish a TEFL course and the one thing that has me baffled is the use of concept questions and how to form and use them effectively. Most of the participants on here are working teachers as opposed to students like myself. How do you use concept questions, if at all? Is there an easy why to formulate them?

With regards to lesson planning, it does seem quite daunting for someone new to teaching. Obviously you want to do your best for your students (and yourself too). I agree with earlier comments about being fully prepared before your lessons and time management, etc. But when you started your first teaching role did you prepare your own lesson plans or did you use pre-prepared ones? 
Some jobs advertised mentioned pre-prepared lesson plans in use by that school and others mention that you will be preparing your own. The former will be easier to start with and the latter will involve a steeper learning curve initially but will it be better for you in the long run? 
I would welcome any advice on this subject. Thank you!

If you, the teacher, can instil confidence in the learners ability, whether they are beginner or advanced, quick to learn or slow and frustrated, then progress will be made. The confidence to engage in a foreign language is exciting and the ability to speak to locals in their own language, despite making the odd mistake, is very invigorating. I have experienced this both living in other countries and when on holiday. Having the confidence to engage a native in their own language is exciting too!

However, technology will make teaching not only easier but will allow you to introduce variety in to your lesson giving you more tools for your toolbox and aiding the students especially in listening and speaking lessons.

 

Sorry I missed the live session, thank you for uploading the video. I particularly enjoyed the tips on motivation and homework checking.

 

With regard to not being able to answer a student’s question – if the question is relevant to the lesson then thank the student and promise to find the answer and get back to them at a later date. I did this once to a recruit although I didn’t see that recruit for 3 months! They were astonished that I actually bothered to find the answer and find them to give the answer. Always fulfil your promises otherwise your students will think you are just lazy.

If the question is not relevant to the lesson then politely decline to answer and swiftly move on with the lesson.

Flashcards were used to elicit answers by testing the student’s skill at reading by finding the correct word, missing word or number.

“A picture paints a thousand words” so of course flashcards can be used with adults provided the subject matter is not too childish as this would be demeaning to them.

The age and the language level of the students would dictate which flashcard activity I would use. Mid-teen and adults may not feel comfortable playing ‘Slap It’ or other childish (in their eyes) games.

 

Soft Toy: different animals, where they live and what they do.

Menu: eating/working in a restaurant, different food and drink types.

Money: shopping and travel/tourism.

 

For younger students I would use the objects in practicing their speaking skills whereas with older students they can practice both their speaking and writing skills.

 

I particularly like the idea of putting the day and date on the board at the start of the lesson. A heading with the aim or topic of the lesson will help the students to understand the point of the lesson from the beginning.

Getting the students to come forward to use the board will be useful for writing/gap fill activities and the use of flashcards. Student participation will also prevent boredom.

 

A new technology for me would be an interactive board. I have seen them but I have never had the chance to use them. Also my artistic skills aren’t very good so I will have to practice that one.

 

Depending upon what classroom resources and technology are available to you I would say that you must use all of your teaching aids to provide variation in your teaching but not necessarily in the same lesson. One lesson could be video, another powerpoint and another boardwork reinforcing a particular point with flashcards or worksheets.

Below are links to some of the course steps, comments and resources that Claire mentions in the video:

Resources - I have access to my mind
Maryna - Technology is essential
Matt - Technology needs to suit you and your learners
Toni - WhatsApp for listening practice in class
Miguel - Technology as an option for homework
Maryna - Using TedEd

Rizka’s padlet
Padlet for this course

The reason for using food items as realia is that they are simple everyday items and are easily understood and recognised by the students.

I don’t use realia as I’m not teaching yet but if I were teaching then I would use items readily available and easily recognisable.

Getting the students to produce their own flashcards can both engage the more shy students in the activity as well as act as a time filler. The flashcards may be useful in a follow on lesson. Alternatively it may be better to bring in those realia as real objects and have them in the classroom.

 

Teachers have to take on a parental role especially for younger children. As the children become teenagers and then adults they need parenting less but require guidance and advice as they make their way in life. So the teacher must do the same guiding and advising them as they progress.

With different age groups becoming an actor to teach, guide, advise and mentor is possibly the best way to motivate and encourage students.

To inspire your students to become successful passion must be ignited. The catalyst for that spark must be the teacher.

 

I believe that the first lesson, or maybe two, the students L1 should be used to introduce and then reinforce the teacher’s instructions. As the course progresses all instructions should be given in L2. This will encourage the students initially and then allow them to gain confidence in that they understanding the teacher’s instructions in the new language.

 The teacher uses handouts, the board and numbers in a bowl.

Check out this week’s Q&A video
Never stop learning and listening
Lessons must be like a river
Teacher talking time
Carol Read’s workshop – The Magic of Storytime
Reflections on teaching

You might also find these articles interesting
Reflecting on teaching
Advice for new teachers

The teacher is clearly working on the K.I.S.S. principle – Keep It Simple (Stupid)!

Over the last few years I have been using various apps and software to learn Italian. Individual working at my own pace is fine but there is no one to correct my pronunciation. To progress I would definitely need to participate in some sort of class activity.

Group classes are good because shy students can be encouraged by their less shy friends. Whilst group classes are better for drilling, pairs and small group working allow the student’s to practice amongst themselves and if more advanced students are grouped with less able students they will benefit. Group working means less teacher talk time which allows for plenty of opportunity to monitor.

Presentation = Pairs

Practice = Group

Feedback = Group to Class

On my recent TEFL course, during the 20 hour classroom stage, the teacher trainer started the first lesson by speaking only Spanish. This confused everyone at first but then the penny dropped as we realised what it must be like to have to learn a new language from the beginning. Although we were aware of some words many we did not know. Simple commands in Spanish had to be mimed for us students to understand. Thankfully after about 30 mins he switched English otherwise I would now be fluent in Spanish!

I particularly liked what she did with this class and the use of simple props for the characters was very clever.

Self-evaluation as a teacher will make you better at your job even though it may be excrutiatingly embarrassing when you see or hear a recording of yourself. So if you don’t, or can’t, want to have yourself filmed or your voice recorded get a colleague to critique your lesson presentation.

 

With regard to L1 use I will only use that for the first lesson or two to familiarise the students with my commands.

I have picked many interesting and new ideas during this course and I look forward to implementing them in the near future.

Below are links to the comments that Doina mentions in her video.

Ted on how he learned the most from teachers who were able to unlock his own hopes and dreams.
Sona says it all depends on the setting of the student’s mind.
Eleni opened up a discussion on the teacher playing a multitude of roles.
Anabel says that teachers must leave tracks on their students’ lives.
Ted on a teacher’s role.

Dzevida describes her experience of being taught by a teacher who didn’t share their L1.
Gosie describes techniques you can use.
Emma and Mariella are having an interesting discussion on using L1 in the classroom. Do read it!

Elena on how students learn how to socialise in a modern world.
Rhiannon talks about how pair and group work may have disadvantages too.

As a newly qualified EFL/ESL teacher the lesson planning process will be my biggest hurdle to overcome initially especially trying to reduce the amount of time it will take. Once settled I will then be looking to improve student motivation.

As to how – experience and advice from colleagues will help I’m sure.

Reflecting on your own lessons and your interaction is fairly easy to do but student feedback could be quite daunting especially if they aren’t too subtle, then again the truth does hurt! Observation by a mentor or colleague will be far better than having student feedback as the feedback will be more accurate. The one method that I have yet to use is video or audio recording but this could be uncomfortable as there is no hiding the mistakes.

I have been keeping a journal of sorts during this course by keeping a private Padlet of my online comments during this course. Not sure if I want to share them though.

Time appreciation is one of the key elements to a successful lesson. If possible I would have used the flashcards to elicit hobbies in a previous lesson along with any vocabulary specific for this lesson.

I would ask him “did the filming impact on your lesson?” Was that the reason for his having to rush the lesson. Other than that it looked good.

Join the global community. You can still engage with people all over the world to develop your understanding of language. If you haven’t already, join the community on our TeachingEnglish Facebook community with over 3.3 million fans.

Use our other resources. The British Council has a wide range of free resources for both teachers and learners of English. On the TeachingEnglish website you can download lesson plans and resources for use in classrooms and get information about professional development, conferences and qualifications.

On the LearnEnglish website you can find hundreds of pages of audio, stories, games and video content and over 2,000 interactive exercises to help you improve your English or to use with your students.

Take another course. You can take an online teacher training course with the British Council. We have a wide range of online courses to help you with your professional development, tailored to different language levels and different career stages.

Join another four-week Teacher Development MOOC as part of the British Council Teaching for Success program. Learning and Learnersbegins on Monday 23 October, and the Classroom and the World, starts on Monday 4 December.

You might also be interested in this British Council MOOC for English language learners: Understanding IELTS. You could direct your learners to this course, or try it yourself!

Learn about all the British Council courses on our British Council FutureLearn page.

So, what’s next for you now that this course is coming to an end? Look back at the notes that you have made in your online journal and join the discussion by adding your comments below.

Below are links to the comments and resources that the educators mentioned in the video.

Ignacia on teachers as learners and how we have to be continually updating ourselves.

Virginia and Roxana talked about tips for motivation.

Padlets:
Resources
Classrooms
Relective journals

You can find the links to the some of the most useful comments from each week in downloads below.

Join us on the Learning and Learners course, starting 23rd October.

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