How to Teach English

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This article is about How to Teach English. Of course the subject is massive and needs more than a single article, however this page will introduce the basic approach for new teachers to get to grips with the subject. It covers a typical scenario of a new teacher in a school presented with a class. (If you are taking private lessons, see here.)

Before getting into the practicalities, however, we would strongly advise you that if you don't already have a TEFL certificate then it is worth taking a course and learning how to teach. Just being able to speak English well is not enough and many teachers have failed because they lacked even basic knowledge of what to do once they stepped into a classroom.

Preparation

Before you even step into the classroom, it is important to learn as much as you can about the class so you can give them a first lesson. Talk to your DoS and find out for every class you'll be teaching:

the age, level and make-up of the class; you can't give adult students activities where they have to pretend to be farm animals and you can't give 5 year olds activities where they have a job interview!

the coursebook they're using; most classes will work from a coursebook and you should have a copy of that and (if possible) the teacher's manual which often goes with it

The next thing to do is read the coursebook thoroughly. This will give you an idea of the level of your class and the kind of things they know already. However, be wary when you're told the class is on Page X or Unit Y of a coursebook; it is always a disaster when you prepare a few pages only to discover that the class is on a completely different part of the book and you are left standing without a thing to teach.

So... go over the coursebook and over-prepare the lesson you'll be expected to teach and also prepare the lessons around that one. It will all help in your understanding of the students and you won't be caught short in the classroom.

But what do we mean by coursebook preparation?

Quite simply, let's suppose you're preparing Unit Z of a book. It means reading through the unit and making sure:

you understand all the vocabulary in the unit and can explain it simply
you understand all the grammatical points in the unit and can explain them simply

Then, you run through in your mind how you are going to teach the lesson. A typical scenario might be:

ask them to read the short text silently
ask them if they understand the vocabulary and work with the class in explaining unknown words
in small groups have them go through the comprehension questions and exercises
as a class check their answers to the exercises

It may be a little dull but it will get you through the first lesson.

Discipline

The first lesson is often where a class will try to test the boundaries and see how far they can go with their new teacher. It's vitally important with a new class that you establish from the outset who the boss is.

Read this, Hard then Soft, for some invaluable advice on the first lesson with a class and follow it.