TIPS
FOR TEACHERS OF ENGLISH |
| Here are some tips to help you on your
teaching experience. |
| 1. Dress right. Jeans, sneakers, and just-out-of-bed hair may be okay for teachers in
the U.S., but in many parts of the world, a neat appearance counts far
more than credentials. In Korea dark clothes lend an air of authority.
Red is to be avoided at all costs. In Morocco female teachers don’t
wear pants, sleeveless blouses, or short skirts. |
| 2. Behave appropriately. When it asked 250 students at the Sichuan Institute of Foreign Languages
in China what they liked and disliked about native speaker English teachers,
the students’ main gripe was the informality of foreign teachers,
who often seem to undermine their own authority by acting in undignified
ways. In the U.S. teachers go on a first-name basis with students, sit
on their desks, sip coffee, and even bounce off the walls without causing
student discomfort or losing prestige. But these behaviors don’t
export well. |
| 3. Don’t
worry if students seem unresponsive at first. Americans are used
to participatory classrooms with plenty of teacher-student dialogue.
Elsewhere, students are often trained to be silent, good listeners,
and memorizers. It’s disconcerting to stand in front of a sea
of blank faces, but expecting it reduces the shock. Introduce new concepts,
such as discussion and role-play gradually. You’ll be surprised
at how students will come to embrace the change. |
4. Choose topics carefully. There are still many countries in the world where people are hesitant
to voice opinions because of a fear of reprisal. If you’re conducting
a classroom debate, remember that there’s a distaste for Western-style
argumentation in Middle-Eastern societies, and in Japan it’s offensive
for an individual to urge others to accept his opinion.
Certain topics may be taboo for cultural reasons: Most Americans don’t
want to discuss their salaries or religious beliefs; Japanese may be
disinclined to talk about their inner feelings; the French think questions
about their family life are rude. |
|
| 5. Don’t
ask, “Do you understand?” In China and Japan, students
will nod yes, even if they’re totally lost, in an attempt to save
face for the teacher. Even in a country as far west as Turkey, yes often
means no. |
| 6. Avoid singling students
out. Our society fosters a competitive
individualism which is clearly manifested in our classrooms. American
students are not shy about displaying their knowledge. In classrooms
outside the U.S., however, showing solidarity with classmates and conforming
to the status quo is often more important than looking good for the
teacher. In Turkey and Montenegro students told me they disliked volunteering
answers too often because it made them look like show-offs and attracted
the evil eye of envy. If you want to play a game, make the competition
among groups rather than among individuals. If you need to discipline
a student, do so in private. |
| 7. Be aware of cross-cultural
communication styles. French students
appreciate wit. Venezuelan students like boisterous rapid-fire exchanges.
In Japan, where debate is not as valued as in the U.S., students appreciate
long pauses in discussions and silent “think time” after
you ask a question. “Hollow drums make the most noise” goes
a Japanese proverb, and Japanese students are uncomfortable blurting
out the first thing that comes to mind. American teachers, who are uncomfortable
with silence, tend to anticipate the student’s words or repeat
their original question—both irritating interruptions for the
Japanese student. |
|
| 8. Present a rationale for
what you do in class. Your pedagogy
is going to be very different from what students are used to. They’ll
conform much more eagerly to new classroom content and procedures if
they understand the benefits. |
| 9. Expect the best of your
students. They’ll be serious
about learning English because their economic advancement often depends
upon mastering it. |
| 10. Relax and enjoy yourself. Happiness in the classroom is contagious. |