Teaching English
as a foreign language (TEFL) refers to teaching English to students whose first
language is not English. TEFL usually occurs in the student's own country,
either within the state school system, or privately, e.g., in an after-hours
language schoolor with a tutor. TEFL teachers may be native or non-native
speakers of English.
The first skill
you will need to master to start successfully teaching English as a foreign
language is the ability to use body gestures and signs effectively. Many
students find that they learn a new language better when they are forced to
speak only English in the classroom. By refusing to use your student's native
language, you force them to learn English by first using your body language and
gestures to teach them new words, and then using what they've learned to build
even more knowledge. This pattern of learning closely mimics the way babies and
infants learn a language, and therefore this method of teaching often 'sticks'
better than using rote memorization of English words.
Another important
strategy when teaching English is to have your students practice common phrases
until they feel completely comfortable with those phrases. This technique is
often used with diplomats and allows the student to focus heavily on correct
pronunciation and accent. For example, teaching the English equivalent of
common greetings, questions, and idioms can go a far way towards teaching English
language arts. It's important when teaching any language to focus on the most
useful and common phrases first, so your students are able to start conversing
right away. There are hundreds of English teaching guides that will help you
choose what sorts of phrases and words to focus on first.
However, to teach
English as a foreign language, we should be ware of English varieties. The
English language varies in a number of ways, depending on the people who use
it, how it is used and in what circumstances.
As an English teacher, we should be familiar with English varieties for
the purpose of teaching English as a
foreign language.
The field of
teaching English as a foreign language is currently facing new challenges in a
changing and increasingly globalised world. The issue of which varieties should
be learned by non-native learners of English and the question of acceptability
oflinguistic variation in ELT have become widely discussed topics in academic
writing about ELT and are everyday issues for contemporary language teacher.
The increasing importance
of different Englishes – particularly native varieties other than British and
American English, the New Englishes and ELF – however, appears to be still only
marginally reflected in ELT curricula and teaching material.
Variation of
English may occur with respect to pronunciation, vocabulary, or syntax. For
example, in the southwest of England and in the American Midwest, many speakers
use an /r/ sound in words such as her, four, part, whereas speakers from some
other places, such as the London region and New England, do not.
By understanding
the varietis of English, EFL teachers can classify and select the most
appropiate English for their students, especially the standard one. Then, they
can eliminate some materials which are not suitable with the principles of
standard English.
