6 ESL Problems Teachers Face and How to Fix Them
By Revel Arroway
“As teachers, we put on our professional grade (emotional) armor and we charge into the day ready to conquer the world.” However, at times, the ESL teacher might feel that the teaching is too hard because of job demands and issues in the classroom.
In his blog, Arroway offers solutions to six common problems.
1. Lots of Hours, Little Time to Plan
- First, create lesson plans that match your teaching style. Here you can find the outline of how Arroway plans and links to other methods.
- Prepare ahead of time following these guidelines:
What will I need in my teacher’s toolbox?
What student/parent/administration expectations will I need to fulfill?
What will I need to research or learn before beginning the class routine?
- Over-prepare so you never run out of activities even if you do not use all of them.
2. A Grab-bag of Levels
- View this issue as a challenge
- Pair students up to help each other
- List the problems students have with English and teach to one that all students have difficulty with, such as pronunciation.
- Find resources that have different levels.
3. Acting Up or Acting Out
- Set basic rules and give general positive reinforcement when they are followed.
- Make punishment match the rule that was broken. For example, if a student forgets to bring a pencil, he has to write with a crayon for five minutes before he is given a pencil. Be careful, however, not to embarrass students.
- If a student is always answering questions before others, use a game to limit answers from that student.
4. The “Method” Cramping Creativity
- If you are required to follow a method in your teaching, explore it thoroughly to understand it and then turn it into a game.
- Research the method to understand the theory behind it so you can have some flexibility in veering away from it.
- Occasionally include a fun activity once you have met the objectives of the method.
5. No English in Class – If students are not using English in class, Arroway makes these suggestions:
a. Allow students to use their home languages and find the reasons why they are not speaking in English. If you can, explain concepts in your students’ language.
b. Use simple tunes to sing phrases needed in the classroom.
6. …And the Parents! – be aware of cultural differences in expectations about school.
- If necessary, use the parents’ language or get an interpreter.
- Begin with positive information about the child.
- Consider the parents’ perspective, and share your concerns about the student so you can work with them to find solutions.
- Prepare what you want to say, backed up by homework and test scores.
In the end, Arroway emphasizes the need for proactive preparation to minimize these issues.
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