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This unit aimed to give some advice in potentially intimidating or troublesome situations for a new teacher. It started out with tips for how to conduct the first lesson by finding out basic things like the students' language level in English and what their aspirations are in the class. A good way for the teacher and the students to get to know each other is through a questionnaire or survey, the students can ask each other questions giving the teacher a chance to monitor their language.
A good way to start a lesson is with a warmer so the students have a short but fun way to get their minds interested in the lesson they're about to learn. Certain warmers could be games like pictionary or memory games, or tongue twisters.
Sometimes the teacher may find the students in the class are actually at different levels in their language ability. In this case it is possible to use different materials, some more challenging for the more advanced students. Another solution could be to teach the students as if they are at the same level, the goal being to motivate the students who are slightly behind to work to catch up. The balancing act there is to not go so far that the weaker students feel incompetent or frustrated and the stronger students don't feel challenged. Sometimes pairing the weaker students with the stronger students can be helpful as the weaker students will have a bit of a guide, as long as the stonger students do not take over the whole activity.
Large class sizes can present a challenge to a teacher, since it can be hard to keep up with so many individuals at once. The teacher can utilize worksheets and pair work to their advantage to keep all the students working and engaged. It's important to be clear and make sure your voice is heard and the board work is clearly visible.
Using the students' native language can be a slippery slope for the students to become reluctant to try and work out their thoughts in English. The students' native language shouldn't be banned altogether from the classroom, but English should be encouraged as the language of communication. Explaining things clearly and repeating if necessary can help reduce the need for students to want to speak to each other in their native language to explain things.
Sometimes students are reluctant for a variety of reasons, but a big one might be they are intimidated or shy about using English in front of others. Using pair work and role play can be good ways to help the students get out of their shell before going in front of the class.
Recordings of texts on cassette tapes or CDs should definitely be used in the classroom to help students hear a variety of voices, accents, speeds, and intonations in English. The teacher should generally also keep some spare materials for each lesson to hand out to students who might finish activities faster than others, so that they still have something to do and don't feel bored.
