Writing Activity - A Pic Is Worth 1000 Words

The old expression, a picture is worth a thousand words, can be turned into a challenging and fun ESL writing activity. It may be accomplished in one session or as an assignment followed by a presentation in another class as an extension. And it works best with middle school, high school, university, and adult ESL learners from between A2–C2 on the CEFR scale. The following paragraphs will walk you through it.

Start With a Picture

Break your class into teams. If you can mix levels and cultures in your groupings, even better. For homogenous classes, the photos you select should have some cultural significance. If a mixed-culture class, try settling on images that aren’t overtly offensive and relate to everyone. You can use the same picture for everyone or a different picture for each group. The following are only examples of images you can use:

Family photos

Humorous photos

Dream-like photos

Human experiences

Historical photos

Scenic photos

Again, these are only ideas, but be sure you have categories for your photos (e.g. historical images, technology, sci-fi, fantasy, business, finances, family, nature, social issues, etc.). It would be difficult to use each of these categories in one class.

Furthermore, using one genre at a time offers more focus on writing. It also reinforces common vocabulary and at times, common grammatical structure. Members will understand that their text must relate to one category or subject and gain focus.
 

A Thousand Words

The thousand words in the title isn’t a target word count—class members can only do what they’re capable of doing. On the other hand, learners are challenged to think of what to say about the picture with as many words as they can effectively and efficiently utilize within the allotted time or writing parameters. You can even involve the entire class in a word-storming activity where the vocabulary generated is displayed for all to use. And the best part is they’re not working on it alone. The following ideas will help you settle on an approach for your activity.

They can create a story.

Using a picture as the backdrop, teams can write intriguing stories that captivate the readers. This approach facilitates longer texts and more detail.
 

They can create an advertisement.

Challenge learners to examine the picture for something that might be advertised. Then they write an advertisement. This method would require less words but more creativity.
 

They can make a humorous narrative.

Select a humorous image or images. Then students take the idea and develop a humorous short story. This helps them master the language by bending it to create the humor.
They can turn it into a news report.

If the image lends itself to a type of news category, learners can be tasked to write a three-minute news report on it. Going this route would require more formal language.

The possibilities are almost endless for a creative ESL teacher. Then, as team members work together, they can help each other overcome weaker areas through others with stronger skills. Care should be taken not to allow one member of the group to dominate the writing, however. That would defeat the purpose of what we’re doing here.

Present

After constructing the text, students submit it to you to check for errors. The reason it needs to be checked first is because you don’t want class members to speak or hear inaccurate grammar. As teachers, we want to work toward positive reinforcement of the language structure. Another, more personal reason, is that you don’t want whoever is presenting to feel embarrassed by potentially poor grammar.

Once you’ve provided feedback, and the team revises the text, it’s time to present. You can display the image on a projector or use something as simple as a printout. One member of the class can read their text while the class listens.

As the teacher, you can take note of pronunciation issues. Another idea is to have each member of the team read a paragraph or section. This involves everyone in the group from start to finish.

Competitive Twists

If your class is so inclined, you can turn “Pic/1,000 Words” into a competition using the following ideas.

1. Word Count

Determine the winners based on a simple word count. It’s a little weak, but it works for a one-class/one-hour activity. Of course, you’ll want to create criteria for the word count such as not allowing a certain number of repeated words.

2. Descriptors

Another angle is counting the accurate descriptors. The team with the widest range of description wins. For this, you might have descriptors for each picture already listed privately and use them as a checklist for each team’s work.

3. Grammatical Accuracy

Another variation is judging the grammatical accuracy. A checklist would be good to keep it fair. For example, you could construct a checklist with various grammar issues and tick each box when you come across one. The team with the least number of errors wins.

4. Put Them All Together

If you want something for advanced or even university classes, you can put all the afore-mentioned criteria together into a checklist. Then, look for accurate word choices, cohesiveness, and overall impact of the narrative.

5. Timed

If this is something you want to keep within a timeframe, you can set a time limit. For example, if you want to limit it to one class period, give 20 minutes to write. For an assignment, you can give 24 hours. This is more challenging while limiting the time needed to complete the activity.
 

Language Goals

Of course, as ESL teachers, we do not just have arbitrary activities to keep people occupied in class. There should be purpose and goals to what we do in class. That said, A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words, targets the following primary and secondary ESL areas:

1. Writing Skills (Primary)

The target for this activity is to develop creative writing skills. Writing skills involve accurate use of lexis and structure combined with the ability to tie it all together into a cohesive message. As ESL learners work through their text together, they can each contribute something.

2. Speaking Skills (Secondary)

By asking each team to present their text orally, they’re challenged to produce the language clearly. They’ll develop reading fluency and more accurate pronunciation with the help of teacher feedback.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been looking for something to liven up your writing lessons or your ESL classes in general, A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, can do the trick. Furthermore, each team has the chance to use their imagination to write the text that matches the image and the assigned genre. Finally, you can provide fun or interesting images that stimulate thinking and produce writing aimed at English language development. And that’s our goal as ESL teachers.

Give it a try and let me know how it went.

__________

Author: Jerry S. (based on a previous article written for OnTESOL several years ago)

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more.

Photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash.

5 Ways to Teach English Without Technology

Throughout your career teaching English as a language, you're often exposed to technology for lesson delivery. It seems like these days, some technology can even run on autopilot.

You prepare lessons using videos, podcasts, and images. You adhere to pedagogical methodologies integrating technology into the classroom. But, . . . the environment you're now asked to teach in doesn't have access to the tech you're used to.

You've just stepped through a time warp from modern technology and teaching conveniences into a world where there are no classroom computers, projector screens, podcasts, YouTube, PowerPoint, iPods, iPads, or other electronic teaching aids. What you see before you is an eager group of people with notepads and pens. In fact, all you have in the classroom is a whiteboard, an easel, chairs, windows, and four walls. What do you do now? What is your Plan B?

In fact, it is often technological bells and whistles that detract from what matters—interacting with learners at a fundamental (human and meaningful) level toward acquiring the target language.

I'm going to show you that technology is not the end all be all of English language teaching. In fact, it is often technological bells and whistles that detract from what matters—interacting with learners at a fundamental (human and meaningful) level toward acquiring the target language. Technology is only one tool for English language learning. Sadly though, many English language teachers (ELTs), schools, and academies are under the impression that technology is indispensible. I'm here to tell you it's not.

Below are a few ideas for teaching in situations with little to no technology that may help you gain confidence in such situations.

The Whiteboard Is Your Friend

Many, if not most classrooms are equipped with whiteboards (some still even have blackboards). Sadly, they are an oft-forsaken relic of the old days of teaching. However, whiteboards can be excellent tools.

As an ESL teacher in the trenches, it's always good to have at least one or two markers in your teaching bag. Use your markers to draw images for your learners to understand nouns, verbs, or even concepts. Try writing sentences for dissection (parsing); list words in similar groups, and create charts demonstrating relationships.

With a few flicks of your wrist, you can turn a whiteboard into a powerful learning aid.

Paper Copies Work Great

With concerns over the environment, handouts are considered a thing of the past among many ESL teachers. However, I'm referring to copies. You can use one copy held high to show the information and ask students to take notes. You can also post or distribute one or two originals and ask learners to do a quick handwritten copy on their notepads.

As an English language teacher with limited means, copies can be used strategically. Copies of key pages or elements (not all) of the lesson material can provide visual and technical assistance for key activities or instructions.

The teacher can facilitate copies for group work, use them to stick on the walls for games, and use specific copies for complex images that can be discussed. It's important to be wise with your printing and copying because many schools or academies in low-economic areas do not have large budgets for such things. But handwritten copies can do the job. 

Discover the Artist Within

Even drawing on a large blank piece of paper (an A4 paper taped together if need be) can show or demonstrate the language point.

This can speak a thousand words in English to your students. Use your sketch to elicit 1,000 words of description or sentence construction—even make it into a game. The game focuses on which team can express the most words that describe the image. This can be perhaps 100- 1000 words depending on the class dynamics and the wining target you set.

Another version of the game is to describe an image of one or multiple activities (e.g., a man sitting on a bench in the park). The group that provides the most grammatically accurate or complete narration wins.

Teachers who invest a little time in drawing can become image-makers without technology. Not only that, but teachers who can draw, or at least try to draw, are providing visuals for the learners in the class who cannot make sense of certain ideas. Sometimes simply writing words out is helpful even without images.

Instead of talking as is the norm, teachers can draw their way to engaging learners more without technology.

Develop Your Acting Skills

When you have nothing left, you have yourself.

English teachers are sometimes called “edutainers” in the classroom for a reason. That means, sometimes, you will have to act things out so your students can follow along. You can act out a dialogue stepping from one side to the next to change character. You might also need to change your voice, or even act out certain elements of dialogue to help learners visualize and hear the target language.

In that sense, who needs videos, right! Step outside your comfort zone, and don't be afraid to put on a little show when needed. You might be pleasantly surprised at how your class members respond.

Use The World Around You

Maybe you're reading this and thinking, I can’t act, and I can’t draw; making copies is problematic, and the whiteboard is unusable. What to do in such cases?

When there are no other options available, use the world around you for your teaching enhancements. You can ask the students to look outside the classroom and describe what they see. Try asking them to narrate what they see.

In addition, you can point to objects or specific scenes and have students explain what they see in English. You can ask them to act out what they see, then speak about what they see. It could be something as simple as a garden outside with flowers. Encourage students to narrate a gardener’s actions in the garden, or they can describe the sky. Learners can describe the clothing of people walking outside, and the list goes on.

The benefit is that these are familiar concepts for students to start with. Then you can aid them in branching out to the unknown (Krashen’s I + 1 if you will, or we can say scaffolding—going from known to unknown by way of connections).

It is literally a world of possibilities!

Wrapping Things Up

If you are transitioning from a high-tech to a low-tech environment, it's not the end! It is but a new experience for you to master as an ESL teacher and to gain more confidence. Keep these ideas in mind to be better prepared to step into a low-tech classroom.

Students want to use English not just to see English being used (as we share with our technology). They do not just want to be entertained but enabled to communicate. The frills, bells, and whistles come later.

Use basic elements to gain interest, to engage your learners, and to aid in teaching even without the technology of modern classrooms. And remember, the important part is not the technology that you have but how you use what you have available for the benefit of learners.

__

Author: Jerry S.

This is an update of a blog post I wrote for the OnTESOL blog several years ago.

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more.

Photo by Ryunosuke Kikuno on Unsplash.

Creating Dialogues from Small Talk

When you lack adequate prep time, there are other things you can do with students besides free talking. Today I'm introducing a short series on how to make practical lessons when you have little to no time to prepare. 

As some teachers reading are aware, there are times when you aren’t able to prepare a full-length lesson. Sometimes you're tasked to sub a class. At other times you’re tasked to teach a new class that just popped up. Or, you walk into a classroom not knowing what you’re going to teach.

This is a series on creating lessons with limited preparation time. Our first article will be on how to make a tailored dialogue just from small talk with your adult students. In other words, by taking a little time to get to know your learners, you can better understand the contexts that they're using English in.

How a Dialogue Might Look

For example, if your adult private lesson student works as an IT analyst, you can ask him about his job. You can find out in what contexts he uses English. Then, determine what they talk about (of course no company secrets).

Let’s say you discover through his introduction that Juan works as an IT analyst in an international software company and shares weekly updates with his colleague in the U.S. via video chat. 

By way of conversation, you ask him what he specifically does. He tells you that he gathers data on clients accessing the company software download site. Then you ask Juan the name of the person in the U.S. he often speaks to when reporting this information. He tells you her name is Susan. 

Now you have pretty much the basics to create a dialogue. You can collaborate with him to fill in the rest (an exercise in itself). After, by way of dialogue, you can build more confidence in him using English in this context.

Example Dialogue

Your dialogue might look something like this: 

Juan: Hi Susan! Good morning. How're things today? / What's new?[1]

Susan: Hi Juan! Not too much. Just trying to keep my head above water.[2] How about you?

Juan: Ya, I know what you mean. Same thing over here. I'm putting in a lot of hours.

Susan: Ya, me too. So how's the data looking?

Juan: We've had more traffic this week thanks to the bad weather in our region.[3] It's keeping everybody home. And not only that, we've gotten[4] a much wider range of locations than previous weeks.

Susan: That's good news. Not about the weather—the visits, I meant.

Juan: Have a look at this chart—I'll share my screen. One moment.

Susan: Ya, I see what you mean. What about OSs and browsers?

Juan: Most of the OSs were Windows, but there was a spike in Linux usage. It might be due to the higher numbers. As for browsers, Chrome and Firefox were still first and second. 

Susan: Got it! Can you share your numbers with me? Just attach the document to the chat.

Juan: Sure thing. Well, that's about it. Anything on your end? [5]

Susan: No … oh wait, yes—management here wants to know if you can send email alerts when anything unusual occurs. 

Juan: Sure. I'll do that. Well hey, it was nice seeing you again, but I have to run. Talk to you next week. Take care. [6]

Analyzing the Dialogue

The reference numbers above indicate teaching points that help create a well rounded lesson for your learners.

1. How to open a conversation.

Juan can learn how to open conversations. By simply beginning your dialogue with something you might naturally say, Juan can learn to do the same.

2. Expressions for being busy.

Teaching Juan expressions you might naturally use to indicate you’re busy can help teach him new vocabulary.

3. How to transition.

Inserting a transitional statement such as this can teach Juan how to change topics. It shows him how he can use English to direct the conversation instead of the other way around—being led by the conversation.

4. Appropriate verb tense for the context.

By speaking English in a natural way, you are showing Juan proper use of verb tense. This is something that is natural for you, but not for him. By not overlooking the obvious, we can make the lesson more practical for Juan.

5. | 6. How to wrap up and end a conversation.

Learners I meet are often unclear as to how to wrap up or end conversations. This natural manner of closing the dialogue can be a big help to Juan. 

Tying Up Loose Ends 

Your learners would probably also appreciate this and all of our points above. That’s because sometimes, they’re tired of learning book English. 

They often want to know how the language is naturally spoken. They want to understand and sound like what they hear on Netflix. 

Of course, this is just an example. As you gain details from your students, you can make it more real. You’ll also want to involve them in creating the dialogue to find out how you can make it even more practical for them. 

What about group lessons?

Some readers may be asking about group classes. Well, it works pretty much the same, but you’ll want to try and find a balance or middle ground with the contexts. You don't want other class members who are not IT getting bored with IT dialogues. 

Wrapping Things Up

Dialogues are a great way to teach real-world interactions. You can use them not only to teach what to say (i.e., structure and vocabulary), but also how to say it (i.e., pronunciation, intonation, word choices, expression, …).

That makes this lesson material practical in application targeting learner needs. 

Furthermore, there will likely be more than one context where students use English. That being the case, you’ve just created a series of potential lessons to work on with your learners.

In the end, you’ve entered a classroom without a lesson but came in with your own Kung Fu. That means you may not have a packaged lesson to teach but you can quickly adapt and overcome the situation.

Not only that, you’ve provided perhaps an even more practical lesson for your learners than they may have experienced before from other teachers who might play it by the book. Stay tuned for the next installment. 

What do you think? 

Share your experiences with this lesson about creating dialogues. Or, share your experience walking into a classroom unprepared. Was it a disaster or a triumph?

And remember, you can always contact me to learn more about teaching English as a Second Language. I offer an internationally-accredited TESOL course as well as coaching for certified teachers.

END

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Author: Jerry S. 

This is an update of a blog post I wrote for the OnTESOL blog several years ago. 

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more. 

10 Ways To Give Feedback in English Conversation Classes

A teacher may have one of the best lessons of all time prepared, but without providing feedback, learner development can only go so far. 

Feedback in the context of TESOL is providing information to improve English language use. This information can be grammatical, lexical, or phonetic. 

When a dull pencil does not produce fine print, we use a pencil sharpener to get back that fineness. Feedback in an ESL lesson is the pencil sharpener that hones the skills of your students. Without it, their English simply becomes dull, lacking, and fails to improve.

Many teachers equate feedback with correction, but they are different. Correction points out errors, but feedback is meant to assess and provide both positive and negative reinforcement. Teachers can use feedback to collaborate with their learners and assist them in developing their skills. Correction simply tells them they are wrong and what the right answer is.

The nice thing about feedback is that it does not always have to be given in an in-your-face manner that may embarrass students, especially those from save-face cultures. There are a variety of ways feedback can be shared. 

1. Real-Time Feedback

Real-time feedback is providing it as students speak. It can be typed or spoken. Providing real-time feedback requires skill and should be used when needed. 

Teachers who interrupt their student’s train of thought can appear as if they are cats waiting to pounce on every word that is not produced perfectly. This impacts student confidence—having the reverse effect on what we are trying to accomplish in an ESL classroom. Therefore, teachers will need to learn to address the big stuff and leave the little things for another time.

2. Echoing

Echoing is a discreet kind of feedback. It is a casual activity that happens in many conversations where one person says something, and the other person repeats it.

In teaching, we can use this common conversation behavior to reinforce more accuracy or clarity. It looks something like this:

S: I go to the store last day!

T: Ah, you went to the store yesterday?

T: Ah, I went to the store yesterday (an alternate version using direct speech).

Ideally, the student picks up on it and repeats the new version. By doing this, we can reinforce the more appropriate forms without interrupting the conversation.

3. Direct Feedback

Direct feedback is the feedback that gets the attention of the students. It is stopping communication and injecting feedback that is intended for immediate improvement.

Direct feedback goes something like this:

T: We can say: ‘I went to the store yesterday.’

T: Remember, we use the past tense when talking about the past

You may want to use this type of feedback sparingly.  However, it can be necessary when students repeatedly produce gross issues such as mixing verb tenses.

4. Typed Feedback

This works well in an online classroom or with a large traditional class where a projector screen or a visible monitor is present (I did it when teaching at Samsung).

It is very much like echoing but typing, as much as possible in real-time, what has been spoken in order to show the person another way to say what was spoken (e.g. more practical, more economical, more accurate, clearer, etc.).

5. Delayed Feedback

Delayed feedback requires patience because as teachers, we have an inherent desire to immediately ‘correct’ issues we encounter. It allows for more free-flowing conversations that focus on developing fluency and building confidence. 

You can tell your students that you will be providing feedback but at the end of the class, after the class, or even in another class. You can also explain the reasoning behind it for learners who want to know.

The following ideas represent methods of packaging delayed feedback.

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6. End-of-Class Feedback

Teachers can wait until the end of the conversation or discussion time to provide feedback. There are two benefits to doing this: (1) Students are not interrupted thus gain more confidence and are permitted time to develop their fluency. (2) Students are given a mini grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation lesson towards the end of class.

Be sure not to single out specific students. Treat it as general, overall feedback based on the lesson. However, this will require you to discreetly write or type notes so as not to throw students off when they are speaking; i.e., seeing you writing whenever they speak, may lead them to be self-conscious and embarrassed.

7. General Feedback for Classes

Teachers can provide general feedback for the entire class. In that sense, everybody is helping each other. What one person lacks another person may learn from as well. Be considerate though, and do not name names.

Keep feedback generalized as much as possible and try not to use exact quotes in your feedback so as not to readily identify the class member. General feedback can be presented in a typed format and displayed on a screen or monitor.

It can also be handwritten on the whiteboard.

It can also be delivered orally without using a screen or monitor. It’s your call.

Each method has its merits and demerits.

8. Feedback Classes/Tutorials

This is where the teacher creates an entire lesson based on the feedback gleaned from a previous lesson. She can break the lesson into grammar, lexical, and phonetic components to target the ‘actual’ needs of the learners instead of perceived needs. It is a surgical approach versus a shotgun approach.

9. Records Feedback

You can provide feedback through individual student records that each student has access to—a kind of report card. Take note of learner-specific issues and include them in their grade sheets. This provides not only personalized but private feedback for each learner. You can also use this type of feedback to plot individual needs.

10. Reports Feedback

You can provide feedback through class records by jotting the key issues noted in ‘today’s’ class and posting them in a common area. This provides a record for you to refer to over a period of time to identify patterns and allows the learners to see real areas that need improvement.

Wrap Up

Feedback is different than correction and is vital for helping learners acquire the language at a level of proficiency that they need in English-speaking environments. As such, teachers have options in terms of real-time and delayed delivery that suit different circumstances. You can adapt them to your needs or for the situation, but at least now you have some options.

__________

Author: Jerry S. 

This is an update of a blog post I wrote for the OnTESOL blog several years ago. 

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more. 

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Dr Smith TESOL Tip 4

 

5 Tips for Teaching Business English Learners

Business English learners can be critical and have high expectations of their teachers. In addition, they can sometimes be hurried (in class) because of deadlines or meetings. They’ll likely expect professionalism from their teachers—and why not: these learners are professionals. 

They may want to take charge of or give input into their learning though not intending to be rude. They will probably expect noticeable improvements since they operate with a business mindset. And they may not always be up-to-date on pop or modern culture.

Business English learners are typically seeking to develop their English skills for promotions, to gain more business, to survive in the global market, to entertain clients, to interact with customers or colleagues, or to connect with new markets, customers, or other business ventures. 

With those purposes in mind, we may want to conduct classes that meet their needs rather than simply entertain or teach them about the language. The following five tips can help you facilitate improved Business English class time. 

1. Be Professional

Treat business English learners with respect and courtesy. You can model it in your interactions with them during class. You’ll also want to teach them as adults with purposes as if their goals are your goals for them. Be professional, and everything else will fall in line.

2. Be Focused

Focus lessons on one point of the language, on the language they need, on the environments they encounter, and on helping them improve weak areas.

3. Have a Purpose

Find out what your business English students need and give it to them. Assess them and make suggestions. Ask them what they want from their classes and deliver it. Observe them and offer feedback. 

4. Keep Things Interesting and Relevant

They may not care about the latest TV show or pop songs. But they’ll likely be interested in talking about the latest trends in their business field. They may also be uninterested in talking about home life though personal interests may come up. Discover how to keep things real for them and use it toward their goals. 

You’ll want to bring them into the situations they encounter. Begin with a general sample of a setting they may be exposed to that includes fixed content and dialogue. For business or marketplace English clients that could be anything like job interviews, meetings, presentations, socializing, negotiating, and the like. The idea here is to warm them up to the language they’ll be using.

5. Help Them See Their Improvements

Business people are used to seeing results, so they look for results. They need to measure progress and know their investments are paying off. If they can see their improvements, you will likely make long-term and or satisfied customers. Simply telling them what they used to do and how it’s better now is a good place to start.

Final Thoughts

Remember, with business people, understanding them is the key to teaching them. If you know more about them, your lessons will be focused; they’ll have a purpose. Your lessons will be relevant and match them. Your speech will be courteous and model appropriate business language. Plus, your class members will feel as if they learned something. In the end, you’ll have satisfied clients.

END

__________

Author: Jerry S. [Updated from a previously written article.]

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more.

Photo by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash

Dr Smith TESOL Tip 3

 

Shifting TESOL Perspectives in a Business Environment

Regardless of the acronym we use to describe the field we work in (TESOL, TEFL, TESL, …), it is, in essence, helping people achieve their English language goals—whatever form that may take. 

For some people we meet, it is to do well on an English proficiency test, so that they may study or work abroad. For others, it is to be able to do their jobs more efficiently. And still, for others, it is to simply be able to participate in the world of English language in the form of Hollywood movies, chatting with other English speakers, or simply as a way of learning about different cultures. Whatever the case, people come to us for help with their language goals, and pay for that help. 

In that respect, they are more than students—they are our customers. As customers, do they encounter a teacher who views her role as being the authority in class; a teacher who feels it is the ultimate goal of each class to finish the lesson; to focus on the procedural aspects of getting through the lesson, instead of the learner’s needs? A teacher who simply tells the learner what is right and wrong, black and white? Or, do our customers encounter a teacher who sees themselves as someone helping another achieve their English language goals?

We can view English language teaching from the three perspectives discussed below. 

Teacher Over Student

Figure 1 represents three perspectives on teaching. The first perspective views class members as simply students under my authority; students should listen to me and follow the lesson that I have been given to present. This teacher teaches the lesson as it is presented without deviation. 

Teacher to Learners

The second perspective views class members as learners who should learn English a certain way—the way I think they need to. And why not—I have studied and learned teaching methods, and the learner should follow my lead as I know what is best. 

Facilitator and People 

The third perspective views class members as people … people with human goals who are seeking the help of a professional to help achieve those goals. As such, this teacher collaborates and works with a customer, and adjusts the lesson to fit their needs. This teacher uses lessons as opportunities to assist people in meeting their goals. 

That being the case, we ought to exercise courtesy. Instead of teachers saying, tell me..., listen to..., look here..., say it like this..., you must..., and the like, we could say, can you tell me..., let’s listen to..., let’s look here..., you could also say it like this..., you may want to..., and the like. But that's another article. 

Think About It

A change in perspectives works for all of us. Rather than view class members as students only (which tends to have stereotypical connotations), we can view them as people with needs, as customers we serve, as fellow humans with personal goals. 

Remember, to facilitate rather than dominate, we want to establish a connection before expecting perfection from our students in a business environment. 

_______________

Author: Jerry S. 

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more. 

Image created by author

Dr Smith TESOL Tip 1

 

Should Free-Talking Lessons Be the Norm?

 

Free-Talking Lessons vs. Focused Conversation Lessons. Image by author.

Free-talking lessons have their place, but should they be the norm? As much as possible, we should be guiding our learner-customers into what will help them most, not what is easiest to do. 

Over the course of my career as an English language teacher both independently and on various platforms, I’ve noticed teachers offering free-talking lessons increasing with greater frequency. 

As I dig into the history of each of my students, I often observe a commonality—that lessons often become free conversations. But I wonder how much of that is by student request, and how much of that is actually teacher prompted.  

I ask this because I’ve routinely encountered confused students in my classes who equate ESL conversation classes with free talking. Learners seem to be unaware that free talking may not be the best strategy for their English skills development. And they often comment that their teachers don’t usually get into regular lessons—apparently ignoring focused lessons in favor of free talking.

We Are the Professionals

As English language teachers, we’re professionals. Our students enroll in classes seeking help achieving their English language goals. That means, just like doctors treating patients and lawyers counseling clients, we guide learners into best practices to achieve sufficient English language acquisition to meet their goals. But, constant free-talking lessons may not be best practice.  

It’s safe to say that students enroll in English classes with the idea that they’ll have English “lessons.” As such, they can reasonably expect that you or the company you're with provides lesson materials that guide learners from BEG (A1) levels to ADV (C2). 

And, if we as teachers, follow that flow, we can provide specific goals for our students along with step-by-step progression. However, if we routinely offer free conversations while dismissing quality lessons for free talking, what does that say about our materials?

Focused Lessons Provide Structure

The image above (taken from a screenshot of an actual lesson where I addressed this subject) offers a visual on what follows. 

Targeted lessons and materials are often created by professional teachers or people who have backgrounds in the field of learning materials development. Therefore, these lessons typically focus on specific language topics and goals. 

Free conversation classes do not. They are exercises in randomness; that is, they’re more or less spent talking about nothing or about everything, but rarely about something—that is, there’s no language target. So, by the end of the class, what goal has been reached for the student to look back and say, “I’ve accomplished this today”?

Parts of a Whole

What many students need is structure. They need to build their vocabulary, expression, and understanding of grammar in specific areas. As they do it in one class, they build on it in another. That’s why we say language learning takes time. There aren’t any shortcuts. 

Language points are built upon language points until the language is acquired. In time, and after a number of lessons, they’ve built a foundation of skills that can be integrated into other lessons, and from which they can branch into others. 

Finally, after enough regular topical or focuses lessons, they will have built their skills sufficiently for the level they’re in and move on. They’ll be able to measure their progress and enroll in more lessons to achieve more advanced goals—it’s win-win for them and you!

Imagine for example, if a student repeatedly talks about the subject of travel in several free-talking lessons, they’ll have become fluent talking about travel, but what about any other area? How will they improve if they aren’t challenged outside of their comfort zones? 

Something to Consider

The beauty of focused lessons and targeted lesson materials is that in the hands of capable teachers, they can be utilized both communicatively and structurally to help learners improve. 

At the very least, if a student understands the merits of regular lessons, yet still chooses free talking, perhaps they could be guided to request specific topics. In that way, there would be something to talk about, focus on, and build on.

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Author: Jerry S. 

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more. 

Image created by author.