Introduction to the Teacher

English For Living is designed for Clients learning English as a second language.  It presents the grammar, vocabulary, and language competencies necessary for getting along in an English-speaking country.  While Clients are learning survival skills, they practice the four main skills of:

Ø      Listening

Ø      Speaking

Ø      Reading

Ø      Writing

The major aim of English for living is to enable the Clients to enter the job market and to function successfully at work as well as in the community.

It is developed in three different levels of curriculum, but can be adjusted as necessary for the development of each individual Client.  The curricula list the common themes, with the objectives and goals in mind.  With each module, a careful integration of grammatical structures and practical vocabulary are used in everyday situations.  Oral activities (whether individually or as a group) and written exercises will reinforce the importance of using the language.

English For Living’s curricula are directed at practical use of language.  The aim is at simplicity.  Essential grammar principles will be quickly presented, but the emphasis is on language use.  A general outline as to curriculum is given, but the teacher has the freedom to develop it based on the teaching methods and the overall competency level of the Clients constituting the class.

Please follow the given curricula and testing, as presentation of the certification is available only once the course is finished to a satisfactory level. Review the teaching Notes and use accordingly.

Things To Keep In Mind:

1. Evaluate Clients' learning levels - are they similar or mixed?
2. Evaluate nationality makeup of class - are they all from the same country or a multi-national group?
3. Establish primary goals
4. Investigate the various student learning styles - what type of learning do they feel comfortable with?
5. Find out how important a specific type of English is (i.e. British or American, etc.) to the class.
6. Ask students what they perceive as being most important about this learning experience.
7. Establish the extra-curricular goals of the class (i.e. do they want English only for travel?)
8. Take time to investigate what teaching materials are available to meet these goals. Do they meet your needs?  Are you limited in your choice? What kind of access do you have to "authentic" materials?
9. Be realistic and then cut your goals back by about 30% - you can always expand as the class continues.
10. Establish a number of intermediate goals.
11. Let Clients' know how they are progressing.
    

Tips:

1. Having a map of where you want to go can really help with a number of issues such as motivation, lesson planning, and overall class satisfaction.
2. Time spent thinking about these issues is an excellent investment that will pay itself back many times over not only in terms of satisfaction, but also in terms of saving time.
3. Remember that each class is different - even if they do seem alike.

Structure of Course:

1. Select target structure or function by deciding what students need to focus on considering past lessons and future goals.
2. Select materials to be used: Do you want to use your course book, outside materials, or do you want to invent something special for this lesson.
3. Divide the lesson into four areas: Warm-up, Introduction of Materials, Class Work, Summary
4. For the Warm-up section of the lesson choose something that will activate target area. This section can include a simple discussion, reading, a joke, etc.
5. To Introduce material choose an exercise that will focus on the target area. These materials can be inductive (student discover for themselves) or deductive (teacher "teaches" the new material.
6. Have students work on the material through using a variety of language recycling techniques. These can be spoken, written, games, etc.
7. To summarize the lesson use an open form of language recycling such as class discussion to allow students to ask any questions they may have.
8. Once you have decided on your materials and strategy, write a short outline using bullets. This will help you keep track of where you are going.
9. Assign Homework by choosing materials that will further recycle the target structure or function introduced in the lesson.
10. Keep a copy of your lesson plan. As you continue to teach, these old plans will come in handy when you need to teach the same lessons again.

 Tips:

1. Keep you lesson focused. Don't try to do too much.
2. Remember that language is first acquired passively and takes at least 5 repetitions before it can become active knowledge.
3. It is usually best to underestimate student capabilities. If you overestimate and plan too much you might rush your students and hamper their learning experience.

People learn English for many and extremely varied reasons. Taking these reasons, as well as language acquisition needs, into consideration when planning a class or individual instruction is crucial for a successful learning experience. This is probably as important for the Client as for the teacher. When a Client understands his/her reasons for learning English well, he can then better plan his learning strategy. In the classroom, he/she can help the teacher identify needs and desires. If the Client is learning alone, he/she can find learning materials based on a better knowledge of what his or her objectives are.

In this case, it is important to ask yourself the questions:

1. Will a certificate help the chances of getting a job?
2. Is job specific English required?
3. Who will I (the Client) be speaking English with, native speakers or other English as a foreign language speakers?

Point 1: This is very important as the need for a certificate will dictate what is required learning: Grammar, Functional English, Writing, Listening, etc. If a certificate is required the Client should focus on improving specifics points required by the examination. For example, Cambridge's First Certificate exam will require the skill of sentence transformation, the TOEFL requires the skill of understanding test taking skills.

Point 2: If job specific English is required, tasks should be more real world orientated. If possible, tasks should also be based on the exact type of English required in the specific profession. For example: computer terminology for programming, presentation skills for management, etc.

Point 3: This is extremely important, as Clients who will be expected to speak English only with other non-native speakers should not have to worry as much about listening skills as those who will be expected to communicate principally with native speakers. An understanding of the culture might be important if the learner will be traveling and communicating in these countries.

It is important to ask yourself the questions:

1. How will you (the Clients) be using the English? Communication, Reading, Using the Internet, etc.?
2. Do you (the Clients) enjoy typical task type activities? Or do you (they) prefer real-world activities?
3. How much do I (the Clients) want to improve my English? Do I (the Clients) want to just be able to travel and be understood? Do I (the Clients) want to be able to read James Joyce?

Point 1: This is of the utmost importance when deciding what type of activities should be pursued. If communication is most important, functional English will be preferable to grammar exercises. If reading a magazine is important, idiomatic language study will be required.

Point 2: This is basically a question of learning style and is very important. Involved Clients will always learn more in the long run than those who are bored. Is also important to remember that, if you are the teacher, imposing your learning preference on the class can, at times, deter effective learning.

Point 3: Understanding the desired language proficiency goal is probably one of the most important aspects of learning well. If the Client desires to communicate basic needs while traveling, focusing on the correct use of the third conditional is beside the point. On the other hand, if Clients strive to higher levels of grammatical understanding, teachers need to accept that role-play games might not always be the best activity.

These are just a few of the most important questions that need to be asked when planning a learning strategy. This pragmatic approach to English learning is probably most effective when teaching adult learners, as there are generally no state imposed goals. Of course, when curriculum requirements are imposed by an outside source, it is important to construct a syllabus with an eye towards such requirements.