The fundamental problem for teaching English at English Aloud:

Our teachers speak only English, while students don't speak English well enough to understand the class entirely. This can be the fundamental problem for teaching English. It is important to have some techniques to work through this. This video shows one technique, which is the teacher acting as a mirror for the student (using repetition). Zandy consistently repeats back what the student says to her, so that the student can hear what they said again. This helps keep the class to a slower and simpler format, making it easier for the student to feel confident in their understanding. It is an encouraging technique, especially for shy students, and motivates them to talk more because they can see that the teacher understands them. 

In the video the student has a hard time putting together English sentences translating from Korean. Translation could possibly be a good technique for students speaking European languages, but not for Korean students. Korea doesn't share

She has a higher level of reading and writing, but is not strong at speaking. Some things the teacher does well to address this are:

-She repeats back what the student tells her in correct English*

-She gives the student encouragement

-She asks the student questions that refer to the text as well as free conversation

*When the teacher repeats back what the student tells them it gives the student an example of how to say things in the correct way, and also shows the student that the teacher understands them without any problems (encouraging them to speak more)

However, some things that went wrong in the lesson are:

-The student spends a lot of time thinking about what to say, and doesn't try to speak freely. She was so busy translating in her head that she wasn't able to listen to the teacher.

-The teacher does not encourage the student to speak even if she makes mistakes. If the student speaks and makes mistakes they always have teh chance to correct it later. The most important thing is to practice. 

*The student should listen to the teacher and try to repeat some of the things that they say to get used to how it feels to speak correctly in English. It is tempting for the student to think for a long time about their answers, but this is not good practice for free speaking.

Some tips for what to do in this type of situation:

-As Zandy demonstrated in the example lesson, try to act as a mirror for the student and repeat back what they say in correct English

-Encourage the student to do the same, if they don't have an answer right away you can give them some hints that they can repeat in a sentence back to you

-If you notice that your student is taking long pauses remind them to try speaking first, and thinking later. Let them know that it is ok to make mistakes or to use repetition, this is a good way to help them get used to free conversation in English.

Why was Sophie's strategy in the lesson wrong?

Sophie could have used repetition in the lesson to learn how to talk about the reading. When a student is at a basic English level, they may want to try to be creative and make up something new to say. It is hard for them to do this when they have not mastered basic conversation. Sophie could learn more and learn quickly by imitating Zandy first, and then adding to it later. She could have used repetition in the lesson to talk about the reading. The first and most important parts of language learning are repetition and imitation, there is no other way to begin the learning process. Some students may not realize this, so it is important for the teacher to guide them.

A good attitude towards learning a language is to think of yourself as a fool. Sometimes students think in their head that they should be able to speak perfectly and say very complicated things, but they don't have that ability yet. So they end up feeling frustrated. giving up, or stuttering. As a teacher, tell the student that they are not a fool, but that everyone starts learning from the beginning by repeating and imitating what they hear and read. If the student tries to translate everything they know in Korean into English, they will be so busy that they will not really be listening or taking in how to speak English.

Lesson Review:

At the beginning of the lesson, you may have noticed that Zandy reviewed the previous lesson with Sophie. This part of the lesson is very important. Why is it so important?

-Reviewing the lesson warms up the student in the sense that they have been in their normal Korean life, and it can take time to get back to using English and being active in the lesson. With the review, the student is beginning to return to the state of mind that comes with speaking English. By the end of the lesson, the student will be speaking better than at the beginning, so by reviewing you can help bring the student back to where they were at the end of the previous lesson.

-Reviewing the lesson helps the student actively use the information and vocabulary they learned in the previous class. If you never go over the information or give them this opportunity then they will not retain it.

-We tell the students and their parents that taking classes with us is like taking a class in the USA. We use all English, all the time. During the review, the student gets a chance to speak about a topic they have already learned, instead of always taking in new information. It really gives them a chance to practice English that they know. 

-Our lesson is the only opportunity that the student gets to experience everything in English. The teacher should ask questions that relate to the last time the student was speaking English (in the previous lesson), this way they won't be translating from Korean but thinking directly in English. 

-With the review, the student has a chance to prepare for the conversation, it is their only chance to do so in the lesson, so it is very important. If the teacher always includes this as part of the lesson, the student always knows it will come. This causes them to prepare either consciously or unconsciously, making them think in English. 

Giving the students real English conversation where they are able to speak with a native speaker as if they are in the USA is the most imporant thing! If the teacher does not do this by using review at the beginning of the lesson, it is a waste of time and money for the student.