THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

2.1. What Makes a Competent EFL Teacher?

As in any work role, the goal a person aims for is competence. However, what is competence, and what
makes a competent teacher?

Let's agree on what the word competent means. The Oxford Dictionaries tells us
that competent means having the necessary ability, knowledge or skill to do something successfully.

Far be it from us to question this prestigious dictionary’s definition when relating it to teacher
competence, but here goes.

Our lengthy experience tells us that you also need to include habits when considering how competent
you are as a teacher.

For example, it seems to us that turning up at the classroom on time, ready to greet your students with a
smile and welcoming them as they come into the classroom is an excellent habit. And so is you reflecting
on how the lesson panned out, immediately after the lesson or as soon as possible.

So, let’s expand our definition of a competent teacher to: A person who has the knowledge, ability,
skills and habits necessary to teach successfully. We hope you agree with this definition.

Notice that we changed the order of the words a bit. There was a practical reason for this as you will be
able to recall these critical components of competence by the mnemonic KASH for knowledge, ability,
skills and habits.

So, when you’re asked to contribute your thoughts on what makes a competent and effective teacher
during a staff meeting, you’ll have a good aide-memoire - the mnemonic KASH - to get you moving.

Surprise! Surprise! We’re going to ask you the same question right now!

Time to reflect

What makes a competent and effective teacher?

Think about the teachers you have come across and try and answer this question without looking at
the next Section.

Take some time out to make a drink or sandwich and reflect on this.

Then you can return to check your thoughts with what we think below.

Well done!

Here’s what we believe are the key traits and characteristics of a competent and effective teacher, some
of which you will have already identified. Well done!

1. Adheres to a Code of Practice for teachers at all times

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You’ll find on your travels that many schools do not have a Code of Practice that you are asked to follow.
How can this be? Dearie me! However, don’t worry about this – it’s just the way things are. It doesn’t
stop you from following YOUR Code of Practice.

So, where do you get this? Don't worry; we have one already made up for you below. ACCREDITAT, our
accrediting body, has developed a Code of Practice for you. The Code is based on their experiences and
the experiences of TEFL teachers over the past 30 years. Here it is:

ACCREDITAT Code of Practice for Teachers

Members of the TEFL teaching profession are committed to demonstrating the following values and
ideals which underpin the profession:

1. Honesty and Integrity

►creating and maintaining appropriate professional relationships in the classroom, school and in public
►acting with impartiality, truthfulness and honesty
►displaying consistently high standards of personal and professional behaviour
►refraining from disclosing information about colleagues in the course of professional service unless
disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law
►refraining from any abuse of a position of authority or relationships with students, parents, caregivers
or colleagues for financial, political or personal gain
►acting according to the law

2. Dignity and Diversity

►valuing diversity and treating students, parents, caregivers and colleagues equitably and fairly and
with care and compassion while respecting the uniqueness of family and socio-economic backgrounds,
cultures, races, religions and beliefs
►valuing the learning needs, effort, and potential, and acknowledging the uniqueness, of each student
►improving the wellbeing and progress of those students with special needs
►fostering the valuing of diversity and encouraging the development of international, multicultural,
gender, and indigenous and other perspectives
►allowing, reasonably, the students’ access to varying points of view

3. Respect and Trust

►acknowledging that mutual respect, trust and confidentiality of personal information underpin all
relationships with students and their families unless disclosure of any information serves a compelling
professional purpose or is required by law
►acknowledging the contribution that mutual respect, trust and privacy make to students' wellbeing
and learning
►acknowledging the desires and hopes of the students’ families and caregivers
►acting with educational colleagues and the broader community in ways which enhance the profession
►accepting the status, responsibilities and authority of colleagues
►remaining open to constructive criticism from peers and showing respect and consideration for
different viewpoints

4. Responsibility and Accountability

►giving priority to the education and welfare of all students in our care
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►guiding and encouraging students to achieve their potential, ensuring all students have an equal
opportunity to reach their potential
►creating interactive learning environments, rather than environments in which the students are
merely passive recipients of information
►regarding themselves as learners and engaging in continuous professional development, and
improving teaching and learning strategies for themselves and colleagues
►working collaboratively, cooperatively and enthusiastically with colleagues and other educational
bodies in the best interests of the education and welfare of the students
►taking heed to clarify their personal views and those of the local educational authorities
►promoting the ongoing development of teaching as a profession
►upholding school policies, procedures and practices
►modelling the behaviour, attitudes and positive values which are widely accepted in society and
encouraging students to apply them and critically appreciate their significance

5. Care and Protection

►having empathy and respect for, and rapport with, students and their families and caregivers,
colleagues and communities
►committing to students’ wellbeing and learning through the practice of positive influence, professional
judgement and empathy in practice
►adhering to the school’s student protection policies and procedures
►protecting students from conditions harmful to learning or health and safety
►refraining from any racial, gender, political, verbal, physical or emotional abuse, embarrassment or
harassment
►being generous with praise and giving positive inputs and feedback

6. Fairness and Justice

►being fair and reasonable at all times
►being committed to the wellbeing of individuals and the community and the common good
►resolving competing claims or problems arising from different ethical principles and various interest
groups through reflective professional discussion

Note this: View this as an excellent aide-memoire to reflect on what you should be doing and how you
should be acting on a day-to-day basis. Keep it by your side at all times. Reflect on it frequently. It will
serve you well in your TEFL career.

Let’s continue with what we think are the key traits and characteristics of a competent and effective
teacher:

2. Demonstrates that she is warm, caring and approachable

You can show this in many ways, e.g. being approachable at all times, being a person that students can
go to with any concerns or to share an amusing story, being an active listener, trying very hard to be
consistent even although you may feel under the weather, etc.

3. Establishes good rapport and relationships with all learners at all times
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This doesn’t mean that you strive to be humorous and have lots of fun in your classroom. Some older
students, in particular, may not take to this. They may feel that too much fun in the classroom is eating
up their valuable time.

Inexperienced teachers often misinterpret fun for learning. Although it’s good to have some fun, the
critical question you must ask yourself is: What did they learn successfully?

Alternatively, some students may come from a culture where humour in the classroom is not an
accepted thing. You need to be responsive to your learners’ cultures; we’ll discuss this in-depth later in
the course.

Rapport exists when people develop a feeling of harmony, well-being and security.

We’ll explore how to build rapport and relationships a little bit later. The same processes are involved
whether we’re applying them to learners or anyone else in the school.

4. Fosters a constructive learning experience

Again, we’ll cover this thoroughly in a later Module but for the moment here are some suggestions:

 everything is planned

 there are excellent class routines

 standards of behaviour are agreed

 an inclusive environment is created where all learners are treated fairly and equally

5. Creates a sense of classroom community

A classroom community is one where:

 everyone feels accepted and supported as a vital part of the group

 there is a sense of belonging

 collaboration to achieve the goal is at the centre

 positive social skills are promoted

 students know they can depend not only on the teacher but also on the whole class

Creating a classroom community spirit is critical to the success of you and your students. This promotes
learning, engagement, and retention. The more students feel comfortable, the more they will
participate, engage, learn and retain what they have learned.

6. Sets high, yet achievable, expectations for his students

The expectations that you propound for your students will affect their achievement levels. If you set low
achievement expectations, then it's likely you'll get low achievement levels. Generally, students give their
teacher as much or as little that is expected of them by the teacher. So, set high, yet achievable,
expectations.
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7. Plans and works flexibly

Although she has planned well, she knows from experience that things don’t always go to plan. So, she
also reflects on what might not go to plan. Based on continuous monitoring, she is ready to change tack
a bit or find a new way to present the material seamlessly, without anyone else being aware of these
necessary changes.

8. Adjusts own level of English to suit the class

No fancy or sophisticated language. And no prizes for using this type of language.

9. Always gives clear, precise instructions

When giving instructions, these instructions may very well have a different value and weighting amongst
their students. Thus, the need to make instructions as simple, clear and precise as possible.

10. Chooses appropriate moments for correcting the learners’ language

When students are in full flow and are communicating, it's often wise to let it run even if there are
mistakes. After they have finished, you can then pick up on the mistakes or errors.

11. Understands the need to use a range of relevant and suitable materials and resources

12. Works successfully with learners at various levels

13. Enables learners to feel a sense of progress

14. Assesses fairly and frequently, and plans are based on assessment

15. Recognises and understands the range of backgrounds and experiences within the learners’ group

16. Employs a variety of teaching styles and approaches at different stages and in different contexts

17. Understands the broad range of learner needs and learning preferences, including the needs and
preferences of learners with learning difficulties

18. Reduces teacher talking time (TTT) and maximises student talking time (STT)

19. Reflects and self-appraises continuously

20. Facilitates language learning and acquisition both inside and outside the classroom

Note that the end goal for you should be a mix of these traits and characteristics. In essence, the end
goal you are aiming for is a ‘competent and effective teacher cocktail’.

Let’s spend a bit more time on point 20, which is often neglected in other TEFL courses.

2.2. A Competent EFL Teacher Facilitates Language Learning and Acquisition both Inside and Outside the
Classroom

Some teachers are glued to the classroom. They are blind to the opportunities for learning outside the
classroom.
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First, let’s explore some critical elements for classroom teaching. Then we’ll explore the outside
teaching environment.

1. Inside the classroom

You can facilitate language learning greatly by providing a selection of suitable materials to support the
learning.

Of course, you'll use exercises in the coursebook, and you'll make up your supplementary materials
where resources are short. However, the best way of all is to use authentic materials.

1. Authentic materials

It is paramount that your learners are exposed to authentic materials. Authentic materials are materials
which are unscripted and unedited and are not explicitly developed for language learning purposes.
They haven't been fabricated for a language learning purpose.

Authentic materials ensure that your students are exposed to the real world.

Here are some examples:

 Postcards and letters

 Bulletin board notices

 Extracts from newspapers, including articles, advertisements, classifieds, crosswords,

horoscopes, features, etc.

 Comics and cartoons

 Shopping receipts

 Airline tickets and itineraries

 Photographs

 Picture sequences

 Creative texts, such as poems and extracts from plays, short stories, and novels

 Recordings of casual conversations amongst native speakers

 Radio and TV news and weather broadcasts

 Public announcements (e.g. from airports)

 Messages recorded from answering machines

 Telephone conversations

 Transactions in stores and public institutions such as libraries

The list is never-ending.

Think! How can I use this item to engage my students?

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Every single one of these real-life items could be used for practising and enhancing listening, speaking,
writing and reading skills. It just takes a bit of thought.

Let’s take one of the more challenging ones: shopping receipts. Let's imagine you have collected a range
of shopping lists, discarded by customers as they exit a variety of shops. Just dig into the rubbish bin!

Listening and speaking

One of the receipts contains the following: a Real Madrid strip; a Real Madrid scarf; Real Madrid socks; a
Real Madrid flag.

You could read this out (including the prices) and ask a range of questions:

 Which team does the buyer, or the person they are buying these for, like? An easy one to get
started.

 Who bought this? (Intentionally, there’s no clue. So, this will lead to a discussion/debate.

 Why do you think they bought them? (Again, intentionally, there’s no right answer; so, more
discussion.

 Can you remember which was the most expensive/cheapest item?

 Can anyone tell me how much this person spent altogether/in total?

 Would you buy these items if you had the same amount of money? Again, a range of
answers: yes/no; I'd buy Barcelona things, etc.)

Writing

Follow up on the last point.

Students write a few words about what they would buy if they had the same amount of money given to
them as a present.

Reading

The students read out their piece of writing. This leads to questions and further discussion.

There are many engaging activities you could do with shopping receipts. Because these are real-world
items, your students are aware of them, and this background knowledge will inspire them when
practising the skills.

Recordings

Again, aim to use authentic materials. Carry a little recording device with you into a busy supermarket or
train station.

Steer clear of pre-made recordings, constructed for a learning purpose. These seldom demonstrate
authentic speech. Here are some key points relating to authentic speech:

Authentic speech creates problems for the listener

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 Brevity of chunks: We typically break speech into shorter chunks. In conversation, for example,
people take turns to speak, usually in short turns of a few seconds each.

 Pronunciation: The pronunciation of words is often blended or slurred, and noticeably different
from the phonological representation of some words in the dictionary.

 Vocabulary: The vocabulary is often colloquial. In spoken English, for example, you might
use guy whereas in writing you would use man.

 Noise: There will be a certain amount of noise with bits of the discourse unintelligible to the
listener. This may be because the words are not spoken clearly or are not known to the listener.

Preparation before using authentic materials

 Evaluate the content and ensure it's at the right level for your students.

 Choose topics that are relevant, practical and of interest to your students.

 Ensure the material is of an appropriate length, to ensure the topic can be covered in the
timescale set.

 A successful approach is to plan lessons and activities, based around the authentic materials that
will:

 introduce a new lexical chunk or new single words (but not too many)

 build on an item/idea they are already aware of

 make a slightly complex concept more straightforward.

2. Self-Access Centre (SAC)

A self-access centre is merely a space in your classroom or another designated room, where your
students can work independently or in pairs at their own pace.

There may or may not be one in the school where you will be teaching.

A very good self-access centre will include a range of materials that match the needs and learning
preferences of your learners.

At a basic level, it will contain some appropriate readers, laminated worksheets or workcards and some
authentic laminated materials, such as newspaper articles, magazine articles and cartoons.

Depending on the financial investment by the school, the SAC may also include other facilities such as:

 a recorder with headsets and pre-recorded cassettes

 a video recorder

 a DVD player and films

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 a PC or PCs with language learning software, perhaps connected to the Internet.

What’s the purpose?

Here are some valuable purposes:

 To allow learners to work independently at their pace

 To allow those who have finished a task early to further their learning, instead of just sitting in
their seats and twiddling their thumbs, waiting for others to finish

 To differentiate your lessons in a mixed-ability setting. That is, the SAC could be used, say, for a
group of high achievers who have completed early or for a group of lower achievers who may
need a bit more practice on some item.

2. Outside the Classroom

Never view your classroom as an island. Never ever!

In addition to bringing bits of the real world into the classroom (e.g. newspapers, CDs and videos), we
can, if allowed by the school management, take our students out into the world during class time. Here
we are effectively using the outside world as an extension of the classroom.

Learners need to use and understand language outside the classroom so that they can progress.
Embrace outside activities, and you will observe remarkable progress in your students as they practise
what has been learned back in class.

Outside tasks may seem more obvious activities for intermediate or advanced students. But the earlier
students begin to engage in outside-world activities, the better their progress will be. So, consider doing
this with beginners. The key starting point should be survival language.

Clearly, at lower levels, lots of preparation is needed so that learners have the necessary language back-
up, ability and motivation to undertake the set tasks.

You could start with a bit of reading, e.g. street names, where most of the speaking will be between
learners and not with native speakers.

You could pre-teach some simple questions they could address to native speakers, e.g. How much?

The next step could be short conversational pieces where students can try questions and follow up the
answer given with a typical phrase such as: Thank you.

It takes lots of planning, energy, and assistance from others where the group is big, to ensure the
learners are safe outside and have someone to turn to when they get into language difficulties. But it's
all worth it!

So, what are some of the benefits?

 Remember that outside-world language is authentic language.

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 Through your teaching, the learners will be initiating the simple language transactions and will
hear the expected responses.

 Being able to deal with some everyday transactions in the outside world will be motivating.

What types of activities could you arrange?

These will depend on student levels and what aspect of the language you wish to practise:

 Identifying objects in streets and parks

 Following maps and directions

 Visiting shops

 Interviews and surveys with English-speaking people

 Visiting museums, art galleries, historical sites

 Obtaining information from public offices, e.g. post office, tourist bureau

 Visiting travel agents

 Attending the cinema showing an English-speaking film or a non-English-speaking film with

subtitles

Of course, many of these activities can still be carried out where you are based in a non-English speaking
country. There are many organisations – banks, hotels, supermarket chains, museums and so on – who
have native-English speakers working within them.

It will just require some additional energy from you to organise the visit. And seek out native-English
tourists and backpackers.

These outside-world activities not only make language study more meaningful and motivating. They will
also stand your students in good stead when the time comes for them to go forth as completely
independent learners, without your support.

Give it a go!

2.3. Students’ and the Teacher’s Expectations of Each Other

You cannot assume that your expectations of the classroom will be the same as your learners'
expectations. It is vital that you are fully aware of the environment in which you are working. Don't judge
the students based on your cultural background and educational experiences.

In some cultures, students are generally expected to be silent and passive learners (Japan). In others, the
norm will be a noisy and active classroom with lots of questions being asked by students (Spain).

Also, the social foundations on which the school operates may be very different from your own
experiences. Some may be based on authority and punishment, while others may be based on rewards.
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Students come to class with an increasing diversity of cultural communication styles, multicultural values
and non-verbal communication behaviours that you may not be familiar with.

To improve cross-cultural communicative competence and to reach students from a variety of cultural
backgrounds, you will need to raise your awareness of significant differences in verbal and non-verbal
communication between cultures. This is especially true of those differences that have a direct impact
on teaching and learning in the multicultural classroom.

We will explore this further in Module 8. For the moment, here are a few examples:

 Students’ learning preferences may differ from yours.

 Your previous learning experiences may have influenced the way you think students should
learn. However, your students may have different expectations of how they can best learn.

 Some students may expect to use a coursebook every day, but your approach may be entirely
different.

What you think the students need may be much different from what some students want.

2.4. There’s More to the Teacher Role Than You Might Think

You've already studied what it takes to be a competent and effective teacher – and you will be if you take
all our ideas on board and marry them with your thoughts.

Also, we have already discussed the critical knowledge, ability, skills and habits elements you require to
deliver up a successful lesson.

However, there are several other things you need to do to ensure success. It would be delightful if your
role comprised merely of being a tutor:

 choosing what the learners will learn

 tutoring them to grasp the learning points

 creating an enjoyable atmosphere and utilising pleasant activities to ensure the learning takes
place

How cool would that be? It would be truly wonderful! However, it’s not as easy as that.

There are other vital personal and supervisor- type roles and activities you will be responsible for, and
these require skill, energy, commitment and awareness. They come with the job, as they say.

What do you think these might be?

Time to reflect

What other roles and activities will you be responsible for?

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You may think this question is not apt as you may not have taught before. That doesn't matter. All you
need to do is to reflect on when you were a student. Over those years, you will have noticed some
other essential activities and roles your teachers were responsible for.

Since we are helpful people, here's a clue to get started: Your teacher was also an Assessor.

Your teacher was responsible for:

 assessing progress

 correcting errors

 allowing students to demonstrate their mastery of the material in different ways

 planning what needs to be done in follow-up lessons

 preparing and delivering tests and examinations and marking them, as required

 communicating grades/results/progress with sensitivity and support

 ensuring that you can meet any required external standards or inspections

So, try and answer this without looking at the next Section.

Take some time out to make a drink or sandwich and reflect on this.

Then you can return to check your thoughts with what we think below.

Well done!

2.4.1. The Range of Teacher Roles

Assessor

Explained above.

Controller:

 ensuring that the whole class is tuned into what needs to be done, e.g. starting a new activity

 ensuring that classroom order is maintained

Facilitator:

 knowing what facilitation is

 stepping back and allowing your students to find their way along the language journey, while still
monitoring and motivating as needs be
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 being available and ready to act as a resource when needed

Guide:

 guiding those who are unsure of what to do

Manager:

 ensuring all the nitty-gritty elements that underpin a successful lesson are carried out, e.g. giving
effective and coherent instructions, arranging the most practical seating, ensuring guidelines are
carried out as planned, and ensuring that tasks are completed as scheduled

 ensuring group dynamics skills are utilised to provide efficient classroom routines, smooth
transitions and different types of groupings to encourage specific types of learning

 making sure there is a sense of community and belonging in the classroom

Monitor:

 observing and analysing ongoing interactions – daily

 monitoring what’s going well and what’s not going so well – daily

 reflecting on the evidence and deciding what needs to be done in a feedback session later

 being able to deliver practical, constructive and timely feedback to all students you are
responsible for

 recognising when there is a need to act as a counsellor, providing emotional support as needed
to help learners feel confident in their learning

Motivator:

 motivating some of your students who may not be so keen on the activity or who may be tired
or are thinking elsewhere, perhaps due to the stresses and strains of life outside the classroom

 understanding that lessons should be dynamic, meaningful and stimulating and should respond
to the learners' emotional, cognitive and linguistic needs

 remembering that the whole person comes to school, so even the intrinsically motivated person
yesterday may not be the motivated person today

Needs Analyst:

 identifying the learning needs expressed by your learners

 accounting for differing language ability levels and varying backgrounds, interests, and needs
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 Remember: Learners may have other requirements that you may identify, e.g. behavioural or
social needs, but here we use the term ‘needs analyst' solely in relation to learners' learning
needs.

Planner/Organiser/Task-Setter:

 preparing lesson plans for the class or age group you are assigned to

 accounting for differing language ability levels and varying backgrounds, interests, and needs

 embracing a multicultural perspective in the planning and encouraging this in the learning
episodes

 accounting for maximum student interaction within the plans

 ensuring that there is plenty of opportunity for authentic and communicative language use

 setting out the roadmap for the lesson and organising all the tasks and activities for your
learners

Prompter/Editor:

 being ready always to prompt learners when they are unsure and not just giving them the
answer or moving swiftly to another learner who can supply the solution

 having the skills to edit students' contributions at the right time and demonstrating in a crystal-
clear manner how the students could best present that piece of language and why your
suggested way may help

Resource Producer:

 producing more appropriate, more relevant and often much better materials than a coursebook
offers

 ensuring a variety of material mediums – paper/image-based, audio and video, realia, where
appropriate

Sometimes, many of these skills and roles are required in one lesson. The ability to seamlessly master
the skill of multi-tasking will make your lessons more fluid, more productive and more enjoyable.

You may have learned some of the skills necessary for your teacher role already in another job or
activity, so that experience will serve you well.

If not, you should consider delving into these areas before you take up your teaching post. Our course
will help you with several of these personal and supervisor- type skills, e.g. assessment, motivation,
planning and you'll likely have friends who use other skills in their job and can help you.

An informative book on general supervisor or management skills will also be of great benefit.
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The majority of inexperienced TEFL teachers setting out for their first teaching post have given little
thought to this. Perhaps their course did not make them aware of this. It’s then a severe shock to their
system when they realise they’re unprepared in some of these skills areas.

But you won’t be unprepared!

2.4.2. Common Teacher Roles in Various EFL Work Situations

It seems apt and useful to give you some information about common teacher roles in various EFL work
situations.

1. Kindergarten teacher

Very young learners attend kindergartens to enhance their cognitive development and experiences. At
the same time they will learn a bit of English. It can be a pretty hectic environment but it can also be very
enjoyable and rewarding.

You’ll be on the go all of the time, doing short bursts of a range of themed activity, teaching colours,
taking them through short picture books, organising lots of games, singing songs and doing actions. The
key aim, of course, is to help them become familiar with bits of English. There will be lots of fun, much
different from an adult EFL class!

The main challenge is to get – and keep – their attention. But by introducing as many classroom routines
as you can think of, you will better gain their attention.

The skill set for this includes:

 Is fair and consistent

 Can put children at ease

 Is caring, kind and supportive

 Can achieve a balance between patience and strictness/orderliness

 Can plan thoroughly

 Has boundless energy

 Ensures tasks are fun, enjoyable and geared towards different learning preferences

2. The homeroom teacher

The role of the homeroom teacher varies globally, so here is a general summary.

A group/class of learners will be assigned to a homeroom teacher.

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The group/class will often meet their homeroom teacher first thing each morning before their classes
start for real. In some countries, they also meet their homeroom teacher at the end of the day, before
heading home.

The role of the homeroom teacher is likely to be a mix of administrating, mentoring and guiding.

The homeroom teacher will likely teach the class who are assigned to her or any other class in the
school.

The homeroom teacher’s role includes a range of activities. Here are some of them:

 Completing a register of student attendance

 Ensuring a very positive, friendly, and supportive atmosphere for the students every day

 Demonstrating to students that their homeroom teacher and the school cares about them

 Passing on any important school information to students

 Helping students to organise their day

 Answering students’ questions and who to see if they need further help/information

 Dealing with any issues a student has in school, or in specific lessons or outside the school

 Dealing with any concerns a student has with other students, e.g. bullying

 Supporting students in achieving their ambitions for the year

 Communicating with parents/caregivers re any school issues and to share student successes with
their parents/caregivers

 Addressing any issues with homework completion and submission

 Checking students’ personal appearance with regard to clothing/uniform and any grooming
requirements

 Helping older students to plan their futures when they leave school

The skill set for this includes:

 Fluency in both spoken and written English

 Ensuring and demonstrating that every student matters

 Empathy

 Being organised

 Being fair and consistent

 Being caring, kind, motivational and supportive

 Mentoring and coaching skills

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 Active listening skills to hear what is being said and what is not being said

 Communicating clearly and concisely, so that there is no confusion

 Giving constructive feedback

3.Training centres

Training centres are mostly a Far East phenomenon. Here is some general information about training
centres:

 They are basically a large or fairly large brick and mortar building – a ‘school’ - dedicated entirely
to the teaching of English.

 No other subjects are taught.

 Children and adults are taught English.

 They may operate during the day but mostly they operate in the evenings and at the weekend.
It’s important to note that thousands (maybe millions) of Far East school/college/university
students of any age will attend these classes after their daytime schooling. This is because these
training centres are renowned for only employing native-English teachers and have a reputation
for offering a better curriculum and better facilities than what is provided in state institutions.
Whether that’s true or not is a discussion for another day.

 Branded teaching centres may have many outlets throughout a country such as China. There’s a
possibility of moving to another outlet that suits you better.

 A big advantage for a new teacher is that there will be several native-English speaking
colleagues. So, there’s the opportunity to make instant friends.

The skill set for this includes:

 The same skill set that you will study throughout this course.

 Willingness to work in the evenings and at weekends

 Willing to provide a first-rate customer experience at all times and demonstrating a positive
image of the brand at all times

 Willing to work as a team member

 Willing to substitute for absent colleagues, perhaps at short notice, on or off-site

 Willing to participate in the academic or marketing events, to promote the brand

4. Public and private schools

THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

1. Public schools

In this Section, we deem public schools to be government/state schools and private schools to be
independent bodies, run/owned by a benefactor, individuals, parents/caregivers, entrepreneurs,
religious groups etc.

The UK is an exception. In England and Wales, independently-owned private schools are

called public schools.

Teaching EFL in a public school in the West

 In the UK and USA, for example, it’s likely you will need to have a BA degree (or equivalent), a
state-approved teacher preparation programme, and perhaps a TEFL certificate. A BA degree in
some area related to English may be acceptable. You will need to check out the requirements if
this is what you want to do.

 In the public arena, there may not be specific EFL classes. The EFL teacher will likely work with
small groups of non-native English speakers or individuals who are extracted from the
mainstream English class as necessary, so that the teacher can help them with specific aspects of
their English language.

Teaching EFL in a public school overseas

 In the public arena, there may or may not be specific EFL classes. Where roles are available, it’s
likely that you will need to have a BA degree (or equivalent) and a TEFL certificate. A BA degree
in some area related to English may be acceptable. You will need to check out the requirements
if this is what you want to do.

Public schools globally

 Generally, they offer more financial security as your pay is paid by the government.

 The learners will range from kindergarten age through to ages 16-18.

 There are lots of opportunities to move to other schools in the region/country, assuming the
economy and job market are buoyant.

 There are teaching hours per day and plenty holidays.

2. Private schools

Teaching EFL in a private school in the West

 Qualifications will be much the same as for the public sector.

 In the private arena, there may not be specific EFL classes. The EFL teacher will likely work with
small groups of non-native English speakers or individuals who are pulled out of the mainstream
English class as necessary, so that the teacher can help them with specific aspects of their
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

English language.

Teaching EFL in a private school overseas

There are thousands of private EFL schools globally, with the bulk of them in the Far East. Lots of these
are set up by entrepreneurs or foreign-based companies. They come in all shapes and sizes, some good
and some not-so-good. Many will accept a TEFL certificate as the only requirement. However, in recent
years, some governments are starting to stipulate that a BA degree is also required. The learners may be
any age.

Private schools globally

 Generally, parents/caregivers pay the fees.

 Presumably, the parent/caregivers believe that their children will receive a ‘better’ education.
Whether this is true or not is up for grabs. A public school will have teachers who have the same
qualifications and sometimes a public school will have more or better facilities.

 In the West, the pay levels in public and private schools won’t differ too much.

 Job security in the private sector is not so solid as in the public sector. When the economy is
weak and jobs are at risk, some parents/caregivers may not be able to pay the fees. Thus,
teachers’ jobs may be at risk.

 In the West, the teaching hours and holidays are much the same as the public sector. However,
teachers may be required to take part in extra-curricular work in the evenings or at weekends.

 Elsewhere, in small private schools (e.g. the Far East), teachers may need to work in the evenings
and at weekends, so that the school has additional income coming in.

2.4.3. Peer Teacher Observations

1. Peer teacher observation

Peer observation allows teachers to learn from each other in a non-threatening environment.

Where there is no judgemental outcome and an atmosphere of trust between the participants, teachers
will share ideas and suggestions openly and constructively to their mutual professional benefit.

Hopefully, your school will offer opportunities for peer observation:

 You can observe experienced teachers in action so that you learn from how they do it.

 Experienced teachers can observe you so that you can benefit from their ideas and suggestions.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

You should grab these opportunities whenever they arise. If there are no set school procedures for this,
don't give up. After a short time there, you will have built relationships with the other teachers. Seek
their help.

What are the kinds of things you could notice when you are observing an experienced teacher?

To make this easier to handle, we have constructed a Teacher Observation Form (2 Pages) for you. It will
give you a good idea about what we would aim to observe if we were in this position.

Also, if there is a set procedure for observing new, inexperienced teachers, the Teacher Observation
Form will give you useful guidance on what your observer is likely looking for.

Teacher Observation Form: Page 1

Instructional Skills Yes/No Comments

Assessment: Uses assessment feedback to modify teaching methods and curriculum.

Atmosphere: Creates a relaxed environment where learners are willing to use the
target language and take language risks as necessary.

Attention: Attends to all learners, the amount of attention depending on learners'

individual needs.

Body Language: Uses effective voice, body language, mime and gestures.

Correction and Feedback: Knows what to check, what to ignore, promotes self-
correction, and gives immediate feedback on errors, questions, queries.

Cultural Awareness: Demonstrates cultural awareness.

Examples: Uses adequate examples that are meaningful, clear and varied.

Knowledge: Demonstrates an understanding of the subject matter.

Materials: Relates materials to students' lives, their class lives and their outside-
world lives.

Modes: Uses a variety of teaching modes (e.g. seeing, hearing, speaking, touching,
writing, and reading).

Student-Centred Learning: Facilitates students’ learning.

Teacher Talking Time (TTT): TTT is minimised as much as possible, giving students
ample opportunity to practise.

Techniques: Uses a variety of techniques (e.g. handouts, audio-visual, drills, role-

plays, small group, pairs and individual work).

Technology: Integrates technologies to enhance language learning (e.g. recordings,

computers)
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

Timing: Allows appropriate timing for each step/activity.

Visuals: Visual work is clear and engaging (e.g. board work, charts, slides, pictures,
illustrations, etc.).

Warmer: Starts with an engaging warmer that relates to what the students will learn.

Teacher Observation Form: Page 2

Organisational skills Yes/No Comments

Lesson Planning: Lesson shows evidence of sequencing; connection to past and

future; goal-focus; task analysis and is appropriate for student level.

Materials: Has designed or adapted materials to address learner needs.

Retention Activities: Regularly includes activities that help retention (e.g. review,
summary, memory exercises).

Classroom Management Skills

Adult Learners: Relates to, and engages with, learners as adults.

Evaluation: Allows time at end of class to evaluate the success of the lesson in terms
of comprehension, relevance and significance.

Expectations: Sets clear expectations for classroom interaction and behaviour.

Multi-Level Classrooms: Recognises and manages different levels of students.

Outside World: Brings the outside world into the classroom with media, field trips,
etc.

Records and Data: Maintains attendance and progress reports.

Staying on Topic: Sticks to the subject and doesn't wander off-topic.

Student accomplishments: Helps learners to see and verbalise their progress.

Time-keeping: Starts and ends class on time.

Wait Time: Allows several seconds for learners to respond.

2.4.4. Co-Teaching
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

You may be working in a co-teaching setting. So, here is solid practical advice to ensure you get it right
first time. Once more, this process is often overlooked in other TEFL courses. We can’t understand why
as co-teaching takes place in many TEFL situations.

What exactly is ‘co-teaching’?

Co-teaching is where you will work with a local teacher in the classroom. The co-teaching relationship
can differ, depending on the local teacher. In some situations, you will take over the whole class with the
local teacher in attendance to support you as necessary.

In other situations, you may be carrying out daily routines and pronunciation with students while the
local teacher is teaching the main content of the lesson.

Not all co-teaching episodes work out seamlessly; most do, but there are a few occasions where the co-
teaching relationship doesn't work out so well.

There are several challenges which you need to meet and overcome, but most of these can be headed
off at the pass, or, at the least, minimised significantly. The more you prepare to meet these challenges,
the less chance there will be of you ever experiencing them.

So, what are key challenges, and how can you overcome these?

Challenge 1: Recognise that the onus is on you to fit in.

Here’s what to do:

You are a temporary visitor to the country. It may sound harsh to say this, but it's you who needs to fit in
with your new colleagues. You need to meld in right away.

The onus is not on them to fit in with you as they go about their day-to-day roles which they may have
been doing in the same way for many years. So, grasp this point with both hands, as they say.

People differ between cultures in many respects, e.g. how they plan things, how they relate to their
students, how they relate to other colleagues, what importance they give to certain teaching practices
(e.g. upholding rote-learning over different teaching approaches), and how they think about things.

We are not suggesting that you can fully understand a culture when working temporarily in the culture,
but you can glean and absorb much valuable information by researching the people and its country
before you go.

To overcome this challenge, you need to bite the bullet and accept that the onus is on you to fit in. If you
do this, you will fit in well, and people will respect you for doing so. Where there's respect, there's trust.
Also, where there's trust, others will listen to you and your point of view.

Challenge 2: Understand the need to build a strong rapport and relationship with your co-teacher.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

Here's what to do:

Build rapport

Rapport exists when two people develop a feeling of harmony, well-being and security. It's a bit like
striking a tuning fork and holding it near to another tuning fork. The second will also start to vibrate even
though they do not touch.

Rapport occurs between people when they work in an open, trusting and contented relationship.
Rapport is all about:

 meeting people on their level

 making them feel at ease

It is based on mutual respect and agreement.

When you relate initially to your prospective co-teacher, you can choose one of two standpoints from
which to start:

You can focus on the differences between you.

OR

You can emphasise the similarities between you (the things you agree on, feel and think the same about
and react the same way to).

If you emphasise the differences, it will be virtually impossible to achieve rapport.

The emphasis on similarities occurs not just in the words you will use when talking to your co-teacher,
but also in the way you express yourself through your body language, speech and attitude.

Build a strong Relationship for the future

Once you have established the initial successful rapport, you can then focus on building a strong
relationship for the future:

Here’s what to do:

Display honesty at all times. If, for example, you are asked later as to how you feel the lesson went (led
either by you or your co-teacher) tell the truth honestly and objectively, supported by actual events and
evidence (not how you feel it went).

 Demonstrate your desire to help at all times. Don't just wait until you are asked. Observe and
think about where you can support your co-teacher and act on it. Ensure your actions speak
louder than your words.

 Demonstrate your competence at all times. Don’t go into your co-teacher’s class without being
fully prepared in terms of your knowledge, attitude, skills and habits.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

 Keep all your promises and commitments. For example, if you say you will be ready and
prepared to teach a lesson on Monday at 9 am, ensure you are.

 Always speak naturally and from the heart. Don’t take on different personas to suit the situation.
Be yourself at all times.

 Continue to display empathy, i.e. ‘standing in your co-teacher’s shoes’ and communicating from
her point of view

 Ask more than you tell. Don't give the impression that you know it all.

 Instead of telling your co-teacher what you can do, word it so that you are seeking her advice,
based on her experience: I think I could do it this way. What do you think? Would it work?

 Show your co-teacher that you care about her and her success. Don't get wrapped up in your
success in the classroom. Take time, intentionally, to express your admiration about what and
how she achieved as a result of the lesson she led.

 Finally, your unbounded enthusiasm will go a long, long way to establishing a strong relationship
with your co-teacher.

Challenge 3: Collaborate Well

To meet this challenge, you need to reflect long and hard on how collaboration is built. In essence,
collaboration is all about team playing.

Here’s what to do:

1. Listen actively and respectfully

Collaboration is dependent on each co-teacher listening carefully and actively to each other when the
other is speaking, and thereby they can assimilate the messages into one vision.

2. Demonstrate reliability and consistency

Successful co-teaching collaborators get the work done together and do their fair share of working hard
and meeting the commitments.

3. Share information without restrictions

Excellent collaborators don't hoard teaching ideas, materials or information; they share it freely.

4. Communicate openly and constructively

Successful collaboration needs people who speak up and express their thoughts and ideas, directly,
honestly, and with respect for each other.

5. Function as an active participant

THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

Excellent collaborators are active participants. They're fully engaged in the work of their co-teaching
team and do not sit passively on the sidelines.

6. Be co-operative, not competitive

Excellent collaborators co-operate and do not compete. They are motivated when they see their co-
teacher achieve and, instead of competing with the achiever, they emulate and align with them.

7. Be flexible and adaptable to change

Flexibility is a necessary trait when working with others. If you are rigid in your approach to new
concepts or change, then your co-teacher will be negatively impacted as they too must adapt.

8. Be a good negotiator

Successful collaborators know how to negotiate, which means that situations that could become tense
instead become a win-win for both co-teachers.

9. Show commitment to the team

Experienced collaborators care about their work, the co-teaching team per se, and the team's work.
They show up every day with this care and commitment upfront.

10. Treat others in a respectful and supportive manner

Excellent collaborators treat fellow collaborators with courtesy and consideration — not just some of the
time but consistently.

11. Work as a problem-solver

Co-teaching teams, like any other teams, need to deal with problems. Excellent collaborators are willing
to deal with all kinds of issues in a solutions-oriented manner. They're problem-solvers, not problem-
avoiders.

12. Be optimistic and happy

To be an excellent collaborator in a co-teaching situation means you need to be the type of person
others want to be around. Positive, confident people are attractive. They draw their collaborators to
them and encourage recognition of achievements.

Challenge 4: Communicate well

To meet this challenge, you need to reflect long and hard on what needs to be communicated and how
to communicate it.

Here’s what to do:

The two of you need to discuss and firm up:

THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

 The process for keeping a record of your communications, so that responsibility for the tasks is
crystal clear and there is no confusion.

 The how, where, when, why and what of planning your joint lessons.

 The how, where, when, why and what of giving feedback to each other. Agree that both will be
comfortable with this process. Consider that this is often best done in the café down the road
instead of in the staffroom, where there may be interruptions.

 An agreement that the feedback is welcome, must be objective and clearly explained, and that
neither party will take any feedback personally. Emotions will play no part. The input is for the
benefit of you both and the benefit of your learners.

 Regular communication sessions where you can both bounce ideas and approaches off each
other. Firm up the how, where, when, why and what for these sessions.

 Agreement that it's OK to disagree with each other and that in these cases the best-negotiated
agreement, based on a bit of giving and taking, will be fine.

Challenge 5: Plan well

So, you feel you fit in, you're building a good rapport and relationship with your co-teacher, you sense
there's a solid basis for collaboration, and you feel that the communication lines are open and working
well.

Let's now consider the final piece in the co-teaching jigsaw – planning what needs to be done and how it
needs to be done to ensure both of you, and your learners, will achieve the success for which you are
aiming.

To meet this challenge, you need to reflect long and hard on what needs to be planned and how to plan
it.

Here’s what to do:

1. Planning, in general

Agree:

 that each must contribute fully to the planning process

 what elements will be taught and by whom

 what each will do during the lesson and that each role is equally important

 what overall strategy/approach/model will be used to achieve the objective(s)

THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

 what must be done to ensure the learners see both of you as equal partners in the learning
event

 how the learners will be assessed and when

2. Planning the specific lesson in action

Agree that:

 each will model successful collaboration in the classroom

 both your names will be pinned up to emphasise this partnership in teaching

 the classroom space will be worked out equitably, and two teacher desks will need to be set up
in agreed areas

 students will be informed that this is a co-teaching event and the benefits of this will be set out

 both will have a lead role in the teaching and students will recognise this

 both will take part in the assessment of the learners

 there is or isn’t a need for different groups of learners to be taught at the same time

 changes may need to be made during the lesson, depending upon certain agreed circumstances

 classroom management will be shared equally

3. Post-lesson activity

Agree that:

 each will provide feedback to the other

 each will take on board any changes or improvements for the future and continue to reflect on
what may make the co-teaching event even better

 both will celebrate the success of the co-teaching event and make it known to others who have
not yet tried this approach

Summary

Overcoming potential co-teaching challenges is all about research, thinking and planning. If you take on
board all the practical points we have set out above, it's doubtful that you will face any co-teaching
challenges.

2.5. Getting to Grips with the School Syllabus

2.5.1. What’s a Syllabus?

1. Syllabus
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

Generally, a syllabus is a document which consists of a series of topics prescribed for an entire course of
study. The actual components of the topics may be either content items, such as words, structures,
functions, or they may be process items, such as tasks and methods.

Sometimes a school department will decide to include some of their own specific rules and guidance
which may not appear in another department's syllabus. For example, students are expected to
participate actively, bring textbooks to class, complete homework assignments on time and so on.

No syllabus is perfect, but you will have to be familiar with it if the school dictates that you must follow
the syllabus.

Note: In some schools overseas, there may not be a syllabus as described above. Sometimes a
coursebook is used, and you follow that religiously whether it's good or bad.

When you are new and inexperienced, it's best to accept the situation and get on with it. Gradually, you
can add in your self-made supplementary materials and additional topics where you feel something is
lacking.

A general rule is that the more the school administrators see you working hard and guiding the students
to improve, the more flexibility you will be allowed in introducing new materials and topics.

2. Main features of a Syllabus

There is no universal structure.

Here is what a typical syllabus might look like:

 Syllabus items are ordered and should have explicit objectives which tell students the language
items (i.e. bits of language, e.g. words or structures) they will have learned by the end of the
course.

 It may contain a general time framework (by the end of this course …) but some syllabi break up
the time framework of their components, prescribing, for example, the specific items that should
be dealt with in the first month, in the second, and so on, and by the end of a course.

 A preferred approach or methodology the class uses may also be defined, e.g. the
Communicative Approach.

 A syllabus may list recommended materials, such as principal textbook(s), visual materials or
supplementary materials.

 A syllabus may explain assessment both in terms of elements to be assessed and how they are to
be weighted.(Some elements may be ‘weighted’, i.e. attributed more importance or value.)

 It may show how the course fits into a broader context (‘the big picture’).

 It may also establish a learning contract with students by publicly stating policies, requirements,
and procedures for the course.

 It may also set the tone for the course and convey how you perceive your role as the teacher and
their role as students.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

 It is often designed to help students assess their readiness for the course by identifying
prerequisite areas of knowledge.

 It may be designed to help students manage their learning by identifying outside resources and
providing advice.

 It can be used to communicate course goals and content to you and your colleagues.

 The syllabus may be linked to or based upon a set coursebook which must be used. Note that
you may still have to build in supplementary materials to suit particular groups or
activities. Remember: No coursebook is perfect and can soon become out of date.

2.5.2. Choosing, Adapting and Creating Materials

Following on from the final bullet point above, you may need to choose, modify and develop materials to
ensure the best learning experience possible.

Advantages

Here are some advantages:

1. You can ensure the materials better fit the context

Here are the main criticisms of coursebooks and accompanying ready-made materials:

 The coursebook and accompanying materials produced for the global EFL (including EYL) market
are often too generic.

 Often, they are not geared to specific groups of learners.

 Often, they are not geared to any specific educational or cultural context.

 They often contain functions and speech outputs based on situations that most foreign language
learners will never be in.

 They are Anglo-centric in their construction and production and therefore do not reflect any
local varieties of English. ‘Anglo-centric’ typically means centred on or giving priority to England
or things English.

By choosing wisely from other sources, or by creating them yourself, you can ensure your materials will
better fit the context.

2. You can make the materials meet the individual learners' needs

Commercially produced generic materials cannot address the needs of all the unique individual learners
in classrooms. But you can by:

 creating or adapting materials to the individual needs and learning preferences of students
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

 creating or modifying materials that consider the learners' first language and the learners'
culture and personal experiences

 creating or adapting materials at the right level for your learners, to ensure the materials present
an appropriate challenge and degree of success

 changing the often-repetitive model and organisation in the coursebook to add more variety
within the classroom to meet developing needs (e.g. using whatever is appropriate to reach the
goal – topics, situations, functions, etc.)

3. You can make them fit today’s events

Commercially produced materials cannot keep up to date with local and international events. World and
country changes can happen rapidly, and learning materials need to keep up with changes and
happenings that are of particular interest to learners in their situation.

Only teachers on the ground - as you will be - can make the materials relevant to today’s world.

4. You can overcome the lack of finance

Many schools may not have the budget to supply resources for the TEFL classroom. Instead of moaning
and groaning, most motivated teachers step up to the plate and design their materials as a matter of
course. The school and your learners will be very appreciative of this.

Disadvantage

There is one critical disadvantage of doing so: time spent.

It takes lots and lots of time to choose, adapt and create additional materials to fit the context and
match learner needs and preferences.

Where does the time go? It will likely be taken up by:

1. Going through an interminable amount of inadequate materials on the internet, until you find
something you can use

2. Adapting materials to ensure they meet your learners’ needs as precisely as possible

3. Ensuring the materials fit with the syllabus

4. Ensuring the materials look good

5. Ensuring the materials stretch your learners

6. Ensuring the materials integrate all the language skills

7. Ensuring coherence. That is, ensuring one piece of material links with another in steady
progression towards the language learning goal.

8. Writing clear instructions

THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

What’s the best solution?

The best solution is to create your materials. At first, this will seem time-consuming, but gradually it will
be much faster when you get into this habit.

In Module 8, we will explore the types of supplementary materials you can create and how to do this.
Then you’ll see how easy it is.

2.6. Learner Levels

The next Section – 2.6.1 – is about information you need to know. It's likely all new to you, so take
your time with this. You don't need to learn this information off-by-heart. Just aim to understand it
and use the Section as an aide-memoire for the future. Got it? We won't be assessing you on this
information.

Unfortunately, some students studying other TEFL courses won't be aware of this. But you will!

2.6.1. CEFR, Common Labels, English Profile Facility

2.6.1.pdf

2.7. Preparing Students for International Exams

When preparing students for international exams – Cambridge, IELTS and TOFEL – there’s a lot to digest.

There’s no point in reinventing the wheel, as they say, as all the information you need is on the official
sites of the organisations offering these tests. So, our role here is to guide you where to find the
information.

In addition, we have also mentioned some other trusted websites that add additional information and
offer practice tests.

Cambridge Exams

The official Cambridge Exams site is at https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/information-for-preparation-

centres/welcome/

Go to this site and study all the information. Download the handbook for the relevant exam. In the
handbook, you’ll find sections headed-up Preparation, covering all parts of the exam. The advice for
preparing students for the exam is first-class.

Once you’ve grasped all that, explore their free resources for preparing learners for Cambridge English
Qualifications. You can download free lesson plans, vocabulary lists and sample papers for all the
qualifications. They also have speaking test example videos that you can show your students to
familiarise them with the tests.

IELTS

Go to the official IELTS site: https://www.ielts.org/for-teachers/ielts-for-teachers

Select the heading For Test Takers and select How to Prepare. Review the test format and then explore
the IELTS sample questions. There is a comprehensive selection of sample test questions.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

Note the IELTS Progress Check - official practice test section. You may wish to suggest this to your
students.

Under Official IELTS practice materials, you may wish to buy the Vol. 2 Official IELTS Practice Materials
(with DVD) when you are preparing them for the tests.

Here are two useful, external sites that offer useful information:

How to teach IELTS: from wiziq.com: https://blog.wiziq.com/how-to-teach-ielts/

Teaching IELTS - 9 Vital Tips And Tricks: from Busy Teacher: https://busyteacher.org/4666-teaching-ielts-
9-vital-tips-tricks.html

TOEFL iBT

Go to the official ETS site at https://www.ets.org/toefl/teachers-advisors-agents/teaching/preparing-

students. You’ll see an array of materials that can be used to prepare your students for the TOEFL iBT
test. Some of the materials are free but some are not.

Note that the TOEFL iBT Test Preparation: The Insider's Guide seems a promising idea. They say it’s free
on this page but later you find you need to pay if you wish to have the full course.

You may find some useful videos on ETS’ TOEFL TV Channel.

Here are two useful, external sites that offer good information:

How to Prepare for the TOEFL Test the Right Way: from
FluentU: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/toefl/how-to-prepare-for-toefl/

Improve your TOEFL Score: from Magoosh:

https://toefl.magoosh.com/

2.8. False Beginners Versus Absolute Beginners

Before we leave the subject of levels, we must make you aware of the phenomenon of false beginners.

By the time you are in action, you will have picked up this Very Important Point from this course
– beware of false beginners.

Note that at the beginner level, CEFR A1 Level, a distinction is often made between teaching false
beginners and absolute beginners.

False beginners

False beginners are those students who have perhaps had a little English learning, or who have picked up
English more informally and inconsistently, perhaps through travelling or from bi-lingual
parents/caregivers.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

False beginners may give the appearance of knowing some English, which initially makes them easier to
teach. However, their superficial knowledge can present some teaching challenges, as these learners
may have developed early bad errors/habits.

Their classroom motivation may also be affected, as they may think that they already know the material
just because they recognise a small part of it. Look out for false beginners.

Absolute beginners

Absolute Beginners are students that have had no (or very little) exposure to English lessons or the
language in general. Absolute beginners have a high intrinsic motivation from day 1 and will catch up to
the false beginner learners very quickly.

2.9. Practical Tips for Teaching the Beginner Level

While we are discussing absolute beginners, it seems apt to give you some guidance on teaching
beginner level students. To get the best out of your beginner level students and aid their progress, you
need to reflect deeply on your teaching approach.

For example:

 You need to ensure you have a clear objective of what you are aiming to achieve during the
lesson.

 Do not try to accomplish too much.

 There may be exceptions to the ‘rule' you are teaching. Leave these for another day.

Time to reflect

Following on from the examples above, what do you think would be sound practical advice for
teaching absolute beginners? Have a go!

Take some time out to make a drink and/or sandwich and reflect on this.

Then you can return to check your thoughts with what we think below.

Well done!

Practical advice for teaching beginners

Here’s what to do:

1. Ensure you have a clear objective of what you are aiming to achieve during the lesson. Do not try to
accomplish too much. There may be exceptions to the ‘rule' you are teaching. Leave these for another
day.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

2. Ensure you have clearly mapped out the steps of your lesson. Stick to these. There needs to be a
logical progression. This will also ensure your timing is right.

3. Engage and involve your students. Do not act as if you are the sage on the stage. Engagement and
involvement are critical.

4. Praise them several times, e.g. when they understand, complete an activity, etc.

5. Involve them through questions, drills and exercises.

6. Tell them what you and they are going to do and why it's essential. Remind them why it’s important on
several occasions.

7. Use a variety of activities/ examples to get your point over.

8. Also, make effective use of gestures and mime to help get the message across.

9. Get them involved in pair and group work. Use pair or group activities that encourage interaction by
providing learners with situations in which they must negotiate meaning with partners or group
members to complete a task. (When speakers negotiate meaning, they are attempting to reach a clear
understanding of what each person is saying. Achieving this involves several strategies such as
rephrasing, asking for clarification, and confirming what you think you have understood.)

10. Ensure your instructions are clear.

11. Never give out the worksheets until you are sure they know what to do.

12. Model what they need to do. That is, show them how to complete an activity. You can do it, or you
can choose a student or pair to do this.

13. Always check their understanding before they start an exercise.

14. Ensure any activities they are doing to demonstrate accuracy are scaffolded, i.e. arranged from easy
to hard.

15. Monitor when they are completing an activity.

16. Ignore spelling during this lesson. Your focus is on ensuring they understand the learning point. You
can come back to spelling at a later time.

17. Note any recurring error. This can be addressed at the start of the next lesson.

18. Correct as a whole class in a random fashion.

19. Checking pronunciation via whole-class and individual drilling is vital.

20. Leave ample time to summarise what they have learned:

 They can tell you what they have learned.

 Ask them to tell you why this learning is vital for them.

 A pair or pairs can do a final, quick demonstration if time allows.

THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

 Always finish by praising what they have achieved.

21. Keep it all simple: grade your language carefully. Remember! There are no prizes for you for using
fancy, complicated language.

22. You'll need to speak slower but not too slow and deliberate such that it sounds like you are talking to
a baby; otherwise, the learners may feel patronised.

23. Don't miss out essential words and structures. Don't say Ah, you go to party tonight. Learners need
to hear specific structures even if you haven't reached that learning point with them. Otherwise, they
may think that's how English really is spoken.

24. Make a personal connection. Ensure you know the students’ names. If you have any difficulty with
this, draw up a seating plan with their names on it. When you’re away from your desk, you can use some
tricks of the trade:

1.You: Well done, Maria (whose name you have remembered). Who will I ask now? You tell me, Maria.
You can point to the person and say their name.

Maria: Juan (pointing to Juan)

You: Thank you, Maria. Juan (whose name you had forgotten), what is the dog’s name?

2. You: The next student I will ask is a boy, he has a red shirt, and he sits near the window. Who is it?

They: Alejandro! (pointing to him)

You: That’s right. Well done! Alejandro (whose name you had forgotten), what is the dog’s name?

25. Learn a bit of their language, e.g. Good day! Hello! Please! Thank you! Listen carefully! They will
appreciate your effort. The students will enjoy helping you learn a few new words each day. By learning
bits of a new language, you will have more empathy for your students' struggles to learn English.

26. Review continuously. You are the beginners' textbook and study guide as well as their teacher.
Provide review sessions at the beginning of every class, so students will practise what they've learned
and acquire the language.

27. Minimise your students’ cognitive burden. Cognitive, as you will know, is the fancy word for the
mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and
the senses.

When teaching groups of beginner students, it's best not to write a lot of information on the board and
have students copy it down while you continue to explain concepts. We can easily forget these students
cannot multi-task with their current language proficiency level, and it is essential to break down tasks
into smaller components.

Do one thing at a time.

Note that most of the points above will also apply to some elementary students.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

2.10. An Introduction to Lesson Planning

Planning and presenting lesson plans is the most critical teacher skill of all. Planning and presenting
lessons successfully will be your core activity for most of your time when you are teaching.

In this Section, we will give you an overview of how to plan and present high-quality lesson plans. We
will return to this again in Module 6 and, particularly, Module 7. Module 7 will focus entirely on lesson
planning and lesson delivery.

So, to ensure you get this skill right first time, we will introduce lesson planning and lesson delivery
gradually.

So, what is a lesson plan? A lesson plan is a carefully constructed blueprint to guide you where you and
your learners need to go and to ensure you and your learners arrive there. Think of it as a roadmap
which will ensure you – and your students – will arrive at your destination successfully.

There are different types of lesson plan models that teachers use in EFL classes throughout the globe.
Sometimes a teacher will use the model she learned during her training. Sometimes a teacher will
change to another model which she learned about through further reading or research.

We’re going to introduce you to a very successful model which encompasses five distinct steps. It’s called
the 5 Step Lesson Plan.

We will major on this lesson planning model in the course. You can use this model for all your lesson
planning, no matter what you are teaching and no matter which student level you will be teaching. Most
of our graduates have been using this very successfully for years.

Here is a brief explanation of the 5 Step Lesson Plan. Remember: We will delve into this again in
Module 6 and, particularly, Module 7.

Step 1: Opening

Your students need to know where you are taking them, i.e. what they are about to learn and why it’s
important to them. But there’s more to a good opening. It needs to engage your learners and incite their
interest. If it doesn’t, then things will fall apart, as they say.

Step 2: Introduction of New Material

Here you will clearly and succinctly introduce your learners to the new learning. It could be a new
language form, skill or concept which you'll introduce, explain, model, demonstrate, and so on.

Step 3: Guided Practice

Your learners must have sufficient time and opportunity to practise their new learning. In this step, it will
be guided, controlled practice, practice which is supported by you.

The principal intention of this step is to help the learners internalise the learning, in a sheltered
environment, from their short-term memory (information memorised during your Introduction) into
their long-term memory for the future. The focus is on accuracy.
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

Step 4: Independent Practice

This is where students refine the language form, skill or concept on their own, without your assistance.
In this step, you will facilitate. It’s generally free, uncontrolled practice, but you will still be there to give
help and guidance where needed. This step is usually conducted in pairs or groups. The focus is
on fluency.

Step 5: Closing

Here your focus is on:

 Keeping up their engagement by asking the students what they have learned. Ask them: What
have we learned in this lesson?

 Keeping up their interest by asking the students to tell you about the significance of what they
have learned. Ask them: What is the significance/importance of what we have learned? How will
this benefit you?

 Issuing homework as necessary.

Activity: Example Lesson Plan

1. Go to a quiet place. This activity requires your full concentration.

2. It's not difficult but it needs total focus to get the right feel of it.

3. We have set out your example lesson plan below, on 2 pages. Note that this is a rough template. In
Module 7, we will introduce you to a thoroughly professional template.

4. Through time, when you are teaching, your lesson plans will be a good bit shorter, by adding in
abbreviations, using mnemonics, colours etc. to guide you and compress the detail in your plan.

5. Take your time and trawl through this example lesson plan several times. Get the feel of the order of
the steps and what you do at each step.

6. Try not to query too much for the time being. For example, we haven’t included handouts or
worksheets. Accept it as it is at this stage. Everything will be explained as we carry on through the
course. Your entire focus should be on getting the feel of the order of the steps and what you do at
each step.

7. Hopefully, you’ll recognise that the 5 Step Lesson Plan is an excellent model, keeping you and your
learners on track all of the time.

Example Lesson Plan

Example Lesson Plan.pdf

THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

2.10 Continued

What else do you need to know about lesson planning at this stage? Here are a couple of key points for
the moment.

1. Objectives and goals – how we see it

The terms objective(s) and goal(s) sometimes cause confusion. Here is how we see it.

Let’s say I decide to lose some weight. My longer-term goal is to lose a stone (just over 6 kgs) by
December 31. That’s easier said than done. It won’t just happen because I say it will happen. The best
way to achieve my goal is to break this challenging goal into steps (objectives). I find out how best to do
this by reading information from a trusted medical source:

1. I stop skipping breakfast. Otherwise, I may end up snacking more during the day.

2. I eat regular meals during the day because this helps to burn calories faster.

3. I eat lots of fruit and veg because these are high in fibre and low in calories and fat. Plus, high fibre
foods help to make me feel full.

4. I get more active. This burns off excess calories that can’t be lost by dieting.

5. I drink lots of water as I’m told that it’s easy to confuse thirst with hunger.

6. I check all food labels to control my calorie intake.

7. I bin all junk foods at home.

I achieve my longer-term goal by 31 December. This was achieved by breaking down my goal into
separate steps: objectives. My longer-term goal was where I wanted to be. The 7 objectives above were
the steps I needed to take to get there.

When drawing up a lesson plan, you need to identify what your objective is for that lesson. And you
need to ensure that the objective will help you towards your overall goal. Your overall goal may be to
ensure that your learners are able to use modals correctly when speaking and writing. But you will never
achieve that goal unless you break the goal down into logical separate steps – objectives – so that your
learners have a clear and logical route to follow to achieve the goal.

2. Assessing available content/resources

When assessing available content/resources for use in your lesson plans, here are some very important
questions to ask yourself:

 Am I enthusiastic about the content/resource? If not, why will my learners be enthusiastic?

 Is the content/resource geared to my learners’ level?

 Is there a progression from easy to more difficult?

 Is it aimed at any specific educational or cultural context? Is it culturally-appropriate? Does it

assume that the learners will have some degree of cultural knowledge?
THE COMPETENT EFL “TEACHER”

 Are the values and attitudes expressed acceptable?

 Does it address some universal themes, e.g., diversity, disability, human rights, gender, race,
right and wrong, good and evil, tolerance, the strength of family, protecting the environment,
etc.?

 Will it help to give them a broader view of the world and promote intercultural understanding?

 Does it contain functions and speech outputs based on situations that the majority of my
learners may never be in.

 Is there a possibility that some part may be offensive?

 Is the material attractive and engaging?

 Is it Anglo-centric in its construction and production and therefore does not reflect any local
varieties of English? Anglo-centric typically means centred on or giving priority to England or
things English.

 Is there a reasonable balance of all 4 skills: listening, speaking, writing and reading?

 Is there a reasonable balance of language areas: lexis, grammar and pronunciation?

 Is there sufficient new language which will be useful and relevant for all?

 Does the content link with other subjects in the curriculum?

 Does it cater to different intelligences and learning preferences?

 Is it an appropriate length? Can it be broken into parts, if need be?

 What is the balance of dialogue and narrative?

 Is there ample opportunity for learners to practise the language/structure?

 Is the material suited to independent work, whole class work, or pairs/groups work?

 Is there a variety of activities/examples?

 Is it engaging, interesting and authentic?

Well done! That wasn’t too challenging, was it? What you have learned here will help you better
understand your role and the knowledge, ability, skills and habits required.