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                                                                                                                                 MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY MEXICO CITY

                                                          ELT NEWSLETTERS





                   SEVEN MISTAKES ENGLISH TEACHERS MAKE AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

1.    Teachers translate for their students. If you translate for your students, they will not have to make any effort to understand and speak English. You are doing everything for them. In Spanish we say
"caen en blandito." We spoon feed them. Speak only English. Take into account that classroom dialogs are repeated every single day. Ss will understand you.

2. Teachers spell words out loud during a lesson. Unless you are preparing students for spelling match, you do not spell words out loud. First model the correct pronunciation and have your students
repeat the words using them within context, in situations that make sense. Then, later during the lesson or during the week, you can proceed to write the words on the board.

3. Teachers go directly to the board. There are lesson in which the board is totally unnecessary and its use even interferes with trying to teach correct pronunciation. If you show your students the word
"would" before you have modelled it and made then repeat it several times and used it within meaningful context he she will always and forever pronounce the letter "L". Ss see it on the board and of
course will pronounce the "l" as in Spanish. Many teachers believe that if they do not write on the board, people will think that they do not know and that that is the reason they must write on the board.
Writing is one of the four linguistic skills and should be taught for full mastery of the language: however, you cannot teach writing before teaching reading. You cannot teach reading before teaching
listening and speaking.

4. Teachers do not used recorded material. Recorded material is an essential tool when doing listening exercises. Teachers should not think that they should use recorded material because their won
pronunciation is not good. Using recorded material has nothing to do with the teacher´s own pronunciation. It has to do with making your students listen to someone else without looking at that someone--
without looking at the articulation and facial expressions which facilitate comprehension. The purpose of a listening exercise is to have the Ss make an effort to try to understand what they are hearing.

5. Teachers lose control of the class. Ss can ask may questions that have nothing to do with the lesson at hand. It is the teacher´s responsibility to keep things on track. Some teachers think that if they do
not address the student´s question right then and there, the Ss are going to think that she does not know--that she may not even be a teacher. That she might gone of to summer camp in the States and
came back claiming to be a teachers. Forget about all that. Do not let ego get in the way. Let´s say, for example, that your student wants to know why you pronounce the -ed in regular past tense verbs in
different ways--sometimes with d others with t and yet others with an extra syllable. You do not stop and explain at that very moment. You schedule a special lesson or a part of a future lesson and give a
thorough explanation. You are in charge--not your Ss.

6. Teachers do not prepare lessons. Our Ss have had many teachers and they can tell whether the teacher planned something ahead of time or where he/she is improvising. This discovery on their part is
one of the main reasons for losing their respect. "I´ll just take something to entertain them today-- a song or a puzzle. Prepare your lesson. If everyone can have while learning, that is wonderful: but keep in
mind that your main objective is to teach and your Ss main objective is to learn.

7. Teachers speak English ONLY IN CLASS. Speak English with and to your Ss every time you meet them whether it is during recess, before and after class. After all, these are great opportunities to
practice and practicing is a very important part of acquiring a language. Some teachers say, "Pablito, te quiero ver después d ela clase. Te me quedas allí sentado, eh?" The underlying message is "I
am telling you in Spanish because I know in my heart that you will not understand me. What a message. Talk to your Ss in English every where and all the time.

                                                         INDUCTIVE/DEDUCTIVE LEARNING

There are, among others, two ways of teaching and learning--either through a deductive or an inductive approach. How can we distinguish the two? Here are some practical examples that might help us
differentiate the two.

LEARNING INDUCTIVELY

EXAMPLE: A friend of yours gave you a CD with 8 songs. The CD does not show the names of the songs. You enjoy listening to the CD over and over. After a while you sense or you feel which song is
next. And it usually is. You learned this inductively. After a while you could even give the correct order for all of the 8 songs. You did not study a list of the songs. In fact, you did not study a list at all. You
listened to the songs in a natural way and discovered which song was next simply by listening to them.

LEARNING DEDUCTIVELY

EXAMPLE: Instead of giving you the CD, your friend gave you a list of the 8 songs for you to memorize. In other words you first had to learn (memorize) the list of the 8 songs--their names and their place
on the list. Then after having learned the names and their place on the list, your friend will give you the CD for you to listen to.   This way you know exactly which song is next every time. You learned this
because you memorized a list--not because you discovered it on your own.

When teaching languages, which do you think is better approach? Discovering through practice or learning through memorization?

                                                       MEETING OBJECTIVES

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line—not a zig zag nor a curved line. How can we apply this premise to our English lessons? Let´s take Toefl Preparation classes as an example.
For the duration of a 48-hour preparation course you need to teach a number of skills.

One day you begin class with a great song from the 90´s. You begin a discussion about how popular the song was and the fact that it earned several music awards. Your students enjoy the conversation
and you even brought the lyrics. They all sing and have a great time.

What´s wrong with bringing song and lyrics to class? Nothing wrong if the class were a conversation class or a regular English level class. The problem is that this particular class is a Toefl Preparation
Class and the only way to reach the goal of preparing the students for the Toefl Exam is to work non stop on the skills to be taught.

Improvisation has no place in a TOEFL Preparation Class nor in any kind of class for that matter. And you know something? Students can tell when a teacher improvises. We tend to forget that our
students have experience, they have had many, many English teachers before us. They have learned a lot about good teachers and not-so-good teachers. They can tell when the teacher prepared the
class and when she did not.

In other words, we must focus. Focus on the task at hand. If we do not focus, we begin to go around in circles and at the end of the day, we will not have met our objectives not only in our English lessons
but in every aspect of our lives.

A good way to avoid sidetracking is to remind your students and yourself as well.   “Class, we are looking at 5 skills per day. This way we will have seen all the 60 skills in twelve weeks. Then we shall be
ready to take a practice test.” You, too, will be more committed. It would be very difficult to show up with a seek-a-word exercise or a crossword puzzle after reminding them that there´s a lot of work ahead
and that test preparation is the ultimate goal. No curves, no zig zags. If you focus, your students will focus too. Mission accomplished!


                                                  SURVIVAL SKILL--SPECIALIZE

It is often said that English Teachers in Mexico do not earn a lot money, that their earnings are very low, and that teaching is mostly about having or not having the vocation to teach.

Although having a vocation for teaching is an invaluable asset and will make the journey a very pleasant one, there is absolutely no reason why teachers should not earn lots and lots of money. The key to
earning lots of money as a teacher of English as a Second Language in Mexico is specialization. There are many different areas that require that teachers specialize.

For example, take pronunciation and accent training. The amount of money you can earn by knowing how to improve your students´ pronunciation and how to polish their accents, is limitless. You will
never run out of students from beginners to advanced students—any student who does not pronounce correctly, who does not use stress and intonation patterns adequately, needs more self confidence,
needs you badly. You can help.

Then there is the teaching of grammar. Although current methodology does not encourage the teaching of grammar per se, there is a need for grammar experts when it comes to teaching TOEFL, GMAT,
and other test preparations for college entrance exams. Students who learned through the grammar-translation methods also demand grammar explanations from their teacher. These students will also
appreciate you dearly.

Needless to say, you can also specialize in preparing students for TOEFL or any other examination.

Let us not forget teaching business English. There is an overwhelming demand for teachers who know the vocabulary of the business world, who know about weekly reports and meetings.

Of course, you might be thinking: And exactly HOW am I supposed to specialize if I work all day and come home to check assignments and exams?

The first step is to begin to see yourself as a life-long learner, a professional student.    Learn on your own, learn for the sake of learning, learn for the sheer enjoyment of learning.   Practice self-evaluation
and self-praise. Visit bookstores with your children, purchase a book on pronunciation, or on test preparation, or on business English and read one of them in your spare time. Read a page or two a day,
summarize what you have read. Put it in your own words. Imagine that what you have just read and learned you will be teaching someone else. This makes it even more challenging and consequently, you
will feel more responsible for fully understanding the material.

Little by little, page by page, you will be learning something new, something that in a given moment might come in very handy, might be a life saver. You never know.

A second step to reinforce life-long learning is to apply your new knowledge, to have at least one student or a small group of students once a week to practice with and to gain experience doing so.

You really and truly do not have to pay large tuition fees at any university to LEARN. Become a life-long learner and SPECIALIZE. Sow today, reap tomorrow.


                                                     CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

        “SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET!”

No one likes to take orders. Adults do not like to take orders and neither do kids of all ages.

Students do not enjoy being told what to do. Students resist anything that sounds like an order.

Have you ever heard a teacher say things like:

“Take your grammar book out.
Put your bag away.
Throw that paper in the trash can.
Take out your workbook now.
Walk quietly.
Put your books away.
Stop talking.”

These are all orders and after a while of hearing so many orders, students (and husbands as well) shut down. They do not hear anymore. They stop listening.

There are other ways of telling your students what you want without actually giving them orders. The following are alternatives which you might find useful:

ALTERNATIVES:

“Kids, you’re going to need the grammar book.
Let’s put the bags away.
The trash can’s over here.
Now, let’s go to the workbook.
The noise level is getting too high.
We don’t need the books anymore.
We need more silence in here.”

With older kids such as high school students, instead of saying:

Open your books to page 69.

SAY:

I’m on page 69 and ready to begin.

You have not given out orders, but your students know what to do. They will react positively to your statement because it does not sound like an order because it is not an order.
Try out these phrases and see if they work for you and your students. I wish you lots of happy and productive lessons in which your students do not feel they are being ordered around and respond
positively to your remarks.



                                CALLING YOUR STUDENTS BY NAME--NO NAME CALLING

“I’m Francisco, but everybody calls me Gordo.”
OK, Gordo. . . What’s your last name?”

What´s wrong with the teacher’s response? First of all, let’s find out if Francisco himself wants to be called “Gordo.” To find out it is as easy as asking him, “How would you like me to call you? He might
say “Gordo”, but he might also say “Paco” or “Francisco.”

A person’s name is very important to him/her. We like to be addressed by our first name. “Hey you” is not a proper way to address anyone.

You might come across a student who really and truly hates his name. One day he/she may come to terms with the strange name he was given, but in the meantime, we should call him the way he wants to
be called.

Names should not be used to denote anger or resentment. If you always call a child Betito and suddenly you call him Roberto, he might get the idea that you are angry or upset.

When it comes to names and name calling, empathy is very important. Other words may be insulting or demeaning such as “Donkey”, “Lazy Brat”, etc.

After many years a friend of mine told me in a very upsetting manner to please NOT call her Martita---that her name was Martha. After that incident, I really think about it when making this kind of
assumption and ask before calling someone Laurita, Irmita, Jorgito, etc.

In conclusion, call your students by their given name, but also find out how they themselves want to be called. Do not assume anything regarding the student´s name.   It is always better to ask.



                                       TIMING IS CRUCIAL--WHEN TO SAY CLASS IS OVER

“OK. CLASS IS OVER; WE HAVE FINISHED FOR TODAY.”

Throughout my career in the teaching profession, I have had many opportunities of watching teachers give their class. I have learned plenty from analyzing hundreds of classes from start to finish.   One of
the most popular complaints from teachers is that students go wild at the end of the class; that they do not pay attention any more. They start getting up from their seats. They start speaking to each other.
Everything seems to be out of control.

Teachers, I am very sorry to say this, but often times you yourself are responsible for this behavior. Why? Because teachers tell the students that the class if over; that the class has ended; that she has
finished the day´s lesson.

And guess what? That is not true. After saying that the class is over, she/he goes on giving the homework assignment, giving other instructions about putting notebooks and textbooks away, etc. Not easy
to do this any more.

The "disciplinary problem" arises from the fact that the teacher says that the class is over, when it is NOT over.

When students hear the teacher say that class is over, they assume that it is really over. They get up from their chairs, they start speaking to each other, they laugh and start leaving the classroom. Logical.

ALTERNATIVE:    If you still have important things to tell your students, DO NOT SAY THE CLASS IS OVER UNTIL IT IS OVER. THAT SIMPLE.

Do not even say, BEFORE WE GO. . . . because this is also a cue that the class is ending. Give out the necessary instructions and bid them farewell and of course, you can actually say, CLASS IS OVER.
YOU MAY LEAVE! SEE YOU TOMORROW!

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