TESOL Online English Teacher Helps Change Habits

        Having taught English online for fourteen years, I know how easy it is to form bad habits as an English teacher. Recently, I took a hard, honest look at my classes and found three mistakes THAT I often make that I believe are common to most online English teachers. The good news, however, is that these problems are easy to correct -- here's how:

        1. Talking too much

        As a teacher in this situation, you will soon find yourself chatting instead of lecturing and end up spending 50% or more of your time talking. Some English teachers may enjoy the experience, but you know deep down that your students are not being well served.

        2. Remedies

        Think of yourself as a facilitator, not a conversation partner. This shift in how you see yourself should encourage you to focus your time on asking good questions, prompting, correcting, helping with pronunciation, and helping students rephrase answers that don't make sense grammatically or semantically.

        3. No pauses are allowed

        In everyday conversation, if there is a gap of more than two seconds in fluent conversation, it is likely that someone will say something to break the "peace." However, in the context of a lesson, such gaps can be valuable because they allow students the time and space to think and form responses. In TESOL classes, is this a familiar experience for you: the tutor asks a question and you don't answer it right away, so you rephrase the question in between? Yes, me too.

        A pause doesn't mean they don't understand, and it doesn't mean the teacher should fill in the gaps. Have the confidence to ask your question clearly and simply, and then wait. Problem # 3: Too neutral and "bland". We know it's good to ask open-ended questions to let students speak, but without thinking, we can fall into the trap of using the same questions, regardless of the topic. Frequently asked questions include:

        What are the disadvantages/advantages?

        What's your favorite/best?

        Remedial measures:

        Activate your questions and your topic. T: Read the title and guess the content. Encourage them to prove their point.

        In terms of questions, ask about the worst places they've been, not the best.

        Take a stand: I personally don't like social media. I prefer face to face, don't you?

        Find articles that are not neutral and show them how much they agree with them. Choose your topic and position carefully, and as you step out of the neutral zone, engagement and interest on both sides will rise to a new level.

        In TESOL courses, honing your skills as outlined above is a proven way to grow as a teacher and improve the student learning experience.

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