Which Teaching Method is Best for a First-time Teacher?

Teachers may already have a vision in their head of what kind of teacher they will be and what their class will be like. They might imagine how organized their class with being or how well behaved their students are. One thing they must consider before they start teaching is which method or methods of teaching they will use to help their students learn. Each teacher must evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching and be able to adjust their teaching style for one that may be better suited for their particular class. There are many ways to teach a class but which is best and how should teachers be conducting their classes?

This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kendyl W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.

Direct Method

There are many countless ways of teaching English but here are a few common methods when it comes to teaching English as a foreign language. The direct method includes a focus on speaking skills and is taught using repetitive drilling (English Teaching Methods). This method gives the advantage of having students speaking the language but can be problematic when it comes to learning the grammar.

Also Read: How to Effectively Teach a Large Classroom

Grammar-Translation

Another method is the grammar-translation method where the student learns all the grammar of that language and then can translate sentences from their native language to the new language (English Teaching Methods). This method is helpful when it comes to reading and writing but could leave the student lacking in their verbal use of the language.

TPR

There is also the total physical response method where students ‘learn by doing’ where a student will associate the language with something physical (English Teaching Methods). Although effective, this method will have limitations when it comes to teaching concepts that cannot be represented physically.

Also Read: How to save money while teaching English abroad?

CLR

The communicative language teaching method involves functions such as suggesting, thanking, initing, complaining, and asking for directions in an attempt to help learners communicate in real-life situations (English Teaching Methods). While this method has many advantages it can fall short when it comes to having students speaking accurately. This style focuses more on fluency and therefore will leave students lacking in their grammar skills.

Also Read: What is the Cultural Ambassadors Program for teaching English in Spain?

Silent Method

Finally, the silent way method places an emphasis on learner autonomy, having the students be more active in the learning process (English Teaching Methods). This method follows a structural syllabus and has the students focus on grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation (English Teaching Methods). There are many advantages to this method but it can sometimes be too structured and students may find fluency in the language very difficult. These are only a few of the many methods one can use to teach a foreign language.

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As previously discussed, there are many ways one can teach a foreign language. So which method is best? The answer is there is no answer. Which teaching method depends on many factors including but not limited to student age, existing knowledge of the language, areas of weakness, and learning preference. So if there is no best way how does one choose a method? Each teacher must take the time to analyze the needs of their students and decide from there which methods to use. There is no way to learn a language but many ways so teachers must implement many methods when teaching a class. This could mean abandoning whatever idea they originally had in their heads about how they would teach their class. At the end of the day, the goal is for students to learn a foreign language and teachers must adapt accordingly to help students reach this goal.

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