5 Things that make a Good Language Teacher

These are just my observations and I encourage anyone to put in their 2 cents and tell me how I'm wrong/right.

1. Speaking the Language
Probably the most important thing you can do when teaching a language; otherwise, how are the students supposed to learn it? A language teacher told me that a teacher should speak the language about 50% of the time to beginners and then about 90% of the time to students of the higher levels. This way the students can be immersed in the language and be forced to learn it, in a similar way to when a person is in a country that doesn't speak their native tongue and quickly learns the words they need to get by. My sister actually further proved this theory for me by explaining how she took two classes with one teacher who spoke mostly English and then two with another teacher who didn't. She learned far more with the teacher who didn't speak English (even though the class was much harder) than with the teacher who spoke mostly English.

2. Teaching the Grammar
This may actually be as important as speaking the language. Native English speakers- think back to someone you heard who you felt couldn't speak English very well. Why did you think that? I've found it's usually because their grammar wasn't very good. Therefore, understanding grammar means understanding the language. It's basically the bones of the language and the vocabulary the meat. Another analogy would be the grammar is the equation and the vocabulary the numbers to fill in the equation.

3. Practicing Vocabulary
After just talking about how vocabulary is the "meat" of a language I hope you saw this one coming. Even if a student’s grammar isn't the best, if they know the vocabulary word someone will eventually figure out what they’re trying to say (hopefully). However, learning a bunch of words and then never using them is hardly going to help a student remember them. So using the vocabulary in class and having them create a memory to associate that word with is incredibly helpful. Also, if the student uses the vocabulary in sentences then the teacher can check their grammar at the same time!

4. Practice Speaking the Language
In order to be fluent in a language you have to use it, plain and simple; so making students speak the language not only boosts confidence but also helps them remember vocabulary as well as practice grammar.

5. Independent Study
I’ve never been a good studier but I know the benefit of being able to do so. There are some things students can do on their own, like practicing vocabulary, listening to the language, etc. For this reason, and because the teacher will not always be there, it’s important to promote independent study. It’s a great tool to use in the future, whether using it to learn a language or not, and when summer break rolls around the teacher isn’t going to be there to make sure the student is practicing the language. That responsibility is going to fall on the student’s shoulders and it’s the teacher’s responsibility to make sure the student is prepared for that moment.

Let me know what you think and if you agree or disagree or even your own experiences!

Courtney