In the classroom, a combination of both
NNS and NS teachers may offer the best ben
-
efits to students. According to He and Miller
(2011, 438), “The two types of teachers com
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plement each other, and one cannot replace
the other.” The idea that both can be used in
the classroom together to increase the advan
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tages to students may be why some organiza
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tions that send NSs to teach English in other
countries insist that the NSs be paired with
NNSs as co-teachers. That way the teachers
learn from each other: cultural aspects of the
teachers’ home countries, cultural aspects of
the educational systems of both countries,
and linguistic features of English in the NS’s
home country.
However, co-teaching brings extra respon
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sibilities for the NNSs. The expectations that
you have as well as the expectations of the
NSs should be addressed at the beginning of
the relationship. Because these NSs have not
taught before, they may be unfamiliar with
basic teaching issues like classroom manage
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ment, grading, and lesson preparation. Who
is responsible for what? Will these NSs be
responsible for grading certain students and
creating certain courses? Will these NSs be
required to assign final grades? Will you share
responsibility? Together, address these expec
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tations and issues as soon as you can.
At the beginning of the co-teaching rela
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tionship, it is also important to establish a
connection that is supportive and encourag
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ing for the NSs. Comments such as “We are
glad you are here. We want to support you in
any way that we can. What do you want to
accomplish in the classroom?” or “We want
your time here to be productive, for you, for
us, and for our students. What are your goals
in the classroom, and how can we help you
reach them?” allow dialogue between the coteachers
to begin.
As a co-teacher, you want to give your
students access to NSs whose accent, fluency,
grammar, and vocabulary are different from
yours (this is not a judgment of your English
or these NSs’ Englishes), yet you want your
students to be taught by a capable, experi
-
enced teacher. No process can turn the NS
into a brilliant teacher immediately. However,
teaching the NS about the culture of English
in your country will increase the advantages
and decrease the disadvantages that the NS
brings to your classroom