Have you ever wondered what it would take to start teaching English as a foreign language? For native English speakers, there are often many opportunities for traveling overseas and teaching English language arts to students in another country. You may be wondering if you have to already know another language when teaching English to others, but some of the best English lessons are often the result of a teacher who only knows English and therefore forces the students to speak in English to communicate. This method of teaching where you force your students to only speak English is known as the direct method or the natural method of teaching a foreign language, and focuses heavily on correct pronunciation and gaining conversational skills.
The first skill you will need to master to start successfully teaching English as a foreign language is the ability to use body gestures and signs effectively. Many students find that they learn a new language better when they are forced to speak only English in the classroom. By refusing to use your student's native language, you force them to learn English by first using your body language and gestures to teach them new words, and then using what they've learned to build even more knowledge. This pattern of learning closely mimics the way babies and infants learn a language, and therefore this method of teaching often 'sticks' better than using rote memorization of English words.
Clear purpose
What's the point of reading and writing anything if you don't know why you're doing it? We aim to provide children with a clear purpose to all reading, and especially writing tasks. Whether it's an invitation to the headteacher to attend a class assembly, an email to an author or an article for a school newspaper, our children know why the quality of their writing matters: because there will be a real audience for their published work.