Is there an element that should always be part of our classes?

   I have been working as an English teacher for the last twelve years. Even though my career is not  that long yet, I have to acknowledge that sometimes I do not really remember or care about the sensation of starting from scratch, feeling butterflies in the stomach, that old excitement I used to feel in the first two or three years at the job.

It is always challenging to teach a new group of people for the first time, or even a new modality - 2020 was crazy! Learning more about Google Education, online teaching and learning, apps and strategies. We did not see that coming AT ALL! - but nothing that compares to that feeling of not knowing how to start, break the ice, get closer to the students.

 No matter how unexpected a teaching context can be, if you are a more seasoned teacher,  you have your own way of doing things. A joke, a favorite game or even a confident smile. It actually reminds me of a coworker that would say that students feel our anxiety and insecurity, so, every time she was walking down the hallway she made sure to cleanse her aura and think positive. I have to be honest with you that although I am pretty skeptical, I tried this rack and it works really well! 

A friend who has just started teaching asked me what advice I would give him. Considering my experience only and not checking any other resources, I came up with these elements:

1. Learning needs to be meaningful

No matter the context, students need to understand that there is a reason for them to be learning what they are learning. Some people look for a course or tutor having a goal in mind, but not everyone belongs to that group. Teenagers and kids, for example, normally study a new language because of school or their parents' will. Teacher, then, can encourage them by talking about films, songs, traveling opportunities, getting to know interesting people, learning new games. In short: anything that goes beyond grades. 

       2. Increase your students' talking time

Even if your students are getting in touch with the language for the first time, they need to produce something. It is possible to enhance the production when it comes to any level. For instance, if you are teaching numbers, why not asking students about their age, telephone number or address? Students feel confident and motivated when they actually talk, interact, practice. Personally speaking, I love teaching elementary levels, because it is so cute to see their excitement when they are learning something new!

      3. Use English as much as you can 

Some people get terrified when they walk into a classroom and the teacher does not speak a word in the mother language. Although it might be difficult, teachers should try to expose the students to the second / foreign language as much as possible. Whether the student is learning English in a country that does not speak it at all or you are in an immersion context, it is fundamental that the person who is learning a new language listens to it, gets used to its nuances, rhythm, stress. Knowing when and how much you should use the mother language is a great feature. For me, it does not make sense to keep insisting in using English when the students are confused or just can't get what you mean. Balance is everything!

          4. Keep studying!

One of the greatest advantages of teaching anything is how much you learn in the process. When it comes to a foreign / second language, specially in what concerns teachers who are not native speakers, it is vital to keep studying. Language competence can change throughout the years, which means that teachers must keep reading, writing, speaking, learning... This is one of the reasons why I blog. I noticed that I did not have many opportunities of practicing my writing skills, so the posts help me with that.

How about you? In case you are a new teacher, do you think these elements are already part of your teaching practice? In case you are a more experienced one, would you add any other elements?