woke up in a cold sweat!

[baqarah131]

I think the most important thing is this:

Respond to what the student is trying to do.

Be a good listener. Every English teacher talks too much.
Build on what a student is good at. Stress what he or she does well and encourage them to build on success.
Be prepared to experiment until you find the approach that is right for each individual student.
Allow mistakes. Encourage mistakes. If your students are not making mistakes, they are not trying.
I didn't even allow the word "mistake". I insisted that they refer to a mistake as a "learning opportunity."
Learn with your students and learn from your students. You will be a student all your life.
You are a salesperson, and you have the greatest product in the word: the English language.
Be enthusiastic. Good language students and good language teachers are people who know how to love.

wishing you success
edward

It's my lucky day to have so many ET as my mentors.
By the way, I'm curious about the materials you teach in your class. I mean on what areas you focus your teaching on--reading, writing, words, or grammar.

[angliholic]

Thanks, Edward.
Bravo! How right you are!
You're really my great mentor!

[baqarah131]

Thank you for the compliments. I want to add one more thought.

As a school inspector, I learned to pay little or no attention to what the teacher was doing. I'd concentrate on what the students were doing.

Sometimes I'd see a primary classroom where everyone was busy, and it would take me a few moments even to find the teacher. He or she might be on the floor somewhere or off in a corner.

The best teachers aren't the busy ones. They're the ones who inspire students to set their own goals and apply themselves.

In my own teaching, I'd sometimes come to class with great materials and well planned lessons, and it would be a disappointing day. Or I'd come to class badly prepared, not feeling well, or upset about something, and I'd have a great day with the students. The difference was that when I was overprepared I was thinking about myself. When I wasn't prepared, I had to pay attention to the students.

Eventually I did find a balance, the right amount of preparation.

Wishing you success in your teaching career
edward

Thanks, Edward.
Bravo! How right you are!
You're really my great mentor!

[angliholic]

Thank you for the compliments. I want to add one more thought.

As a school inspector, I learned to pay little or no attention to what the teacher was doing. I'd concentrate on what the students were doing.

Sometimes I'd see a primary classroom where everyone was busy, and it would take me a few moments even to find the teacher. He or she might be on the floor somewhere or off in a corner.

The best teachers aren't the busy ones. They're the ones who inspire students to set their own goals and apply themselves.

In my own teaching, I'd sometimes come to class with great materials and well planned lessons, and it would be a disappointing day. Or I'd come to class badly prepared, not feeling well, or upset about something, and I'd have a great day with the students. The difference was that when I was overprepared I was thinking about myself. When I wasn't prepared, I had to pay attention to the students.

Eventually I did find a balance, the right amount of preparation.

Wishing you success in your teaching career
edward

Thanks, Edward.
I couldn't agree with you more. From my own English learning experience, learners must actively explore what they are about to learn.
But it's somewhat impractical here because we have about 50 students in a class and have a lot of teaching materials to cover for each midterm. The students here have common test questions to answer if they are in the same grade. Therefore teachers here are under much pressure and they don't have much freedom to teach what they want their students to learn.

By the way, I'm confused because you mentioned that you were a school inspector but you also taught. Here a school inspector doesn't have to teach. So I wonder if what you mean by a school inspector in your part of the world may be different from our counterpart. Could you shed more light on your "inspector?'

[baqarah131]

Definitely. That's why I say "Respond to what the student is trying to do." If passing an exam is what they're trying to do, this is what you must respond to.
Individual attention is very, very limited when you have 50 or more students. But keeping them busy, making them talk, that's crucial. Don't just give a performance. Have them reciting, practicing aloud either as a class or in small groups.
Introduced grandiosely as a "foreign expert", I taught a few classes in Nanjing. I have to say it was downright frightening to me how eager the kids were, how they leaned forward when they were listening, how pindrop quiet the room was. By comparison most of our teenagers are spoiled and lazy.
In North America we move around a lot more than orientals do, and we may hold many different jobs in the course of a career. That's why I was a classroom teacher, an inspector, an adult educator, a consultant and a curriculum developer at different times.
success to you
edward

Thanks, Edward.
I couldn't agree with you more. From my own English learning experience, learners must actively explore what they are about to learn.
But it's somewhat impractical here because we have about 50 students in a class and have a lot of teaching materials to cover for each midterm. The students here have common test questions to answer if they are in the same grade. Therefore teachers here are under much pressure and they don't have much freedom to teach what they want their students to learn.

By the way, I'm confused because you mentioned that you were a school inspector but you also taught. Here a school inspector doesn't have to teach. So I wonder if what you mean by a school inspector in your part of the world may be different from our counterpart. Could you shed more light on your "inspector?'

[angliholic]

Thanks, Edward, for the entertaining and informative reply.

Here our teenagers are getting lazier and more spoiled than before, the number of students in a class is still the same as before. This is very discouraging and disappointing!
How I envy you when you mentioned that you had diligent and quiet students in Nanjing! Our kids are getting more and more like yours! What a sad sight!

[baqarah131]

I'm sorry to hear this, but not surprised.
edward

Thanks, Edward, for the entertaining and informative reply.

Here our teenagers are getting lazier and more spoiled than before, the number of students in a class is still the same as before. This is very discouraging and disappointing!
How I envy you when you mentioned that you had diligent and quiet students in Nanjing! Our kids are getting more and more like yours! What a sad sight!