How to be an atrractive English teacher

[Trisia]

[Disclaimer: I'm but a student... oh, wait, this isn't the Ask a Teacher forum... whoops]

@lips: You mean you are supposed to teach them English, when they were never properly taught their own language? That's tough!

My only suggestion: Music and nursery rhymes.

You said they're all adults. But that's OK, everybody loves music, and especially visually-challenged people. I would probably start with some Mother Goose-type poems. Clap your hands, snap your fingers, make noises and imitate different animals. Meow and tell them that's a cat. Ask them to make like a dog. It may me a bit embarrassing at first, but it's really great fun.

Try this (a favourite of mine). Ask somebody to tap their left palm with their right index finder. You can barely hear the noise this makes. Then ask ten of them to do the same. Now it's more audible. Then, ask all of them to do it. Now you can hear the rain - and if you use your mouths, too, there's a storm brewing! (And you will have taught them easy words like finger, hand, and weather-related stuff)

Afterwards, move on to more elaborate songs. You can make it without a computer, but a cassette player/CD player is clearly needed.

Best of luck

[chuongvannguyen]

Dear all,

I'm a new member of the room. My purpose is to improve my speaking skill with good pronounciation but I've no chance to practice in the real life. Could you pls help me speak together on line ?

Thanks for your help

Chuong Van Nguyen from Vietnam

[jstanyer]

I think you have to be yourself and not court style over substance! Don't go looking for your students to like you - they will draw their own conclusions from your lessons!

[Stromgol]

I think the best way to be an attractive English teacher, first of all you have to be yourself and then you improvise all the time.

[Kanaga Raj]

First of all the teacher must create confidence among the students. After all the guy has come to teach us something. The teacher must show to them that he knows something which he wants to impart.He must not be tedious.At times when the lesson is boring he must deeviate and crack jokes.I works as a comic relies as in Shakespearean plays to release the tension.

[atm]

Chuong Van Nguyen

join a conversational English club or go for some professional elocution lessons.

And don't forget to use English everyday: do not be afraid of losing face.

We learn by making mistakes. Embrace your mistakes. All that losing face stuff is nonsense anyway .

Go for it and good luck (it'll take a lifetime, y'know [I'm still learning and I'm from England]).

BTW I spotted the deliberate spelling mistake in your post .

Atm

[ErinM]

I haven't started my TEFL course yet (fingers crossed I get in) but I would like to have a crack at answering your question. Better late than never!

As a teacher you must command respect for your authority and not let students walk all over you. However, if you appear to be on the same side or the same level then students will not feel intimidated by you. They will also feel comfortable coming to you for assistance, which is what you want them to do.

It is also important to understand that even as 'the teacher' you are not going to be right 100% of the time. We are all human and we all make errors. Of course students are there to learn from their teachers but teachers can also learn a lot from their students. Don't be too proud to admit mistakes, deal with it, laugh and move on!

*Have not read all the posts but ATTRACTIVE is how you spell it! Sorry!