Professional development of foreign language teachers (2 of 2)

(From Professional development of foreign language teachers (1 of 2))

Another matter we should take into account, is that the teacher cannot assume when starting a new topic that the student already knows the content, especially if the student hasn´t previously been in the class. It doesn´t matter what similarities there are between the native language of the student and the language being studied; sometimes this similarity makes the student learn incorrectly. The teacher, when they are explaining a language, should do it from the point of view of a “knowledge builder”, from the most basic to the most complex phase making sure that at each level the student can take in the concept and can use it correctly.

Lastly, the teacher should be able to assess and evaluate the learning process of a student and in an objective manner. By doing this they will be capable of identifying when a student doesn´t know or makes errors in the language due to their low level and when they make these errors because the teacher hasn´t explained something correctly. In the first case, the teacher should find ways to motivate the student and in the second, through self-criticism, the teacher should correct this error to avoid it happening again.

How can all this be achieved? As it has been mentioned before, a teacher is like a “surgeon or a builder” in constant training. A teacher can give classes to students of different ages: children, teenagers, young people, adults and elderly people. The first thing a teacher should do when faced with a group is to identify the age and different interests and then to adapt to them by using resources that they are familiar with: technological aids, cultural aids, etc. For this reason (amongst others) one of the continuous tasks of the professional development of a teacher is to be aware of new technology. This doesn´t mean the teacher has to become an expert in new technology but they need to know how to use it and adapt it to their own needs. Although, sometimes it can be particularly difficult to follow the advances, the teacher must always be able to assess the usefulness of such technology and use it adequately.  The teacher must avoid breaking away from the reality in which we live, the reality in which their students live. The Internet for example, allows us to be continually informed and use it whenever we want, access real material, and real language samples about any topic and in any format, written texts, audio, etc. It also allows us to do distance learning: it allows us to give language courses to our students and to do training or re-training courses. This means, we´re not just talking about the technique of the teaching service but also the learning process; the Internet is a supplier and facilitator of teaching means. If we group together all these resources, a course for teachers can, for example, teach us to find real language samples, show us how to use them and in the necessary case, how to adapt them to lower learning levels.

Let’s also talk about the training and retraining of teachers, as another logical route to improve the professional development of a teacher. How do the training and retraining courses help? For a teacher without experience, the course enables them to organise, understand and pass on the necessary knowledge to be able to learn a language. They will learn that they have to teach “how” and “when” and acquire the ability to analyse the language in a scientific way, which will in turn allow them to teach in a more conscious way. Furthermore, they will review materials, assess the use of different mediums available to them - technical or not - and they will listen to experiences that will be able to help them in the future. For a teacher that already has previous teaching experience, these courses will serve to share their experiences with other teachers who, at the same time, will share their own experiences. They will also be able to assess the activities carried out on the courses and learn from their mentors (and class mates) new techniques, new materials and news means of teaching. What´s more, if these courses are carried out in a country where the official language is the target language, the benefit will be even greater: the student-teacher will be continuously immersed in the language, making contact with native speakers of the country, and be used to teaching students of different nationalities and thus possessing a more global view of language teaching.

Technology and continuous training are only two possible routes for the development of a teacher. A teacher has to have a reflective and receptive character to be able to find new ways of teaching because then they will be on the right path towards adequate professional development. And here more than ever, the path itself is the ultimate goal.

(If you are interested in teacher training of Spanish as a foreign language/ ELE teachers, please visit our website: SpanishTeacherTraining.com)

Professional development of foreign language teachers (1 of 2)

Here we present the first part of an article written by the head of studies at Tía Tula. The article was written for the Language Magazine and is about the training of foreign language teachers:  

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS

The reasons for becoming a teacher of a second language or a foreign language (FL) can be numerous: having studied a language and it being one of the job opportunities at the end or having given individual, private or group classes; having helped foreign friends in the study of their own language, having lived in a country where demand in that field is important (although initially it doesn´t count as concrete training), etc. In the moment in which - in a constant and conscious way - one starts to work in this field (not as mere fun or to help friends), we can call this person a foreign language teacher. In many cases this person will become a professional who will develop their career throughout their whole life.

However, being a FL teacher isn´t simply about being a native and passing on knowledge to a greater or lesser extent, this is what language teaching manuals set out. When this happens, the teacher is limited to going over the content and activities that they have to do, just before the class, then interact during and after the class with their students and on a few occasions analyse the development of their classes and evaluate the learning process. Nevertheless, being a foreign language teacher goes further than mere repetition of instructions and activities with the language. The teacher should be able to analyse the entire language curriculum and know how to pass on this knowledge whenever it´s needed to all levels at a gradual pace and also in accordance with the capability of each student. Only in this way do we achieve a solid, seamless learning foundation where students won´t suffer from frustration or anxiety when they are learning. Furthermore, the teacher should be able to analyse and assess the manuals that they will have to work with, weigh up the proposed activities from the manuals and be able to use them, reuse them and adapt them to the concrete characteristics and the characteristics that differentiate each concrete group. They should even be able to create their own material that can be used to teach, reinforce and clarify, these being: specific teaching materials for communication and interaction activities that can cover and accomplish the needs of the students and can be adapted to different language levels. In this way the teacher will not fall into the routine of just transferring information. The more years a teacher is in this profession the more capable they will be of analysis, therefore there will be more scope to be creative and adapt to the interests and needs of the students.

In contrast, being a teacher in whatever area is about accepting the constant need for training. Just like a surgeon should do research his whole life because medicine advances and new technology allows him to discover new tools, a teacher should take the same measures. The starting point when a teacher starts in this profession is to know, as I’ve mentioned before, that a FL teacher doesn´t just pass on theoretical knowledge but should be an actor who teaches his students through the use of their own language in a descriptive and practical way, explaining why, when, how and for what for every communicative use.  The second stage will be the ability to adapt to each teaching level, being able to pass on information whenever it´s needed, so that the student can use it with the level they have. For example, if a teacher gives beginners classes (A1 level in Europe), he or she must be able to overcome the difficulty that teaching involves when the student has a lack of knowledge in the target language, which in turn complicates their understanding of explanations. Therefore, this will make the teacher give more visual and imitative explanations and more importantly, be more intuitive than in any other phase of teaching/learning. It is pointless if one knows what to explain well but doesn´t know how to make one self understood.

(To be continued in Professional development of foreign language teachers (2 of 2))

Spanish courses now available via Skype!

Tía Tula is now offering it´s in-school courses via Skype! This means you can learn or improve your Spanish without leaving home. The classes are taught from Salamanca (Spanish city of reference in the world) by native teachers who are highly qualified in teaching Spanish to foreigners. They are ideal for answering specific questions your may have about Spanish language exam preparation (DELE, for example), or for any situation (a work trip, an interview, etc...) that may require specific and rapid preparation and it´s all from the comfort of your own home!

There are different types of classes on offer and you can choose as many as you like.

The courses are tailored to the level of each student - which is assessed via an online exam and Skype interview. There is no minimum knowledge of Spanish required (except in cases of certain kinds of complementary courses at a High level: Literature, History and the like).

All you need to carry out the classes is a Skype account (with microphone and headphones), or fixed phone line. It´s that simple!

So if you were thinking of doing a Spanish course with us aren´t able to come to Salamanca, now you have the perfect solution.

For more information about our online courses, please follow the link:  http://www.tiatula.com/courses/skype/spanish.php