10 nagging EFL questions

This is one of those posts that I hope will continue to evolve through comments, contributions and discussion. It's of course a very subjective list of 10 nagging EFL questions, so feel free to suggest other that are currently nagging you. I hope this post sparks some discussion and gets us all thinking about teaching, learning and languages in general.

So let's start questioning:

1.      Are some students practically unteachable and unimprovable (if I may coin a new word)?

2. Is there a certain, individual language plateau, beyond which no trespassing is possible, or can all students achieve proficiency level (assuming they work very VERY hard)?

 3. Are certain teaching practices universally better (e.g. guided discovery), or does it all depend on the student/group/mother tongue and culture? Are there any scientific studies confirming it?

4. Do the students actually notice and get bored with the fact that some course books use only one approach (e.g. F2F and text-based guided discovery) as much as we teachers do (or at least I do)? Wouldn't it be nice then to have a course book which would blend different approaches?

 5. Isn't "Teacher, you see, I'm not good at languages" all too often a lame excuse? Or is it?

6.      It's commonly believed that the younger you start learning a language, the greater your chances of actually learning it. But is there any evidence for that? (I don't mean bilingual education or upbringing, but rather sending your 5 year old once or twice a week to a language school)

7.      Why do some nationalities (I don't want to name names or point the finger, but you all know who I mean) find it so excruciatingly hard to get rid of their L1 accent when speaking English, and what could we as teachers do to help them?

8.      Speaking of which, what is "correct" pronunciation or "correct" grammar, and who says so? After all, languages continuously evolve and change, whether you're loving or hating it...

9.      Do we learn foreign languages through overt and explicit teaching and correction, or do we pick them up as we go? Or maybe both? Or neither? And what does it mean for us as teachers?

10.  If we know (or we think we do) that some methods (e.g. audiolingual or direct method) do not work, why are they still so popular, and why are language schools which use them still flourishing?

PS: I actually wish I'd long ago compiled a list of 10 EFL questions that were nagging me back then. Perhaps right after I did the CELTA. And then a year or two later. Then before and after the DELTA. It would be great if I could look at them now to see what my worries, qualms and preoccupations about teaching were back then. But, well, better late than never.

 

Setting your teaching free

Being a successful entrepreneur in this ever more competitive and interconnected world is no easy feat. Especially, if one has never had any training in management, business or the like, nor thought any necessary, or wished to become un homme d'affaires. Being merely an English teacher, by education, profession and inclination, could not really help in the whole affair either.

But Fortune had other plans, I guess. Or rather my girlfriend had. To study in Wageningen, Holland. I happily went along. After all, despite the name, life there is far better than that depicted in the mythological nether lands (for one, it is a touch cooler).

A little aside is necessary here. Wageningen is a town with no language schools, which means two things. No chance for a teaching post. But no one spiriting the sheep away from your flock either. A big university, which offers a variety of VERY cheap language classes. Bad news. Privates will always come out more expensive. Quality and innovation then must be the way to go. About 10 thousand Dutch and foreign students, whose English hovers around IELTS 6.5. Great, as there are a lot of potential clients. Not so great, because you will have to somehow persuade them to continue improving their English. So again: quality above all. Addressing very specific language needs. Preparing tailor-made courses.

After this brief briefing, let' s cut to the chase. Task at hand: transform a supposedly decent teacher into an even better entrepreneur. Time frame: IMMEDIATELY!

Not an easy one, I admit. But, if I may turn philosophical for a moment, has success ever happened to anybody easily and of its own accord?

No. Never. To nobody.

Off we go then. Briskly - lest I lose my impatient reader to Facebook.

Step 1. Investigate the market. Identify the target audience (see above).

Step 2. Let the audience hear your voice. Posters and leaflets are as old and as dead as dinosaurs, but I still gave them a go at first, before a more enlightened friend saved me from the abyss of ignorance: "Let's set up a FB page  for you". Dicho y hecho.What a great idea! I started building an audience and getting likes fairly quickly.

Yet another revelation (hallelujah!) has been jing. It's a program (credit to Robert McCaul for acquainting me with it) that allows you to make a video with whatever is on your computer screen. Example: you run a ppt in which you explain briefly a language point you know some of your target audience are having trouble with, run jing, give your commentary to the ppt, post it on FB, and listo!

A little aside here. We all like to pretend and think of ourselves as humble. Let's face it, though. If we don't tell and show the world (and especially those we entice to part with a substantial part of their meagre student scholarship, when there's food, beer and other temptations to pay for) how good we are, we will be quickly forgotten, without even first making our name.

Step 3. Get to know your target audience not just a bit better, but inside out. Everything from the time they get up, where they sleep and who with can be of profound importance. Ok, I'm pulling your leg here. You do have to know, however, what the needs, lacks and wants of your prospective students are (just like in any decent needs analysis, although on a much larger scale and a more general level).

I quickly discovered that Academic writing (especially referencing, paraphrasing and quoting) is one of the key issues - this revelation (I'm starting to feel like a prophet of the almighty here) came from my girlfriend in the form of a fairly long string of Spanish and English swear words. She was trying to put together and correct a barely comprehensible patch of their classmates' writing, which was all part of a group project. So I struck the iron while it was hot. I used jing to make 3 short videos in which I gave some tips on how to reference better , put them on my FB page and shared them on Wageningen students' FB groups.

The response came in quickly as a stream of likes. I was elated. And hooked.

Step 4. Get enough students by the end of the year to get by. This last I hope will turn out to be more than just wishful thinking. So far I've got 4 students and about 120 likes on my FB page, which is promising, considering the fact I've only been at it for about 3 weeks. It's been a very rewarding and a highly instructive process, and it has only just begun. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it pans out. Whatever happens, though, it'll be a great learning experience. And that's what life's about, isn't it?

PS: I just quickly want to thank all those who have helped, are still helping, and might do so in the near future. Dziękuję. Gracias. Merci. Danke. Thanks.

Mem up your memory

Although I've managed to learn various languages, I used to struggle and grapple with learning new words. I hated it. The endless lists of words and definitions, which you'd read over and over again. With and without music in the background. With and without yawns. With and without a concentrated look on your face.

All in hope that there was a method to this madness.

Yet, all in vain all too often.

I'm not a natural learner of words (if there are any at all). I need to see them. Look, peer and stare at them. Use, say and play with them. 7, but preferably more times, thank you very much Mr Thornbury. That's all great in the class. But how the hell do I do that at home, on my own? (speaking to the mirror was not on the cards - that's for alcoholics).

Then I had a revelation. A burning bush moment. Eureka!

The skies opened and a creaky old voice cheeped from above: Go to www.memrise.com and thou shalt be saved!

And so I did. No questions asked - even though the cheep and the awkward grammar begged a few.

It was about ten months ago. Since then, I've learned over 2200 new words in four different languages - with about 90% retention rate - and have loved every single moment of the process.

Memrise is so simple, but so effective that I wish it'd existed when I first went to a language school all those years ago. And the idea is not even knew.

Since antiquity, people have been using mnemonic devices (no, they're not iPhone aps) to aid their memory , whose paths are mysterious, roundabout and slightly illogical. For example, it is much easier to remember a new word if we link it to a sound, image, smell or a funny anecdote. All this will make it more memorable and vivid. To give you an example.

Forest is der Wald in German. A quick and easy way to remember it for me with Memrise was to create a mental image (a Mem) of the Walden pond:

 

Much easier to remember than a dry der Wald = forest, isn't it?

Then Memrise will automatically prepare a series of exercises, which will force you to use each word you're learning in that session - yes you've guessed correctly - the magical 7 times. All sharp and sweet - 5 new words in around 5 minutes.

Of course, one learning session is not enough for the word to anchor in your long term memory. For this you need repeated learning sessions at certain intervals of time. But we're all too busy all too often. We forget, and by the time we try to do some revision, the words are long gone, faded, and we have to start from scratch.

Here's the smart thing. Memrise will tell you when and which words you need to revise. Those you're having problems remembering will pop up more often until you start getting them right. Each revision session placed at a right interval of time to maximise your retention success.

Each learning session will finish with statistics, so you know how well you've done. You're awarded points for accuracy, every new learned word and every Mem created. And you compete against your Mempals.

Very geeky, I know. But very addictive. And incredibly effective.

You create your own courses or you join the thousands already out there. To top it off, it's not just languages, but also economics, Greek mythology, politics, art, trivia, you name it.

Can you hear the creaky voice cheeping from above? Mem up right now!

To teach or not to teach - that is an easy question.

One of the most frequent questions my students, and probably yours too, ask in the first few classes is why you started to teach. In my case - not very imaginative, I know - it was because I wanted to travel, to recorrer el mundo.
I knew I was going to leave even before I finished my degree - big thanks to my mum for cajoling, intimidating and crying me into getting the degree, although I couldn't stand her constant pleas at the time. I guess, I had to leave because I was suffocating. The world seemed so big, so alluring, yet so inaccessible. I felt stuck when I wanted to pack my bags and go.
And so I did in the end - again followed by a lot of recrimination, cajoling and intimidating on my mum's part. After all, I had a one way ticket to Mexico. No way back, weii!
It was awe-inspiring to finally get away, to travel, to explore and to discover. And I quickly fell in love with teaching too. It might have been only a means to an end at first, but soon I realised it was an end in itself.
My first job was in Costa Rica. It is indeed rich (rico = rich) in wildlife, unforgettable landscapes, picturesque beaches and breathtaking views. A year passed and I started to get itchy feet again.
So Spain, or rather the Basque Country (as some Basques would vehemently object to being called Spanish) followed. Beautiful countryside. Great food. But so Basque and proud of it, that no interest in anything that is not Basque could ever be sparked.
Hungary. Happy days. Tough days. Miserable winter afternoons with DELTA assignments. It was such a relief to get it done and dusted. And ineffably rewarding too.
Costa Rica again. I'd missed it profoundly all along without even realising it.
And then England. Surprisingly sunny. Not even a drop of rain for 5 weeks.
And now Holland. Struggling to remember how to ride a bike. Yet, no accidents so far.
All so very different. All taught me some unforgettable lessons. All helped me to become a better teacher.
I've worked in fantastic schools and met fantastic teachers. I've had the opportunity to attend great workshops and to develop professionally.
Now, as a freelance teacher, for the first time I'm left to my own devices. So I've set up this blog.
To post my reflections. To question my teaching practice. To continue developing as a teacher. To avoid the comfort zone.
I hope you help me with that process. So please comment, criticise, argue and discuss.