ESL Teaching: 10 Skills You Need To Be A Teacher

Disclaimer:

My experience with ESL teaching has been in South Korea and Japan. So do keep in mind this list is not end all be all for all ESL teaching positions in the world. Even so, maybe you can implement some of these ideas into your own methodology.

Links for more Teaching ESL in Asia Content

• Interview Questions Part I
• Interview Questions Part II
• Questions You Should Ask
• 10 Prepping (Preparation) Tips

1. Exaggeration

The way you move and speak has to be exaggerated and expressive. Expression and energy are key ingredients when it comes to interacting with (young) learners. And I will also add the caveat here that age doesn’t always determine a child’s capacity to enjoy my silliness. Some of my five-year-olds give me this very exasperated look when I’m being silly. And then some of my ten-year-olds love it. So try to feel out your classes and act accordingly. Match their pace and meet them where they are.

2. Loud Voice

Now, don’t go shouting. Because it can be misunderstood as you being angry. But a loud voice results in grabbing attention, coming across as energetic, and showing an enthusiasm for interacting with students.

3. Drawing

No need to be Picasso. But get the basics down. It doesn’t need to be perfect or even pretty, it simply easy enough to understand what it is. In my opinion, some of the basics include the following:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Shapes
• Emotions/Feelings
• Weather/Seasons
• Animal (mostly the faces)
• Phonics

4. Patience

Kids are well, less complicated to interact with than adults. So in this regard, I find it less mentally stressful. But they are annoying far more frequently because they are less likely to be able to control unacceptable behaviors. Alas, I am fortunate that I have an endless well of patience when it comes to kids and old people. But if you’re not one to be inclined for patient when dealing with challenging interaction, you will have to learn techniques to help you be more cognizant of your reaction and how to do so patiently. And these techniques will be different for different people.

5. Creativity

Teaching especially in a student-centered environment where the responsibility is to ensure students learn while having fun does require a lot of creativity. This is true when planning for any potential games or activities. But even in a lecture-style teacher-centered environment, creativity still has its uses. Imagine an interactive PowerPoint lesson in contrast to a plain black-and-white text-only lesson.

6. Writing Quickly

Believe it or not, writing quickly is very important. You look away for 30 seconds and something could happen behind your back. Now on average eight out of ten classes are okay. But it only takes one class, one incident. I will be the first to admit I'm not great at writing quickly and neatly. It is a definite struggle. Fortunately, it's gotten better than before.

7. Punctuality

This is important not only for clocking in and clocking out. But it is also important for when you start the class, but especially when you end class. Going over is fine, and appreciated even if the students are having fun. But if you have a class, you don't want to keep them waiting. An occasional five-minute is fine. But don't make it a habit.

8. Improvisation

Again quite important in my opinion. In any given situation you have to improvise on the following elements in the classroom.

• Learning activities

• Teaching methodology

• Subject matter / Content

9. Organization

Organizing the blueprint before class and staying on top of it within class is quite important. Don't forget to:

• check homework

• handout things (i.e. tests, stickers, stamps. flyers, etc.)

• hitting all the nails in the lesson plan

10. Qualifications

Now, you won't be carrying your degrees into the classroom. But hopefully, the knowledge you gain from your own education is something you will be able to use effectively with your students. For example, if you are consistently First Aid and CPR trained, you will be better able to deal with minor and major mishaps in the classroom. Some qualifications that take you a bit further in the ESL teaching world are as follows:

• Teaching License (even one's from your own country)
• TEFL/CELTA/TESOL certification
• Bachelor's and/or Master's of Education
• Degrees relating to Early Childhood education
• Certification for children counselling and psychology
• Driver's License (Japan; not needed at all in Korea)

Sayonara! See you in the next one peeps ^^

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