do it. The satisfaction of finding a code which expresses the learners’ own
meanings can make a piece of learning particularly memorable.
5 Use your learners’ areas of interest. Interest is a good criterion for
selecting topics and texts to study in class. If students are learning for a
specific purpose, this is a vital part of making the class feel relevant for them;
if they do not have identified future purposes in mind, then involving their
different interests is still an opportunity for personalizing the class.
6 Help them to develop links with native English speakers. This could be
via mail, e-mail, etc, as well as in person. Many learners would like to
develop such links, but are unsure how to do it on their own. There is no
better vindication of development as a language learner than to communicate
successfully with native speakers!
7 Bear in mind your learners’ other educational experiences. Adults may
well have tried many approaches to language learning during their lives.
Schoolchildren will be learning many subjects, no doubt also using varied
approaches. All these experiences influence how they will feel about the
approaches that you yourself want to take to language learning. Particularly
if you are teaching outside your own country, you will need to think about
how your ideas on language learning methodology fit with the local
educational culture. You may have to strike a delicate balance, between
respecting your learners’ expectations and preferences, and introducing
ideas that you think will work well.
8 Share the rationale for what you are doing. For example, if you use a lot
of dictionary exercises because you think dictionary skills are an important
part of becoming a good reader, say so. Revealing your own motivation is a
way of asking your learners to cooperate with you and showing them that
you trust them.
9 Discuss learning strategies explicitly. Explanations like the one referred to
above are also important because they encourage learners to think about
what sort of activities best help them to learn. Such awareness will help them
in many situations, inside and outside the classroom.
10 Involve learners in decision making where you can. If learners can have
input into the direction of a course or a lesson, they are likely to engage in it
more deeply Perhaps the ultimate goal here is to create an atmosphere where
learners’ suggestions can be heard, but where they still know that you, their
teacher, are taking the long-term view and holding the course together.7 Using pair and group work
Pair and group work have become almost synonymous with the modern,
‘communicative’ language classroom, and many teachers have found that these
techniques have a lot to offer. Because they provide an opportunity for a genuine
information and/or opinion exchange, they encourage very useful language
14 500 TIPS FOR TESOL