Teach English in Gucheng Zhen - Nanjing Shi

Children are sponges. As such, they are excellent candidates to be students of language. For this reason, teaching children can be a very satisfying endeavor. However, challenges can always appear that unfortunately muddy the waters. Especially so when the medium used to carry out such teaching is the unorthodox tool that is the internet. How should one go about teaching children English online? Let us examine the following fundamental aspects: establishing a good rapport, keeping things interesting, commendation and healthy correction, and maintaining a personally tailored pace. ESTABLISH A GOOD RAPPORT First and perhaps foremost, establishing a good rapport with children is paramount. Indeed, will children really feel at ease with someone they hardly know? There are a number of ways to go about creating an atmosphere of awareness and trust. From the beginning, a teacher must be very friendly and smile. It helps to look directly into the webcam to create healthy eye contact. The teacher should be fun and interesting in order to be engaging to the student. A strong effort should be made to get to know the child. The teacher can ask questions about their family, their hobbies, subjects they like at school, their favorite animal, color, season, food, movie, etc. Through this gentle process, the teacher should endeavor to create a comfortable friendship with the child. Establishing a good rapport can set the right tone for the all-important student-teacher relationship, and will ease the running of subsequent classes. The process can also provide the teacher with valuable information about the student's abilities in the English language. KEEP THINGS INTERESTING When it comes to teaching children online, keeping things interesting is perhaps the most critical component. After all, the teacher is simply a small face and a small voice coming from a computer screen. How can one keep a child's attention when there are so many potential distractions? Especially so if it was the parents' idea to have English lessons, not the child's? A warm-up session (can be part of an Engage phase) can help tremendously. One can play games. This will help the child begin by having a fun and pleasant interaction with the teacher. Hangman, two truths/one lie, Pictionary, or charades are examples of games that can be played. Inserting humor is another way to keep the attention of the student. Simple jokes, making faces, and maintaining a light atmosphere throughout the class can engage the child, helping him/her forget the potentially dry nature of learning English. Enjoyable content can also stimulating. Singing songs, employing visual aids and using props like stuffed animals can assist in teaching important concepts, all while having fun. If the student's attention span is waning, the teacher can quickly recover it by shifting gears and changing the content of the class. Quick games can be played, or another topic discussed. This change can recapture the student's attention, getting the class back on track. Being an online class, the teacher can also encourage the student to keep distractions to a minimum by inviting him/her to choose a quiet, simple location in their home to have the session. COMMENDATION AND HEALTHY CORRECTION Children thrive on consistent commendation. At every opportunity, it is important to sincerely commend the child for his/her efforts and successes. The teacher can say things like: “Well done!”, “Good job!”, “You got it!” If the student demonstrates the ability to employ a concept that was taught, the teacher should quickly congratulate them for this evidence of successful learning. Reward systems can be used, such as giving “stars” for certain accomplishments, or giving an “air high-five” to the screen when something good happens. Children will appreciate these markers of success and will be motivated to continue to progress. Correction is also necessary. Depending on the child's age, attitude and ability, the teacher must determine what each child can absorb when it comes to correction. Balance is key. Sometimes, it is best to let errors go by. This can be true during an Engage phase, when the teacher simply wants the child to start (and continue) to speak. However, during a Study or Activate phase, it would be wise to address the errors made and correct them. Great care must be exercised in how this correction is delivered. A kind, pleasant and dignified atmosphere must always be maintained. One must never scold. If a student makes an error in speech, the teacher could simply say, “Oh, you said this...” and then tell him/her the correct way to say it. Repetition drills, as well as tailoring exercises that focus on the student's mistakes, can assist in rooting out a consistent error. This way, important lessons can be learned while preserving a positive environment. MAINTAIN A PERSONALLY TAILORED PACE One size does not fit all. Each student has his/her own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, a teacher must tailor the pace and content of the class according the student's abilities. How much content should I cover? What activities should I choose to do? These questions should be answered during preparation sessions to determine what will be in line with the child's needs. Students should not feel overwhelmed, but neither should they feel bored. To assess if things are being understood or not, the teacher can read body language, ask open-ended questions, and drill the student on concepts that were taught. If things are being absorbed, review and move on. If things are murky, try again. If there is a blockage of some sort, adjust the pace and adapt the methods used. Each child is an individual with individual needs, and the teacher must vary his approach based on those needs. Teaching children English online can be a very rewarding enterprise! Of course, employing such a medium as the internet presents its own challenges. But if one remains patient, calm and kind, and puts into practice the above points, the experience will be rich indeed.