Teach English in Gengwei Zhen - Suqian Shi

Nowadays technology is everywhere. The way to communicate has changed so we do not have to be surprised if the way to teach has also changed. Today we can teach English or any other language from the comfort of our house or private office to the other side of the world because of internet. Online classes are very convenient for both parts and are becoming more and more popular. The advantages are clear but like the onsite classes we cannot teach the same way to adults than to children. Then, how to teach English to children online? The first thing we have to bear in mind is that the attention of children to the class is less than the adults have. Because of that the classes should be shorter than a normal onsite class, since the activities we will able to do are also limited. With children the classes can be more dynamic. We can include more activities so they do not spend all the time doing the same, otherwise they will get really bored. But there are limitations. For example, we cannot play some games that require physical movement around the class or more than 2 participants. If we follow a given plan or book the activities and games are easier to follow since both of us will have it. We need to take into consideration that if we work for a company, the materials and the syllabus of the classes will be provided. But still, we have to personalize the class to the children we teach to make it more appealing and interesting. If we get to know a little bit of their interests we can adapt the activities so they really get involved into it and see the practical side of learning English. When using internet to teach, we have to make sure that we have all the equipment and that all of it work properly so the class is not interrupted. If problems of communication are frequent the student will get tired and give up. Communication is another issue to keep in mind. Depending on the country we are teaching to from our own, children are expected to be lectured and not to have a friendly conversation. Then, it can be a challenge when it comes to engage them into the class or when they have to practice what we have considered that day. The most frequent scenario is that we will teach one student at a time, so the student we will be teaching at that moment will be the one doing everything. Nobody else will give the answer or will participate in the activity. If they are not used to have this kind of interaction we will have to look for different methods or adapt the ones we know. Teaching online has many advantages when it comes to flexibility in the schedules and transportation but not when it comes to get the expected results. The students will have to study to prepare for some exams or to reinforce what they are already learning at school. It is then very important from our part to be serious about it and always look for the best interest of our students. As we have mentioned before if we are following a given plan or syllabus, we need to make sure that we follow it and that we cover all the expected amount of information despite the lessons being shorter than with adults or onsite class. An enormous advantage of teaching children online is that new generations are used to work online or use computers to do research, homework and activities. In consequence we are the one who might feel a bit uncomfortable when teaching online for the first time, but for them is another normal day. The key, as in all the other venues of teaching English, is good preparation and adaptability. We need to prepare each class as the first one and adapt the materials and the teaching method to each student. Teaching online allows us to focus and pay all our attention to one student. Then, we need to do the job the best that we can in order to help that student to accomplish the ultimate goal, speak English.