Teach English in XinAndian Zhen - Zhumadian Shi

Around the world, a large number of people want to obtain an education abroad or look for a job in other countries when they complete university, so it makes our lives more multicultural due to traveling. A multicultural life enables us to encounter people from different religions, cultures, and nationalities. In particular, teachers play a big role in bringing all students from different nationalities together. Therefore, they should be aware of some potential problems that can be faced at schools. In the acquisition of the second language, differences between students’ native languages and English can cause some issues in terms of grammar, pronunciation, and spelling. The mother tongue(L1) being learned during early childhood is influenced by environmental factors. It is not required to have some materials, such as coursebooks or language training courses. On the other hand, the acquisition of the second language (L2) has some unique features. Students learn the L2 for education, traveling or employment purposes. It causes an interference of L1 on L2 in their learning processes. Therefore, learners have difficulty in absorbing unfamiliar sentence structures and phonological rules. Furthermore, some of them try to translate English sentences to their L1 by following their grammar structures; thus several mistakes can occur and this may lead to misunderstandings. Considering pronunciation problems, the teachers can encounter that learners of the L2 face various pronunciation issues. Their L1 sound can be different, so it can take time to adapt to the second language. For instance, comparing Chinese and English, Chinese has only five vowels while English has fifteen vowels. Most Chinese learners do not distinguish the long [ɪː] from the short [ɪ] when they speak English. Probably, it can make communication more complex between people. Because of these kinds of differences, they need to learn how to pronounce many new vowels when they start to learn English. With respect to spelling, there are a few countries that have different alphabets, such as Japan or Middle Eastern countries. The learners from these countries have a tendency to make a mistake while writing and speaking. Some letters can be forgotten or pupils can be confused by the syntax. Also, while speaking, Arabic students may not always perceive the distinction between the sounds /p/ and /b/, so they pronounce *beable for people. Consequently, the teachers should take the above into account in the classroom and be aware of how to avoid these problems. Language and culture are interactive contents. Those who learn the L2 need to digest the language itself in order to think like a native speaker. Therefore, the process of the second language not only requires an individual to practice but also s/he needs to become familiar with the culture of the target language. In addition, pupils from different nationalities face a set of problems to interpret the target language. It may lead the learners to have a lack of self-confidence. Moreover, it may decrease their motivation and attendance in the class. Also, students from Asia would rather a teacher-centered environment than a student-centered class, so they may not enjoy activities based on verbal communication. Conversely, Latin American students prefer talking in the lectures and participating in verbal activities. This contrast in the class does not allow the students to practice the language due to feeling embarrassed among their peers. The students' anxiety negatively relates to their performance. The teachers should be prepared to manage and properly address students anxiety in a compassionate manner. The students’ learning background may bring about some challenges. The more they are exposed to the language, the more they learn. That’s why if they did not attend useful training programs or have good teachers, it could detract them from the learning process. Unfortunately, there are some countries that do not have good language education programs in place, so those who come from these countries do not have a decent background. It makes their adaptation more difficult. This may lead to a few bad experiences sticking to their memories. As a result, teachers should realize and help them to improve without offending them. To sum up, there are a lot of problems facing students of different nationalities, such as interference with native language, cultural background, and learning experience. These factors affect students’ motivation, adaptation, and psychologies. The teachers should focus on how to address these issues, establish rapport with the learners, and encourage them by being lively and sharing how to be self-confident.