Teach English in Beishidian Zhen - Jincheng Shi

Encouraging students to continually develop their English fluency through use of the English language outside of the classroom is an important way to accelerate proficient use of English. The use of this approach would obviously depend on the level of English proficiency amongst the class of students. However, even basic suggestions during class for the outside practice of English, using visual cues or otherwise, would seem to be a good way to help students immerse themselves and become more engaged with the process of learning English. In my opinion, this approach could also create interesting topics of discussion during subsequent English language classes. An emphasis on outside-of-classroom interaction with the English language allows an instructor to begin class with a general question to the class about whether or not the students have interacted in English outside of the class. The presence of this behaviour in a student can also help act to flag a student’s continued (or discontinued) interest level and engagement throughout the school year. This information can act as a useful tool and help act as a rudder, depending on the level of participation and /or understanding, in the “Engage” stage. “Engage” stage activities can then be altered to elicit more interaction in the English language during daily activities and class materials refined to help bolster student success. Also, it seems to me that such an approach can, with the appropriate class of students, give the students both a challenge (i.e. homework) and an opportunity to discuss interesting recent events in their lives. Several outside opportunities exist for a student to improve English language proficiency, depending on the culture and /or community involved. The point of the discussion in this essay is not to create an exclusive list of ways in which an ESL student can practice English skills outside of class, but rather to point out the obvious ones with which an ESL instructor could utilize both to encourage and to help focus ESL students as they move forward. Individual drive is one way that a teacher can help push a student. I have met a number of people in my recent travels who have told me that they learned English in ways I never would have considered in terms of traditional teaching skills. For example, I have met numerous people who have said they learned English by watching cartoons, Youtube, television shows, etc. Others have told me they self taught in the evenings after class by gathering any available English language materials they could find throughout their school day. As an instructor, engaging a student on outside resources and then potentially encouraging further use of these types of resources may help facilitate language development. Community also can be a significant asset in the development of English language skills. For example, my wife and I are currently in Laos - specifically, Luang Prabang. There are a number of free (and close to free) local programs here in which literally anyone can participate in order to improve their English fluency. These local programs include Big Brother Mouse and the Help Teach Engish in Luang Prabang program. Both of these programs are advertised on fliers and posters throughout the community and encourage visitors fluent in English to come participate as a volunteer teacher. My wife and I volunteered for one of these programs and had a very rewarding experience while helping locals of essentially all ages work on their English fluency. Family encouragement is another way to provide outside assistance to an ESL student. While traveling throughout Southeast Asia, I had countless experiences in which a mother or father, whether in a small local store or elsewhere, encouraged their child to interact with me in English. This was often true even when I was attempting to converse with them in their native language. Granted, the availability of outside resources to a significant degree depends on where one chooses to teach English. In my examples, I have been talking about popular backpacker /tourist destinations, because I happen to be traveling through countries that see many Western tourists. I can only imagine that a stint teaching English in a location less frequented by Western travelers would be a completely different experience than teaching in countries eager to learn English due to the relative volume of English-speaking tourists passing through the area. As someone highly passionate about teaching English to others who also has a strong desire to become an active participant in any and all cultures encountered, I believe that localities that do not have a strong contemporaneous reason to embrace English would benefit from an ESL teacher’s attempts to add casual meet ups outside of class. These casual meet ups would provide additional opportunities for English fluency progression. Although some may argue that attempts to encourage steps towards broader community-wide English fluency is essentially colonialism or analogous to missionary work, it seems that if a meet up for English practice is suggested as an entirely voluntary endeavor to those who are either already studying English or are interested in learning English, it would only be a benefit to the local culture. I truly believe that English fluency does and will continue to benefit both individuals and cultures.