Teach English in Dongguan Zhen [incl. Qixian Jingji Kaifaqu] - Jinzhong Shi

It is important to be flexible in teaching styles especially as an Assistant Language Teacher. I have worked in eleven schools and with hundreds of teachers over the course of two years. As an assistant, I have to adjust my teaching styles based on the teacher, the grade, and the classroom’s attitude. Each teacher is different. Each teacher has various wants and needs for their students. No matter the grade level, I discuss with the head teacher what my role is in the classroom and how to create an enjoyable lesson for all. There are some teachers who want me to take the lead and become the main teacher, while others want me to be a human tape recorder. The best teaching style is when the head teacher and I are able to work together 50/50 and tackle problems together such as rowdy classes, unresponsive students, or malfunctioning technology. With my elementary school students, I have to remind myself that they are young and behave differently than other grade levels. They need to be frequently praised and need lots of repetition. In Japan, English is not a subject yet in elementary school so a lot of classes are about enjoying English rather than studying it. Lesson plans have to involve short games to capture students’ attention and to spark an interest in the language. The way I teach first graders and sixth graders are different. With first graders, I am more energetic and silly. I have to speak very slow and use many gestures. Although I should not use Japanese, I occasionally speak it with my younger students when the homeroom teacher is unable to translate what I am saying. With the sixth graders, I still speak slowly but at a more regular pace. I am more serious than when I teach the first graders but I still use many expressions and gestures to explain grammar or language points. With my junior high school students, the students’ English abilities all range from false beginner to those who pay for private English lessons. Depending on their elementary school education, some students are well prepared for English while others are behind curriculum. There are some seventh graders that still behave like elementary school students, and I have to be stricter with them and treat them like their age and not their mental age. I do not change my teaching style based on the junior high school grade, but I change my style based more on the students’ abilities and attitude towards English. Some classes are highly self-motivated and interested in studying a foreign language, while others strongly dislike studying and prefer sleeping in class. For students who do not enjoy English, I try to come up with more creative activities where they have to move; I want them to move around and explore and not focus just on textbook English. Depending on the time of day, I slightly alter my teaching style. Some students are very sleepy after lunch or first thing in the morning, so I make sure to have more energy in those classes and do activities to get the students moving instead of falling asleep at their desks. There are also some classes that are very active at the end of the day and require more discipline from the head teacher. When I first started working as an ALT, I had no prior experience in teaching. I had no idea how to teach students or how to be a successful assistant. I really struggled with being flexible and adapting my teaching to my students and teachers. When I made a lesson plan, I wanted to stick to all the aspects no matter how poorly the lesson may have been going. I did not want to admit that something I created was not successful; my pride would get in the way of teaching. However, I have learned that making mistakes is crucial to teaching and that it only makes me into a confident and experienced person. During my second year I learned how to handle unexpected problems better and how to speak my mind. If something I had planned was not going, I would talk with the teacher and alter the activity midway if there was time or I would make sure to not do that activity with a different class. I learned how to go with the flow and how to become malleable. I am not as afraid to talk with my teacher if something occurred during class that I did not agree with or something I was concerned about; for example, students not paying attention during class or discipline issues. I am not afraid to make mistakes and ask questions anymore. I still have a basic teaching style but my personality changes a bit depending on my grade, the class, and the teacher. There are some classes where I need to be sillier in order for the lesson to go smoothly and there are others where I have to be a bit more serious in order for the students to take me seriously and listen. I cannot and should not teach my students all the same way. Every class is different and I have to honor my students’ and teachers’ unique wants and needs. Although it can be tiring to try to remember my head teachers’ teaching styles, I have been able to learn various teaching styles and adapt some of their skills into my own. I went from having no form to becoming my own teacher and developing a flexible and unique teaching style.