Teach English in Yongle Zhen - Yuncheng Shi

I have decided to write about this topic, as I feel it is important to have a good teacher/student relationship whilst learning a foreign language, also to instill as much confidence in your students is a must. There are many different options for how this can be achieved. This is my preference for the way I like to form a good confident relationship with my students; We can begin this by knowing how to correct students in a diplomatic manner. It is important to correct students' mistakes but to overdo it too much and their confidence will begin to suffer. The student will begin to feel pressure within the classroom, and therefore, this can lead to embarrassment in front of their peers, and it can also lead to a reluctance to join in-class activities. When it comes down to presentations, for example; do not correct whilst the student is in the middle of a presentation as this may be interruptive. Let the student speak and then correct or discuss any targeted issues after the presentation has concluded. This will allow the student to let go of any pressure they could be feeling when they are attempting to speak in English and gain some confidence within the classroom. Another very important way of avoiding making a student feel any lack of confidence is do not pick on them if they do not know the answer or tend to struggle within the lesson/topic. If a student feels singled out this can make them feel extremely pressured and embarrassed, it tends to make the student dislike the lesson. If you pick on a student to answer a question and they do not know the answer, move on to another student. Do not wait for a student to answer when they can’t as this will develop insecurity. Also, to consider helping a student gain confidence is by offering praise and making them feel special or important within the lesson/classroom. If this method isn’t practiced, this can lead to a habit of constantly telling the student what they did wrong and forgetting to tell them what they did great. You should always compliment and reward your students when deserved, this will help develop motivation for the students in the classroom, but also definitely point out anything they should work on after you have praised them. This way, even though they have taken note of what they did wrong or what they should work on, they receive a more positive message and feedback by hearing what they did right first. Another way of boosting students' confidence is that you should always give them chances and opportunities to succeed. You could take the focus away from their weaknesses within their language skills and place it onto their strengths. Don't constantly teach the students your knowledge but give them chances to teach you theirs. This can help give their confidence a big boost as they now know they can teach you something you didn’t know before. For example, a student can tell you about somewhere they have been before where you haven't and they can explain and talk about their knowledge on the subject, to both the teacher and the students present in the classroom. This can make them feel acknowledged and accepted by their peers around them. Also, they could talk to the teacher and peers about special talents or skills they may have and discuss it amongst each other. This can give the teacher a chance to analyze vocabulary, pronunciation, and dialogue. So, therefore, this can benefit both the teacher and the students. Another good way of boosting is by using visuals. This can start a new lesson well, as posters and flashcards are always a good method to engage the class. The students can have the chance to see things, as well as to listen. If a student has pictures to follow along, it can be easier to explain it to the class and teacher. This gives a student a graphic to lean on. It won't leave them hanging in mid-air as pictures can make them feel more comfortable in the lesson and or topic. To conclude, this is just a brief outline of some of the methods available to instill confidence in your students whilst learning the English language and hopefully, this will help them feel a lot more boosted within themselves and lead to a much happier learning environment.