Teaching Reflection: Teaching ESL to Adults

For the past year, I had the pleasure of taking an interesting and rewarding course at Saint Xavier University- Teaching English to Adults and Children.

Many education students know that there is a scary chasm between taking education classes and student teaching. Teaching English to Adults and Children is a class that presents the students with a perfect opportunity for a transition between learning and practice.

In our education classes, we observe classrooms and sometimes interact with students while daydreaming what it would be like to be a teacher. In this class we get to actually practice our teaching techniques on parents of elementary school students.

When I first encountered the adult English learners at Dawes Elementary I was a little bit apprehensive. I have tutored before, but I have never planned and implemented a lesson for an entire class. What if I say something stupid? What if I make a mistake? What if I'm not a good teacher and I just waste their time? All of my fears were soon dispelled as I discovered that the students in the class were friendly and eager to learn, and that by putting myself out there, I made a big step towards becoming a teacher.

Planning out my first class was very exciting. I had to remember to put in a good balance of grammar and conversation practice, leaning towards the latter side. I also had to remember about my bag of tricks, as I like to call it. One never knows for sure how long each lesson will take, so planning extra activities in case there is extra time is essential. Other tips that my professor gave me is to minimize teacher talk and utilize body language.

Too much teacher talk occurs when a teacher speaks too much which makes it difficult for the listener to gauge what is the main point the teacher is trying to make. This is especially true for ESL students where it's important to make the message clear and easy to understand. Body language helps deliver nonverbal messages to students which also fosters understanding. Body language is especially helpful for ESL students because it helps fill in the blanks where vocabulary is lacking.

The structure of this class is conducive towards reflection. When one or two teachers teach, the rest of the class observes and helps out. Then at the end, after the adult learners leave, the rest of the class and the professor comment on what went well, what was interesting, and what needs improvement. This proved to be a crucial part of the class as all of us teachers significantly improved in our teaching and confidence level. Throughout the year, even though I haven't immediately noticed the change myself, others have pointed out that I reduced my teacher talk and utilize much more body language.

Teaching English to Adults and Children is a great class for any education major and non education major. Not only is it an elective for an ESL or Bilingual endorsement, but it is a one of a kind learning opportunity. As a future teacher, you can practice teaching in a low stress, creative environment. You will get to create and implement lessons by yourself and collaboratively. And you will get to practice teaching with friendly students. The nature of adult learners is that they are eager to learn because they choose to attend class. You teach students who are already motivated, so all you have to do is facilitate learning and encourage participation.

The improvement of the students was staggering to see. In the beginning most were shy and lacked many conversation skills. By the end of the year, we were having a dinner conversation at our end of the year party.

This experience can also be rewarding for non education students as it can improve your confidence, critical thinking, public speaking skills, and the ability to think on your feet. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to take this course and highly recommend it to anyone.