Do you have any guidelines for teaching beginners?

[Dani]

Hi Lucy,

Are there any guidelines about which order to teach in? When I done my CELTA I taught intermediate and advanced students, but now I have absolute beginners to teach and I'm not sure exactly where to start!

Thanks,

Dani

[Lucy]

Hi Dani,

Most course books take the same progression: numbers, alphabet, the verb "to be", nationalities, jobs (eg I'm a plumber), has / have got, vocabulary of possessions, present simple, vocabulary linked to daily routines, present continuous.....

If you are new to teaching beginners, I highly recommend you to use a course book and to supplement where necessary. Make sure you do a lot of revision with beginner students; try not to cover language points too quickly. Aim to recycle the language as much as possible and in a variety of ways.

It's important for beginners to get the basics under their belts; when teaching intermediate, you will notice a difference between students who really mastered the basics at beginner level.

Please feel free to write in again if you would like more ideas.

Lucy