I need innovation

[Hamideh]

I'm new here don't know much about this place.The reason I am here now is that I really want to improve my teaching skills!just don't know where to start from! I have been teaching English to elementary,pre-intermediate and intermediate levels for almost 2 years.I was much more satisfied with myself when I first started teaching,I think the environment of our English institute has had bad effects on me! and did not let me make progress! anyway,I blame myself more than anyone :(

Not being satisfied with the progress I made in teaching,I am changing my institute! I have passed the exams and demos there and will start working in less than a month.The institute where I'm going to start working at is a very reputable place and they are very strict on their teachers! The books I'm gonna have to teach are named "Topnotch" I have no idea about the methods applied there! and unfortunately there would be no opportunity for me to observe classes.

I feel so stressed! I want to know about the most recent teaching methods applied world wide. I want to start from the scratch!I'm looking for a change.Please,direct me to the latest practical teaching methods available.I want to make a perfect teacher not an ordinary one!and if you have any information about "Top notch" books please let me know them.Just tell me whatever you think I need to know! :)

Thanks,
Hamideh

[RobJames]

"I want to know about the most recent teaching methods applied world wide."

I don't think you'll find any one style, every country has a different style/culture/belief/influence. It really depends which country you're in, what type of school, what age level, what subject you specifically teach.

You need to get some knowledge about who you are teaching first. Do some research get details of other teachers at the new workplace ask them questions.

[Hamideh]

Thanks for reading my blog Rob.
My students are mostly teenagers and young adults.
I live and teach in Islamic republic of Iran,though I don't see how it could influence my teaching style! :)
As I said,I teach elementary,pre-intermediate and intermediate levels.(Interchange books)
I will start teaching "Topnotch" books.
So if you have any suggestions I'd be grateful if you shared it with me.
Thanks

[RobJames]

I have not seen inside Top Notch books, but it is suppose to be based on real life language. The books are from authors who have been teaching in the US/Chile/China. Although teaching is pretty much the same around the world, you may benefit from relating it your students specifically. For example, when in China my book (not Top Notch) did not relate well to my students – it would ask questions about who washes the car (they had no cars) or about films that many of my students never even heard of because of restrictions in China. However, I was lucky in that I could diverge quite a lot from the book and use my own ideas based on what the students liked. So I tried to mix the book with my ideas. I am not sure if you can do this in Iran and if your principal would allow it or not. Can you use your own style or will they expect you to conform to their methods? Also are you teaching mainly spoken ? Are your students in Iran better at reading and writing than speaking and listening ?

I am sorry if I tell you anything you already anyway I normally try to follow the Engage-Study-activate stages of lesson planning. 1) So in engage I need to get students interested in the lesson e.g. show pictures of new vocabulary to learn. 2) Study – for example pronunciation and meaning of vocabulary 3) Allow students free time to practice - perhaps put them in pairs and get them to practice whilst you walk around the room and observe. You should also have very clear aims about what you want to teach at lesson start: ie not just to learn ten words, but to learn 10 words in spoken form, using pictures etc. You should also read up about the multiple intelligence theory.

Get as much information about the students before you teach them. Email other teachers.

[Hamideh]

I teach spoken English.I use the 3 main stages you mentioned about lesson planning,but thanks anyway.I can say that most of my students are better in writing than the other three skills.When I give them a topic to talk about,only 5 out of 10 students are active the others keep watching,I ask them many questions and try to make them speak,if I don't they would never talk!You've been really helpful Rob,Thanks a lot.

[luisinka]

For speaking activities, I would prefer pairwork or small groups. Give them handouts with some tasks - information they have to find out about their classmates, points they should discuss etc. Because the speaking gets some structure and students have more reasons to be involved. They cannot just watch when they are in couples. Talking in front of the whole class can be used in the end to summarise their discussion. And you can just monitor and help, but you do not have to speak so much. Good luck!