I'm a new teacher, Where do I start?

[CaptainJack]

Forgive me if I've missed an article somewhere as I hate to re-post questions that have been previously answered. I did look, but found nothing that specifically answered this question.

I have been asked to teach English to an Italian nanny who will be working for some friends of the family. This is a no-charge, just for fun thing (read: Uncertified and unprofessional, with no claims to such). The options where I am, a remote mining camp in Ontario, mean that professional instruction is cost prohibitive.

My pupil has limited command of english already, and is approximatley 25 years old. I have not met her and cannot offer any more information then that; I am a native English speaker.

My question is: Where do I begin? Is there a resource out there that someone could point me to that is a rough step-by-step guide to teaching? Should I be focusing on grammer, verbs, nouns, etc. first?

Thank you for your time and help on this matter.
Cheers
Craig

[Lucy]

Dear Craig,

I suggest you choose a suitable text book; buy the course book and the accompanying teacher’s book. The teacher’s book will give you ideas and guidance on how to use the course book during your classes.

English File and Headway (both published by Oxford University Press) and Accelerate by Philip Prowse (not sure of the publisher) are excellent courses and have good notes for teachers. All of these focus on British English; a good bookshop for EFL teachers would be able to give you the name of a suitable book for Canadian English. If you don’t have such a bookshop near you, you could phone one in a large city, get the name of the book and order it. The three books I mention are available at various levels, including beginner, elementary and pre-intermediate. It would be a good idea to choose the title you are most comfortable with; books need to suit the teacher’s style. It’s probably better to leave the final choice of level until after you have spoken to the student. Also remember that she will progress much more quickly than somebody learning English for two hours a week in their own country. If you’re undecided between 2 levels, it’s better to go for something that is slightly difficult at the beginning as she will come up to speed quickly.

As for your second question, you should aim for a balance between vocabulary and grammar. She will also need help with pronunciation, listening and speaking. Pronunciation is the most important of the three because she’ll be getting daily practice in speaking and listening to English.

You could also check out the following,I answered a similar question:

http://www.tefl.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=638

Good luck with this exciting project! Please write in again if you would like more ideas.

Lucy