BE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT ENGLISH

The author is Teacher Pampanga

MARLENE M. CUNANAN

Teachers have problems managing enthusiasm when it comes to learning English. We find ourselves overwhelmed by the problems our struggling students face every day.

Admit it or not, we have “shy” students in class. What we can do is to support them and help them when they get stuck. Any student who stands up to tell that they are struggling has made an incredible breakthrough.

We should encourage students to work together with their peers, which is wonderful for developing confidence in creativity.

Students get their inspiration from different settings. Some draw inspiration from reading, so we can provide them a nook in the classroom where they can borrow some reading materials.

We can also initiate some sort of language game or literacy workshops where we can hear our students talk – which is actually the forefront of language learning.

We should always try to respond to the needs of our students, which will make our lessons more efficient and effective.

Modeling also promotes learning and motivation, as well as increasing student self-confidence. This way, they will have a stronger belief that they can accomplish something.

While lecturing, we should make sure to speak slowly and clearly, and provide students with enough time to formulate their responses – whether in speaking or in writing. This “wait time” provides all students with an opportunity to think and process what they have learned.

These are just a few basic practices to keep in mind when teaching English. We should tell our students what they are expected to produce in class, especially for new skills or activities. We can do this by explaining and demonstrating the learning actions, sharing your thinking processes aloud, and showing good teacher and student work samples.

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II at San Juan National High School, San Luis,