Motivating Students

Hi everyone!

I'm happy to tell you that one of our readers (his name is Katsuya) sent in a question today. I won't keep it long, here's what he had to say:

"Hi. I have come across your blog while looking for English teaching materials.

I am an English teacher teaching at a small private school in Japan. My students are in Junior high school. As you may know, We start to learn English from Junior high school. So, I'm only teaching basic one.

My problem with students is... They don't like English. It is to hard to get them to interest English. You know, In Japan.. Even if they study English, they don't have chance to use it. So, not a lot of students want to study. They just do it for exam to enter better high school or something.

I just wanted to give you one question. How do you motivate them to study..."

Hi Katsuya!

Thanks for dropping by. Pardon me if I couldn't reply that quick. I was teaching a student a while ago.

It's nice to know that there are teachers concerned about the welfare of their students. Your students are indeed lucky. Some teachers either think they're boring or that the students are simply dull. In my experience, this way of thinking really wouldn't help the student nor the teacher. So, it's good that you're being proactive in finding solutions.

There's really no one surefire way of motivating students because of them has a different personality. But, you can learn from observing what young people enjoy these days.

Because of technological developments, students have become lazy and want to be entertained while they just sit back. They tend to look for quick results. So, it's important for you to tell them what they can achieve by studying English. You can ask them questions like: Does anyone here plan to travel abroad or find work that requires them to speak English well and be able to meet interesting people in the process? Since they're beginners, you might want to ask your questions in Japanese.

Let me borrow from Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of his principles is this: Begin with the end in mind. In whatever you do, you have to know what you want to achieve or accomplish. Thinking about the prize or the result will give you more motivation to continue even when you're having a hard time or when you're feeling bored.

Now, I believe that you know your students better. I might not be able to tell exactly what it is they want to achieve. But, as the teacher, who regularly interacts with them, I think you're in the best position to identify that. Find their needs and wants and use that to identify goals and tell them exactly how they can do that.

It might help if you let them watch a short video of a young Japanese being able to speak good English and making friends while in a different country. Or you can show another video of a person succeeding in a job where he/she uses English. There, he can meet different kinds of people and learn different perspectives.

Aside from that, it might make a difference for you to show their progress even after a short time of studying, and thus prove that they can go further if they exert more effort. These days, instead of spending money to study English, young people would rather buy clothes or gadgets. Why? It's because they can feel instant gratification. The moment they buy the product, they can enjoy it. But when they study English, they would feel that they're studying for so long, yet they couldn't feel that they're actually progressing.

You mentioned that you're teaching basic English. How basic? I'm not sure. Apart from teaching them new words, try to incorporate those words and use them to practice situational exercises. Like, for example, introducing friends or ordering food in a restaurant. The next time you have class, ask students to be role-players in your situational exercises.

Coming up with special activities will also stimulate their interest. Remember, it's important to make them feel interested because then, they'll be paying attention. And if they're concentrating, they'll remember and learn much more effectively.

Maybe you can have a special guest or an interesting presentation. In fact, I can even send my video or speech talking about a certain topic that you think might interest them. But, I think, they might not yet be able to comprehend the video or recording.

Another suggestion is for you to find or help them find email/snail mail friends for them when they've learned enough. Well, in fact, it's not an obligation, but it might help. When they realize that they can actually benefit from studying English, it will be a big boost.

Well, I do hope that some of these tips answered your questions. I still have several in mind, but the basic ideas are here.

If something is not clear to you, please feel free to ask me. Also, if you have additional comments, or if you have a different question, don't hesitate to let me know. I'll try to respond as quickly as I can. But, maybe not as quick if you send in a question this weekend, for I'll be in Thailand then.

Good luck and more power to you and your students!

If You Can't Learn by Yourself, Get a Good Teacher

How many of you agree that you learn better when you're enjoying?

Well, count me in. It's always hard for me to study something I'm not actually interested in. In fact, I sometimes have to force myself to study something I'm not passionate about. In the university, for instance, not all of the topics we discuss interest me.

Conversely, when I have free time, I'd rather do other things than study about those topics that I don't care much about. Of course, there are some things that we're obliged to learn and do however much we hate them. For example, we can't totally avoid cleaning or learning how to read and write, unless of course, we want to remain illiterate all our lives.

The reason behind this is that it's much easier for us to work on something we enjoy. Did you Mom have to force you to play your favorite video game? I don't think so. It's the same thing when you decide to study something you're interested in. There's not much effort or resistance.

That's why we often need teachers. It's one of their duties to make the students interested in their lessons. Because frankly, a big percentage of learning involves stimulating the students and getting them interested. As Samuel Johnson said "Interest is the mother of attention and attention is the mother of memory." To secure memory, Joseph Cook concludes, "secure its mother and grandmother." That's an important point to remember if you are serious about learning something.

Some people have a natural ability to encourage themselves and force themselves to do things they don't really want to do. Still others are good at finding something that interests them, in order to study what they have to. Unfortunately, most people are not like that, which is why we still need teachers. Aside from this, our teachers can also bring about a fresh outlook on a tired subject. He/she can also make a boring subject seem interesting. Furthermore, if we feel tired and helpless, it always helps when someone can encourage us and take the initiative.

I have already given you pointers on how to find good teachers. The most important factor is a teacher's competence on the subject matter he/she is teaching. Would you like someone who can't even teach you grammar or conversation correctly? Maybe not. Then, of course, the teacher has to be committed to your learning and improvement.

Yes, sometimes the answer is simple. If you can't learn by yourself, go get a good teacher. And if you find that challenging, don't you worry, I have something in store for you. I've been planning and working hard to look for the best teachers. It might take some time because I'm really looking hard, but maybe you can help me if you know someone who's good at making a website in Japanese.

Anyhow, I'll tell you more about my plans soon..

How to Find the Right English Teacher for You

If you're really serious about learning English, it's important to carefully choose the right teacher for you. Studying English is an investment, so it's better to choose your English teacher wisely.

We'll talk about certain things you need to considering when looking for the right teacher. Remember that different students have different needs, so there might not be one perfect teacher for everyone.

Keep in mind though that "you get what you pay for." So while you should not go out looking for the most expensive education, try to achieve a balance and don't aim for the cheapest. Usually, the teachers who offer the cheapest services have little confidence over their ability and would just like to break into the industry. I'm not saying that teachers offering a low rate are not competent enough, but a teacher who's compensated fairly enough is more likely to take care of your needs and keep your goals in mind.

Some teachers specialize in teaching beginners while some are very good in pleasing advanced students. It's always best to try out a teacher's services before deciding once and for all. Some teachers offer free trial lesson, so don't hesitate to sign up, esp. when you're not really required to sign up for his/her lessons after the trial. If there is no trial lesson, ask if the teacher would accept payment for only one lesson, and then see from there whether you'll be better off studying with that teacher in the long run.

First of all, the teacher must be competent enough in the subject matter. If you're just beginning to study English, it might be hard to determine a teacher's competence. In this case, try to ask a friend to help you or ask others what they think about this particular teacher.

Just because a person is a native English speaker doesn't automatically mean he'll be a good English teacher. In fact, some of the native speakers/teachers I've encountered don't know the difference between 'it's' and 'its' or when to use 'loose' or 'lose.' Certainly, a lot of them are qualified to teach, but not all. Remember that a person who's good in a particular subject isn't automatically the best person to teach that subject. For example, not all computer programmers can teach computer programming.

Teaching is a gift, and not all are gifted to teach. Teaching involves imparting one's knowledge the best and easiest way he could. A teacher has to have good communication skills, as well as good people skills. A good teacher can make a very difficult subject seem easy. He/She has an uncanny ability to identify the logic behind something.

A teacher has to be sensitive to the student's needs and should be determined to monitor and ensure his progress. After all, the teacher's main goal should be for you to improve in English. Make sure that you and your teacher know what your goals are.

Look for the English teacher who pays attention to the different areas of learning: grammar, speaking, writing, pronunciation, etc. To be good in a language, one has to work on several areas, not just one. So make sure that you're not neglecting a specific area.

One common mistake that learners of the English language think is that only native English speakers can teach English. Sometimes, non-native speakers of English might be the right teacher for you. Why? Excellence can be achieved by any nationality, given the right talents and opportunities. More often, English teachers whose native language is not English might be more patient with those trying to learn English because they have also experienced learning it at one point in their lives.

Like you, there was a point when they didn't know anything and had to start learning the most basic things. Like you, they didn't grow up with everyone around them speaking in English. They had to work hard and determine which methods and ways are effective for learning English. That is why, they can understand when you find a certain lesson difficult, and when you make mistakes.

But, don't be fooled. Just because the teacher praises your improvement or gives you compliment everytime doesn't mean he/she is the best teacher for you. At the end of the day, what matters is what or how much you learned. It's better to stick to the teacher who gives an honest (although sometimes painful) assessment than to the one who merely does lip service but doesn't deliver.

Learning another language certainly helps a language teacher become better. He/She becomes more familiar with different patterns in languages and their nuances. It's even better if the teacher is familiar with the native language of the student as he/she can compare and or state the differences.

But when you look for an English teacher whose first language is not English, you have to be very careful and to pay attention to the details. As much as possible, choose one who has a neutral or native-like accent. As we often say, it's hard to correct mistakes that you got used to. So try to learn the right way from the start.

It's better to find an English teacher who loves to read as reading is one of the most effective ways to improve grammar. In fact, non-native speakers can beat the native speakers in grammar if the latter hardly read. Aside from that, it'd be easier for bookworms to teach writing. Since they are familiar with different kinds of writing styles and techniques, they're more likely to know how to write well.

These are just some pointers to remember when looking for the right English teacher. There could be many other points to consider. When in doubt, review the basics, or you can ask me a question or two.

Happy hunting!

Send in Your Questions About Learning English

Hey everyone! Once again, I'm up and blogging. I thought it would be better for those of you who are learning English to post your questions here and to get answers as from me as quickly as possible.

You can read about what's going on in my life at: http://asksarahsensei.blogspot.com. I also have another blog about writing well in English. I'm currently conducting English classes online and privately. I've been doing it for years, and loving it. So I've decided to help those of you who are really eager to learn the language. This site is all about you and your questions regarding learning English. Everyone is welcome!

So, what are you waiting for? Feel free to ask anything you want about learning English. This is a site dedicated to English learners. As I might have told most of you, I've been studying English since I could barely talk. Haha.. I think I've gone a long way from then. I'm sure you can too!

I would like to do my best and use my expertise to help you. So go ahead. Don't hesitate. No question is too simple. When you post comments, you can choose to include your name and contact info or you can choose to be anonymous. Either way, you can be sure that I'll provide you with answers.