A career teaching the English language can be incredibly rewarding; one can see the fruits of their labor in incredible student growth over the course of a year by teaching one of the most-spoken languages to students around the world. But other than student impact, English teachers can see benefits of their career beyond the classroom: a broader understanding of the world and a sense of reaching one’s goals are also possible benefits of undergoing such a career.
So, what are the most important skills that great English language teachers need? English language teachers teach students of all ages who do not speak English as their native language. Regardless of the age of their students, great English language teachers need a mix of technical teaching skills and more general mindsets that will amplify their classrooms to a level of transformational growth.
If you want to develop your own skills to lead a transformational English language classroom, becoming certified through Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certification (TESOL certification) through an accredited organization like The TEFL Org is one way to learn and refine your teaching tools. Preparation programs for teachers of non-native learners are diverse, but a TESOL certification (usually of 120 hours or more) ensures that teachers are as prepared as possible to meet the diverse needs of their students.
Technical Teaching Skills
Content Knowledge
Having a solid understanding of the English language, specifically of grammar, vocabulary, syntax, and phonics, is incredibly important in order to be a great English teacher. The content of each lesson must be instructionally sound in order to provide the greatest value for students.
That said, teachers are not expected to know everything. Strong teachers will also know reliable resources for looking up answers to questions that stump even them.
Additionally, strong English language teachers will have a clear idea of where students may get tripped up in a lesson or with a concept. Many English language teacher certification courses, like those with The TEFL Org, ensure teachers are equipped to handle these challenging concepts. Understanding common student misunderstandings in advance allows the teacher to address those misconceptions from the start, which gives students additional support and decreases possible student frustration in class.
Curriculum Design and Lesson Planning
Understanding the key components of strong curriculum design and being able to design effective lessons are two other essential technical skills of strong English language teachers.
Essentials of curriculum design, like designing long-term with the end result in mind, ensure that all of the learning in the classroom purposefully builds on itself.
Great English language teachers also know and implement key components of strong lessons, like opening class with an engaging hook or warm-up, including realia (physical objects that make learning a new language more memorable), and assessing students in some manner during each lesson.
Classroom Management
Being able to keep a classroom full of students engaged in the material is a key technical skill that is highly valued in great English language teachers. Giving clear directions for each part of class, understanding how to group (or not group) students to achieve the goal of class, and knowing strategies of how to engage with students who may be struggling are just a few of the abilities English teachers need to lead students to success.
Key Mindsets
Positive Attitude
When the lesson doesn’t go as planned, great English teachers maintain a positive attitude. Teaching is a complex activity that involves assessing multiple variables at one time: To what extent are you, the teacher, explaining concepts or directing the class, as clearly and effectively as possible? How is each student understanding that day’s lesson? What outside factors are also impacting the lesson (conditions of the physical learning environment or lack of appropriate supplies, for example) and what can you, the teacher, do about them, if anything?
Understanding how various factors play a role in each lesson and that challenges happen to all teachers, no matter their skill level. Remaining solutions-oriented is a trait of great English language teachers that will serve all well.
Creativity
Great English languages make their lessons more memorable and therefore more effective with creativity.
Some creative lesson activities include role playing specific scenarios (ordering a meal at a restaurant, meeting someone from another country, or expressing personal preferences in a this-or-that round robin).
Incorporating purposeful creative activities with structure into your English class serves multiple benefits. They keep students engaged in the class, as most students love the chance to share about themselves and their preferences or explore their creativity through play. They also provide English learners with a clear structure for output that is especially helpful to build confidence and to practice skill in a more controlled environment (the activity) before being expected to perform the skill in a less controlled environment (for example, an assessment or out in public).
Skilled English teachers also know how to problem-solve with creativity. Did the printer stop working that morning, so you can no longer make copies of a specific activity? A skilled teacher could pivot with a creative adaptation of the activity where students practice English penmanship on notebook paper by copying the worksheet from a projector.
Desire to Learn
One of the most important soft skills an English language teacher can possess, above all, is the desire to learn. It keeps teachers using the most effective teaching methods. The desire to learn more about their students not only builds solid relationships between students and teachers, which positively impacts student learning, but also gives teachers a richer understanding of the world and builds teacher empathy. Both of these effects create the additional benefit of helping the teacher tailor lessons more appropriately towards their students, also positively impacting student learning.
Strong English language teachers also use their desire to learn to regularly reflect on their own professional performance. They identify their own teaching strengths, areas of growth, and lessons learned over a period of time. This self-reflection improves their performance in the classroom and also adds a layer of engagement for themselves; striving for a goal can be a meaningful journey for many.
A Balance of Skills is Key
Maintaining a healthy balance between both hard and soft skills as an English teacher is key to leading a classroom grounded in student growth. Teacher training, like the courses provided by The TEFL Org can be helpful resources on your journey to becoming the best English teacher possible.
