Basics concepts of teaching EFL

Teaching English as a foreign Language is a big task, but following some basic we
will be able to achieve a successful, that is to say, a class in which we can
accomplish our goals for that group. Even though, most of the things here
mentioned will be difficult to understand at the very beginning. The most important
thing that we will focus on is planning.
This is the foundation of a successful class, so we have to understand that this will
be a necessary thing in our future.
Planning includes: considering the Ss, thinking of the content, materials and
activities that could go into our course (Planning lessons and courses Tessa
Woodward Page 17)
From now on I will describe some of the things that we should bear in mind when
planning our lessons.
Motivation
This is the channeling of the energies of an individual in order to accomplish a
certain task. This is the one of the most important things for a teacher, he must find
a way in which his Ss will focus on the task at hand prepared by him. There are 2
classes of motivation.
Extrinsic, this the one that comes from the exterior, It might be created by social
pressures or external needs.
Intrinsic, this is the one that comes from the interior of the subject, he does
something because he wants to. This is the type of motivation that a teacher should
try to create.
Warm up

This is one of the first stages in a class, its aim is to catch Ss attention and prepare
them for the presentation stage. In this stage the teacher tries to use the new
content in the most exiting or interesting possible way.
Its expected that even when some Ss dont understand the content, they get
engaged.
Presentation
In this stage the teacher sets up a situation in which Ss are exposed to the new
content. Ss get to know the new content is used in a correct way and them usually
also make a little participation.
In order to make a good presentation, this one should be well prepared, the new
content should be clearly displayed, what I want Ss to accomplish should be similar
to the things showed in the presentation and it must be a bit challenging for Ss, just
a above their level.
Practices
After the presentation, comes the time for the practices. In this stage Ss make use
of the new learnt content but guided by the teacher or by the task itself, we must
bear in mind that during this part of the class Ss dont produce language by
themselves.
During the different practices, we as teachers and planners, should never forget all
the different skills that a language user must train, that is to say, throughout the
different practices Ss should write, listen, read and speak with the recently studied
new information.
Production
This is the last part in a class that follows the principles of a PPP style of teaching.
This stage is where the teacher can evaluate if Ss could fulfill his expectations. It
usually is an oral in order to make this part fun. Here Ss have to produce language

completely by themselves using the content that they have already worked with in
previous practices. Now that they have already refined their understanding of this
information they start to use it. Teacher is usually a spectator due to the fact that
this stage is focused on Ss.
Teacher introduces the new setting, it could be a game or an activity in which Ss
have to interact with each other to solve a problem or to compete with the other
teams.
When using games teacher could just adapt a popular game that Ss already played
when younger, so they already know the rules.
Input and output
Input occurs when Ss just have to respond to a certain task or command from the
teacher or just pay attention to him. During this stage Ss are merely receivers of
information, this a very important part of the class, Ss have to be very exposed to
the language in order to produce it in subsequent activities.
Output is when Ss produce something of the language that they were exposed to. If
the exposure was correct and the pupils feel confident enough they should be able
to use the new information.
Skills
In order to express yourself in any spoken language and understand
other people, you have to be able to read, write, speak and listen in the
target language. So time has to be spent practicing and using these skills.
(Planning Lessons and courses Page 92)
Choosing Contents
We must be very carefully when choosing the contents that we are going to teach,
some of the things that we should wear in mind when choosing what to teach are:
According to the curriculum what are the prescribed contents to teach? How can I

adapt them for this group? Have they already worked with similar contents? What
are goals towards this content? What do I want them to able to do with this
information/grammar pattern? Can I connect this content with something related to
their everyday life?
Classroom management
This is one of the aspects that concerns most teachers, because there are no way
to guarantee an effective management of the classroom, but there are some things
that will help us improve the general performance of the classroom, which are
these:

Know what you want and what you don't want to happen in your classroom,
have a vision

Prepare the classes accordingly, well made plans and materials

Shows confidence and professionalism, be aware of your strengths and

weaknesses

Be fair and coherent with your expectations

Reinforce positive attitudes

Look for information about useful tips when dealing with complicate courses
in internet, magazines, books, etc. There are plenty of tricks that will help
you (using Ss, punish bad behavior, praise, etc.)

Look for help if necessary. Its important to assume that you do not know all
the answer and some other teachers or students perspective could help to
find a solution to your problem.

Materials
The best way to have the materials ready is began by making a vision of your class
and what are you going to need: What materials will I use? Why? What do I want to

accomplish using those materials? Will I be able to make them o shall get them
from outsources? Are they expensive? Can I reuse them? Will they fit my
expectations? Will my Ss enjoy something like that?
Its very important to have all the materials ready before hand and to have a plan B,
too. We must never forget if we are going to work with a video or an audio if the
school have the equipment necessary to work with these things.