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What makes a good foreign language teacher?

Modern methods of language teaching, with their emphasis on the teacher as model and the constant interchange between teacher and student, require a more sympathetic relationship between student and teacher than did earlier, more impersonal methods.

It seemed to me appropriate to question the students themselves regarding that topic of such vital concern all of us: What makes a good teacher of English as a foreign language? In tallying up the student responses, one salient and somewhat heartening factor became apparent. The students, speaking from sheer experience on the receiving end of the classroom situation, tended to put forth advice strikingly similar to that which most methodology and educational psychology textbooks and courses offer... The students had had a variety of teachers. They were not required to sign the questionnaire and they responded at length with a complete lack of diffidence. Despite the diversity of the students themselves, the responses were revealingly uniform.

First on the list mentioned by an overwhelming 78 per cent of the students was the teacher’s thorough knowledge of his subject. As one student wrote: "It doesn't matter how nice a teacher is if he doesn't know what he’s talking about."

Logically, the next important concern was how the teacher goes about imparting that knowledge – in other words, methodology. What the students requested most often was variety within the lesson hour.

"If we just do drills forever, I fall asleep. Why do we have to do idioms for a whole hour?"

"It's nice when vou have a little grammar, and then a dictation, and then soma reading or a discussion."

The students also frequently mentioned the need for activity in the classroom. Many of them referred to language games as being useful and enjoyable. They also seemed to feel that they should be constant participants:

"The teacher shouldn't do all the talking."

"I like it when the students go up to the board."

“Discussions and debates are my favourite ways of learning."

Students complained vehemently about teachers who use up precious class time telling personal anecdotes. On the other hand, the importance of a teacher’s sense of humor and his ability to take the tension out of language learning was mentioned repeatedly:

"If he can laugh once in a while, you don’t get so nervous about making mistakes."

"When the teacher is smiling at you, you want to try."

Also stressed was the teacher's preparation of the lesson and a conscientious attitude toward student papers: "You can tell if he runs out of things to do before the bell rings."

"Why should I turn in my homework? He doesn’t grade it for about a week, anyway."

Discipline, although mentioned specifically by only a few, was hinted at by many.

"There are some teachers who just let a class talk all the lime. Then you never learn anything."

"He says your homework is due on a certain day and then he lets people turn it in later. Or he forgets."

"1 don't think she cares if we're absent or not. I wish she did."

Getting away from actual teaching methods, over half of the students had something to say about the student-teacher relationship. Most often, they expressed a desire for a sympathetic teacher who "remembers what it was like to be a student." "He should," as one student with an obvious command of the colloquial idiom put it, "be on our wavelength." They felt that the teacher should "know each student as an individual," and there was a frequent demand for justice:

"She only talks to the best students. Doesn't she know I'm trying?"

A significant number of students expressed a fear of being embarrassed by a teacher's caustic wisdom, "They ought to be polite to us. We're people, too."

"She only became a teacher so she could be powerful and hear her own voice."

Lastly, just short of half of the students had something to say about the character of the teacher himself, a majority of the responses praised a teacher who is confident and who obviously enjoys his profession and specialization:

"I liked him right away. He walked in, wrote his name on the board, and started right in. You could tell he wasn't new at it."

"If he doesn't know the answer, he's not afraid to say so. So you know you can trust him."

"I used to hate compositions, but my teachcr likes writing and she just makes you like it. She has a lot of fun."

"He could probably have done a lot of things, but he wanted to be a teacher. It wasn't for money either."

The students also referred to teachers with endless patience and amiable disposition that could be provoked to anger only in extreme cases. The teacher’s voice was mentioned, too:

"It shouldn't be monotonous."

"You have to hear him in the back row."

Finally, a surprising number were concerned about the appearance of their teachers:

"He’s always neatly dressed. It makes things business-like."

"She’s not really pretty, but I don't mind looking at her all hour. Anyway, she tries to look nice."

The composite ideal teacher, then, with infinite knowledge and energy, impeccable teaching techniques, a sense of humour and a talent for discipline, along with personal charm and eternal patience, may seem rather hard to live up to on some Monday mornings. But as one understanding student wrote:

"What makes a good teacher is someone who tries to do everything I have listed above. But I understand that teachers are also people like me."

2. Pair work. Discuss with your partner the following questions:

1. What are the most important abilities that the teacher should possess?

2. What's your idea of the teacher's ability to understand and trust?

3. What's your understanding of an ability to quickly assess this or that situation at a lesson?

4. Why do you think it's important for a teacher to possess an ability to accurately convey to pupils his (her) mood, feelings and thoughts by words, facial expressions and body motions?

5. How is it possible to obtain a reliable picture of relations among children in a short period of time?

6. What will you do as an English teacher to make children comply with your request and do it willingly?

7. Do you agree with the statements: "A true teacher enjoys communicating with children"?

8. Will you explain to us how you are going to establish communication with children when you are on teaching practice or when you work as a regular English teacher?

9. What's you point of view on the value of the use of linguistic games and role plays in the instructional process?

10. How will you account for the statement: "A teacher's heart must be nourished by love"?

11. What do you think of this statement: "In teaching, as in poetry, a person's ability to create is realized only when ms spiritual forces are developed to the full. Only through high spiritual development can the teacher become closer to a child's heart"?

12. Why do you think children like contests and competitions when doing speech exercises at English lessons? Will you, please, explain to us how you'll organize contests and competitions at your English lessons?

13. What's the value of improvisation? How will you develop your pupils' ability to improvise?

14. Why do you think the teacher's profession is a special profession? In what way do you understand the teacher's cultural, professional and general standards?

15. Will you tell us, please, whether the teacher's profession is vocation (calling) only? Try to sustain your argument?

Work in groups. a) Read a list of teacher qualities in your teaching context and select 10 important in your opinion. Include any other key qualities not mentioned. b) Single out 3 main qualities which are essential for being an efficient teacher. Describe responsibilities and duties of a teacher. Share your ideas with your group mates. Explain your choice.

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