THE BAD LANGUAGE TEACHER

· VERY STRICT, DIDN'T LET US SPEAK

· GAVE US A TEXT TO LEARN AND CHECKED IT

· GAVE MARKS ALL THE TIME

· SHE WAS FIXED IN A CHAIR

· ALWAYS ABOVE OUR HEADS

· SHOUTED FOR NO REASON

· GAVE A LOT OF TESTS

· FORCED US TO DO THINGS

· DIDN'T DISCUSS OTHER PROBLEMS

· STARTED THE LESSON IMMEDIATELY

· DIDN'T SMILE

· SHE STARED AT YOU AND YOU COULDN'T SAY A WORD

· HIS TESTS WERE TOO DIFFICULT

· WE WERE NOT PREPARED FOR THE TEST

· HE JUST SHOWED US A GRAMMAR RULE AND WE FORGOT IT SHOUTED WHEN WE MADE MISTAKES, VERY NERVOUS

· TALKED AND TALKED SHE SPOKE FLAT

· SHE JUST SAID THE LESSON AND NOTHING ELSE, THERE WAS A DISTANCE FROM US, BELIEVED THE STUDENTS WERE ALL THE SAME

· BELIEVED STUDENTS ALL KNEW THE SAME THINGS

· LIKE A MACHINE

· NOT PREPARED

· TREATED KIDS LIKE OBJECTS

· SHE WAS RIGID

· SARCASTIC AND IRONIC

· ONLY LESSONS—DIDN'T DISCUSS ANYTHING ELSE, AVOIDED ANSWERING QUESTIONS. YOU COULDN'T LAUGH, YOU COULDN'T SPEAK, HE WAS THE TEACHER, I WAS THE STUDENT

· HE HAD A BLACKLIST AND SAID "YOU, YOU, YOU"

· SHE HAD A LITTLE BOOK WITH THE MARKS IN

· NO COMMUNICATION, NOTHING

· SHE MADE ME FEEL ANXIOUS

· HE SAID WE WEREN'T WELL PREPARED

It would be not only difficult but counterproductive to generalize from the diverse and often contradictory comments made by students about good and bad teachers. In fact, the diversity of opinions as to what constitutes effective teaching confirms an assumption made in this article: that there is no formula for good teaching, that very different people make good teachers for very different reasons. My own experience of observing teachers at work for many years suggests that both introverts and extroverts, soft-spoken and outspoken people, theatrical and non-theatrical types can all hold the attention of a class and make learning enjoyable and effective.

It would, however, be both defeatist and counter-intuitive not to observe certain general principles that many good teachers have in common. These general principles may act as a starting point for the teacher who has lost confidence in her ability to fulfill her own potential.

I said earlier that there are no recipes for success, and equally there are no secret formulae. If there is some magic involved in successful teaching, we should set about learning the practical principles behind the magic, like a child with a box of tricks and a set of instructions, but above all we must learn to create our own personal magic, a magic of a more ordinary kind. A trick is special; it works on one occasion and you cannot go on repeating the same trick indefinitely with the same audience. One recipe (another metaphor) works for one particular dish; it doesn't tell you how to make a different dish. Theory is like the general principles of good cooking: it helps you know what you're doing and why, and it allows you to generate new ideas, new techniques in a principled fashion, rather than in an ad hoc way. Experience and practice are of course indispensable, but they make more sense in the light of research and what (little) we know about how people learn languages.

5. Work in small groups. Brainstorm the most acid difficulties that English classrooms experience these days. Proceed from reviewing your individual weaknesses to looking for innovative ways to resolve the problems. Work collectively, support but not criticize each other.

7. Work in pairs. Study the following quotation from a British educational newspaper: “There are teachers who lack confidence in their ability to deal with disruption and who see their classes as potentially hostile. They create a negative classroom atmosphere by frequent criticism and rare praise…Their methods increase the danger of major confrontation not only with individual pupils but with the whole class.” Express your attitude to the fact.

8. Work individually. Think about the torments and triumphs of the teaching profession. What’s there more of? Are they, however great they might be, worth living for? Express your ideas in writing (200 + words).

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