Chapter01 How to be a good teacher Harmer, J (1998) How to Teach English Longman What makes a good teacher? How should teachers talk to students? How should teacher give instructions? Who should talk in class? What are the best kinds of lesson? How important is it to follow a prearranged plan? What makes a good teacher? A good teacher is a person who should love his/her job to make interesting lesson has lots of knowledge, not only of his subject is an entertainer in a positive sense should try to draw out the quiet Ss & control the more talkative ones helps rather than shouts should be able to correct Ss w/o offending them A good teacher is someone who knows Ss’ names Good teachers care more about their students’ learning than they about their own teaching How should teachers talk to Ss? One of the crucial teacher skills: the way that teachers talk to Ss Teachers should have ability to rough-tune the language (an important skill) Besides language, experienced teachers use physical movement: gestures, expressions, mime 3 How should teachers give instructions? Two general rules for giving instructions: (1) as simple as possible & logical (2) important for the teacher to check if Ss have understood what they are being asked to Who should talk in class? Good TTT may have beneficial qualities: if the teacher’s rough-tuned language, Ss will have a chance to hear the language above their productive level, but they are more or less understand TTT works (not TTT overused) Teacher who is reluctant to speaking will bore Ss The best lesson- STT maximized Good teachers can balance TTT& STT (experience & common sense) What are the best kinds of lesson? Surprise & curiosity perfect starting point for Ss’ involvement There is also the need for surprise & variety (not anarchy) in a secure setting Good teachers find a balance b/w predictable safety & unexpected variety How important is it to follow a pre-arranged plan? Good teachers have ability: to respond flexibly to what happens in class to follow a pre-arrange plan