Here is a list of 10 simple tips you should keep in mind. Some of them are obvious but it’s always easy to forget one or two of them, isn’t it?
1. Be prepared. There’s no better tip we could give a teacher. Have some “introduction” lessons ready for different levels (beginner, advanced …).
Prepare these lessons with the greatest care : when you meet someone, first impression does have a huge importance, doesn’t it?
2. Give your students the greatest attention : never forget there’s a human being behind every student. Encourage them, cheer them, make them feel it’s worth attending your lessons
3. Get to know your students. No matter how much you prepare and care about your students, if they’re not interested in your lessons’ topics, you’ll hardly keep them.
4. It’s good to cheer your students’ progress, even better to show them how and where they improved.
5. Be organized! Hold a notebook and take notes regularly about each student : some information about them, their hobbies, their tastes, their learning problems
6. Share your culture. Many students learn a given language because it is spoken in a country they are interested in.
7. Use medias. Don’t forget to give your students a copy of your texts, vocabulary lists … it is very important to them to keep something concrete from lessons, something they can work on until the next lesson, not to forget everything!
8. Be serious. Seriously.
Well, this tip is important for first lessons mainly. Once your students attend your lessons regularly, you can be more friendly, less formal.
9. Always give your students a teaching plan for the next 3-4-5 lessons.
10. Entertain your students. Not by making a fool of yourself! Interactivity, language games (crosswords …), oral expression are always welcome and funnier than formal (who said boring?) text reading and “fill the gap” exercises. Well, the latter are still necessary at some point, so you should find a good balance between all these things.
