Job Discussion Forums

curioustraveler · Joined: 01 Feb 2009 Posts: 13 Location: United States

I�m thinking about getting into TEFL. I�m noticing that many places will take you even if your BA isn�t in English or Education. So the million-dollar question is� How knowledgeable does a person really need to be to teach English. Does it matter???

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

Get the BA that teaches you how to explain the difference between present perfect progressive, past perfect progressive, and future perfect progressive! I'm not sure which one that is Shocked

purple_piano · Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 1:12 pm Post subject:

I would say that it helps to care about how the language is constructed.

One of my tutors said to me once "You don't need to know everything, you just need to know in detail the topic that you are teaching your students that day."

Get yourself a good grammar reference book. As a native speaker you'll know what is "right" and what is "wrong" but you need to know WHY it's right/wrong.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I found the thing that helps is the grammar explanations at the back of the books for students.

And if you don't know something, just admit it and tell the students that you'll find out the answer for the next class.

hollysuel · Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 225 Location: Connecticut, USA

Kaspar Hauser · Joined: 23 Feb 2005 Posts: 83

"How knowledgeable does a person really need to be to teach English. Does it matter???"

This has to be just about the most moronic thing I've ever seen in Dave's ESL Cafe. This goofball wants to teach English but wonders if it's really necessary to know anything about what you teach. Is it any wonder that other academics don't take us seriously?

jdl · Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Posts: 632 Location: cyberspace

It may be more important to have skills as a teacher; perhaps even be a certificated teacher. To use a sports analogy, 'Not all players make good coaches'. Don't get the two skill sets confused. Although knowledge of the trade is important; equally important is the ability to teach. Both come with training and experience.

daemonic · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Posts: 25

How can you teach something if you dont' know anything about what you are teaching, that's one. Grammar questions, other than the ones listed in your book for that particular lesson will come up, depending on weather you're teaching adults or kids, that's two. If you want to stay away from the grammar explenation part, than stick to kindergarden and elementary school teaching. Instead focus on being able to explain the difference between "a lot of" and "many", that's three. The rest will fall into place with time and experience.

Kevin_NY · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 11

I am half way through an MA in TESL and I find this question offensive and insulting....

stillnosheep · Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 2068 Location: eslcafe

Really?

Far from being a stupid question it seems to me to be a very good one.

The vast majority of EFL teachers have neither a degree in English nor Education. Neither extensive explicit knowledge of the rules of English grammar nor of syntax is needed or expected of a tefl trainee. The ability to learn about these subjects is, as is the ability to learn how to help learners increase their ability to communicate, and perhaps even one day acquire proficiency, in the use of, English themselves.

The ability to use language well and to help others to do the same is important. The names, forms and uses of the various tenses, moods and aspects can be acquired along the way.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:31 pm Post subject:

How much does an EFL/ESL teacher need to know about the language they'll be teaching? As much as possible, the object being IMHO primarily to be able to identify, marshal and organize those indispensable features of the language (it can't yet all be learnt at once, unfortunately!) that need to be included and covered if not made "obvious" (ultimately in terms of meaning and function, if not structure) in a course.* Lexicogrammars such as the COBUILD English Grammar would seem helpful in this regard.

A recent thread asking about grammar books - what constitutes a good (good enough) one for ELT purposes?
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=68841

*As opposed to the object being e.g. to "impress" (help?) students or even fellow teachers with one's grasp of terminology (assuming one could settle on some, given the complexity of language and the resulting range of analyses!).