Job Discussion Forums

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

The most important thing for anyone contemplating EFLing is that they themselves should learn a foreign language. I do not mean necessarily the language spoken by their future students. I mean just a foreign language, whether Sanskrit, Navaho or French.

I am appalled as I look around the ranks of EFLers and see so many who have never acquired even the basics of a a foreign tongue. I am surrounded by MONOGLOTS !

doner · Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 179

But far worse are the occasional Gulf TEFLers you meet who go native and learn a bit of Arabic and then God help their colleagues. With their pontificating and identifying with the locals.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Subhanillah, maashalla and alhamdulilah to you too !

johnslat · Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:47 pm Post subject:

Dear scot47,

Good heavens, man - you've "gone native."

تمنيات
John

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Nyaaah. I agree. Without the experience of getting beyond 'a few phrases' in some other language, it's not possible to be among the most effective teachers.

There. I'm really going out on this limb - because I really think it's true.

Raht-on, Scott47.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 10:36 pm Post subject:

I've studied several languages- one (Spanish) to a very high level, which is to be expected with so many years of immersion.

Several others to basic "self defense" levels.

I feel that going through this learning process, and developing all the things that go with it, has made me a better teacher.

On the other hand, I've worked with good teachers who moved around too much- spoke a few phrases in a dozen languages, even intermediate proficiency in...none.

Yet, they could teach. Language learning is great, but generalizing is dangerous.

Best,
Justin

jpvanderwerf2001 · Joined: 02 Oct 2003 Posts: 1117 Location: New York

Sashadroogie · Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:34 am Post subject:

Interesting discussion. My angle is that having tried and failed to learn various languages to even Int level, I have a keen sense of the difficulties faced by learners. I think even this failure helps me to be a better teacher than I would be if I hadn't tried.

True, it is great if you have learnt a foreign language yourself, if this gives you insight into the learning process. But, many teachers who are also successful language learners sometimes fall into the mental trap of believing that their way of learning is the only way for everyone. And there is also the danger of thinking that learning a language isn't so hard, so the slow learners must be particularly thick.

But perhaps I'm just making a virtue of my own pitiful acquisition attempts...