Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Blossom]

Should teachers of English as a Second Language ever use any other language except English in the classroom?

[pugachevV]

I think you almost have to if they speak absolutely no English at all.
On the other hand, every child learns its native language, knowing no language at all, so I suppose the same could be applied to adults.

[RedRose]

but if an English teach always talks to his/er students in english in the class, that would useful to improve students' english listening and speaking ability.

[Bob S.]

[advoca]

Berlitz has been teaching languages for over 150 years and has branches in more than 50 countries. They have always had the rule that all teaching is in the target language. It has worked beautifully ever since they started and it works beautifully today.

Personally, however, I find from experience that teaching true beginners entirely in the target language is not easy or effective. But if the students have a smattering, then teaching exclusively in the target language is very effective. It teaches the student to think in the target langiage, and this is really important.

[admiral]

Our teacher speak more German than English, so sometimes when she is not talking about school she speaks German. And it's really hard to forbid them doing it.
_________________
If I say "I love you" to someone, then I also have to say "I love inside you everyone else. I love the whole world because of you. I also love myself inside you"

[Amie Doris]

Personally i think it depend on the teacher who teach English. They can always switch to student native language when they try to explain something difficult. This is to make student understand better..

[jayde]

I am brand new to the ESL cafe, and I am in desperate need of someone willing to spend a bit of time with me doing some English lessons... It would be through e-mail only, and they would be very simple lessons, some grammatical, some using math or science.. Actually I would pretty much adjust my lesson plans to meet what YOU would like to learn.. Except I have to follow certain subject areas...
I am a college student studying to be a teacher in America.. And I am in a class that is trying to teach us how to help students that are learning English as a second language learn� If ANYONE out there is interested in doing this small project PLEASE e-mail me at [email protected].
I am learning myself to make lesson plans, so they won�t be extraordinary, but I will do my best and I hope to learn something in the process as well. I hope whomever would like to do this with me will learn a lot too!! Thank you!