Teaching
a Foreign Language
Is there a risk in it?
By Carmen Hurtado
As EFL teachers, one of the goals
we set for ourselves professionally is to walk forward, climb to the top, and
stand out as teachers at different stages, reaching the highest levels.
However, this goal does not significantly means progress in our careers. It frequently
signifies leaning towards up-to-the-minute approaches, losing touch with the evolution
of the language -–syntactically as well as lexically— and developing a tendency
to underperform a bit in fluency and beyond.
What are the risks native and
non-native English speaking teachers face if they keep on teaching the same EFL
course-level over and over?
It might emerge as lack of confidence by
EFL teachers on their own language skills. For example, they might be afraid of
delivering the lesson using the foreign language in full style. Likewise, they could
take most of the class-period prompting early-year students to develop non-verbal
activities (e.g.; coloring, cutting, and pasting) as well as, for instance, encouraging
juniors/undergraduates to sustain discussions regularly if they have a big
class. To get over these affairs, it would take them more than a little 'learning-session’
planning time, rather than employing the time in developing communication
skills. Consequently, it might downgrade the practice of EFL in communicative
activities.
Another factor to be considered is the
need for better communication among teachers, because to 'learn' only what is to
be taught at a certain level should not be enough. It goes without saying that teaching
at one single level for a long time, gives us the impression that we have
everything under control. That is, we get to know a certain lexicon, type of
guidelines, sort of activities and even, we fall again into the risk of using
the same doings year after year. Is that so hard to avoid?
How should teachers
become aware of the importance of updating and practicing the language endlessly
so that it can be transmitted at ease, fluently and appropriately?
The need to learn languages continues to rise, higher and higher. Globalizations,
the business world, communication, amid other components, are great motivators
not only to learners but also for teachers. Are we ready to react in time and
spin out straightaway?
Tell us what you have observed in this
regard from your experience as a teacher of languages and have your say.
Bio Data
Carmen
Hurtado, graduated in the educational field; she holds a Bachelor’s degree in
Educational Science, and the title of Lic. in Education by Universidad Nacional
de Educación. She has also finished her master’s studies in Teaching English as
a Foreign Language at Universidad de Piura, and taken some specializations in
the EFL and Spanish fields. She has taught English and Spanish for over 20
years. She currently works teaching fully online courses. A lecturer in the
late Annual Congresses at CIDUP, she works as a Pedagogical Teacher Trainer and
is a member of the Research Area at Universidad del Pacifico Language Center.
