Teaching Problems
The English language teachers, as well as any other teachers, encounter various professional problems concerning lesson planning, class management, student motivation, coping with unpredicted issues, and numerous other problems. There are many specific problems that usually only foreign language teachers meet, e.g. the usage of the mother tongue during the lessons etc.
Student motivation
One of the most important problems the English language teacher faces is student motivation. For learning of any new language motivation is crucial and the teacher must understand its importance. It is especially essential when teaching young students and adolescents. There are two types of motivation: extrinsic (stimulus forms outside the classroom and individual, forced by external influence, e.g. different rewards, social approval etc.) and intrinsic (motivation comes from inside the classroom or personal interests of the student, e.g. method of teaching, activities presented in the classroom). The key problem connected with motivation is its sustaining. The teacher’s main task is to help students to sustain their motivation. (Harmer, 21)
The teacher’s professionalism is very important factor for motivation. Teacher’s support and help are also vital for student motivation for learning foreign languages. The encouragement of students and good teacher-student relations are highly important for students’ self-esteem and confidence. Students with normal self-esteem enjoy the learning process and are more likely to acquire the language, e.g.: students are not afraid to participate in class discussions, group work etc. Students with healthy self-esteem are motivated to use foreign language in communication which makes their linguistic skills more developed. (Ebata)
To motivate students the teacher must conduct lessons in the way which will interest them and incite their participation. The tasks must be of appropriate level of challenge, i.e. adjusted to students’ level of
Student motivation
One of the most important problems the English language teacher faces is student motivation. For learning of any new language motivation is crucial and the teacher must understand its importance. It is especially essential when teaching young students and adolescents. There are two types of motivation: extrinsic (stimulus forms outside the classroom and individual, forced by external influence, e.g. different rewards, social approval etc.) and intrinsic (motivation comes from inside the classroom or personal interests of the student, e.g. method of teaching, activities presented in the classroom). The key problem connected with motivation is its sustaining. The teacher’s main task is to help students to sustain their motivation. (Harmer, 21)
The teacher’s professionalism is very important factor for motivation. Teacher’s support and help are also vital for student motivation for learning foreign languages. The encouragement of students and good teacher-student relations are highly important for students’ self-esteem and confidence. Students with normal self-esteem enjoy the learning process and are more likely to acquire the language, e.g.: students are not afraid to participate in class discussions, group work etc. Students with healthy self-esteem are motivated to use foreign language in communication which makes their linguistic skills more developed. (Ebata)
To motivate students the teacher must conduct lessons in the way which will interest them and incite their participation. The tasks must be of appropriate level of challenge, i.e. adjusted to students’ level of
Bibliography: 1. Dörnyei, Zoltán. The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Routledge, 2005. 2. Ebata, Makiko . "Motivation Factors in Language Learning." The Internet TESL Journal, n.d. Web. 1 June 2014. . 3. Harmer, Jeremy. How to teach English. Pearson Education India, 2006 4. Little, David. "LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies." Learner autonomy and second/foreign language learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 June 2014. . 5. "Teaching MultiLevel Classes." EnglishClub. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2014. . 6. Thanasoulas, Dimitrios. "What is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered?." The Internet TESL Journal, 1 Nov. 2000. Web. 31 May 2014. .