Articles for Teachers
Have you ever thought this to yourself?
"I don't speak a foreign language so I surely can't teach my child to."
Are you thinking you can only teach a foreign language if you can speak it? Well here are 7 steps showing you how to embark on a foreign language journey with no prior experience! It is all about the experiences, sights, sounds and packing the right stuff! Success is at your fingertips.
Step 1: Stay Calm
The moment you let your adult brain trick you into the enormity of learning a new language you are done for. Stay extremely calm when approaching the task at hand. All large tasks are best broken down into simple small steps! Being present in each learning situation is important. Worrying about the next lesson before you are done with the first is not a good idea!
Step 2: Team up with your student
Be sure to communicate to your student that you have NO prior experience so it will be a team venture! Often students will empathize with you as a fellow learner and suddenly you have two teachers and two learners.
Step 3: Plan, plan and plan!
When we tackle new things it is best to have a plan or two or three. Know what tools you will need in advance. Make sure everything works! Lessons may not go to plan but then you have your back up plan. If the back up plan falls flat you then resort to the if all else fails plan! Thus the phrase: PLAN, PLAN and PLAN.
Step 4: Use engaging tools
Gone are the days of bringing out the tape recorder and a bunch of textbooks. Choose an interesting and engaging program for the language of your choice. Technology has made learning a foreign language interactive and affordable. E-learning companies such as Power Glide are bringing modern resources into homes to aid in the teaching and learning of a new language.
Step 5: Be consistent
Modeling the behavior you want to see from your student is the best way to encourage effective learning habits. Your persistent, flexible and positive attitude will give your program momentum and meaning.
Step 6: Stay focused
It is very likely that your student will excel more quickly than you. Please don't be discouraged and don't give up. Most often it is the journey not the destination that we treasure. Showing your student you can persevere in the face of difficulty is a very powerful lesson.
Step 7: Have fun
Most definitely you must be having fun. Fun may mean translating your favorite recipe into your new language and trying it out. Fun may be making a special time in busy lives to enjoy the progress - no matter how small - each of you has made!
Foreign language is the opportunity to enter a new world and investigate the similarities we all have. Learning about other cultures often has us understanding our own more clearly.
Tickle your brain like it hasn't been in years and pick a language!
Margit Barreras
Embarking on a foreign language journey? Be sure to pop by 2THink2Learn.com to pack the right stuff! http://www.2Think2Learn.com