Teach English in Maonan KAifAqu - Maoming Shi

Unit nineteen covered the wide and varying topic of how to teach '\"special groups\" and what challenges, opportunities, and solutions are presented by each group. It was very informative and helpful to begin this lesson with a breakdown of the many types of beginners. From this, I learned that beginners are not necessarily young students or people with no background in English. It taught me that the beginner varies from those who have no experience with English or even with the Roman alphabet to those who have some experience with English. As always, the lesson provided helpful and insightful tips on different activities to do with beginner students, what types of lessons are most engaging, and what not to do with beginner students lest the teacher dissuade, discourage, or hinder progress. The section that discussed young students and the challenges and advantages to teaching children was new to me, and therefore very informative. One thing I noted from this segment, because I had not thought previously about it, was the need to keep activities varied and to keep the classroom fast paced in order to hamper any boredom that could easily set in. Lastly, the unit dealt with how to teach business English, or as the course referred to it, ESP (English for Specific Purposes). Before beginning this lesson, I had not considered the challenges of teaching a class of students whose age, motivation, and possibly language levels differ and how these factors could present not only logistical issues but also problems possibly with student self-esteem and hierarchies within the workplace. The unit taught me to always keep the classroom discussion, activities, and lessons lively and engaging so as not to hinder advanced students or confuse less advanced students, but I believe these are particular challenges that would need troubleshooting once some experience is gained.