Teach English in Xingzi Zhen - Qingyuan Shi

This unit addresses the basics including the roles of teachers, types of learners with different characteristics and the relationship between the two parties (teacher and students) in the classroom setting. As learners can be categorized by age, cultural background or language proficiency as mentioned in the unit, learners might encounter different learning problems and they are in different levels of learning motivation. Hence, the unit also reminds teachers to be flexible in carrying their roles in the classroom setting. In other words, teachers should be flexible to switch from teacher-centred or student-centred (or vice versa) based on situation. Through this unit, I am reminded that teachers should always be sensitive and flexible, which allows us to spot individual differences and choose the right approach to facilitate learning (e.g whether the lesson should be teacher-centred or student-centred). For example, as children's attention span is comparatively short, teachers can organize more class activities to grab the attention of children and let them engage more during lesson; or teachers should be aware of individuals' language proficiency- for beginners (or pre-schoolers): teachers should use rather simple English and also body gestures to teach for learners' easy understanding. Besides, the unit stimulates my reflection on the education system which teachers always overlook the role of being a prompter and facilitator. Students are in little effort to solve problems by themselves, they are mostly spoon-fed. In my opinion, the roles as a prompter and facilitator might be the hardest, however they are also the essence for students to learn effectively and independently.