Keep students interested in learning English by employing a variety of lesson plans and learning techniques. It's easy for students to lose motivation, especially if they are living in a country or region in which English is not the dominant language. Use English in the classroom; allow students to participate in a variety of different activities; and take into account that every student learns differently. Combine book work, oral lessons, interactive activities and visual activities to encourage all students, and all types of learners, to participate. Participation will inspire interest.
Learning English, or any language, takes time. It could take several years to acquire a conversational level and sometimes twice that to acquire an academic level. If students have class only an hour or two a week, those times can be even longer. Encourage students to study and practice on their own time by assigning interactive and interesting homework assignments, group projects that require out-of-class interaction and research projects that require reading, or speaking, in English.
Every country, and region, has a distinctive culture. Oftentimes, an English class with be composed of students from different cultures, genders, ages and religions. This can lead to confusion, frustration and other problems in the classroom. Instead of struggling with it, use diversity to your advantage by creating lesson plans and homework activities that require students to interact with one another. As a teacher, you can learn a lot from your students, even while they are learning from you. If there is a problem among students because of culture, try to work through it. Do not be afraid to take problems to a higher authority if you start to feel they are getting out of hand.
English students come from many different cultures, ages, races, religions and academic levels. When you choose topics for your lessons, do your best to ensure that they are neutral. Remember, also, that students learning English are not fluent in the English language; design your lessons so that instructions are easy to understand. Keep lesson topics appropriate for the age and level of your students. An adult class is not going to be interested in lessons designed for young children, and young children are not going to be interested in lessons concerning issues that adults might find interesting.
Beware of false friends, often referred to as false cognates, which are words that sound similar in two languages but have very different meanings. Letter pronunciation is also important, as similar sounds are represented by different letters in many instances. Be clear when you introduce new sounds or new vocabulary to your students, and ask concept-check questions to ensure that your students understand the differences between words and the differences between letter pronunciation.