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7 Teaching Strategies To Meet Your Students’ Needs

The following seven strategies are for the teachers to follow so that they can meet the needs of their students in EFL classes.

1. Provide Comprehensible Input

You must present the kind of content that the students can understand. You must convey an understandable message.

Learners acquire language by hearing and understanding messages that are slightly above their current English language level.

If the teacher provides information by lecturing in the front of a classroom, the English language learner will not be receiving this input. Teachers need to speak more slowly and use gestures and body language to get across the meaning to the learners.

2. Make Lessons Visual

Use visual representations of new vocabulary and use graphs, maps, photographs, drawings and charts to introduce new vocabulary and concepts.

Tell a story about information in the textbook using visuals.

Create semantic and story maps and graphic organizers to teach students how to organize information.

3. Link New Information To Prior Knowledge

Teachers need to consider the background that students bring to the classroom and link instruction to the students’ personal, cultural, and world experiences.

Teachers also need to know what their students do not know. They must understand how culture impacts learning in their classroom.

4. Determine & Define Key Language, Concepts And Objectives For Each Lesson.

Teachers should write these items in student-friendly language and introduce them in the classroom before starting to teach the lesson.

Language objectives might be:

  • Learning new vocabulary.
  • Finding the nouns in a text.
  • Applying a grammar rule.

At the end of the lesson, students should be asked if the objectives were met.

5. Modify Vocabulary Instruction

Teachers need to present new vocabulary using different techniques. Teachers should also provide practice in pronouncing new words.

Learners need much more exposure to new terms, words, idioms, and phrases than do English-fluent peers.

Teachers need to tie new vocabulary to prior learning and use visuals to reinforce meaning. Word charts should be used at all grade levels.

6. Use Cooperative Learning Strategies

The lecture style of teaching demotivates learners and makes the lesson boring.

On the other hand, working in small groups is especially beneficial to learners who have an authentic reason to use academic vocabulary and real reasons to discuss key concepts.

Give students a job in a group and monitor that they are participating.

7. Modify Testing And Homework

Homework and assessments need to be differentiated for learners.

Teachers should allow alternative types of assessment.

 Homework and assessment should be directly linked to classroom instruction and students should be provided with study guides so that they know what to study.

Thanks For Reading

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