how-to-teach-english

1、Book Review of How to Teach English How to Teach English by Jeremy Harmer Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,2010203pp, ISBN 978-7-5600-1902-4 Reviewed by Li Xian When I was a child, I was moved by the story of a great teacherAnnie Sullivan. She was the teacher of a famous writer Hellen Ke

2、ller. She taught Helien, a blind and deaf girl t how to read, how to write, how to lear n. She brought bright to He lien and changed her 1 ife. From then on. I made up my mind to become a teacher like Miss Sullivan after I grow up. After learning English teaching, I found it is not easy to be a good

3、 teacher But, it is possible if I do my best Last month I read a book. How to Teach English、written by a famous educator Jeremy Harmer English is one of the most widely used languages in the world It is spoken by nearly three hundred mi Ilion people： in England, the United States, ?ustral ia, Canada

4、 and many other countries It is one of the working languages at international meetings and is more used than the others It is said that 60 percent of the world* s radio broadcasts and 70 percent of the world* s mai 1 are in English Millions of books and magazines are written in English, too. English

5、 is really a bridge to knowledge With the help of English we can learn modern science and technology faster and better form the developed countries In this way we can serve our country better In China there are thousands of English learners and they are keen on a good Engl ish teacher As a good Engl

6、ish teacher, you should 1earn how to teach English How to Teach English is a complete nKinual of teaching Engl ish as a foreign language It is complete because of its wide-range coverage from general issues about teaching and learning English up to specific problems that English teachers frequently

7、encounter Between these two extremes, readers can find almost everything dealing with teaching and learning English Those who are interested in developing the teaching of language components may refer to Chapter 5. A brief review about sentence constructions, part of speech, noun types, verb forms a

8、re topics within this chapter Not intending to dichotomize weakness and strength, bad and good, these topics indicate that the descriptions of grammar used in this book refer to traditional view of grammar. Chapter 7一 10 deal with teaching the four language skills They are, therefore, appropriate fo

9、r those who want a practical, easy to understand reference of teaching 1istening. speaking, reading. and writing As a teaching manual, as the writer says in its introduction, How to Teach English” is a practical book concentrating on examples of teaching and teaching practices rather than on detaile

10、d analysis of learning theory. Its practical characteristic makes this book appropriate for novice teachers with even limited comprehension. Chapter one describe some of qualities which good teachers possess： an ability to give interesting class, using the full range of their personality； the desire

11、 to communicate with students, treating them all equally however tempting it is to do otherwise； and knowing al 1 their namesf Language teachers use with students should at al 1 times be comprehensible, and, especially when giving instructions, it should be clear and well staged Teachers need to wal

12、k a fine line between predictability and surprise, without lurchi ng into either monotony or an arch y. Also a good teacher could respond flexibly to what happens in class, even while attempting to fol low a pre-arranged plan. Chapter two looked at what makes a good learner and talked about how lear

13、ners differ from each other in age and leve1. Good learners take some of responsibility for learning themselves Whilst being sensitive to their educational and cultural background. teacher should try and encourage the practice of self-study. Good learners are wil ling to experiment 1 isten, ask ques

14、tions and think about how to learn This implies the desirability of using appropriate study skills Choosing appropriate activity is also very important Chapter three discussed the teachers * physical presence, saying that we should pay attention to our proximity to the students, think about how much

15、 teachers move around the class, and consider the appropriate of our behavior in genera1. Teachers need to make contact with their students, especially eye contact Teachers need to e clearly audible without shouting in a disagreeable and stressed the need for variety in the way teachers uses their v

16、oice Different activities cal 1 for different voice, and the varied use of the voice makes for more interesting classes Chapter four talked about the elements necessary to learn language in the real world： exposure, motivation and use Three elements are necessary for successful teach in g and learn

17、ing in class： E (engage), S (study), and A (activate ) Sometime these three elements can mix together and in different order It also talked about different models which people have used to describe teaching such as PPP (presentation. practice and production), task-based learning (which puts the task

18、 first and 1 anguage 1 earn ing last) and communicative language teaching(with its twin emphasis on appropriate language use and activation methodology) Chapter five talked about how to describe language It described this topic very comprehensively, from grammar to pronunciation. Chapter six said th

19、at students need to be exposed to language They need to understand its meaning, tinderstand its construction and practise it. In order to make sure students understand the meaning of words and grammar, the teacher can show objects, pictures and drawings. They can use mime, gesture and expression The

20、y can check questions to make sure students understand concepts They can use time 1 ines for verb tenses or explain meaning by 1 isting opposite meanings. They can get more advanced students to write dictionary definitions and then compare them with the real thing Teachers should correct students* m

21、istake in proper way. Ideally, students wi 11 be able to correct themselves but if they can t, the teacher may do it or ask other students to help However, we have to choose how to correct very sensitively. Reading, writing, speaking and listening are important parts of English learning Chapter 7 to

22、 chapter 10, the author talked about this question in detail from the importance of each part, how to develop each skill, the principle teachers should keep and some suggestions Chapter 11 looked at four different options for text book use when for some reason the teacher decides that the textbook i

23、s not appropriate for class： the options are omit, replace, add and adapt The using of textbook is teacher * s skil1. And the author gave some advices for textbook using Chapter 12 talked about how to plan lessons Planning helps to focus our minds it helps to have something to refer to in the middle

24、 of the class, it shows students that we are professional and that we care Before making a plan teacher should keep 6 questions in mind： why do you want to do it What will it achieve How long will it take What might go wrong What will you need to do it How will it fit in with what comes before and a

25、fter it Chapter 13 talked about 7 dilemmas teachers might encounter： what if students are all at different level What if the class is big What if students keep using their own lsnguage What if students are uncooperative What if students don t want to talk What if students don t un derstand the liste

26、n ing tape What if some students-in-groups finish before everybody else After reading this book, I ask myself time and again how to be a good English teacher It is important that a good English teacher should have an excellent command of English. But this is no enough And I think, there are a variet

27、y of elements that contribute to the qualities of a good English teacher There are three main aspects： ethic devotion, professional qualities, and persons styles The most important thing is that a good English teacher should like his or her job and love the students, should be responsible for the st

28、udent A teacher should be full of patience and imagination. Secondly. professional qualities are very important, and they are the most difficult A good English teacher should be qualified for the profession and armed with a specific range of skills, strategies, knowledge, and abi 1 ities With the he

29、lp of these qualities, an English teacher can do better in the teaching of Engl ish Thirdly, personal styles are necessary. Since lsnguage is always changing. language teaching can never come to an end That needs more creation, communication, participation, discussion, activities and more new teachi

30、ng conceptions Karl Marx once said, A foreign language is a weapon in the struggle of life I am a would-be English teacher, and it will take me a long way to become a good teacher But I will try my best to be a good English teacher, and I believe I can I am proud of this job because I wi11 have such

31、 a glorious career in the world uTeacher is the man who passes on principles, teaches skilIs and solves problems So do that well, you 11 become a good English teacher uPass on principles” means that passing the principles of human to the students This must be emphasized on teaching As an English tea

32、cher, not only teaches students to learn English, but also teaches students how to carry out behavior of the human is more important During teaching English knowledge to middle school students, we should educate them respect teachers and the elder, value society, unite classmates, work hard strong-w

33、ilied and so on. Most students feeling is simple, genuine How to teach them well I think we should do the following points： First, believe students* effort When you come into con tact with students, you must speak deeply and clearly, but respect them For example, during class, if a student doesn* t

34、1isten carefully, you should give him a hint with the eyes If he s going on, you should walk towards him. and touch him 1 ightly. Even worse, you must tell him in a low voice： After class, you go to my office ” In the office, you mustn* t raise a hue and cry. You should be strict with him and say th

35、e principles with a mild tone At last, you may use genuine feeling to move him, till he acknowledges sincerely. Teachers should encourage the students to work hard. When I was young I did not interested in English learning at all. After persuading and education of my English teacher in my middle sch

36、ool, my English was improved From then on, I become excel lent students As long as you are patient enough, everyone could become good student final 1y. After all, students in middle school are children with reforming Second, teachers should improve professional skil1. Man， s life is ful1 of learning

37、. To learn is never too late The world is developing. so does knowledge As an English teacher, you must improve your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, etc It s necessary to read more English, and you must speak English as much as possible If there is no intercommunicate surrounding, y

38、ou must create it. Middle school students are 14 or 15 years old, and they have learnt English for 2 or 3 years We should read newspapers and magazines about English It s necessary rite an article in English and learn something from workmates in modest, so that to learn others advantage, escaping yo

39、ur own shortcoming In sum, you should learn something from others and make your own broad and profound knowledge Third, become a good guider Rich knowledge is necessary and important, an English teacher should help students become good behavior all their lives This is more important You should make

40、the students prepare for the class, listen to it al 1 their hearts, write careful lyt let the students practice speaking English and use it al 1 the time, this is the most important for the students to learn English In every class, you should elect a few problems, copy them on the blackboard and sol

41、ve them in class The effect is very good. Becoming a good guider, a teacher is like a guider It s very important for a teacher to know how to guide the students to act their role wel1. Teacher must design carefully a lesson, assign time reasonably, lead students to listen, speak, read and write In the class, you mustn* t speak too much, or it wi11 waste time, you must remember al 1 the time that student is t