11
Sep
2009
Teaching English
English Language Qualifications
In order to teach English, one must be qualified through an accredited course and institution. A teacher is someone who is able to help others learn because they have greater knowledge and experience in the subject matter, as well as skills in actually being able to teach. This includes developing teaching strategies, knowing how to plan lessons and assessments, and being able to assess how particular students learn best. Of course, different teaching positions will require different levels of qualification and experience, depending on whether it’s primary, secondary, tertiary, or adult students.
Teachers of ESL, ESOL, and EFL students usually require a TESOL certificate, which stands for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Other courses include English Language TEaching (ELT), Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). For tertiary level teaching, teachers may require additional qualifications such as a Master of Arts in TESOL or a Masters in Applied Linguistics.
Linguistics
But what is linguistics anyway? Linguistics is the study of language, including areas such as grammar (language structure), semantics (language meaning), and pragmatics (the social context of language use). The study of linguistics can help in teaching English as a second language because it helps one understand how language functions. For example, when teaching non-native students English, words often cannot be translated to convey the full meaning in the target language. By using the linguistic tool of natural semantic metalanguage, words in each language can be broken down to reveal assumptions and beliefs inherent in each, to them emphasise which meanings are carried over into English and which are not.
For example, a request can cover asking for information, asking someone to do something, a form of polite order. Whereas the Spanish word for request petición can cover meanings such as to beg or ask for something, but does not mean to ask someone to do something.