Many countries around the world are beginning to place a higher priority on learning English. Independent English teaching companies are springing up around the world rapidly, and it is difficult to live in a foreign city without seeing several English schools and companies. You too can be an English teacher, and you can be a good teacher even without the official diplomas and degrees.
The key to teaching English properly is understanding how people learn. Everyone has a different method of learning English, but there are four basic categories that people fall into when learning English:
Visual Learning:
People who are visual learners always learn best when using their eyes. Seeing English is far more effective for these people than hearing it or saying it, and they will always remember what they learn when they see things. Writing exercises are vital for these visual learners, as they see the information and writing it down captures it in their heads. Using visual aids, videos, and other learning stimuli that engage the eyes is the best way to teach these visual learners, and you will find that most visual learners can pick things up after seeing them once or twice. Even walking down the street and reading street signs can be better for these learners than sitting in a classroom, as the dynamic atmosphere stimulates their senses to help them learn.
Auditory Learning:
Auditory learners depend on their ears to help them learn English, and many auditory learners are hopeless at reading and writing. These auditory learners are often excellent at understanding what people say, and they can translate word for word what an English speaker has said. Professionals who teach English in South Korea have noticed that a large number of the population learn through hearing English spoken. Listening to music or the radio can be a great way to help them learn, and doing other listening exercises will encourage their development.
Conversation Learning:
Many people can only learn by putting something into practice, and conversation is their strong point. They may have terrible grammar and a terrible ear for understanding English, but they can babble on in their broken English without a problem. This is because they are excellent at conversation, and many who teach English in South Korea find that South Korean students will talk as much as possible. Students who learn through conversation tend to be more auditory learners, and they will pick up on what you say and use it correctly in their conversations.
Combination Learning:
Many people combine two or all the senses to learn English effectively, and the students that can learn using all the senses equally are rare indeed. Finding a student who can pick up English through listening to it as well as reading and writing it is uncommon, but these students are usually the ones that learn fastest. Using simple exercises like watching TV or a movie in English with English subtitles is a great way to help them learn, and you will find that these students usually pick up the language thanks to all of their senses being engaged in helping them learn.