Case Studies: Teachers

Please can you tell us a little about your teaching experiences with Language Trainers, Terry?

I consider myself fortunate to work with Language Trainers. I mostly teach English to company employees working in warehouses in Dunstable and Hemel Hempstead in the UK. All of students are admirable people with a real desire to improve their communication skills.

What do you tend to focus on in your courses? What are the goals of your students?

Each of my students has their own goals and they range in ability from basic and intermediate to so advanced that sometimes I even learn things from them. Some seek formal, recognised qualifications, to whom I teach courses devised by Cambridge English Language Assessment, an organisation operating under the auspices of Cambridge University. These courses culminate in invigilated exams and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) qualifications. Others prefer to learn for intrinsic benefit and fun without the stress of examinations. I fully respect and cater to both choices.

Do any of your students or teaching experiences stand out as being especially memorable?

Oh, yes. Many. One of my students chose to study for an IELTS qualification. We did exercises from the Cambridge Assessment A2 book covering listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar at the intermediate level. She had a very original sense of humour, so I devised custom supplementary exercises to make her laugh. They didn’t work for other students, but we had a lot of fun and I was overjoyed when she got a distinction. Another student went through a dispirited patch, disappointed with life in England, a country she had hoped would be rather more elegant than the surroundings in which she found herself. My sense of national pride kicked in as I insisted: “But England is elegant.” I introduced her to the works of Jane Austen and I prepared vocabulary, grammar and elocution exercises based on excerpts from the Pride & Prejudice novel and TV series. My student enjoyed the lessons so much more and has cheered up, even going so far as to earn a promotion at her work. Finally, another student who comes to mind was too advanced to be excited by standard English course work. She was extremely demotivated as a result. But she was also highly articulate, knowledgeable, and given to strong opinions. So, after I assessed that she mainly needed to improve her writing, I de-emphasised the course work and instead asked her to produce written opinion pieces prior to lessons. Then, we analysed the content, structure and grammar during the lessons. Specifically, we focused on her main area of interest—Polish history and politics—which was all new to me, but really helped to keep her motivated.

Those are truly wonderful examples of your flexibility as a teacher, Terry. Well done!

You’re very welcome! It’s been a pleasure to get to know all the 18 students I’ve taught since I started working for Language Trainers. I’ve enjoyed their company immensely, and I’ve enjoyed adapting lesson plans to suit each student’s varying abilities, interests and personalities. Plus, I’ve certainly learnt as much, if not more, from them as they have from me. It’s been quite the privilege.