Section 1: Teaching English Abroad

Chapter 3: Student Levels and Progression

As a teacher of English in a foreign country you are going to have students of various levels and ages. How you approach these levels and ages can vary from teacher to teacher; however, it is your responsibility as an educator to find and use the appropriate materials for each student. During your first classes as a teacher, you should be observing and watching your students to see their current level and in addition to that you should be looking for the areas in which you can help them improve. When it comes to the earliest learners in kindergarten you will most likely be starting from the beginning which means learning the alphabet and phonics and slowly branching and moving into the other core English skills. When it comes to older learners; however, it is important to be very aware of each student's needs and to adjust each lesson for students. To help students who seem to be falling behind in class or to be having problems, it is recommended that you pair them with another student of a higher level in order to give them a chance to catch up naturally first. If it seems that a student is unable to understand a concept or they seem to need a little more attention it should be done indirectly and in a way that does not hurt the student’s motivation. In these situations, it is often a case-by-case basis so use your intuition to pick the right way about helping your students when they are struggling with a concept. As your students’ progress throughout your classes, you should always make sure that while going over old concepts that you are continuing to give them challenges and adding to their already pre-existing knowledge. By giving the students a challenge and by adding to their pre-existing knowledge it gives them a chance to hear and eventually understand more difficult vocabulary and grammatical structures. Students, especially young ones are sponges and should always be given extra materials and knowledge even a bit above their level so that they can continue to grow and improve. When it comes to progression you should always follow your curriculum or book and continue to aim for the student to increase their understanding with each lesson.