subject: What makes a good TEFL Teacher in Thailand? [print this page] What makes a good TEFL Teacher in Thailand?
It has been said that good teachers are born, not made', and whilst an apparently natural gift has led some to become both effective and popular teachers, there are perhaps many more whose success has been learned' through a combination of experience, personality, self-reflection, intelligence and willingness to develop. An alternative view is that good teachers really want to be good teachers' and during the CMU TEFL course a heavy emphasis is placed on the importance of caring about your students.
Reflecting back on your own classroom experiences you can probably identify teachers you thought were particularly good or bad, but it may be harder to ascertain exactly why they were so effective (or not!). There is no prescribed formula for good teaching and different teachers provoke positive responses from their students for a variety of reasons. It is also true that not all students will share the same opinion of any one particular teacher. As a TEFL teacher you should try to identify the different learning needs of your students and incorporate as many as is feasible into your lessons, but remember that you cannot please everyone, all of the time!
That said, there is usually a broad level agreement amongst learners that certain personality traits combined with standards of professionalism make for better teachers. Subject knowledge is usually rated as important but not, in isolation, enough. Good teachers should aspire to be enthusiastic, patient, well-presented, flexible, inclusive, and inspirational, though this list is by no means exhaustive.
Recent research from the UK seems to confirm this view, with creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and fairness in the classroom, providing opportunities for active learning and humour to encourage pupil engagement, making learning interesting, and explaining things clearly' all highlighted as key aspects of good teaching. As a TEFL teacher in Thailand, or indeed anywhere in the world, you may also need to add cultural sensitivity to that list. This is not just about being aware of how you behave in a different culture, but also of the different value your students might attach to specific aspects of teaching and learning. In Thailand for example, making your lesson sanook', or fun, is an important part of ESL teaching and one of the best ways to foster a positive learning environment.
