Would you advise your students to learn informal English in order to talk to native speakers?
Dear fellow tutors, Read this for further clarifications. In some cases, students only learn academic and formal English, which may not be put to good use when talking to native speakers outside the parameters of their "classrooms". Now that we are online teachers, would learning informal English be a recommendation for your students? Do you think that it is a good way to express themselves when outside their learning zones? Perhaps, would you consider learning idioms a good choice for them? Leave your answers, and I will check them out later. Happy tutoring. Abdelkhalek Sfaihi (tutor)
17 answers from our tutors
Best answer
Dear colleague, Thanks a lot for your question. I'm really pleased to have the opportunity to discuss with a colleague such an important topic and such others. Being an online teacher doesn't offer you many opportunities to talk about your work with others, which I consider to be really useful and interesting. I've always missed that here. In my opinion, English should be taught in as many varieties as possible. So, knowing informal English is necessary , even if we talk about slang or a register denotibg a poor prestigious English it is important to know it. Of course the student should very clearly know the meaning and the difference of speaking in one or another way because we all know it may be relevant. Have a good one!
To teach english its not compulsory to engage students in memorizing tenses idioms and etc. First give them confidence to speak it. Through actions, through communication. Grammar is also important but it takes time to build a sentence first use appropriate helping verbs , so informal english help the students to speak confidently. Then they will eager to know how to make sentences with accurate structure.
It really does depend on the student and his or her lifestyle. For example: if the a minor's parents live a life that expects proper English at all times, then the wishes must be respected. However, if the minor's guardians are okay with including informal language in the lessons, then do so without confusing the student. When the student is an adult, it is easier to attain whether informal language should be included in lessons. If the student cannot make the decision, guide them by using examples of where and how informal language will be used.
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- teacherhopeLicensed Professional English Teacher
It depends on the purpose of students. If conversational English, yes it's okay. But it hte purpose is for academic and professional, i suggest to better learn formal English.
Dear all tutors, A tutor can also learn from their peers. Your answers are inspiring, and any student would be delighted to learn from all of you. It was a great decision to post my question as it paved the way for me to read such wonderful answers. Thank you everyone for dropping by.
Before engaging a student, find out why he/she wants to learn English. If it's for passing English Tests, school exams or just basic conversations. Online classes work best for informal classes (conversational). Formal classes are more detailed but works better on site learning settings.
Hi, the purpose of teaching is said to be educating students in order to prepare them for real-life situations. Due to the fact that learners, even in an EFL setting, are exposed to informal English because of the movies they watch and the English songs they mostly listen to, there's a need to learn slangs as well as academic register. On the other hand, connecting what they are learning in language classes to colloquial English has always been motivating. So they need both register.
My answer was posted before I finished writing) So to continue, my answer would be if you can practice with a student practical English that they can use, it is much better to stick to it. Unless the student asks to prepare him for certain exams.
Well, first of all many English teacher are not native speakers, and not all of them have the opportunity to go to English speaking countries and practice everyday English. They become teachers taking exams at University or taking over world-wide recognized tests, where usually is not required to present informal style of speaking or writing. This basically impacts on their teaching style. They give students what they can give.
From my perspective comprehensive input is highly relevant whether the mode of teaching is either implicit or explicit. Stating that academic English may not be put to good use outside the classroom is offbeat. As teachers of the language it is partly our job to make comprehensible input accessible to learners so they can comfortably practice and know what they are lacking. I therefore believe that it depends on the structure and the pedagogies being used by the teacher.
It depends Student 1 - has ample time -low beginner level - Must acquire a specific English proficiency test score Answer: Would recommend if the student is already INTERMEDIATE Student 2 - limited time -Intermediate Level - must acquire a specific English proficiency test score Answer: Would NOT recommend Student 3 - limited time - low beginner - goal is to communicate Answer: DEFINATELY recommend, but with a bit of structure.
Other student questions
- What strategy do you use to get the student to schedule another class?
could get your strategies?
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Using games and songs makes learning enjoyable and helps with vocabulary and pronunciation.
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Helping kids practice speaking English through fun and conversations
