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Q: Is it hard to get used to teaching?
I will be teaching Portuguese next year at a university and, with no teaching experience, I wonder how long it takes to get used to it and to become a good teacher.
9 years 38 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
You must believe you're 'good' at your start, and then you just improving yourself
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To be a good teacher, you need to be able to transfer your knowledge to your students. Teaching a language in China is not easy because everyone here thinks that Chinese is the only language in the world, everything else is a subject. They will study by rote and memorize everything. To change that, you need to engage your students in class. Don't try to learn Chinese from them because if you do every class becomes a Chinese class. About getting used to being a teacher, well, all of us have different experiences about that. Some get to it faster and some never. Patience is the key. You will find a way to teach effectively one way or other. Finally, you need passion. That's all there is to it.
good preparation is essential - and always having a back-up plan, particularly if technology fails for any reason.
standing up in front of a class can be daunting, if you are not used to it, but confidence in yourself is the key.
I drew on previous experience and learnt to be flexible in my approach, because the unexpected could happen in class.
You also need a certain degree of discipline - set ground rules for your students (no using mobile phones and punctuality were a couple of mine)
good luck
The first year is a massive learning curve. The way to cope is to,
A) know your content inside out,
B) always have a plan B, C and D up your sleeve,
C) make a massive effort to get to know your first bunch of students well, ASAP. Students (adult or child) can tell the difference between a teacher who makes an effort to get to know their needs and someone who's just standing there to get paid, and finally,
D) Decide in advance what you think is reasonable from you/them and be prepared to stick to your guns. They will test your boundaries a lot in the first few days/weeks. Easier said than done, especially in China.
In my first 3-4 months I spent almost as much time planning as I did in class. Now, I've been at it for about five years and can 'plan' a five-hour day in about ten minutes (i.e. by retrieving previously successfully used materials), so if you're planning on teaching for more than a short time, it's worth putting in the effort up front.
It can be if you think so. Prepare your mind. I am sure all of us get tested. I taught at a College in my first year. Only 20 students in a class, all English majors and business students. If your not a public speaker then you should practice. You may not have experience as a teacher, but I am sure you have transferable skills. Public speaking and leadership skills are a few good ones. Being able to do research and logically explain things will greatly help you. Inter personal skills will help you deal with your students. We are all different people with different backgrounds and personalities. How long it will take you: could be a month, could be a semester. Will you get used to it: If you like adventure and learning, then you will.
