You’re the one in charge. As a result, as soon as you come through the door, your kids will be hanging on your every word, Right?

Hmm… Well… We don’t want to worry you, but… (shhhh) they might not.

True, TEFL teachers rarely have to deal with the kinds of behavior issues that you may see in a UK classroom, but getting your students complete attention involves more than merely writing your name on the board!

Let’s take a more practical approach rather than crossing our fingers and hoping that the standing-at-the-front-and-trying-to-feel-brave technique will miraculously work. So, how do you prepare your students for a lesson? Here are our top five suggestions for preparing your TEFL students to listen and learn.

First impressions are crucial

 I’d want to pose a query to you. What would get you more thrilled if you stepped into a classroom?

Option 1: A teacher slouched over her phone, rows of desks, and a whiteboard full with writing.

Option 2: A circle of chairs around a table laden with various foods, with a teacher greeting you at the door.

Option 2 is the one we’d choose. You?

It doesn’t take much to improve the appeal of a TEFL class! Put pictures or keywords on the wall to help you remember what you’re looking for. As props, bring a few commonplace items with you. Even arranging the chairs in a different pattern adds interest to the space. Oh, and don’t forget to flash your nicest grin! It is quite beneficial.

After all, you’re off to a terrific start if you can get your students attention in a favorable way before you even open your mouth.

Begin the lesson by warming up

The setting was effective. Your students appear to be engaged. So, what’s next?

With a simple TEFL warming, you can boost your energy levels! We’ve found that a short, engaging activity that gets students conversing in English while also letting off steam through movement works well.

Tell students, for example, to identify someone else in the room that has seen the same movie, gone out on the weekend, or completed their homework (as appropriate!). Why not have the student’s line up

in order based on how long it took them to come to school that morning — all while speaking only in English?

It is remarkable how quickly a pleasant game can turn even the most bored adolescent into a comfortable and engaged student or, to put it another way, a ready-to-learn class.

Keep it upbeat

To keep the general classroom environment pleasant and learner friendly, the ratio should be 1:5, which means that for every one negative statement you make, you should balance it out with 5 positive ones.

It’s intimidating to speak in front of a group of people. Especially if you have no idea what noises you’re making, let alone what order they should be in. And a learner who is afraid is less likely to learn.

As a TEFL teacher, your job is to create a favorable environment in which each student feels comfortable opening his or her mouth.

Don’t be afraid to give heaps of nice remarks. Explain actions using basic, straightforward language. To make the class less scary, including pair and small group activities make your lessons both enjoyable and difficult. Give even more good feedback after that.

Students are significantly more likely to desire to learn if they understand what they’re doing, enjoy themselves, and aren’t afraid to make mistakes.

Make it unique

Here’s another one for you to consider. Would you pay more attention to a lesson on your favourite music or an abstract grammatical rule if it was about your favourite song?

You don’t have to respond to that one!

Finding out about your students’ hobbies and creating lessons around them is one of the finest ways to get them excited about learning.

Of course, you won’t always be able to play everyone’s favourite music. You can, however, persuade students to chat about their vacation plans, debate how much social media will change in the next three years, or imagine what will happen now that their country has won the game.

Telling them to practice the future continuous tense is significantly less likely to send them racing back for their next class!

Be ready

Make the phrase “prepare, prepare, prepare” your mantra.

As boring as it may sound, the best method to ensure that your class runs smoothly is to create a well-designed lesson plan that includes a variety of activities that will appeal to your students. Combine this with a well-organized classroom where your teaching resources are readily available when you need them, and you’ve got a good chance of a successful lesson.

Consider your own school days if you don’t trust us. Whose lessons did you expect to learn when you arrived? The teacher who stumbled around looking for the worksheet and spent the first five minutes of every class telling you the same thing he’d said the week before? Or the well-prepared one who expected you to appear on time with your books in hand, as she would?

That’s all there is to it

To be clear, we may have placed this advice last, but it is by far the most crucial! You must be prepared to educate your students if you expect them to be ready to learn. When you are, you may find yourself in front of a class, with all of your classmates staring at you in wonder. Well, it’s possible!

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