What are effective ways of teaching and
studying?
Teachers and students have different idea of what makes effective
teaching and studying of a foreign language. Some of them are really interesting. I’d
like to share my ideas about this. I’ll examine it as a pupil and as a teacher, because
I’m actually a pupil and I’m eager to enter a teacher training university soon.
Let’s review some of the methods students use to memorize words. And
we will ask them a question: “What are effective ways of teaching and studying?”
A: I write down new words several times on paper; this helps me
to spell them too. And I also draw little pictures in my vocabulary book; you know, e.g.
for “fur”, I’d probably draw fur or a coat. And I also imagine the pages of
the course book in my mind, you know, photos might help me to remember words or even
grammar structures.
B: I can’t remember vocabulary very well. If I have to learn a
list of words, I just repeat them aloud again and again till I can remember them.
Sometimes one word makes me think of another in the list.
C: This may sound silly, but I have a sack in my room. I write
translations of new words on pieces of paper and put them in the sack. In a week I open
the sack and see if I can remember the words in English. And I write translations in my
vocabulary book and ask my mum to test me. And sometimes I test myself on my way to
school.
D: Mm-m, it’s hard to say. It depends on the words, but I
often divide a word into different parts, you know, like “inter-nation-al”, and it
helps me to understand how they go together. Sometimes words are similar in my own
language too, which helps me to remember them.
As for me, I use a combination of the methods described above. And I
want to add that it is very important to take several sentences as examples. For instance,
if you can’t remember some words you should make a sentence with this word (it is really
an effective way to get to know new words).
I suppose any teacher wants to find a good way to explain a new topic
for pupils. I know that all teachers have a special way to teach each of their pupils. It
can be reading a lot of texts to learn some new words or to make good intonation and so
on. It is very important for pupils and teachers.
I have a great example of it. I’d like to tell you about my teacher
of English. About two years ago I had a new teacher of English. She was a really young
woman (now she is twenty five years old). When we had her lessons, English seemed very
easy to us. Every lesson our group had something new and interesting. For example, she
gave us some cards with new words for us; or we played a ball; or we played computer games
(if we answered or did something right) and etc. And after it I wanted to be a teacher.
And I want to thank my English teacher for it. I thought that when I become a teacher of
English I’ll be like my teacher. But then she left us. But we didn’t know why then,
and we don’t know now. We were very sad and even angry, without her our lessons seemed
to be very boring and very long. We were upset.
As a future professional I believe: “If you want your pupils to learn
English, you should teach them, but not just give tests and bad marks”. You ought to do
something interesting for your pupils, for example you can give some cards with new words
or with new phrases, and I’m sure that your students will be more successful in life.
In conclusion let me address the students: “If you are eager to know
English well, you must try really hard to study it”; and as for teachers, they must help
everybody who wants to know English. To make a long story short, I would like to tell you
that it is not important who you are: a teacher or a pupil – you must do your best!
By Kate Nosova,
School No. 597, Moscow
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