Section 1: Teaching English Abroad

Chapter 4: Expectations for Students Learning in the Classroom

During each class what should you expect from your students? Should they be learning a new grammar point every day? Should they be learning 20 new vocabulary words each day? Should they learn a new letter each day? For each teacher and school, they have their own expectations and thoughts on what students are learning each day in their classes. However, even with these expectations it is important to know your students limits and to not push them more than they are able to. During each class you should constantly be making notes (mental or written down if possible) on how each class is going and when students had any difficulties or hard times with a lesson. It is very important to set realistic expectations for your students in order to make sure that they continue to enjoy learning English and that they do not mentally block themselves off from the teacher, the lessons, or in the worst cases the English language itself. While many schools have high expectations for both the teacher and what the students themselves learn, it is important to know when you are able to push back and the boundaries of what is feasible to teach to your students. It is also important to remember the difference between students' levels and ages and to also incorporate these things into your lesson planning and expectations. As a teacher it will be your responsibility to balance your lesson plans with your students’ expectations in order to help facilitate their learning.