3 Kinds of Teachers by Anita Kwiatkowska

Anita Kiwatkowska, a.k.a. Little Miss Bossy, is a rising star on the ELT blog scene.  She is currently a YL teacher at private school in Istanbul, Turkey.  She also happens to be one of the few people in my PLN I have met in person.  Her blog deals with YL in ELT among other things.  I am very happy to have her over here for a guest piece, so without further ado…

There are three kinds of foreign language teachers.

1. A teacher whose nationality is the same as the students’ and they share the same mother tongue (e.g. a Turkish teacher of English teaching Turkish students)
2. A teacher who does not share the same nationality with his/her students and does not know their mother tongue (e.g. an American teacher who does not know Chinese teaching Chinese students)
3. A teacher whose nationality is different from his/her students’ but he/she knows the students’ mother tongue (pretty) well

In a great majority of countries priority is given to teachers type 2 i.e. native speakers who do not know their students’ mother tongue. But is it really the best option?

I have been lucky enough to pass through all these stages. Teaching in Poland I knew the mother tongue of my students – Polish. Having started my job in Turkey, I knew no Turkish whatsoever. Living in Turkey for almost three years now, I know enough Turkish to get by.

Of all the kinds of teachers, number 2’s job is the most difficult, especially when you have to teach Young Learners. With adults it is a lot easier even if they are beginners. Adults are capable of abstract thinking, can concentrate longer and their knowledge of the world enables them to guess a lot from context.

Young Learners, on the other hand, come to the classroom knowing (almost) no English. Eliciting usually fails, as they have no previous knowledge of English. Teaching them basic instructions involves a lot of miming but eventually a teacher is still not sure whether his/her students got what he/she was trying to explain or not. And how to check whether they understood? Concept check questions are definitely not recommended. Those of you who do not agree should try to explain the word ‘only’ to a bunch of seven-year-olds.

Another issue is classroom management. Even if you succeed in having the kids sit down and do their work, there are always cases of students misbehaving. If you tell them off, the only thing they will understand is that you are angry and possibly why you feel so. Your exact words however will remain a mystery to them.

Some students, to make the matter worse, curse and use bad language in the classroom. The only way for a teacher type 2 to find out that it takes place is after other kids start complaining to their parents. And who is then to blame? The teacher, of course.

Teachers type 1 are in a much better position. In case of an emergency caused by bad behaviour or any other problems, they can immediately switch to the students’ mother tongue and have it all settled in a couple of seconds.

These teachers have also learned the foreign language themselves. They know what the process feels like and can easily anticipate learners’ problems. Most likely they will be able to explain the rules of grammar to the students better having experienced learning them before.

On the other hand, teachers type 1 often overuse L1 usage in the classroom. It’s not that I am criticizing non NESTs – explaining things in the students’ mother tongue is simply faster and a lot easier.

To take the matter further, non native speakers of a given language tend to mispronounce certain sounds absent in their mother tongue or have difficulties with stress and intonation of English. Consequently students of non-native teachers, being exposed to mispronounced words, start copying the teachers’ mistakes and the vicious circle goes on.

In contrast with teachers type 1 and 2 is teacher type 3 – myself at the moment. I no longer have the same problems as teacher 2 and knowing my students’ mother tongue well enough lets me have more control of what is going on in the classroom.

Comparing all the types, I can honestly say that being teacher type 3 works best both for me and my students. We feel more comfortable and relaxed in each others’ presence and dealing with difficulties is no longer the main issue. Most importantly this situation provides an opportunity for a constant intercultural dialogue which enhances learning on both sides – what more can one wish for?

Related Links

Using Turkish in the Class

Controversy in the Classroom: Displacement

In addition to juxtaposing your country with the students’ you can also move the topic outside of the students’ country.  There are many topics that are quite taboo in Turkey or that the students are uncomfortable talking about that might be more safely approached from a distance.

The example I will lesson I provided is on sex education.  Even though the students may not be comfortable talking about the issue in Turkey (and I think this is an issue almost anybody can be uncomfortable talking about), you can still introduce the topic and then let the students choose how close to home they will bring it.  If the students keep the debate rather hypothetical or centered outside their home country, fine.  If they want to include their own country in the debate, great.  It’s better if it’s up to them.  The class will be more comfortable if they can set their own boundaries.

Most classes will probably move the debate to their own country as it’s a natural progression.  Give it a shot and see what happens.

Lesson plan:  Sex Education for Muslims in Sweden

Related Posts:

Controversy in the Classroom:  Juxtapostion

Controversy in the Classroom:  Push Your Students

Controversy in the Classroom: Juxtaposition

I for one love controversial topics in the classroom and I love dealing with social issues in Turkey.  These topics are always very relevant to the students’ lives, spark discussion, and they go beyond the classroom and English in terms of importance.  Things like domestic violence, environmentalism, workers’ rights, conspiracy theories, ethnic minorities, politics, and religion are all topics I personally enjoy teaching and that are very engaging and productive.

One of the things I have the biggest trouble with is safely introducing these topics into the Turkish classroom.  As my wife constantly tells me, it’s okay for criticism to come from within Turkey, but it’s forbidden for foreigners to say anything that could even remotely be taken as disrespectful.  This is also exacerbated by the fact that I’m American.  Most students here have a strong distrust of America and a very large number of students and Turks I’ve met on my travels have supposed I’m an undercover agent of some kind.  According to many Turks, America monitors the online activity of Turks on anything from Facebook to YouTube to Twitter.  These internalized suspicions make it difficult to broach a controversial issue without the students assuming you are spying on them and reporting back to some all-knowing American intelligence agency.

On top of this is the issue of fierce Turkish pride.  Any attempt to bring in something of social importance that is related to Turkey can very often be met with anger and resentment.  A feeling of inferiority over and against old imperial powers, western domination, and America’s current hegemonic global policies can create strong reactions against topics that may make Turkey look bad.  Image is incredibly incredibly important here.  It’s tied to honor.

With these problems in mind, how do you introduce very relevant and provoking topics into the classroom in a constructive and sensitive way?  I think the most important thing to do is to develop a strong rapport with your students and to remain as neutral as possible in the classroom.  If you’ve developed a lot of trust with your students and try very hard not to offend anyone and to give everyone’s opinions equal weight, your students will be much more willing to engage you on controversial issues.

Other than that, one of the ways I try to do introduce these topics is by juxtaposing a text/discussion/listening/video of the topic regarding my own country with one regarding theirs.  If you show that you are just as willing to address the issue in your own country back home, it puts the topic on equal footing with addressing the topic in their country.  The method tends to allay suspicions and prevent against wounded pride better than if you had done the topic on only the students’ country.

Basically just choose your topic and either make sure to bring in material from your own country or discuss the issue in your own country before bringing up the issue in Turkey.  I’ll post my lesson on workers’ rights as an example.  I start off with the famous Triangle Fire from American history and then I move onto the terrible working conditions present in the Tuzla shipyards not more than 40 minutes from Istanbul.  Other issues that could be brought up are miners in Zonguldak, child labor, and May Day protests.

Turks being as zealously nationalistic as they are, I still have had a few students here or there that are upset when these issues are brought into the classroom, but I have never had an incident and the vast majority of students find it interesting and relevant.  They are often nervous talking about such issues, but, at the same time, they think they are very important and think they should be discussed.  And, believe me, your English classroom may be the only place the students ever get a chance to discuss some of these issues.

Most schools in Turkey have a policy about not bringing up controversial, political, or religious issues.  What do you think?  Do you use controversial topics in class?  Has it ever come back to bite you?  Do you find them more productive that other more mundane topics?

Lesson plan:  Part 1 - The Triangle Fire, Part 2 – The Tuzla Shipyards, Part 3 – An Evil Corporation (by courtesy of Chris Westargaard)

Turkish-English Dictionaries in the Class

There is nothing I hate more than those little red and yellow dictionaries that students bring to class.  The only thing more counterproductive and disruptive in the Turkish classroom is your students’ cell phones.  I have tried a number of approaches over the years and I find the best approach is to ban them outright.

Why are dictionaries such a problem?  Well, I think the biggest issue is that Turkish and English simply do not translate into each other well.  There are approximately 104,481 words in the Turkish language compared to over 600,000 in English.  Type a simply search query into Zargan.  You will find that the number of possible translations is often 10 or more.  How then, can a pocket dictionary possible provide the correct translation?

Also, it’s very normal for Turkish words and English words to function differently.  For example, if I look up the word “s?k?lmak” the dictionary will produce “to be bored.”  However, in Turkish, it literally means, “being squeezed.”  Turks also use it for when they are uneasy or annoyed.  If you talk about the headscarf issue in class many students will tell you that they are bored.  What they mean is that they are uncomfortable.  Another example is “kabul etmek” which means accept, but in Turkish it’s possible to say things like “I don’t accept you” if you disagree with someone’s opinion.  Using it that way in English would be wrong, so, in reality, the words don’t really translate.

As anyone who has taught in Turkey for any period of time knows, Turkish learners often make the most ridiculous sentences after using a dictionary.  This may not be as much of a problem for learners whose language is closely related to English, but it is a major source of communication breakdown in Turkey.  Another factor is that students will believe the dictionary over you because they value book knowledge so highly.  If a student produces a sentence using translations from a dictionary and you tell them it’s not correct, they will be very skeptical.  Turkish learners are always shocked when you tell them the dictionary is often wrong.  To nip this problem in the bud, it’s better to just ban Turklish-English dictionary use in your classroom from day one.

Turkish learners need to be encouraged to think in English right from the beginning.  Because literal translation is such a problem among Turkish learners, it’s best to discourage this type of thinking in the classroom.  Also, you can get your students to start relying on each other for help and asking questions in English, both important skills and behaviors that need to be developed in a good class anyway.  If they don’t know a word, push your students to ask others in the class for help in English.  As teachers, we need to create learners of English because our students simply aren’t aware of  how to learn a language.  We have to develop that skill in them and one way to do that is to remove their reliance on literal translation.

Another important point to consider is that, if the Turkish student is looking in his or her dictionary, they aren’t listening to you.  When I used to allow dictionaries, this was a constant source of irritation.  I’d be trying to elicit or explain new words and some people would have their heads buried in their dictionaries.  In the time it took the student to look up one or two words we had already done five to seven.  Inevitably, once you start the activity the student will not understand the new words or recognize their pronunciation.  They will start bothering either you or other students, most likely in Turkish, for help, which is a waste of time for you and them, not to mention frustrating.

In the ESL classroom, we are always trying to develop skill sets in English.  Two incredibly important ones are listening to explanations and understanding meaning from context.  If your students are looking in their dictionaries all the time rather than listening to you and trying to understand the meanings of words from a speech or text, then they are not developing these extremely important skills.  If your students don’t understand a new word after you have explained it, it’s probably an indication that you have failed to explain it, not that they failed to understand.  Ask yourself, did I explain it simply and clearly, did I provide contextualized examples, did I CCQ it well enough?  I always remind my students that they should always make note of any new words they don’t understand.  They can then ask me for help with these new words, use an English-English Internet dictionary, or google search it for examples on the break or after class.

Another benefit of banning Turkish-English dictionaries is that it encourages them to actually buy an English-English learner’s dictionary.  Believe you me, if you tell your students to buy one, but allow Turkish-English dictionaries, they will never bring it to class.  I often will take a field trip with students one day to go buy learner dictionaries together.  It’s also a good idea to persuade your school to by a set of learner dictionaries for you to use in the class from time to time.  This way you can ensure that everyone has one and that nobody has a need for a Turkish-English dictionary.

In the end, Turkish-English dictionaries undermine everything you are trying to do in the class.  They reinforce the habit of translation, which is not just a problem on a word-to-word level, but on a conceptual level as well.  The students need to get in the habit of using English as English rather than as a cipher for Turkish.  Turkish-English dictionaries also undermine the development of listening skills and understanding meaning from context skills.  Finally, they are often disruptive, as students aren’t paying attention and will later bother you or others for information that was already taught.

For a lesson that helps convince your students of the importance of this rule, try this lesson.

What are your opinions?  Do you allow Turkish-English dictionaries in your classroom?  If you do, do you ever find them beneficial?

Using Turkish in the Classroom

Many schools in Turkey, and the opinions of many teachers that work here,  usually agree that Turkish should not be used in the classroom.  This tends to be a necessity as few teachers actually ever bother to learn the language anyway.  While there are many problems related with the usage of Turkish in the classroom, I tend to side with those that say it should not be categorically banned and that it can be used to benefit the students in a number of ways.  Foreign teachers should take the time and effort to learn their students’ language, so they can interact more fully in the country they are living in and use it to benefit their students in the class.

The problems with using Turkish in the classroom are many and well justified.  Because of the dissimilarity between the languages and Turkish students’ obsession with literal, word-for-word translation, it is often best just to do away with Turkish entirely as a way to encourage thinking in English.  If Turkish is allowed in the classroom, student talking time also goes down as they will be more prone to converse in Turkish than in English.  And, of course, using the students’ native language should be banned in multilingual classrooms.  It’s unfair to students to translate into one language but not others and will create a negative learning environment for those students that feel left out when the teacher translates into a language other than theirs.

Despite these objections, I have always agreed with something I read in Jim Scrivener’s Learning Teaching back during my TEFL course days.  He said that the students’ native language shouldn’t be banned in the class.  Instead, we, as teachers, should make our classrooms a place where students speak English because they want to, not because they are forced to.  Motivation is one of the most important elements in the language classroom and if we constantly harp on students to stop speaking their language in their own country,, this can be not only discouraging, but insulting as well.

As an alternative to categorically banning Turkish, I think it is much better to create engaging lessons that make the students want to learn English.  Additionally, the reasons for and benefits of speaking in English should be made clear to the students.  Gentle reminders or signs encouraging the use of English around the room are helpful in this regard.  As teachers who speak the students’ language it’s also important to never use their language to translate yourself.  If a student speaks to you in Turkish, play dumb or tell them you don’t speak Turkish in the classroom.  Always provide a positive model for your students.  I’ve seen too many teachers try to use halting Turkish to (usually incorrectly) translate words or sentences for students.

With that said, there are several occasions where the use of Turkish in the classroom can be very helpful.  I think the first and most obvious is the relaying of instructions for lower levels.  Any student feels uncomfortable if they don’t know what’s going on and you can waste a lot of time re-explaining things when the students don’t understand.  However, I’m not saying we should automatically give students instructions in Turkish.  The students need to get used to following instructions in English and learn the language associated with it.  We need to remember to always give simple instructions, one at a time and ICQ (instruction check question) them with the class.  Many teachers often ignore this simple, but incredibly important technique.  In addition to that, we must always demo the activity.  If the students see the demonstration as you give the instructions it contextualizes the language and makes it easily intelligible.  What I propose is that, as a final sort of ICQ, students explain the instructions back to you in Turkish.  This way you practice the English, you get to be certain the students understand, and the students feel comfortable knowing what they are doing.  As the class progresses and students become more comfortable, relaying the instructions back in Turkish can slowly be phased out.

Turkish is also useful for classroom management issues.  While it should be obvious if you are angry or unhappy with a particular behavior, many students might not understand why, especially if it stems from cultural differences.  Here would be a good time to explain to the students clearly what the problem is and what behavior you’d like in it’s place.  Along these lines it can be a very good idea to explain classroom rules and expectations in Turkish on the first day.  This way you know everyone is on the same page and a student can’t claim later that they didn’t understand .

Because most language learners do not understand how to learn a language, especially in Turkey where the education system creates students with skill sets and classroom expectations very counterproductive to language acquisition, it is quite helpful to explain methodology and reasons for some of the things you do in the classroom in the students own language.  (Wooh, quite the sentence there .)  Think back to your training days.  Did you expect language teaching to be the way it is?  Like most people, you probably thought you needed to know the students’ language, that the teacher should be up front doing a lot of explaining, and that study was more important than use.  If you didn’t know what to expect in a language classroom, how can you expect your students to?

Another important use of Turkish, and one I think is the most valuable, is establishing rapport with the students.  If you speak Turkish, it shows the students that you’ve taken the time to learn their language or at least are willing to make the effort.  It’s a sign of respect.  They will also be much more willing to trust you when you claim a Turkish way of saying something is wrong in English.  I guarantee you that when you tell a student the correct way to say a Turklish phrase they will not believe you.  They often think that you don’t understand what they’re trying to say and that you’ve put something different on the board.  Believe me, it happens all the time.  Another great way to establish rapport is to use Turkish in a humorous way from time to time.  Make the students laugh and show them that, while you won’t speak Turkish with them in general, you appreciate their language and culture and aren’t completely against its use in the classroom.

One thing that I have found is really helpful in my classes is a set time each week where you will speak Turkish with the class for 10 or 15 minutes.  It’s basically a big feedback session.  Students can voice any concerns they have about the class, explain what they like and don’t like, and you can discuss things like methodology or good study habits with them.  This really seems to help students because they know there is a time set aside each week where they can speak Turkish.  It makes them more relaxed about speaking English the rest of the week.  Also, many students are reluctant to discuss their problems in the class because they are embarrassed or unsure of their English.  There’s a lot you can learn from students when they are speaking in their native language.

The last thing I use Turkish for is translation gaps.  Generally, I’m dead set against translating words for students as it reinforces the idea that you actually can do this, which, from Turkish to English, is rarely possible.  What I do find beneficial, however, is translating chunks of information or highlighting important differences.  For example, one translation lesson I always do is the difference between “someone has/had/will have…” and “There is/are,was/were/will be…”, etc.  Because Turkish doesn’t really use “have”, they use “There is/are” structures, students find this very confusing.  Students can translate sentences into Turkish and then, covering up the previous translation, translate them back into English.  This enables students to notice gaps between the languages AND it reinforces the idea that literal, word-for-word translations are not recommended.  It draws the students’ attention to the need to look at chunks of language meaning and to notice differences between the languages.  Another great difference that I always use a translation exercise with is defining vs. non-defining relative clauses.  Turkish makes no distinction between the two, so it’s important to illustrate that, while they are translated the same, there is a slight change in meaning in English.  You can refer to my Challenges Faced in the Speaking Turkish Classroom – the Language section for more ideas about where this might be appropriate.

In the end, while I always encourage the use of English in the class, Turkish definitely has its time and place.  As long as Turkish is used judiciously and guidelines are clearly set as to when it’s acceptable or not, you will find that your students’ understanding will increase, their motivation will increase, and you’ll learn some things you might otherwise not have.

Is there anybody else out there who uses Turkish in the classroom?  In what ways do you use it?  What benefits or drawbacks have you seen with it’s use?

Other Relevant Links

Balancing L1 Use

Why Students Use L1

Limiting L1

The Illiterate Teacher

3 Kinds of Teachers

Monolingual vs. Bilingual Approaches

Using L1 with Turkish Children