Introduction Lessons, the best ways to impress and gain a new English student with your teaching skills.
I am very proud to say that I have an almost 80% rebooking rate with newcomers and first time students because I follow these easy steps.
5 TIPS FOR TEACHING FIRST TIME STUDENTS
1. BE APPROACHABLE
First lessons are all about getting to know each other and seeing if you have the right chemistry in the student teacher dynamic. If a first time student seems nervous, I always stop and give them encouragement by telling them that most learners feel self-conscious and shy in a trial lesson. Be a safe space where learners can make mistakes and not feel awkward about it.
2. DO YOUR PREPARATIONS
Once a student has booked a lesson with you, write the potential student a short note asking them some basic WH-QUESTIONS:
Where and when did they first learn English? Why are they currently learning and
which type of lesson they might be interested in. (For example: Business English, Interview Preparation, Exam preparation, Grammar Practice or General Speaking Fluency Development). From their reply it is usually easy to gauge their level and find a great ESL resource to break the ice. I am not against using emojis either as it sets a friendly tone. 🙃
3. MANAGE THE FIRST LESSON LIKE A PRO
I actually have the habit of making myself presentable for first time students by wearing a pair or earrings or a colourful scarf. First impressions matter and once we get to know each other, I can always go back to working online in my pyjamas or sweatpants. Introduction lessons always start with a heartfelt SMILE to set students at ease. A small introduction with some details about each other is always a great ice-breaker. (+-10 minutes). Some general questions about traffic, the weather, work/studies, hobbies or living conditions are usually manageable for most students. Depending on the length of the lesson, spending about 40% of the lesson on chatting will create enough rapport to move on to a worksheet.
4. STUDENTS' NEEDS
Determine what their needs are by letting them tell you before you give them a game plan. Ask them how they prefer to learn English. Ask them what they would like to focus on...and then FOLLOW their guidance, you can always improvise later on.
5. CHOOSE THE RIGHT RESOURCES
The introductory lesson should be geared towards speaking, avoid grammar unless they specifically ask for it!
It does not hurt to give the students some grammar corrections and a short explanation but a first time students doesn't need to be scared off. If you work internationally you will have noticed that most Asian students love grammar corrections and many Mediterranean students prefer chatting and learning new vocabulary. Always keep your students needs in mind. Written corrections make students see the value for their money and they have something to refer back to but don't overdo it with corrections either. Focus on one or two of the mistakes that the student has made and teach them this skill.
Great topics for a first time lesson include travel and transport or my personal favourite: 'What's on your bucket list?''
This is the kind of first time resources I like using with lower-intermediate level students. It gives them the nouns that they need to express themselves as well as a diagram with adjectives. They have the opportunity to describe things and answer easy questions.
6. ENDING THE LESSON
It is a good idea to end the lesson by telling students about their strengths and encouraging them in their endeavor to learn English. I never mention more than 2 weaknesses for us to focus on in future lessons and suggest a learning plan. I like to remind students to do some self study by brushing up on their irregular verbs. Plan together what the next lesson could be about and let your student guide you by expressing their idea of the perfect ESL lesson. Now I am going to say something controversial:
Never chase new students and make them feel obligated to book another lesson with you. Do not ask them about their schedules either. In fact, do not advertise yourself in any way
whatsoever, your teaching skills should have already done that
job for you.
Many online teaching platforms encourage their tutors to encourage students to book further lessons and spam them with follow-up messages. I disagree with this tactic and instead focus on simply being a good teacher rather than launching an entire advertising campaign.
And finally, end your introduction lesson with a warm goodbye and a smile, remembering that
we are dealing with human beings brave enough to express themselves in a foreign language.
Please feel free to leave a comment below this post. Do you have experience in working with different nationalities?
For more good quality resources for first timers, check out my store:
or click on the link below to check out Travel and Transport.
Michelle Gerber - Oral examiner, resource creator, online ESL teacher and wannabe poet
❤️❤️👌