It has been nine years since I first said hello to my EFL (English as the Foreign Language) students. It has been nine years of online video classes with my Korean students. The set-up has never been that easy though-from fluctuating internet connection to misbehaving students. The job of an EFL tutor would always be challenging.
Video classes should be more alive than classroom sessions. This is because a single lull or a dead air for a minute could mean a distraction to the student especially when you are handling a 5-year old non-native English speaker, you also need to instruct them using a couple of simple words from their native tongue.
Most of all, you need to the student's TPR or Total Physical Response; a simple word definition's not enough you need to demonstrate or translate it to their native language. Hence, teaching EFL online usually brings pain to the body and mind because, to have an engaging class, the teacher needs to give one hundred percent of her energy most of the time.
With these, we will discuss certain things about:
● the qualities of an effective and efficient EFL tutor
● the health issues faced by an EFL tutor
● the benefits of using a Height Adjustable Standing Desk for EFL tutors
So, let us begin now the discussion for today.
I.The Qualities of an Effective and Efficient EFL Tutor:
An EFL tutor is a total performer. He must put all his effort into making his classes enjoyable, student-centered, progressive, and thought-engaging hence he must be:
■ PROACTIVE:
An effective and efficient EFL tutor should be someone who could nip things in the bud. He has to make Plans A-Z if he wants to have an engaging class. As mentioned above, a dead air during class can mean distraction for the student. Thus, he needs to make necessary tasks both for the discussion and supplemental activities. He must also anticipate outcomes in his class especially for students who are intrinsically motivated or who are not easily engaging in class unless there are rewards or they want the topic for the session. Part of being proactive are games and quizzes that could help an EFL tutor impart learning in a 20-50
minute class.
■ FACILITATIVE:
Aside from nipping things in the bud, an effective and efficient EFL tutor should be a facilitator of learning. Hence, he must observe the 20-80 rule in class; 20% for the tutor and 80% for the student in terms of speaking and expressing thoughts in class. Without this, the teacher would tend to dominate the class and would not be able to let the student express his ideas and skills. That's why in most academies, the teacher is beside observing and jotting down observations.
■ AUTHORITATIVE:
An effective and efficient EFL tutor is someone who asserts authority without becoming a dominant and unapproachable person. This becomes tricky for some. There is a misconception that an authoritative teacher is a terror teacher. This brings the wrong idea to the children and makes them scared of an authoritative person. The word itself only implies that a good teacher knows how to handle the class with full authority while still looking friendly and approachable. This applies during the first day of classes where the tutor sets house rules and remains consistent with his rules throughout the class.
■ CREATIVE:
An efficient and effective EFL tutor is someone who is creative and could make the class very engaging in 20 minutes. In years, I have observed the "pizza rule" in my class. I call this the pizza rule because my approach is like slicing the pizza in certain parts. I usually allot 5-8 minutes for every activity depending on the type of exercises that I give to my students. In every part, I make sure that 80% of it would be given to my student where he would speak and move more. I always incorporate:
⮚ Songs: When practicing lessons on shapes, colors, clothes, etc., I always teach it through songs.
⮚ Poems: I apply this for lessons on descriptive grammar
⮚ Dance: This one is applicable for speaking practice especially when it comes to introductions and greetings
Throughout my EFL teaching career, I have experienced a lot of hardships and fulfillment in facilitating learning to my students. On the other hand, alongside these things are the effects of tedious and stressful life in teaching EFL. Being sick most of the time is inevitable. Hence, in the second part of our discussion, we will talk about:
II. The Health Issues Faced by an EFL Tutor:
An EFL tutor is faced with health challenges too. Due to the sedentary nature of the job, most of us experience a lot of body pain and illness. In most EFL companies, it is apparent that the equipment used is at times not suitable for the worker's health and wellness.
Most of this equipment is not made using ergonomics. As a result, the posture of the EFL tutor is hampered because of the table that he uses that makes his stoop because it can't be adjusted and it does not complement the height of the tutor. This causes back pain. The worst thing is, most tutors have 10-20 classes in a day which means he sits in front of the computer for more than 3 hours.
It is also impossible to adjust the table because the devices used are desktops thus the mobility of the tutor is limited and certain illnesses develop because of the nature of their work.
For these reasons, they should use reliable and durable products that could help them alleviate the possibilities of damaging their spine. Hence, in this last part of the discussion, we will talk about:
III. The Benefits of Using a Height Adjustable Standing Desk for EFL tutors:
The Flexispot's Height Adjustable Standing Desks like the Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk Wooden Top can help an EFL tutor have a safer and conducive workspace because one could easily adjust his desire height. Whether he wants to make the height lower or a little higher depending on his condition if he wants to use a lower table surface or not. With this standing desk, one could easily work without severing his spine because of an unsuitable desk height. It will make tutorials worthwhile.
