TEFL: Making a Cup of Tea You learned your language from your mother, or from those around you with whom you interacted on a regular basis. I know some Swedish only because my mother spoke Swedish to me as a very small child – my English is much better, though, as I was brought up in England. If you involve people from the very beginning in listening to commands and acting on them, then they will acquire new words at an amazing rate. It’s like that proverb: tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I might remember, but involve me and I’ll understand! Involving your students in the language from day one will rapidly increase their vocabulary and confidence. Here’s an example lesson on making a cup of tea. The student actually says nothing to start with, they watch you act out the phrases you are teaching – then they act out the phrases themselves – finally they do the ‘commanding’, watching each other pick up the language!

Go to the fridge
Open the door.
Pick up the milk.
Close the fridge door.
Walk to the table.
Put down the milk.
Go to the kettle.
Fill it with water.
Switch it on.
Let the water boil.
Put a tea bag into the cup.
Take the kettle to the cup.
Pour water into the cup
Add milk.
Pick up the spoon.
Add sugar.
Stir the tea.
Take a sip.
The student has said nothing; they’ve simply copied your actions, listened to your words and phrases. See how many they’ve learned just by doing? This is exactly how you learned the language you speak so effortlessly now! You can also see how this technique can be ‘rolled out’ to other everyday situations in order to teach lots of new words. I am aware that there might be health and safety issues with the situation above, even that you might not think this is the right way to make a ‘cuppa’ – I merely offer this as an example!!

Andrew is a qualified TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher, with 15 years experience of the global Automotive Industry as a Sales manager with an International component and systems supplier. For more information about learning English with Andrew at his home in the UK, visit the Lets Talk 2 website. http://lets-talk2.com/_wsn/page2.html