【講師コラム】ジー講師No.1～What Makes Your Teaching Style Unique?～

As we, tutors, gain more experience, we also come to know more about our own unique set of abilities and styles in teaching. It’s like slowly recognizing our own strengths and utilizing them efficiently. 

In most circumstances, when people hear the word ”teaching”, they’ll immediately think about the process of imparting knowledge to students. But does teaching only involve just that? Would being knowledgeable about grammar and having an extensive vocabulary be enough to make you an effective teacher? 

As for me, I value the principle of good relationships. Establishing one requires being observant and quickly adjusting to the student’s needs. It is important to build rapport first rather than just delving directly into the lesson. 

I also strive to be natural. As hard as the lesson may seem, we must try our best to be just ourselves and speak spontaneously. It will help the student feel calm and put trust in us. 

I also try to be kind and empathetic as much as possible. Students, too, have their bad days, and giving them an ear won’t cost us a single penny. 

Another vital aspect of teaching is giving constructive feedback. But this could be one of the most challenging parts of it. We must deliver it in a way that does not demean or demotivate the student by carefully choosing our words and knowing the right time to speak.

Finally, tensions in classes are inevitable. There are students who just want to argue. If this happens, we should remain calm, tactful, and respectful. It will help cool down the tension and maybe even change the student’s approach next time. 

These are some of the qualities and styles I believe are vital for teaching, to name a few. By adhering to this, we will receive a lot of positive feedback like this one from one of my regular students:

“She was a wonderful teacher, always smiling and cheerful; she corrected my pronunciation and explained words in an easy-to-understand manner, and I learned a lot from the class, which was a lot of fun.”

May we be able to achieve more endeavors with our students in the future!