TEFL Teaching Efl To Beginners: Initial

Approaches & Techniques

This research article will highlight and

investigate two major aspects of preparing and
starting an EFL course to beginner-level
.students
They are; 1) the approaches (i.e. the mindset,
theoretical beliefs and methodologies that a
teacher applies to the course, short and long
,term)
the techniques - (i.e. the specific (2
assignments, arrangements and tools/aids
utilized to carry out the teacher´s
approaches and achieve the
.student´s goals)
The article will move through the various, early
stages of planning and teaching an EFL
Beginners Course, in (roughly) chronological
order. Its focus will only be to shed light on
common, recommendable teaching approaches
and techinques for an EFL Beginners Course.
Along the way, a teacher - in reality - would
encounter more, and have to be prepared for

even more. However, my interest is limited to

the two aspects listed above, as they apply to
the following: 1) Identifying the type of
beginner, 2) The two most common approaches
to teaching EFL beginners, compared and
contrasted, 3) How to get started: Day One
.& The First Lessons

IDENTIFYING THE TYPE OF BEGINNER .1

To simply label an EFL student with little or no
knowledge of English as a
"beginner", then mentally group
them together as a homogeneous entity, would
be both naive and foolish. There most certainly
will be important distinctions worth drawing,
both related and unrelated to the amount of
English that they know. It is difficult to deny that
grouping students together according to the
measurable amount of knowledge of the English
language is a solid practice. However, in my
opinion, it is just as beneficial to try to
understand a little of the history - the
"backstory" - of the students. An EFL
teacher that has both learned and considered
the "level" and "type" of

students in their course is a teacher that is

better-equipped to approach that course is most
effective manner possible. Below is a brief list of
some of the different types of beginners that an
EFL teacher may encounter, along with some of
the implications that are likely to come along
:with each type

ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS- Students with no

knowledge of written or spoken English. There is
no knowledge to elicit from the students. The
most basic knowledge must be taught to the
first, before the students can be asked simple
.questions or to complete simple requests

FALSE BEGINNERS- Students that have

previously studied or been exposed to English,
but have learned or remembered very little.
Generally, they will have some knowledge
(familiarity with the alphabet/sounds, common
polite and introduction phrases) to elicit
responses to simple questions and requests.
They will need a review and/or clarification of

basic language points, more often than needing

.to be taught

BEGINNERS WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF ROMAN

ALPHABET- Students that have 1) not learned
written English, and 2) been raised in a country
where the language is not written with the
Roman Alphabet. While this does not
necessarily mean the student will be an
absolute beginner (they may have some
knowledge of spoken English), it does mean
that the teacher will have to afford extra
attention to basic literacy skills in the earliest
stages of the course. ADULT BEGINNERSStudents at the age of 18 or over. Typical
generalisations attributed to this type of
beginner include:1) More likely to be motivated
and attentive, 2) More likely to build a rapport
with their teacher and each other, 3) More likely
to have well-defined expectations for their
teacher, their course and its style, and their
success (and what consitutes
"success"), 4) Less likely to easily
grasp new language introduced and have less
language awareness, 5) Less likely to cause

disciplinary problems. YOUNG BEGINNERSStudents at the age of 17 or under. This can

also be further sub-divided into three additional
types of young beginner; Teen (13-17,
Adolescent (8-12), Child (7 and under). Typical
generalisations attributed to this type of
beginner include: 1) More likely to cause
disciplinary problems, 2) More likely to easily
grasp new language introduced and have
greater language awareness, 3) Less likely to be
motivated and attentive, 4) Less likely to have
well-defined expectations for their teacher, their
course and its style, and their success (and
.what consitutes "success")

MONOLINGUAL BEGINNERS- Students who only

speak one language, a native language with
which they were raised. This type of student will
either have, 1) no experience in foreign
language learning, or, 2) no success in past
attempts in foreign language learning. Either
way, it is more likely that they will be nervous
and reluctant early on. It is also more likely that
they will try to compare and match their own L1
to English. They will need tips and guidance on

how to study foreign languages. MULTILINGUAL

BEGINNERS- Students who already speak two or
more languages. This type of student will
probably be more confident, as well as more
fundamentally and conceptually prepared to
learn English. They possess an awareness of
some "do"s and
"don´t"s of language
learning, and they´ll have had past
success. However, this can come along with
unrealistic expectations (i.e, "my progress
should be fast and easy") and rigidlydefined thoughts/beliefs as to the best way to
approach teaching/learning a foreign langauge.
It is worth noting that the types of beginners
listed above are no more of an all-inclusive,
rigid definition than the term
"beginner" itself. Very often,
beginner students will have characteristics from
more than one category; That is to say, they are
not to be used categorically. They are general
descriptions of a stereotype: psychological
sketches of a sort. However, they may provide
an EFL teacher with some insight on what to
look for and how to prepare for such students,
after they have been identified as having

characteristics belong to one of the above

types. It is also worth noting here that cultural
awareness takes on even more importance than
usual with beginners. The reason for this is twofold: 1) Beginners are far-more likely to be
reluctant and nervous about their EFL course
because, quite simply, it wil be difficult for them
to communicate, to understand and to be
understood. A teacher that utilizies that which is
culturally comfortable for them, while avoiding
that which is culturally uncomfortable for them,
has gone a long-way towards reducing these
impediments to learning, 2) Language is a
gateway (or at least, "a view") into a
culture. To understand some or much of the
English language would give foreign language
students an idea of why their teacher
speaks/behaves in a particular manner, or their
activities/tasks are designed and carried out as
such. However, beginners will not have any
such insight into English-speaking culture, due
to the language barrier, and a teacher can not
overlook this. Misunderstanding could reign
supreme if the teacher does not slowly
assimilate the students into both the language
.and the culture of English

TWO COMMON APPROACHES TO TEACHING .2

BEGINNERS The great majority of EFL teachers
will approach the initial stages of an EFL
Beginners Course using one of the two methods
:below
:Approach A
,Select simple structures and vocabulary (1
Move from one stage to the next slowly and (2
,carefully
Emphasize accuracy (3
:Approach B
,Choose functional and common material (1
Present and practice a variety of structures (2
,in each lesson
,Emphasize fluency Certainly (3
both of these approaches have their
advantages. If an EFL teacher has a clear
preference for one of these, it may reflect
greatly on their own conceptualization of how to
best teach beginners. From my own
independent research, I have formed the

opinion that the choice of methodology should

only be made after having some understanding
of both the individual students and class as a
whole. The course curriculum do not need to be
fully formed from the first day of class, nor does
their even need to be a proper lesson on the
first day. I would recommend that an EFL
teacher dedicate some time, early in the
course, ascertaining information that will help
them best understand exactly what type of
class it is that they will be teaching (beyond
language level, or a specific needs course).
Knowing such information, then using it to
choose an approach accordingly, can facilitate
student learning, comfort and enjoyment. To
demonstrate this point, I will compare and
contrast the use of these two approaches, if
they were used with various types of beginners.
Absolute Beginners would probably be better
served by Approach A. This would set a more
comfortable pace for them than Approach B.
The speed and care with which tis would be
conducted would allow for more choral
repetition and pair/small-group work; Both
essential to lessening anxiety and raising
participation with these types of students at this

stage. To reduce the anxiety of not having any

knowledge of the language to produce or
comprehend, simple, repetitive structures that
are worked on until mastered would provide
confidence. Subsequently, to go from zero
knowledge in English to producing a few things
accurately would be viewed as the great
accomplishment that it is. While False Beginners
would also benefit from the above, Approach B
can (and in some cases, should) be used
effectively. It is worth determining what the
goals of the students are, as well as their
personality - individually, collectively and
culturally. In some cases, the students may be
more adventureous, willing and restless to
experiment with what knowledge of English
they have - and eager to collect more. If that is
the case, and the students are anxious to
achieve some level of English- speaking fluency,
Approach B would be more suitable. Beginners
Without Knowledge of the Roman Alphabet
likely will need to be taught in Approach A.
Fluency will be of little use to them if they can
not read or write much of what they can
accomplish in a dialogue. Much of the learning
of literacy goes beyond a simple knowledge of

the letters and corresponding sounds of the

alphabet. In large part, particularly early on, it is
the memorization of words. They help illustrate
what phonics are all about. Approach A will
provide these students with the opportunity to
slowly absorb this new, strange writing and its
pronunciation. Young Beginners, especially
children, will require Approach B. Generally
speaking, young students do not have the
attention span nor the self- motivation
necessary to apply Approach A. They tend to
dislike repetitive drilling, overcorrection and
lengthy, monotonous exercises and homework.
In nearly all cases, they would be better served
by the variety and chance to experiment with
speaking, in a way that they find
"useful" (functional). While certain
individuals/groups of the Adult Beginner type
might also desire and flourish in Approach B,
they are about as likely to prefer Approach A.
This is type of beginner student in which more
information will be needed, in conjunction with
this type, to determine which approach to use.
As a rule, I would think that Approach A is more
suitable (as these students are often the
´polar-opposite´ of

Young Beginners), but the needs, desires,

objectives and expectations of many Adult
Beginners (especially, specific needs groups,
like Business English) will necessitate that
Approach B is used. Culture is a large factor
here, as well. Monolingual Beginners may
benefit more from Approach A. The main reason
for this is simple; Beginner students, especially
older ones, want to compare and match the
new language to their L1. After acquiring some
knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, they
will try to "Directly Translate"
between the languages. This is a dangeroous
practice, and completely contrary to the
necessary mindset needed to learn a foreignlanguage. Approach A makes that practice more
difficult, as the student is required to accurately
produce the language, while having time to fully
absorb English on its own terms. Multilingual
Beginners also might find Approach A both
preferable and beneficial, but for entirely
different reasons. These students will have not
only confidence and experience in foreignlanguage acquisition, but very likely more
patience and a desire to be accurate because of
the aforementioned. Therefore, Multilingual

Beginners are far-more likely to appreciate the

challenge of listening to taped dialogue and the
benefits of repetition. I have already touched on
the reference I made in Section 1 about the
greater awareness of the culture above, but I
will also devote a brief mention to this point
exclusively, on its own terms, independent of
any specific type of beginner. Neither approach
is more "culturally sensitive" than
the other. However, there very well could be a
preferable approach for any culture that an EFL
teacher find themselves. It depends entirely on
the location, and the specific culture may
dictate which approach would best applied. An
easy (yet stereotypical) TEFL example of this
would be to East Asia. Generally speaking, EFL
teachers there find that their students are both:
1) very sensitive about making mistakes: They
desperately want to be accurate, and 2) very
reluctant to participate freely in speaking
activities. Combine these two factors in with all
that it is to be a beginner in a foreign-language
and, clearly, Approach A usually would be the
suitable approach to starting a Beginners
course. While I have dedicated my attention
above to drawing differences, comparing and

contrasting the strengths and weakenesses of

these two approaches as the apply to certain
types of students, the following should be
noted. Firstly, an EFL teacher is under no
obligation to utilize either approach. These are
simply the two directions that many shcools and
textbooks will lead an EFL teacher toward using.
If they have an approach that is sensitive to the
type of beginner that they are teaching, and
have given the term "beginner" the
deeper examination it requires, than this is
more than acceptable. Secondly, these two
approaches to teaching beginners will still be
part of initial lessons that are more similar than
they are different. They will have similar, shortterm goals (learning basic information
exchange, numbers, greetings). They will also
emphasize the same techniques to achieve
these ends (visual learning) while avoiding
other activities (those that require lengthy or
complicated dialogues/directions). Thirdly (and
perhaps, most importantly), if a class of
Beginners is so varied, sharing a balance of so
many characteristics of the various types that I
have cited above, then these considerations
can be voided. Unfortantely, if nothing close to

a concensus can be reached as to which of

these two approaches would be most suitable,
then, by default, the decision of which approach
.to use does fall to the teacher

3a. HOW TO GET STARTED - DAY ONE There will

be a lot of faces, with varying degrees of
nervousness and eagerness written all over
them, looking at their English teacher. However,
they can not really communicate with their new
teacher, nor can the teacher speak as freely as
they usually would in English. What to do?
There is nothing close to a concensus upon w at
is the best handle the first day of an EFL
Beginners Course. Which, in part, is what makes
this particularly terrifying in the eyes of so
many EFL teachers that have yet to go through
the experience. On the otherhand, there is no
shortage of ideas, opinions and values floating
around on the subject. Bearing this is mind,
there really is no need for the fear of this
moment that exists in the field TEFL. With a
little bit research, an EFL teacher should be able
to find some combination of task/activity and
technique/approach that they feel comfortable

with, that they can use to get things started.

Below, I have categorically listed some
suggestions for "Day One" of an EFL
Beginners Course. I will also re-iterate one
suggestion previously mentioned; Use this day
to ascertain information (through close
observation, questions, survey, etc.) that will
provide some insight into what type of
beginners are in the class and what they
want/need. CONCEPTUAL VALUES- *Do not
demand that the students speak. It is counterproductive and, quite possibly, futile. It is of
more importance that the students are
attentive to, engaged with and comprehending
the task/activity. *Do not be overzealous in
discouraging L1. It is completely unrealistic on
Day One with most types of beginners (only
Multilingual and False Beginners might even
attempt to abide by an ´English
Only´ rule at this stage). Whatever
a teacher´s view is on the usage of
L1 in foreign-language classroom, an EFL
teacher would be well-advised to be both
pragmatic and patient with restricting L1 usage.
Far-more important objectives at this stages objectives that will go a long way toward

decreasing use of L1 - are creating a classroom

atmosphere built on respect, encouragement
and patience, and decreasing the prototypical,
Teacher-to-Student power dynamic. Students
will choose to use English more often in the
classes to come, once they feel relaxed,
confident and valued. *If a teacher
suspects/knows that their Beginners Course will
lack motivation to study English (generally,
because they haven´t chosen to
study it), they should make an extra effort to
instill a sense of desire to learn English, from
Day One. Students that are motivated will make
for an enjoyable and successful. They are many
known ´motivators´ that
a teacher can use (some specific to TEFL), so an
EFL teacher has options. One interesting
technique that I had read about would be an
excellent way to establish this value: Prepare a
written text in L1 (or, if the teacher can speak
L1, they could deliver a dialogue) for the
students to read at the start of the first class.
The text should list and elaborate on the many
reasons why the students should be excited
about having the opportunity to learn English.
METHODOLOGIES/TECHNIQUES - *Communicate

without relying solely on the spoken/written

word. Various ways to replace and supplement
speaking and writing include sound-effects,
gesticulation, exagerrated intonation,
pictures/physical objects (with or without words
attached) and mime. If the course is mainly or
exclusively Absolute Beginners, a teacher
should plan on utilizing some or all of the above
for everything that they say or write. Controlled
language on its own will not be sufficient. *Sit in
a circle with the students. It is more inclusive,
more relaxed and reduces the Teacher-toStudent power dynamic. It fosters a sense of
equality - "We´re all in this
together". This method is stronglyrecommended for Young Beginners and many
cultures without knowledge of the Roman
Alphabet, who often view teachers as figures of
authority. Such a seating arrangement is also
highly-conducive for conducting Activities #1
and #3, listed below. ACTIVITIES - *Introduce
yourself (with visual accompaniment, if
necessary). Encourage the students to do the
same. First, collectively, then, to the teacher
and each other. Be sure to give prompts. This
activity, along with the two below, are

particularly suggested because they serve a

practical purpose for the teacher as well: It gets
the necessary task of learning all of the
student´s names out of the way.
*"The Ball Name Game". Gather the
students and yourself into a circle. Demonstrate
how people introduce themselves in English.
Then, toss a ball to another student. When they
catch it, remind/prompt them to introduce
themselves as you have just done. Get them to
continue in this manner, passing the ball to one
another, and introducing themselves after they
catch it. Ideal for Young (Child) Beginners.
*Introductions with a "Speech
Bubble". This can be used as part of the
above activities, or stand on its own (with the
exception of Beginners Without Knowledge of
the Roman Alphabet). Draw two faces, with
speech bubbles, on the board/large sheet of
paper. Draw arrows pointing from each face to
the other, then number them 1 (first speaker)
and 2 (second speaker). Inside the speech
bubble, insert the necessary dialogue of
introductions. To help this process along, the
teacher can write the name of the students
speaking under the faces. This can be done

collectively and, maybe later, in pairs. *If the

teacher suspects/knows that the students have
some knowledge of English vocabulary or
phrases, any activity that will make them
realize this. Encourage and enable them to
share what they do know. Just as being able to
introduce one´s self will be
confidence building/anxiet reducing to Absolute
Beginners, eliciting any sizeable amount of
English from False Beginners will do the same.
They will realize that they are not starting from
absolute zero, they can communicate in English
if necessary, they can learn English. TASKS *Have the students study the English alphabet.
Teach the names and sounds of the letters. If
the teacher finds that this focus is necessary
and/or desired, and time permits, they could
continue with either of the following; 1) Have
the students practice writing their names, or 2)
Studying the International Phonemic Alphabet
(relate to English alphabet, demonstrate how it
will be used when consulting the dictionary).
Ideal for Beginners Without Knowledge of the
Roman Alphabet. *Have the students study
some common, useful classroom expressions.
Examples would include: "How do you

say/spell?", "May I go to the

restroom?", "Excuse Me",
"Please", "Thank You".
"I don´t understand",
"Can you repeat that?". The
terminology of instruction (look, listen, repeat,
open/close book) and classroom materials (pen,
paper, notebook, textbook, board, desk, chair)
are other teaching ideas for this type of task.
This can be very practical, some of these
expressions will need to used from the very
beginning of the course, while still others are
.not easily mimed or demonstrated

3b. HOW TO GET STARTED - THE FIRST LESSONS

Now that the class has met, the ice has been
broken, and the teacher has had an opportunity
to consider what type of students are in the
course, the entire class is better prepared to
begin with their lessons. At this point, a teacher
can begin soldifying the individual lesson plans
and course curriculum (although it would be
best to still allow for some flexibility and not to
plan too far- ahead). Short-term goals can be
established: objectives to be achieved in the

early stages of a Beginner Course might include

learning to conjugate common verbs, giving and
asking for personal informations, understanding
numbers, time and calender dates, the
vocabulary of food and weather. Particular
activities and study exercises for individual
lesson plans can also chosen at this time.
Here´s an interesting example of an
early stage, Beginners Course teaching
technique that would work well within an
Approach A teaching-style. The author has
dubbed this technique "The Human Tape
Recorder": Have the students repeat
chorally, then study individually, short dialogue
exchanges. The students then need to practice
the text until they can do it from memory. They
should work on this study exercise until it has
been memorized and can be reproduced
without errors or long pauses. After this has
been achieved (or done to the best of the
student´s present abilities), the
teacher can either combine the newly-absorbed
dialogue within the stage of the lesson to follow,
or simply distribute/ask questions to check
comprehension. The belief behind this
technique is that memorizing the vocabulary

and grammar will create a repetoire to draw

from, sharpen intonation and pronunciation and
develop the students motor skills (which, along
with cognitive skills, produce language).
Obviously, being intended for a Beginners
Course, the dialogue should be both simple and
highly-practical: As the author admits, the
technique is designed more for "ordering
a hamburger than critizing government
policy". It is more designed to instill a
confidence in students to communicate
frequent, everyday needs than develop greater
language awareness in English. At this stage,
the author feels that this can wait until another
day. Below, I have listed general approaches
and techniques that are frequently and
successful applied in the intial lessons of a
Beginners Course. I have selected to highlight
those which are most universally
recommendable to all types of EFL Beginners:
*Allow rehearsal of the known. After this,
introduce new vocabulary and grammar slowly
and systematically. The order and pace in which
new language introduced is very important.
*Come prepared with extra material, more than
you ever would think to need. At this stage of

the course, they will be very little previouslylearned knowledge to refer back to. Free
conversation will not be an option. Essentially,
running out of exercises and activities here
would be "dead time", resorting in
review ad-naseum or ending class early!
*Encourage the students to talk and read in
unison. Usually, this discouraged in classrooms.
However, this would be a case in which the
students are getting much-needed practice in
two skills at the same time. *Assign homework
for every lesson. Again, it gives the students
much- needed practice. At this stage, they will
still need to encouraged to think, produce and
receive English outside of their lessons.
Practicing a foreign-language classroom alone
will never be sufficient enough to improve
significantly. *Teach through positive
reinforcement. Praise and encouragement,
often used in an EFL class to motivate and
relax, also can be directly involved in teachinglearning. Instead of using the typical strategy of
catching a student doing something
"wrong", then correcting them,
catch a student doing something
"right", and enforce it. Make the

positive the example! Students do need to know

if what they are doing is correct or incorrect, to
have a basis for improvement. However, this
can partly be achieved through reinforcing the
positive. *Strategically group different types of
beginners together. The most commonly-utilized
grouping of beginner students that are
identified as distinctly different is
"weaker" with
"stronger". Another possibility of
combining students would include the
"pairing the opposite" strategy:
Young and Adult beginners, Multilingual and
Monolingual beginners, Beginners Without
Knowledge of the Roman Alphabet and
Beginners With Knowledge of the Roman
Alphabet. In these cases, at least one person in
the pair/small group will have a skill, strength or
knowledge that the other does not. At times,
.the exchange will be multidirectional

SOURCES O´Neill, R. (1978). Kernel

One. Logman Schmidt, Yoda. Short
Conversations. Retrieved December 1, 2006

from the World Wide Web:

http://bogglesworldesl.com/TEFL_article4

BBC British Council: Talk: Questions and

Answers. Retrieved December 1, 2006 from the
World Wide
Web:http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/talk/que
stions/absolute_beginne rs.shtml

ESL Newsletter: June, 2005. Teaching Beginners.

Retrieved December 2, 2006 from the World
Wide Web: http://www.efl-esl.com/eslnewsletter/June05

Author: Byron Jones

Date of post: 2007-04-09