Quote:
Originally Posted by evanny
what do you think about native speakers teaching their own language to foreigners?
i know some of you here do or have done it.
well, i personally think it is a bad idea.
i wouldn't teach my native language if i was offered to. i would do far better if it was english, russian or even japanese - and my japanese at the moment is next to nothing.
well here are the points that prevent native teachers from being as good as non-native, especially when teaching beginners. for advanced english natives of course have the upper hand.
1. every native speaker speaks incorrectly. i speak incorrect lativan, my teacher (who was considered to be very good) did also. that is just the way it is.
2. it is harder for a native speaker to explain the language to a foreign student. also native speaker will let more mistakes pass by because in conversational language it is fine to "butcher" the language to some degree while non-native teacher will pick on it faster.
3. methods of teaching for a non-native speaker usually will be more efficient because he/she already knows how it is done thus possibly a better connection between the student and the teacher.
what do you think? and please if you are a native teacher, don't be offended. i simply think this is an interesting topic and i feel like i have provided some decent arguments.
thanks  |
Native teachers are desired because they teach English "conversation". All Japanese students study English in junior high school/high school, so they already have a basic understanding of grammar, reading, and writing. But, in the school systems, they get very little practice listening and speaking.
Japanese students of English are interested in learning "spoken" English, as it is used in the real world, and native speakers are obviously the ones to teach spoken-English. Native speakers also use more-or-less correct accent and intonation, something which non-native speakers have trouble with.
And, not all native-speakers of English have trouble speaking their language correctly. For those who come to Japan to teach, they have to undergo an interview process in which their English speaking ability is tested, not to mention rather difficult writing and grammar tests.