How To Teach English Infographic
Kaplan loves researching the world of ESL education and finding out more about how people learn English. We surveyed more than 500 ESL teachers, including our own, from around the world to discover what tools they use to enhance their lessons.
Take a look at the results in our infographic! Do you agree with the findings? Let us know by leaving a comment.
Embed this Infographic on Your Site:
Feedback:
On The Beatles being the most popular band:
James McCartney, the only son of Paul McCartney, said: "What a great way to learn any language–by learning through music. Music is a universal language that can bridge the traditional language barrier, and the music of The Beatles has always been a bridge of love and communication. I think this is great."
On Obama being the most popular celebrity:
Katie Hull Sypnieski, co-author of The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels, said: In our ESL classes my teaching partner, Larry Ferlazzo, and I use international celebrities to increase engagement with our students. We also use celebrities in our lessons on developing successful life skills. In these lessons, we focus on the non-cognitive traits of celebrities such as self-control, taking personal responsibility, and having grit.
On the use of films as a teaching tool in language education:
Dr Carmen Herrero, Head of Spanish at Manchester Metropolitan University and Co-director of Film in Language Teaching Association (FILTA), said: “Films are perfect vehicles for introducing students to different types of popular culture and engaging them with critical questions about the relationship between information and power, through the critical analysis of socio-political issues and intercultural relationships.”
On The New York Times being the most popular newspaper:
Yasmin Namini, senior vice president, marketing and circulation at The New York Times, said: “The New York Times has a long-standing commitment to education, dating back to the 1930’s when Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger responded to teachers’ requests to receive newspapers for classroom use."
On Mr Bean being the most popular TV show:
Katherine Senior, Executive Producer of Mr Bean, said: “Mr Bean has been popular for very many years both on television, video and in the classroom. This is due to the small amount of dialogue and the fact that it appeals to all cultures as it is easy to understand.
On Radio being an important teaching tool for developing nations:
Ronnie Micallef, English Language Adviser Ethiopia at the British Council, said: “Despite the growth of digital media for ELT, there is still a great appetite for radio ELT in many parts of the world, especially in Africa where radio an important medium for education.
On the role of comic books in language education:
Dr. Michael Bitz, Executive Director of EdPath, said: “Comics are the perfect vehicle for helping learners of all backgrounds to connect words with the visual image. The opportunity to make this connection in the classroom is crucial and often overlooked. Now educators are beginning to see the potential power of comics in the classroom.”
On the role of computer games in language education:
Jordan Shapiro, author of FREEPLAY: A VIdeo Game Guide to Maximum Euphoric Bliss, said: “I've seen first-hand how games can engage students with informative and adaptive feedback that motivates in ways an old fashioned workbook just never could. In the hands of great teachers, games like The Sims can integrate traditionally disparate subjects using grounded cross-disciplinary thinking.”
Details of Kaplan's "How to Teach English?" survey:
Kaplan surveyed 503 ESL teachers from: the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Russia, India, South Korea, Turkey, Georgia, Germany, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Greece, Vietnam, Spain, Cuba, France, Taiwan, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Mexico, Iran, Ukraine, Jamaica, Malaysia, Romania, Poland, Argentina, Czech Republic, Latvia, Uganda, Malta, Singapore and Chile.