190: Tips for new teachers on iTalki

Miki asks: "How should I teach Japanese on iTalki?" Episode Summary: Firstly, be honest about what you are offering and your experience level If you have no experience, you can still help Japanese learners a lot Begin as a "community tutor" and offer conversation lessons so you can get experience Have an honest talk with the student about what they're looking for an how you can help. Ask questions like: What are you looking for? How would you like me to help? Do you want me to correct your mistakes, or let you talk? The most important skill you have to develop as a teacher is the ability to listen As the student is speaking, make notes of common mistakes, look for patterns - are they making the same mistake all the time? Let the student talk as much as possible, and try to encourage them to speak (that's what most people want), make them feel amazing! Every now and again, stop, and show the student what kind of mistakes they have been making (be selective), or opportunities to improve At the end of the lesson, ask the student what you could do to improve. "What would you like to work on next time" is a good question that allows the student to say what they want, without risking offending the teacher Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: 19 Quick Changes You Can Make Today That Will Make You A Better Language Teacher - a popular article I wrote about becoming a better teacher Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and help me to reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!