［转载］Learning English with native speakers v.s. non-native English speakers

夜王神夜

I believe most students who are keen on learning English, would like to have native English speakers be their teacher. Some countries, like China and Japan, there are many parents pay premium price to get their children a native English speakers as their children’s teacher. So, is the ‘premium’ worth the value you received? As a student, what can you learned from native English speaker? Should you pay premium to learn English from a native English speaker or an English teacher?

Advantages of having a Native speaker as your English teacher
1.) You will learn ‘Real English’

They have been using English since they were born, so there is no room for them to make mistake. You will learn the English that actually ‘useful’ in your real life. You can learn ‘slang’ from there as well, native speakers use slang very often, and you can’t learn it from textbook.

2.) You can learn about their culture

Besides learning English from them, understanding their culture is going to help you understand their language as well. By knowing more about U.K and U.S., studying English might become your passion. When you are learning English with passion, it would become easier. If you are big fan about American movie(Inception, Titanic, Marvel heroes) or British movie(James bonds, Lord of the ring, Harry Potter), you would love English more.

3.) You will get more confident

You might have experienced about speaking English with native speakers, however you are not very sure about yourself, because you never speak with “real” natives. However, if your English teacher is native speaker, and after few months of learning you get to understand his English, it would be no problem for you to understand other natives as well. You will have more confident when you speak English with them.

Disadvantages of having a Native speaker as your English teacher.
1.) Not all natives are professional teacher

Not all the natives are professional, of course some do. Some of the language centres hired natives just because they are native, they might not have experience in teaching students. Students can’t improved if the teacher doesn’t know what they are doing. Just imagine, one day you were hired to teach your language, without any teaching experience, do you think you can help them to master the language?

2.) They don’t know how grammar works

Unless they are professional teachers, otherwise they don’t know how to explain grammar rules. Unlike English learner, natives learned grammar through instinct. When I was teaching in South Korea, I had few colleagues who are native speakers, but they don’t know how to answer grammar questions. I believe you can’t explain the grammar rules in your mother tongue clearly either, can you?

3.) It is very difficult for them to make conversation easier

As a natives, they might not knowing how English learners are reacted to their word. Some word they use very often, might not seem normal to English learners. It is very difficult for a beginner student to understand natives even in beginner English class. It happens to all of us, we don’t know what words is easy for them if they are studying our language, unless we are professional teacher.

In conclusion, it is for you to decide whether or not to hire natives as your private teacher, or even sign up a class with natives teacher. However, there are pros and cons if you are studying with non-native English teacher as well.

Advantages of having non-native English teacher as your English teacher.
1.) It is easier for you to understand the lesson.

As a professional teacher, they know how to adjust speaking style to match their student’s current English level. When you are learning with professional teacher, it is easier to understand their English and the lesson. I have seen a lot of students feeling frustrated just because they can’t understand natives teacher in first lesson.

2.) They understand all the grammar rules.

Like what I said just now, natives might not understand grammar in their own language. Professional teacher however, have studied all the grammar rules. If you are worrying grammar when you are speaking or writing, professional teachers are very likely to give you good advice to correct your mistake and help you improve.

3.) They know how to help you learn English.

Every non-native English teacher, has experienced about how to learn English from zero to native speaker, because English is not their first language. Of course, they must have faced a lot of problem and challenge during their learning journey, but they have completed the learning journey and have become professional teacher. So it is likely that they know how to help you, how to solve your problem, some of them might have some tips that makes you easier to learn English.

Disadvantages of having non-native English teacher as your English teacher.
1.) Not all non-native English teachers are professional English teacher

Just like not all natives are professional teacher, this rule apply to non-native speaker as well. Most teacher are not professional, they just want to get the job, they are good teacher but not professional. So it is very likely that they are just like those English teacher in your primary school and secondary school. If you can’t learn much from your English teacher when you were in primary school and secondary school, it is very likely that you can’t learned from them either.

2.) Most of them are restricted to traditional learning materials.

Most of non-native English teachers are worked for language centre. They must follow the English material that set by language centre, although most of them are not useful. Most of the materials are focus on grammar exercise, writing and reading, in other words, those are ‘textbook’ English. You don’t have chance to speak with teacher in class, most of the time you only speak with other English learners who are having same English level like you. So, it is very hard for you to learn real English there.

3.) They can handle classroom students, and not individual.

Most teachers teach in classroom, so it is very easy for teacher to handle the class. They just have to ask them to follow textbook, they are not many students like to ask question in class, so they don’t really know what problem each individual is facing when they are learning. Each student has different learning style, different challenge, different level of understanding. When a teacher understand what kind of challenge that student is facing, what is his real English level and learning style, it is easier to help student to improve. However, most teachers don’t have time to focus on only one individual student. Most importantly, they don’t have experience and skills to do so. Unless they have taught a lot of students through 1-on-1 teaching.

I hope that this article can help you know the different between each type of English teacher, you can consider pros and cons when you are choosing English teacher.


转载自：http://learnenglishwitheric.com/ ... e-english-speakers/