In the recent past, the English language has become a global language that plays a vital role in the fields of education, employment, socialization, and business. As a result, many people in non-English speaking countries continue to improve their English skills in listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Fluent speaking is a skill that non-native people strive to accomplish although many have failed. It is imperative, therefore, for English instructors to study the difficulties experienced by non-native people and develop mechanisms to enhance their teaching techniques to meet the needs of the non-native people. This essay describes what it takes a teacher to teach English effectively as a foreign language. To teach English effectively as an acquired language, one needs to differentiate between the several aspects of a language. These are speaking, pronunciation, listening, writing, vocabulary and grammar, and the language culture.

First, vocabulary is the primary element of a language and is crucial for learners to understand it effectively. To help the students understand the English vocabulary effectively, it is essential that the teacher use special techniques. One, the teacher can use words in context, for example, in sentences so that the learners can guess the meaning of the terms (Tesol.org, 2005). Two, the teacher can use visual aids like pictures and objects for the students to identify. Another method of teaching vocabulary is the use of known words. For example, if the students know the word love and the teacher wants to teach the word adore, the teacher can write “adore=love” on the board (Tesol.org, 2005). A final strategy for teaching vocabulary is explaining the key properties of a word. For example, if the teacher needs to explain the word cottage, he/she might say it is a “small old house in the country” (Tesol.org, 2005). Alongside vocabulary, there should be an emphasis on correct grammar, and the teacher should come up with interesting techniques to do this. A second important aspect of effective teaching of English as a second language is the speech functions. Speech functions are the elements that show what a person wants to do with the language; one may want to offend, invite or compliment someone. For example, the word please is a speech function that shows a request. The teacher has to make sure the students learn how use the speech functions effectively. Thirdly, teaching English as a second language requires that the teacher effectively teach the student listening skills. To deliver this effectively, the teacher should have the students listen to a recording and then answering questions based on it (Tesol.org, 2005). Another effective way of teaching English is engaging students in class discussions to improve their speaking skills. Moreover, students should also get assignments to research on different topics and then present their findings to class to develop their fluency. Debates are also effective ways to encourage students to develop their speaking skills in English. Next, for teachers to effective teach the English language, they have to impart reading skills to their students. To teach reading skills effectively, the teacher has to choose texts that are appropriate for the students. This should be done by studying the students, learning their areas of interest, for example, sports, and then having the students read these in class(Tesol.org, 2005). In addition to the above teaching techniques, to teach English effectively, the teacher also needs to teach writing skills that are an equally important component of any language. The teacher needs to teach about different types of writing by giving assignment or class exercise. For example, teaching the students how to write formal and non-formal letters, memos, and lists etcetera in addition to teaching paragraph writing where they learn to connect sentences and use connecting phrases. Next, the teacher has to be cautious in the way he/she marks homework given as students often have difficulties using capital letters and punctuation marks. A good way is to underline the mistakes during the marking and this way when the students get their work back, they can see clearly the mistakes made and avoid them in future. Finally, for any teacher to be effective, they need to prepare appropriate lesson plans. The lesson plan should consist of the class level, length of the lesson, type of lesson, and the lesson objectives. Additionally, the lesson plan must include the time to spend at each stage, contents of each stage and the teaching aids for each stage (Tesol.org, 2005). With these well laid out in the lesson, the teacher is unlikely to forget important stages of the lesson.

While teaching English as a second language may appear difficult, with the strategies discussed the teacher can achieve their objectives. The teacher should also bear in mind the level of students and their ages. This is because younger children tend to acquire second languages quickly as compared to adults. These considerations should advise the time spent for different tasks during the teaching process.