Teacher Quality Requirements in ELT

錢 盈

QIAN Ying

（溫州中學，浙江 溫州 325000）

（Wenzhou Middle School,Wenzhou Zhejiang 325000,China）

Nowadays,English is the principal language of communication internationally.It becomes a basic course in secondary education in China.As a teacher of English,he or she should know the development and tendency of secondary English education reform to improve his or her own teaching competence.

There are two necessary aspects in English education:students and teachers.Both teachers and students are active participants in the teaching and learning process.First of all,a student is a learner in class with teachers and other learners.They try their best to learn knowledge from books and teachers.Secondly,students are main participants.They are English listeners,English speakers,English readers and English writers.Gradually students begin to be the center of English teaching.

The middle schoolstudents,especially seniormiddle school students,are more independent.They would like to learn new things and solve problems by themselves.They are strongly eager to express their own ideas.With the development of English education reform,the“student-centered” teaching is emphasized.The teachers of English should lead students to express their ideas in English and to develop their own ability.Therefore,the quality of teachers is the key to improving the teaching quality.

1 Love teaching,love students

I have discussed a topic with 90 students.“What qualities do you think a teacher should have?”About 80%of students mentioned the first word “love”.In my opinion,the word “love” means that a good teacher should not only love his job—teaching,but also love the students.Only a person loves his or her own job,he or she could have the responsibility and the honor to devote himself or herself to cause.

Middle school teachers are different from other careers.Everyday they face a group of teenagers.These students who are almost sixteen years old are very enthusiastic,sensitive and fragile.Teachers need understand every student’s psychological features at class and treat them equally.The influence of the teachers on the students can be permanent.

2 Keep in step with the times

Education should face the future.English education is particularly related to the development of the world.At the present time,some English words are continually being replaced by the new ones.For example,we all learned “W.C”from the textbook.But as a matter of fact,in western countries,the words “W.C” are seldom used by people.Therefore,teachers of English need to teach students what words the people use nowadays.They must keep in step with the times,capture the new information and absorb the advanced English education theory.

3 Have solid professional knowledge

“I include two aspects of professional knowledge:the first is the knowledge a person needs of the casual laws,regularities,or relations that may produce learning;the second is the knowledge a person needs about teaching.”(Pearson 39)A teacher of English should have solid professional knowledge,which is a prerequisite to be a qualified teacher.Middle school teachers of English need to have a wide vocabulary and to be familiar with cultural background.At present,students become the center of classroom activities.They have more free time to think and express their thoughts.And also they may ask more questions.If teachers don’thave solid professionalknowledge ordon’tmake a good preparation,several times later the students may not trust you.To a great extent,teachers’professional knowledge determines the teaching quality.

4 Build up integrated knowledge system

The English language is relevant to other subjects.A teacher of English should notonly have solid professionalknowledge,but understand some elementary knowledge of other subjects.

There is a sentence on one of students’ test papers: “I saw thick smoke coming from under our bedroom door.I opened the door and crawled in--there would be less smoke at the floor level.”If the teachers of English don’t know some physical knowledge,they may have difficulty in explaining why we use “less” but not“more”.

Besides,teachers should spend some time on psychology,pedagogy and teaching methodology.They are helpful to understand students’psychology and to lead them to learn English.

5 Be a scientific research worker

One feature of secondary English education reform is that teaching and research help each other forward.

Secondary English education reform makes greater demands on middle school teachers of English.One important part of education reform is to enhance the quality of middle school teachers.A teacher with integrated knowledge system who loves teaching and students could lead students to scale new heights in science and technology.Middle school teachers of English should teach the students how to think in English and use English properly in real life.Do not just ask the students to memorize what they have learned from the textbooks.(Wang,Zhijiang 5)That is the way forward for all the middle school teachers of English.

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［5］Wang,Zhijiang,ed.Knowledge and Know How of Basic English Education[M].Hangzhou:Zhejiang University Press,2001.