Should English TEFL Teachers Be Bi-Lingual?
Oct 08, 2008 | UncategorizedThe Controversy
Often, when prospective TESOL trainees are taking their first TEFL certification course, the question arises, “Do English teachers need to know a foreign language?” Foreign languages are not included in the requisite curriculum of any TEFL certificate course. The idea is to teach in “English only”. This frequently only occurs if the ESL teacher is working where the L1 (first language) is English or classes are multi-cultural as in the USA, Canada or the UK. Aside from some practical issues though, should English TEFL teachers be bi-lingual? That is, have fluency in a language other than English? There is some controversy surrounding this concept.
Why or Why Not?
There are reasons both for and against having Bi-lingual TEFL teachers. These are some key arguments on the PRO side.
• Teachers can empathize with language learners
• Teachers have developed language learning skills and strategies of their own
• Teachers can function locally in the L1 of the country where they live and work
• Teachers can plan effective English acquisition strategies based on a knowledge of the learners’ L1
• Limited use of the learners’ L1 can be an effective language teaching strategy
There are also some points on the CON side of the ledger:
• Teachers may not necessarily work abroad but in their home country
• Teachers are tempted to use the learners’ L1 in the classroom
• Teacher can have multi-cultural classes requiring several different L1s
• Teachers can lose fluency in English after extensive use of an L2 (second language)
• Some L2s are exceptionally difficult to acquire even after years of work
Identifying with the Students
“People who have had the experience of learning a language other than their mother tongue will be able to identify with their students. Even though many would intuitively agree with such a sentiment, some are not certain that this is true. The language-learning experience can be quite different from one learner to another. The experience can also be radically different in going from one language family to another. On the ELT forum at: