Being highly skilled in the art of teaching requires an long-term commitment on the part of the teacher to constantly review strategies, techniques and tools.

1. Take advantage of those teachable moments, the times when interest and retention can be maximized because students are motivated to learn.
2. Formal instruction should be scheduled at frequent, regular intervals but for periods that match the teaching objective and time table. It must also suit the learners’ skill level and attention span of the age of the learner.
3. If concepts are more difficult, adopt shorter, regular, teaching time frames that allow gradual reinforcement and revision using hands-on concrete materials and games (not just worksheets).
4. Learners progress faster when they participate in scheduled, regular activities and routines – when learning is enjoyable - and when they are fresh, physically and mentally.
5. There are times when a learner can understand and retain more information, e.g. early in a lesson session. Moreover, some teaching methods such as using highly visual and auditory tools are less demanding on a learner and can be applied for longer periods.
6. Concepts are more easily understood and retained when a learner likes to learn and feels safe with the teacher. For these reasons, there is value building a relationship and getting to know the children as people, not just as learners.
7. It is important to be aware of and watch for what 4S calls ‘’learning lapses.’’ These are times when students lose interest. Lapses can be frustrating for the tutor and could happen because the material is too difficult, the session is too long, the instructional method has lost variety, or the learner is mentally and physically weary. If children aren’t responding, it is important to find out objectives are not being achieved.
8. Learning outcomes are maximized when a learner is at ease in a non-threatening, familiar, comfortable environment. Children need to have a relationship with the teacher where they feel valued, supported and are able to take risks and make mistakes.
9. Learning should be meaningful, purposeful, self-rewarding, enjoyable and fun.
10. Basic learning purposes and objectives should be explained, i.e. “what” we are learning, “why” we are learning about. Use descriptives so that people, things, places, happenings, feelings, emotions, can be described more accurately, e.g. Six young teenagers live in that old red brick house next to the Chinese restaurant.
11. When the language learning skills are integrated with other knowledge objectives, the gains are greater and accelerated. For example, when imparting grammatical concepts such as time (when), person (who), place (where), purpose (why), as well as number or colour: Yesterday, I bought twelve white roses from the florist for my mother’s birthday.
12. The language concepts imparted should be functional in the learners’ immediate environment.
13. The language concepts imparted should be appropriate and relevant to the age, development, interest level and language needs of the young learner.
14. Target words should include family names, animals, games, toys, activities and even colloquial and idiomatic sayings. Moreover, they should be words of interest to the children that they want to use and know how to write and pronounce.
15. Flexibility is often the key to the successful implementation of any teaching technique and the achievement of a general learning goal or specific learning objective.
16. Consideration should be given to the various teaching techniques, e.g. Cognitive Code, Situational, Functional, Notional, Phonic, Whole-word, which are all combined in the 4S Approach.
17. Keep in mind that learners learn differently, e.g. visually, auditory and kinesthetically.
18. Be aware of cultural differences when teaching or tutoring or training.
19, Be aware of gender differences when preparing a lesson.
20. Make the learner the central focus of any lesson plan.

Remember, the objective of any teaching process, including the acquisition of English language skills is the development, exploration, repair, reinforcement and on-going enhancement of conceptual understanding.

Providing opportunities for learners to think critically and creatively about the English language,
to solve contextually-related problems and to make appropriate decisions in relation to the use and function of words and constructions, are keys to achieving this goal.

(The author Keith W. Wright is a former politician, an educator and the director of the Australian International Language Academy. E-mail questions to Outreach Publications
at contact@4sliteracy.com or youth@mb.com.ph).