Important Things to Know Before Tutoring Beginners

Table of Contents

Who are our beginners and what are they like? Today, we'll cover the three main characteristics to look out for as well as some relevant tips.

1. Most of our beginners know some English

At Engoo, most of our beginners already know some English. For example, they'll usually know a handful of:

Vocabulary (e.g. colors, family members, and simple action verbs).
Grammar patterns (e.g. personal pronouns and helping verbs like "can" and "will").
Fixed expressions (e.g. simple greetings and survival phrases).

You may occasionally encounter a learner who has zero knowledge of English (i.e. one who doesn't understand things as simple as "What's your name" or the verb "be"), but this is rare.

Most of our students have studied English for a number of years but are still struggling to communicate. There are even some who score well on standardized tests but struggle with tasks like calling a taxi or asking for directions.

This means that even if we encounter a beginner, we don't need to teach them from scratch. Instead, we can help them use their existing knowledge of the language to carry out real-world tasks, like having conversations about familiar topics or ordering food at a restaurant.

Just keep in mind that they often appear to understand more than they actually do. For example, a study of Japanese beginners found that they were good at reading aloud passages, but didn't understand much of what they read!

2. Beginners often have personal baggage

Students ... are not merely 'empty vessels' that will need to be ﬁlled by the wise words of the teacher; instead, they carry a considerable 'personal baggage' to the language course that will have a signiﬁcant bearing on how learning proceeds.
"Focus on the Language Learner: Styles, Strategies and Motivation" by Andrew D. Cohen

Many beginners bring some kind of personal baggage to class. This might be:

Positive or negative feelings towards the target language ("I think English is useless for me, but my company wants me to learn it").
Confidence issues ("I was never good at English" or "I'm scared of making mistakes in front of strangers").
Ideas about learning a language based on previous experiences ("My English teachers at school mostly taught me grammar and vocabulary, so I am used to memorizing lots of things").

In sum, beginners aren't a clean slate, so we'll want to be sensitive about the beliefs they have about themselves, the language they're learning, and their language learning process. This might mean:

Building their confidence by drawing attention to their little successes (e.g. "Great job pronouncing that word!").
Helping them develop positive feelings about English (e.g. by showing them how they can use it to pursue their interests).
Suggesting learning strategies that complement — not replace — their learning preferences (e.g. "It's good that you want to properly learn grammar. A great way to make sure you don't forget that grammar is to make sentences about your life or use it in conversation!").

3. Beginners have clear learning needs

The adult beginner will always have some clear reason for wanting to learn a language. It may be recreational or occupational, and it is important for the teacher to identify this reason.
Beginners by Peter Grundy

Adult learners have clear needs for studying English, and beginners are no exception. So before we introduce generic words and phrases, let's ask our students why they're learning English and how they plan to use it.

If a student needs English to communicate with foreign coworkers:

You can teach them office-related vocabulary, such as words and phrases they can use in emails, telephone conversations, and meetings.
You can help them practice dialogues they have in the office, such as the basic exchanges at lunchtime ("You wanna have lunch?" "Sure. Where do you wanna go?"), at the end of the workday ("Alright heading out now, have a good one!" "You too!"), etc.

If your student doesn't have a professional reason for learning English, try teaching them expressions related to their interests or other familiar topics.

And since our beginners are all learning online, most will appreciate some pointers on how they can better communicate during their online lessons. For example, we can introduce phrases they can use during lessons: e.g. "What does ... mean?" "I don't understand." "Could you type that in the chatbox?"

Teaching students things they really need will help them better express themselves and communicate with others, which will in turn positively affect their confidence and motivation. So let's make sure to keep our students' learning needs in mind — even if they're just beginners!

👋 That’s it for now!

We hope this post has given you an idea of how to approach beginner students!

Most of our beginners know some English already. Build on this knowledge, but also remember there may be gaps in it.
Beginners bring all sorts of personal baggage to class. Be sensitive about this.
Beginners have clear learning needs. Try to teach them words and phrases they can use to fulfill those needs.

Feel free to check out the following helpful resources as well:

A blog post that walks you through our conversation course for beginners.
Our guide to handling free-talk lessons with beginners.

Happy tutoring!