English Teaching Is Not Just Speaking English

Many people believe that fluent speakers automatically make good English teachers. In reality, English Language Teaching (ELT) is a professional field grounded in sociocultural awareness (Vygotsky, 1978), learner psychology, constructive pedagogy, and careful lesson design, meaning effective English teaching skills are more than knowledge of grammar structures or content depth. It requires teachers to develop English teaching skills that help learners understand, practise, and use language meaningfully across academic, professional, social, and cultural contexts (Krashen, 1982; Larsen-Freeman, 2000).

This article explains why English teaching skills are essential and highlights the risks of teaching English without effective strategies, particularly in multicultural ESL classrooms. The focus is on research-informed, learner-centred English teaching.

What Are English Teaching Skills?

English teaching skills refer to the professional abilities teachers use to help learners develop English accurately, confidently, and communicatively.

These skills include:

• Lesson planning and curriculum alignment
• Differentiated teaching strategies
• Classroom management and learner engagement
• Teaching grammar, vocabulary, speaking, listening, reading, and writing
• Error analysis and constructive feedback
• Managing first language (L1) and target language (L2) use effectively
• Addressing learner age, proficiency level, and cultural background

Strong English language teaching skills are informed by Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research and pedagogical approaches such as Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) (Ellis, 2003; Long, 2015), and Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky, 1978).

Why English Teaching Skills Are Important

English teaching skills are essential because they allow teachers to make informed pedagogical decisions before, during, and after instruction.

1. Enable Differentiated Teaching

Learners differ in proficiency, learning pace, and background. Effective teaching skills help teachers scaffold tasks so that all learners can engage meaningfully (Larsen-Freeman, 2000).

2. Reduce Cognitive Load

Skilled teachers sequence content, recycle language, and avoid overwhelming learners, aligning with working memory principles and input hypothesis (Sweller, 1988; Krashen, 1982).

3. Improve Lesson Planning Before Class

Strong pedagogy helps teachers plan clear objectives, anticipate learner difficulties, and enter the classroom with confidence.

4. Support L1 and L2 Management

Understanding learners’ first language (L1) helps teachers predict common errors and determine when L1 support enhances L2 learning without undermining exposure.

5. Respond to Learners’ Needs and Global Demands

Skilled teachers align instruction with learners’ academic, workplace, and real-world language needs (Long, 2015).

6. Allow for Contingency Planning (Plan B)

Classrooms are unpredictable. Experienced teachers can pivot when activities fall flat or technology fails.

7. Balance Accuracy and Fluency

A balance between grammatical accuracy and communicative fluency enables meaningful and confident language use.

8. Create Inclusive Learning Environments

Pedagogical awareness prevents bias, stereotyping, and learner marginalisation, especially in multicultural classrooms (Samaras, 2011).

Risks of Teaching English Without Proper Strategies

Without effective English teaching skills, classrooms often face:

• Overemphasis on grammar-translation methods and memorisation
• Focus on linguistic forms over communicative meaning
• Excessive Teacher Talking Time (TTT)
• Constant interruption for grammar or accent correction
• Valuing native-like accents over intelligibility (Levis, 2005)
• Poor grouping with no scaffolding or peer interaction (no ZPD consideration)
• Disconnected lesson planning and unclear objectives
• Overloaded homework with little feedback
• Limited real-life or contextualised examples

Such practices lead to learner frustration, fossilised errors, and low motivation.

A Classroom Snapshot

Without Pedagogical Strategy

After finishing a lesson on “The Gift of the Magi”, the teacher assigns homework:

“For the next class, write a paragraph on environmental pollution.”

No connection is made to the lesson, no structure is provided, and expectations are unclear.

Outcome:

Learners struggle to understand the purpose of the task. Lower-proficiency learners often feel overwhelmed, while stronger learners tend to dominate or copy externally, and homework becomes a compliance activity rather than a meaningful learning experience.

With Pedagogical Strategy

After completing “The Gift of the Magi”, the teacher briefly revisits key ideas such as love, sacrifice, irony, and generosity, as well as class-appropriate literary devices, ensuring shared understanding.

The teacher then explains:

Homework Task (Clearly Framed)

The teacher then explains:

“Today we explored how love and sacrifice are presented in The Gift of the Magi. For homework, you will write one short paragraph explaining how love and sacrifice are shown in the story, using ideas and examples from the text.”

Clear Writing Criteria

The teacher displays and explains the assessment criteria:

1. Clear topic sentence on love and sacrifice, supported with examples from the story (5 marks)
2. Logical and smooth connection between ideas and the events of the story (5 marks)
3. Use of at least two figures of speech (e.g., simile, metaphor, irony) (2 marks)
4. Explanation of the result or meaning of true love and sacrifice (2 marks)
5. Thoughtful concluding sentence (1 mark)

Total: 15 marks

The teacher then asks:

“Are these criteria clear? Do you have any questions before we begin?” which ensures transparency and reduces anxiety.

Collaborative Scaffolding Before Independent Writing

Before assigning the homework fully, the teacher divides learners into mixed-proficiency groups.

Each group:

• Collaboratively plans a paragraph
• Shares ideas and examples from the story
• Identifies possible figures of speech to use

Higher-proficiency learners naturally model language, while lower-proficiency learners receive peer support within their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Vygotsky, 1978).

Pedagogical Outcome

Because of this strategy-mediated approach:

• Learners understand the task purpose
• Cognitive load is reduced
• Writing expectations are transparent
• All learners can participate meaningfully
• Homework becomes an extension of learning, not an isolated task

The next class begins with confidence, discussion, and purposeful feedback, rather than confusion.

Key Pedagogical Insight

The topic has not changed, nor have the learners. What has changed is learner-centred English teaching skills:

• Alignment
• Scaffolding
• Criteria clarity
• Cognitive load management
• Strategic grouping

Final Thoughts

English teaching skills are not optional. They are essential for ethical, effective, and professional English education.

This article offers only a brief insight into a much larger picture of English language teaching. Effective pedagogy involves ongoing reflection, informed decision-making, and a deep understanding of how learners learn in diverse contexts.

This website will explore English teaching pedagogy, classroom strategies, and common ESL teaching mistakes, with one focused article per issue, supported by research and real classroom practice.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or perspectives to share, please feel free to add them in the comments. You’re also welcome to suggest topics or challenges you would like to see explored in future articles. Your insights and experiences can help shape content that genuinely supports the teaching community.

Further Reading

Ellis, R. (2003).Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Task_based_Language_Learning_and_Teachin.html?id=coO0bxnBeRgCGoogle Books

Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon

Larsen‑Freeman, D. (2000).Techniques and principles in language teaching (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
 https://openlibrary.org/books/OL21086648M/Techniques_and_principles_in_language_teachingOpen Library

Levis, J. M. (2005). Changing contexts and shifting paradigms in pronunciation teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 39(3), 369–377. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588485

Long, M. H. (2015). Second language acquisition and task‑based language teaching. Wiley‑Blackwell.
https://www.amazon.com/Second-Language-Acquisition-Task-based-Teaching/dp/0470658940/Amazon Australia

Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press

Samaras, A. P. (2010). Self‑study teacher research: Improving your practice through collaborative inquiry. SAGE Publications.
 https://books.google.com/books/about/Self_Study_Teacher_Research.html?id=FMdWCgAAQBAJGoogle Books