Richard Gallati

I have taught as a professor in college (in class) and online, the following subjects; business, remedial English, insurance licensing (to pass exams), Graduate Record Exams (GRE) and English as a second language (TEFL Certification). I hold an MBA from Penn State, various licenses in real estate, appraisal, finance and insurance and certifications in teaching English.

All of these subjects employ different teaching methods due to the material covered.

If we were to focus on teaching English as a second/foreign language, for example, we must understand the needs of our student(s). Do they need to speech English for everyday life, for business or exam prep? Are they young learners/teens, college students for academic purposes - do they need writing practice - or is it just for recreation, a hobby? All of these groups require a different orientation from the teacher.

There are many methodologies for teaching ESL but all must be student-centered lessons and should be Communitive Language Teaching (CLT) which stresses genuine interactions, authentic texts and student language both inside and outside the class.

Of the commonly accepted in class techniques, namely; PPT (present, practice, produce), TTT (test, teach, test) TBLT (task based language teaching), etc., all must be employed with concept checking questions (CCQ) to ensure that the student truly understands. There are also techniques for listening and reading receptive lessons and writing and speaking productive lessons and conversation, grammar and pronunciation classes. As you can see, there is some complication beneath a smoothly running lesson.

Everything will be used to ensure an enjoyable and productive learning experience.