10 CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAKE A

GOOD LANGUAGE TEACHER

1.COMPETENCE AND PATIENCE

The requirement of any teacher is to know his or her subject well. However, in most
cases, it is vital to remember that, as a teacher, you are guiding a learner to new knowledge and
helping them discover the subject you are teaching. Doing is learning.

This is especially important in language teaching as many students may enter the course as
complete beginners, false beginners, or have little knowledge of the language but lack
confidence. As a teacher, recognizing what the learner knows and doesn’t know is paramount.
The learning doesn’t always happen quickly. Give it space and time to happen. Patience with the
learning process is one of the greatest qualities of a good teacher. Patience inspires confidence in
the learner. Vulnerability is a hindrance to the learner. Having patience gives the learner the
courage to learn.

2. PERSONALIZED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Every individual learns differently. Changing the classroom environment in a manner to

customize learning can be extremely beneficial to students and lead to increased
motivation. Language learning can be a taxing task in itself – imagine trying to learn when the
activities used to learn are not exciting or not personalized. Connecting with your students to
figure out what manner of learning – whether it is visual, audio, or even kinesthetic – works best
for them will undoubtedly help.

3. HOPEFULNESS

The best way to accomplish this is to remain hopeful and encouraging yourself. Your level of
hopefulness is contagious and inspires students to learn and believe that they can pick up the
language. In addition to using appreciative or constructive cues in the classroom (“Nice job!”;
“Great point, can you further clarify?”; “Stick with it!”; “You’ll get it!”; “You learned that fast!”;
“Well said!”), effective language teachers are sensitive to the learners’ discouragement and
readily appease and validate learners’ feelings.

A learner noticing your hopefulness is crucial as it propels further learning, even when they feel
demotivated themselves.
4. BE PASSIONATE AND GENERATE PASSION

You are obviously passionate about learning the language and communicating in it – it is
important however that you bring this passion in full force when teaching it as well. If classes are
drab and uninspiring they leave students in the same state. Sparking an interest in the language is
imperative and this can be done by understanding motivations for learning the language in the
first place or even communicating the benefits of learning the language. Every language or
culture is super exciting. Highlight this!

5. CONNECT

The division between your knowledge of the language and your teaching skills is the ability to
connect and form relationships with your students. Many of our least memorable teachers are
usually those with whom we had no personal connection or not felt understood or appreciated by
them.

As a good language teacher, your job is to put aside the specialized language and learn to explain
key language concepts, patterns, and ideas in ways that students can relate to, enjoy, and apply in
real-life situations. You can try using apps/websites that have learner-friendly activities that
connect personally. It’s important to take the time to understand why a student wants to learn the
language and try to cater to that purpose.

6. MISTAKES = LEARNING HAPPENING

Studies have shown that stimulating student participation directly leads to more successful
language acquisition. Passive, quiet students most likely aren’t learning as much as those who
participate actively and regularly. However, a more reserved student need not be a cause for
concern – implementing a more collaborative approach of asking, understanding, and
encouraging can be enough. Again, the importance of being relatable cannot be stressed enough,
as students will participate more when they feel respected by you, and that it’s safe to make
mistakes. They will quickly realize that they learn the most from their own mistakes. 

7. LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ DEVELOPMENT STAGES

Language learning environments are unique in that different learning stages will look very
different from one another. Younger students, for example, will need more visual tools and
playful activities rather than written ones. Language learning is challenging and can result in a
lot of frustration during certain frustrating stages. Understanding the language development
stages of your learners, therefore, offers you a better idea to customize teaching to suit the
individual needs effectively.

8. EXPLORE DIFFERENT TEACHING METHODS

With technology permeating all aspects of life and the incorporation of eLearning in classrooms
(blended classrooms) methods of language teaching have changed considerably. As an effective
teacher, including the use of technology in your lesson plans, is invaluable to create an enhanced,
more relatable, and a multimedia classroom.

9. TEACHER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

To be the best teacher you can, you also need to be a learner. One cannot stress enough the
importance of teachers continuously improving their own teaching and language abilities. Ways
to do so include analyzing one’s own practices, learning from peers, staying current with the
latest teaching methodologies. Teachers ultimately also remain lifelong students, and effective
tutors share what they are learning as well as show what it looks like to be a learner.

10. HOLD STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE

Finally, it is essential to remember that everyone can learn anything. It is innate in all of us. The
teacher’s responsibility is to find all the ways to facilitate that learning. Also, a good teacher
would make sure that all learners take responsibility for their learning right from the start.

A learner can only learn so much through teaching. Bringing a positive attitude and having the
motivation to learn themselves is just as crucial to their learning process.