Brief Biography

For some, learning English seems almost natural, while others struggle in frustration. The teacher can be a positive influence here. I think a good teacher respects the personal-emotional aspect of second language learning, and tries to invigorate each student's relationship with English. This requires a caring attitude on the part of the teacher.

Since beginning as an EFL teacher in 1997 in Korea, I've taught all ages of students and witnessed many students achieve self-confidence in English. Although grammatical perfection is an unrealistic dream for most EFL students, being able to express oneself clearly, in voice or print, is an achievable goal. Beyond practice and study, this requires some insight into the language. I try to help students see the underlying principles, and learn to practice properly, with the right attitude.

I believe all EFL teachers can improve their performance through better understanding of the second language acquisition process and self-reflection on teaching methodology. This is why I completed a legitimate and recognized 6-week TESOL training course from Trinity College of London (cert.TEYL), and I continually learn more about ESL/EFL teaching from Internet resources and from my own experience. Recently, I co-instructed the classroom component of the Cambridge TKT - Teaching Knowledge Test course, a task that helped me refresh my knowledge once more.

In an EFL setting such as Taiwan, students have limited access to authentic sources of English, especially spoken and communicative forms. Promoting natural acquisition is a difficult challenge that should be the first priority of a classroom EFL teacher. Communicative activities are necessary for this. A good teacher will coordinate and participate in such activities, lifting all students' level higher as they internalize their communications and previous learning. A good teacher will inspire students to gradually take on more personal responsibility for this learning, and to see tests as learning tools, not goals in themselves. When the teacher to students relationship is at its best, students find learning English to be a satisfying, positive experience, which they are happy to indulge in during their free time and study time.

Since first visiting Taiwan in 1998, I have written ESL materials for publication, worked at several private schools, administered oral tests, trained EFL teachers, planned and conducted an English camp in Canada for young Taiwanese students, travelled to Portugal for my TESOL training, visited Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China, Nepal, India and the Philippines, learned basic Chinese, developed EFL Web sites for teachers and students, and made a lot of great friends along the way. I am currently working on an EFL textbook for young learners, and a guidebook to the most common idioms of English.

Peter Dearman (2008)