Is English a language or a skill?
James Liu, PhD, MBA
Empowering Teachers to Earn What They're Worth and Do What They Love | Niche Teaching | Digital Courses | Membership | Passive Income | Free LinkedIn Marketing Webinar below ??
When you teach English, are you teaching a language or a skill?
First of all, what is a language, and what is a skill?
To me:
Language is a tool, one of many tools people need to solve their problems and achieve their goals.
A skill is a holistic sort of knowledge that people need to solve problems and achieve their goals.
Let’s say there is a mechanic who needs to fix a car.
When you teach a language, you teach the mechanic how to use a tool, one of many tools the mechanic needs to fix the car.
It could be a wrench, a screwdriver.
When you teach a skill, you teach the mechanic the holistic knowledge they need to fix the car.
It’s not only about how to use each tool, but also the steps the mechanic follows to diagnose, fix, and evaluate progress.
So when you teach English, are you teaching a language or a skill?
When you are a general teacher, you teach a language because you only teach students how to use English as they try to solve their problems and achieve their goals on their own.
When you are a niche teacher, you’re teaching a skill. You teach students how to solve their problems when it comes to English.
For instance:
If you are a niche teacher helping students with their English communication, you teach students how to conduct meetings in English, make small talk in English, and socialize with clients and colleagues in English so that they can succeed in their careers with better English communication skills.
If you are a niche teacher helping students with their presentations in English, you teach students how to create and deliver engaging presentations so that they feel comfortable and confident in every future presentation they give, with better English presentation skills.
So now that you understand this distinction, how will it help you and your business?
First, when you teach skills, the market rewards you with higher returns because of the bigger impact you make on students’ lives.
When you are a general teacher, you help students learn a language and earn what a language is worth.
When you are a niche teacher, you help students develop a skill and earn what a skill is worth.
Second, you can highlight your skills-based approach in your marketing and sales to help you build trust and differentiate yourself.
You can even write articles and record videos talking about it so students know that you aren’t just another ESL teacher teaching a language.
Last but not least, you’ll know how to position yourself and why you are worth more, so you are confident in charging a higher rate.
What do you think?
Let me know in the comment.
Empowering non-native speaking IT professionals to advance confidently in their careers with fluent and effective English communication skills.
3 年Thanks for the article, James. I really like your analogy to the car mechanic.
Highschool English Teacher at Universal Academy of Florida
3 年considering that this article is directed towards ESL teachers it makes sense. However, the limitation we put on our students in terms of how they should use the language and present it to the world limits their creativity by all means. Even in a traditional classroom where students speak English, the English language become more than a skill. It becomes like you mentioned a tool to organize their thoughts and evaluate their capabilities in producing any form or writing or work. Therefore, practicing outside of the classroom environment to break the barrier of the usual English classroom mantra is a crucial part of their learning.
MA TESOL Cultural enrichment through English conversation. Stanford University, Fostering Communication
3 年Hi James, I am happy to have discovered you on LinkedIn. As an ESL teacher & coach, differentiating language and skill is most useful as my students have a range of proficiency. Students always surprise me with their abilities so I think of the classroom or seminar as a multithreaded process focusing on both language or skill. In short, our classroom activities expand skills and improve language expertise. Thank you, Frank
English Second Language Instructor at Language On
3 年Well stated.
English Teacher and Online Tutor
3 年So you're thinking is that learning is for earning. That is one way to start motivating students to learn. Many can live with financial success as their sole motivation to aquiring certain parts of a language as a tool. But then after, a deeper commitment may also bring more life fullfilment. Some find that learning is a virtue onto itself.... like "Art for art's sake." Even learning to learn a language spreads into every part of the brain. Life is changed by the new language and it becomes a part of one's very being. The niche teacher improves students language skills for specific professional goals but in North America and Western Europe it also is enriching to become immersed in anglophone culture in order to make genuine relationships. And those relationships are what connect us to more meaningful and rewarding experiences at the office and after work too. Successful communication is the first step but then many students seek to engage in language to understand the cultural texture and perspectives which enrich their daily lives and make rewarding relationships.