Here is an excerpt of the interview with us:
Q1. What inspired you to become an IELTS Trainer?
Ans. Being a tutor I always wanted to do impressive and special things in my profession. In my usual methods of teaching I did not face greater challenges. Although, teaching is my loved profession, I had been looking out for some exciting regime to make it more interesting. One day a friend approached me to train her daughter to clear the IELTS examination. It was necessary to clear the IELTS exam to travel to Australia. I readily accepted her as my student and took deep interest in training her. To my surprise she scored a Band 7. This proved to be the stepping stone for my future endeavors. During those times, I had numerous opportunities to train students in clearing such exams. I have to thank UrbanPro.com for their continued support in increasing my student network and their belief in making me a successful coach.
Q2. What qualities or skill sets are essential to become a great IELTS Trainer?
Ans. Along with in-depth knowledge in English, I feel how we care for our students while taking training matters a lot to become a successful trainer. Just like a coach in Cricket who needs to have complete knowledge of the game before coaching his team, a trainer needs to go through each hurdle that students might face during their preparation and exams. It is necessary to anticipate the hurdles that student may face and prepare them accordingly. Common sense plays an important role as every student has a different learning ability and needs a different approach to train them for success. Moreover, a firm belief in students’ abilities encourage them to take self initiatives and makes them work smarter to succeed in exams. Developing a disciplined regime of regular classes will ensure continued focus in students.
Q3. What are the common teaching challenges IELTS Trainers face?
Ans. Teaching pronunciation to a student with MTI (Mother Tongue Influence) is a big challenge. While speaking, students shouldn’t stutter. Instead, they should make use of some fillers like - you see..well…true…actually..etc. These may help them to speak fluently. Teaching students with basic, intermediate and advanced grammar particularly the concepts like compound complex sentences, active passive forms, usage of linkers, idioms and phrases in essays, maintaining tense etc, are important.
For Academic students, teaching them to write a summary of about 150 words on tables, pie chart, bar graph etc. is very important. Similarly, IELTS General students should practice letter writing. Format and forms of letters should be taught to students. Giving them practice in all the 4 areas is a must.
A minimum of 3 to 4 months of training followed by 1 month of practice is ideal. Just completing the syllabus will not work, continuous monitoring alone can make students achieve success. Reviewing a minimum of 50 writing questions, 25 letters, making them speak everyday on a topic will help the students to get 6.5 Band score.
In the area of listening, students must be introduced to different accents like British, American and Australian accent etc., making them watch at least one English movie per week, during the class hours, and asking them questions will help them in comprehending the content.
Students have to read loudly in the class so that the tutor can check pronunciation, accent, flow of speech, grammar etc. They must be given enough reading practice, dictation and vocabulary test in class. A good lesson plan and work diary should be maintained as taught during their B.Ed classes. They must be asked to solve various comprehension passages before taking up any mock test.
Q4. How you came across UrbanPro.com?
Ans. I was searching for a website that would provide me an opportunity to teach students online, then I came across UrbanPro.com. It definitely has changed my life. Since the students details are verified and the teachers also get their certificates verified, it is more authentic way of student teacher connectivity.
Q5. How UrbanPro.com helped you expand your classes?
Ans. Earlier, I used to teach only at college but when I came in contact with UrbanPro.com I started teaching hundreds of students both in India and abroad. I don’t think any other portal of this category is as successful as UrbanPro.com. Nowadays, I appear on T V channels in various programs related to counseling and teaching methodologies. Since, I am a teacher I can show my gratitude only through words. You have made me reach higher goals. The entire team is working tirelessly. Gone are the days when people used to feel bad for being teachers. It has made my self-esteem grow ten folds. Thank you UrbanPro.com for everything!
Q6. What piece of advice you would like to give new IELTS trainers on UrbanPro.com?
Ans. First equip yourself with adequate knowledge of aspects of English like grammar, writing styles, and phonetics. Teach the students grammar including punctuation, task achievement, cohesive devices used in English etc. My advice to all the exam trainers is - Don’t teach them to crack an exam always, but, teach them the fundamentals of any exam. This will enable them to face the exam with confidence. Give them a lot of homework and monitor their work.
It is advisable for the tutors themselves to take up mock tests regularly which will enable them to update themselves with the question patterns. Creating a question bank and teaching students how to construct simple, compound and complex sentences for speaking, reading and writing topics will facilitate you to be an inspirational teacher. Talk to trained and experienced professionals regularly. This would boost your confidence. Since teaching is an art, teachers shouldn’t adopt effective methods and shortcuts to reach their goals. They are handling human beings not machines. They must not become over cautious. Finally, I would like to tell all the tutors that while teaching small children, don’t start teaching students of higher classes directly. Wait for some years this will make you a seasoned teachers.
About the trainer: Mamatha, is an excellent IELTS Trainer who brings an extensive experience of 23 years in teaching various categories including TOEFL, GMAT, GRE and Spoken English. What motivates Mamatha the most is to see her students succeed and reach their goals. As an IELTS Trainer, she is known for her versatile style of teaching, systematic lesson plans, providing students regular feedback and how to work on their weak areas. She has in-depth knowledge of the IELTS exam - what type of questions are asked and how students can prepare well for a higher band score. She holds a Master’s degree in English and Psychology with B.Ed. She is involved with Kalki Kannada an expert assistance program on child, women’ problems, child’s learning disabilities and solutions for it and more.
