Despite the fact that many local English teachers today are highly qualified, proficient, and well-versed in modern teaching strategies and methodologies, higher education institutions often continue to favour native English speakers over local educators. But isn't it time to reconsider this preference? Wouldn't assigning these roles to local teachers not only empower them but also motivate continuous professional growth and help them meet and even exceed international standards in English language teaching?
It is a fallacy. Teaching effectiveness depends on training, methodology, and classroom skills, not on being a native or non-native speaker.
It is a very complicated subject and humanistic.
All is possible, whether native or non-native; it depends on their aims, background, and favorites.
Native speakers are naturally strong in fluency, pronunciation, and communication skills, which makes them effective in teaching spoken English and real-life conversational use of the language. However, they are not always equally strong in explaining grammar rules, sentence structures, or the technical aspects of the language, since these often come to them intuitively rather than through formal study. On the other hand, non-native teachers who have learned English as a second language themselves tend to be better at teaching grammar, tenses, and structural accuracy because they understand the learning process from a student’s perspective. In my view, the best approach is not to prefer one over the other, but to recognize the complementary strengths of both. Native teachers can excel in enhancing communication and fluency, while non-native teachers can provide strong foundations in grammar and structure. Together they can create a more balanced and effective learning environment.
Not necessarily. The native speakers of a language usually do not follow the correct grammatical patterns. The non-native speakers, however, focus more on the grammatical accuracy of the content.
The training and experience are incredibly strong factors that influence teacher effectiveness. I would only add that in a mono lingual environment many students will have terministic screens (ala Keneth Burke) that are deeply set in their socio-economic backgrounds and home culture. It will take extra effort for them to be willing to receive the instruction if the teacher sounds different from them. Once this trust barrier is crossed the training and study the teacher has can be of some use. That barrier, albeit one built upon a false perception, must first be removed and students must be disabused of their false perception.
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