Women have the innate qualities of a good online English teacher. In online English teaching, these qualities are important to leading a lesson, teaching effectively, and engaging with students actively. If you’re an aspiring EFL teacher or an EFL teacher who wants to improve your teaching style and become your best self, learn some of the qualities that women possess that enable them to become great online EFL teachers. The following qualities also include tips from Teacher Ruby Gleason’s 51TEDTalk to help you apply them.

Communication skills

Studies suggest that women are better communicators as they can express themselves more articulately; they are also great listeners. When it comes to online English teaching, communication skills play a vital role in delivering, discussing, or explaining lessons to your students, no matter the age or skill level.

To become a better communicator when teaching English online, teacher Ruby Gleason suggests using Total Physical Response or TPR, a teaching approach that uses gestures to help students understand target sentences better and learn them faster. You can use body movements to establish rules during lessons by gesturing “look” and “listen,” for example.  By having your students imitate these actions, they will understand that they need to pay attention.

Lastly, remember to speak more slowly and make your vocabulary and sentences simple and easy to understand, especially when teaching beginners. Keep in mind that your students are still developing their English language skills, so find a way to make it easy for them to understand what you say.

Interpersonal skills

Being able to establish a comfortable and trusting relationship with students is one of the most common qualities of a successful online teacher. Women can build connections naturally and develop them into lasting relationships due to their attention to detail and adaptability.

Because of engaging online English teachers, students become attentive and eager to learn. To build a relationship with your students, teacher Ruby suggests starting lessons with a warm greeting and a big smile. Also, always praise students no matter how small their achievements. Even if they fail, praise your students for trying. Encouraging your students will make them more comfortable during lessons and motivate them to engage with the lesson content more.

Patience

An online survey says that women are actually more patient than men, even if more women think otherwise. For online English teachers, this can be one of the most difficult qualities to learn or master. However, patience is one of the most important qualities of online teachers in EFL, especially when teaching young learners.

Not all of your students will behave, and there will be times that it’s difficult for your students to understand the lessons. When students have a difficult time understanding or remembering a word, teacher Ruby recommends having the student repeat the word three times while clapping to the syllables or copying your gesture for that word. During these times, patience is key to keeping the lesson moving.

Creativity

In a recent joint study, researchers found that female artists create more hit songs, suggesting that women are more creative, especially in the field of the arts. In online English teaching, creativity is a very useful and fun skill to keep students engaged and interested. Find different creative ways to teach and interact with your students and help them learn fast while having fun.

Teacher Ruby says using colorful and attractive visual aids is effective in helping young learners remember words or concepts. Use drawings, pictures, toys, realias, music, and more to present the lesson in a fun and creative way.

Learning from women

51Talk salutes all female teachers across the globe for their dedication and passion for teaching. A female teacher’s ability to lead, teach, and nurture makes them natural educators like teacher Ruby Gleason. These are the general qualities that online English teachers can develop or keep in mind to improve their teaching. Ultimately, however, what matters is your passion for and dedication to providing quality lessons.

If you want to pursue your passion for teaching, 51Talk, the leading online English education platform in the Philippines, offers teachers and professionals the opportunity to teach and earn from home. Join 51Talk today to start your remote teaching journey.