How should we teach?

Fistly, I don't believe there is a single, correct way to teach, or indeed to learn. This is not because I think the "multiple intelligences" theory of learning is correct; I think it has a lot of problems when put too strongly. But rather, that there are many different alternative ways to get to the same (or similar) results, and that claiming one method or technique is the right way simply doesn't have any empirical evidence behind it. Indeed, empirical evidence within pedagogy is a perennial problem: all evidence gathered is extremely context-dependent, and yet as a field is prone to exaggerated generalisation about the "superior" teaching and learning method. I think all social fields have this same problem, but there are few who take the half-baked theories of political scientists seriously! In contrast, there are millions of teachers and administrators, together with education departments who are ready to put these theories into practice, and who were taught in teacher training courses there there is a "right" way to teach, and naturally whatever method *we* teach is the right one.

I have the disadvantage (or advantage) that I never attended any teacher training apart from a four week course on teaching english to speakers of other languages. It is for this reason that many "professional" teachers would say that I am not qualified, and that I dont know what I'm talking about.

However, my lack of official teaching accreditation besides, I have had an opportunity that "professional" teachers almost never get: the freedom to actually experiment in an environment that is not constantly demanding of results, and the expectation that teachers will follow a set way of working. I worked for more than ten years as an EFL teacher (English as a Foreign Language) in South Korea, China, Spain, and the UK.

There are a great many things wrong with the EFL industry: unprofessionalism of teachers, uncertain working conditions, temporary contracts, schools that are only interested in profit, not the wellbeing or learning of students to name but a few. The worst examples of the industry are well known: unprofessional teachers who come to work drunk, have inappropriate relationships with students, don't give any time or energy to learning how to teach. The stereotype of the EFL teacher is often a drunken lecherous westerner living in a developing country for the cheap beer and sunshine. My experience of the EFL industry was perhaps not as extreme as in some schools, or some locations. I had some bad and inexperienced colleagues, but managed to avoid the drunken lechers.