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How to Choose a Good Teacher: 12 Questions Before Your First Lesson

12 questions to the teacher before the first lesson: diagnosis, program, progress, materials, errors, feedback and expectations from the student.

3 min read
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Contents

  1. Questions 1-3 – Diagnostics and Purpose
  2. Questions 4-6 - How the process works
  3. Questions 7-9: The lesson itself
  4. Questions 10-12 – Feedback and Expectations
  5. What to Listen to in Answers
  6. Scorecard after conversation
  7. What should not be the main criterion
  8. How to make a decision

Today you are not a student; you are hiring a specialist. A beautiful profile and the phrase “individual approach” are not enough. A good conversation before class can save you months.

Questions 1-3 – Diagnostics and Purpose

  1. How do you determine the starting level?
  2. How does my goal become a program?
  3. How will progress be measured?

Questions 4-6 - How the process works

  • What am I doing between classes?
  • What happens if I don’t understand the first explanation?
  • How often is the program reviewed?

Questions 7-9: The lesson itself

  1. How long do you talk and how many students?
  2. What materials do you use and why?
  3. How do you correct mistakes?

Questions 10-12 – Feedback and Expectations

  • What does feedback look like?
  • What do you expect from a student?
  • When will we see if the approach works?

What to Listen to in Answers

Strong signalWeak signal.
Specific methods of diagnosis"We'll see on the go" without a system
Measurable goal"We're just going to study."
Plan adaptsOne textbook for everyone
Student activeThe teacher talks all the time.

Scorecard after conversation

CriteriaYes/no
Got it.
There's a diagnosis.
Understandable progress
There's adaptation.
Comfortable to ask questions

What should not be the main criterion

  • lowest price;
  • the largest number of certificates without connection to the purpose;
  • charisma on the first bell;
  • The promise of a specific result without diagnosis;
  • The universal method is suitable for everyone.

How to make a decision

  1. Compare 2-3 teachers on the same subject.
  2. Choose not the “smartest”, but a clear working model.
  3. Do your first class.
  4. After 3-5 lessons, check if the system has appeared.

The best first lesson is not the one after which the teacher seems the most impressive. The one that makes you more aware of how you will become stronger.

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