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Teaching beginners is considered by many to be the most challenging level of language instruction. Since students at this level have little or no prior knowledge of English on which to build, the teacher (and accompanying techniques and materials) becomes a central determiner in whether or not students accomplish their goals. This can also be the most tangible rewarding level for a teacher because one can readily see the growth of students’ proficiency in a matter of a few weeks. At the beginning or even false-beginning level your students have very little language “behind” them. You may therefore be tempted to go along with the popular misconception that the target language cannot be taught directly, that you will have to resort to a good deal of talking “about” English in the students’ native language. Such is clearly not the case, as beginning language courses have demonstrated for many decades. But you do have to keep well in mind that your students’ capacity for taking in and retaining new words is limited. Foremost on your mind as a teacher should be the presentation of material in simple segments so as not to overwhelm your students. Remember they are just barely beginning.
Beginners have no knowledge of English whatsoever.