Should I use native language to teach language?

After having observed many, many, many ESL and EFL classes, I can tell you that a lot of the best classes I've seen have been done where the teacher uses their native language.

The key, for me, is "Can the students understand?" We say this a lot in our presentations: "Children don't tune out because they are bored, they tune out because they don't understand." (Apapted from the book "The tipping point"). This is one of the reasons we believe in starting super simple, and building up. When children don't understand, they will lose interest, lose confidence, and tune out.

One of our other main beliefs, though, is that to learn the language students need LOTS of input. They need to hear a LOT of English.

So...

My feeling is that you need to make sure to spend time preparing your lesson and thinking about how you are going to introduce the activities, the English for that day, the songs, etc. Figure out the simplest way to communicate your directions in English (with the help of gestures, drawings, etc.). Make the effort to use English as much as possible and really plan what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. (You may want to videotape some of your lessons and watch them to see if the English you are using is appropriate for each class's level).

However, don't feel as if everything HAS to be in English. If you've tried in English but you see students aren't understanding and you can't get think of another way to express the idea, don't hesitate to use your native language. It's really important that students not get lost, not get frustrated by their lack of comprehension.

If you have a great language learning game or activity that would take 5-10 minutes to explain in English, but 1 minute to explain in Russian, explain it in Russian. It is better for the students to have that time practicing English than it is for them to struggle to understand the directions in English.

All in all, make the effort, with planning and analysis of your lessons, to use English as much as possible. But don't feel bad about using your native language to make sure children understand, especially when it comes to things that are really crucial such as rules.

That's my view...anyone else?

Devon