Learn English
- Adapting A Coursebook.
In most subjects and in any grade level, teachers and, therefore, students are expected to use a textbook as a resource in their classes. However, we have to bear in mind that although those textbooks are produced by experts, experienced teachers and...
- First Impression Of The First Day School, 4 Things An English Teacher Should Do
In the first day school every teacher got their own rules. It can built such kind of understanding between a teacher and his/her students. I notice there are 3 points that teacher should tell the students to do to make the class conducive especially for...
- For New Teachers: Teaching Is Not A Sprint, It's A Marathon
I'm sure that this has been said somewhere else before, but I believe that it's true. I have met some new teachers who are constantly dogged by the feeling that they are not good at the craft because they have had lessons that don't...
- Numbered Heads Together; A Learning And Teaching Model
A, What Is It? Numbered Heads Together is a cooperative learning strategy that holds each student accountable for learning the material. Students are placed in groups and each person is given a number (from one to the maximum number in each group)....
- What Are The Criteria Of Good Teaching?
Adapted from Prof. Bhushan Manchanda, MCMI ?A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.? ~ Horace Mann. ?They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them...
Learn English
Ways to Increase ESL Students' Motivation
Most ESL students need more than just a burning desire to learn English to help them get through the difficult nuances, exceptions, and challenges that await them in learning English. As a teacher to adults in an IEP, I realize that most of my students are motivated by their need to advance in careers or in education, but I find that this doesn't usually happen at the pace they expect it to. This is when a strong dose of teacher inspired motivation can help them to keep going on their English journeys. Therefore, I want to give a few ways to help teacher inspire their students to be motivated to learn English in and out of class.
1. Get excited! - If you aren't excited about your class, no one else will be. Of course, teaching the 3rd conditional for an hour isn't inspiring to most ears, but it is the teacher's job to make it interesting. Bring in props, wear costumes, act silly, make jokes. Do whatever it takes to make English exciting without sacrificing the core principles of sound instruction.
2. Experiment! - I have done many activities that have failed, but changing mid course is okay if something is not working out. I have found that students appreciate the fact that a teacher is trying something different if they know that the teacher is doing it for their good. Most of the time, they don't mind taking a detour from the normal routine as well. Try games, contests, championships, and fun activities to mix up the classroom.
3. Vary your tone!- We tell our students not to be monotone, but sometimes we are the worst culprits of this language sin. A little syllable and word stress goes a long way. Get quiet in order to get the attention of students, then get louder to drive home your points.
4. Ask questions! - Don't simply lecture the whole class! By asking students questions, the teacher makes them feel valued and respected. This is not common in many cultures, and could set your class apart from many classes that your students have taken in their home countries.
5. Be unpredictable! - Routines are great, but as the idiom says, "Variety is the spice of life." I teach classes for two hours at a time, five days a week, so doing the same thing each day will not cut it as the heads will droop, and students will begin to catch up on the previous night's sleep. Switch up the order of class. If you usually teach grammar first, jump to writing or reading first for one day. Of course, you don't want to do this too much, but sometimes it helps when the students are obviously disinterested.
6. Break out of the textbook! - Nothing is worse than painfully going through every single exercise in a long textbook. This may be good for some, but many will grow weary of this in long classes ( I speak from experience). Make the textbook a resource and not a prison. Use it in creative ways. Cut up exercises and have students relay the answers back and forth to you. Call out random #s from an exercise and ask students to answer those questions. Try to do anything but the student #1, question #1 format every time.
These are just a few points, but I will try to give more specific examples in upcoming posts on how to liven up a seemingly boring exercise for students.
1. Get excited! - If you aren't excited about your class, no one else will be. Of course, teaching the 3rd conditional for an hour isn't inspiring to most ears, but it is the teacher's job to make it interesting. Bring in props, wear costumes, act silly, make jokes. Do whatever it takes to make English exciting without sacrificing the core principles of sound instruction.
2. Experiment! - I have done many activities that have failed, but changing mid course is okay if something is not working out. I have found that students appreciate the fact that a teacher is trying something different if they know that the teacher is doing it for their good. Most of the time, they don't mind taking a detour from the normal routine as well. Try games, contests, championships, and fun activities to mix up the classroom.
3. Vary your tone!- We tell our students not to be monotone, but sometimes we are the worst culprits of this language sin. A little syllable and word stress goes a long way. Get quiet in order to get the attention of students, then get louder to drive home your points.
4. Ask questions! - Don't simply lecture the whole class! By asking students questions, the teacher makes them feel valued and respected. This is not common in many cultures, and could set your class apart from many classes that your students have taken in their home countries.
5. Be unpredictable! - Routines are great, but as the idiom says, "Variety is the spice of life." I teach classes for two hours at a time, five days a week, so doing the same thing each day will not cut it as the heads will droop, and students will begin to catch up on the previous night's sleep. Switch up the order of class. If you usually teach grammar first, jump to writing or reading first for one day. Of course, you don't want to do this too much, but sometimes it helps when the students are obviously disinterested.
6. Break out of the textbook! - Nothing is worse than painfully going through every single exercise in a long textbook. This may be good for some, but many will grow weary of this in long classes ( I speak from experience). Make the textbook a resource and not a prison. Use it in creative ways. Cut up exercises and have students relay the answers back and forth to you. Call out random #s from an exercise and ask students to answer those questions. Try to do anything but the student #1, question #1 format every time.
These are just a few points, but I will try to give more specific examples in upcoming posts on how to liven up a seemingly boring exercise for students.
- Adapting A Coursebook.
In most subjects and in any grade level, teachers and, therefore, students are expected to use a textbook as a resource in their classes. However, we have to bear in mind that although those textbooks are produced by experts, experienced teachers and...
- First Impression Of The First Day School, 4 Things An English Teacher Should Do
In the first day school every teacher got their own rules. It can built such kind of understanding between a teacher and his/her students. I notice there are 3 points that teacher should tell the students to do to make the class conducive especially for...
- For New Teachers: Teaching Is Not A Sprint, It's A Marathon
I'm sure that this has been said somewhere else before, but I believe that it's true. I have met some new teachers who are constantly dogged by the feeling that they are not good at the craft because they have had lessons that don't...
- Numbered Heads Together; A Learning And Teaching Model
A, What Is It? Numbered Heads Together is a cooperative learning strategy that holds each student accountable for learning the material. Students are placed in groups and each person is given a number (from one to the maximum number in each group)....
- What Are The Criteria Of Good Teaching?
Adapted from Prof. Bhushan Manchanda, MCMI ?A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.? ~ Horace Mann. ?They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them...