Classroom ideas and experiences

[Admin]

I remember listening to a podcast episode (Bill VanPatten's) in which him, his co-hosts and callers (who are usually teachers) were discussing the best term to use instead of "teacher" in the world of language instruction. I thought that was interesting and it speaks to the idea of object language rather than language subject, and how teaching a language is different than teaching math or history. The role is indeed of more of a facilitator, and I agree with the list in this unit of how to support active learning, rather than simply lecture. One note though, at more beginner levels of language use (to not call it "proficiency"!) the learner rarely knows how they prefer to learn, so perhaps more guidance from the instructor is necessary. Any thoughts?

[sameerco1971]

I believe that English at schools is not like other subjects. A successful teacher should not teach the students as it is the case in other subjects. English is a language rather than a subject. Active learning techniques try to ensure changing the students from passive learners into active learners. The teacher is just a facilitator or a guide in most of the activities in class. When the teacher watches the students use the language in meaningful situations, this is considered the great outcome.

[Kunlong Jin]

I want to share my experience of one-to-one tutoring for a student before because one-to-one teaching takes extra attention on the Needs Analysis.
I conduct a needs analysis to understand the motivations, needs and goals of a that student. With one-to-one lessons, this is just as crucial, as having only an individual student means I need to be more focussed on meeting his aims. With a one-to-one needs analysis, I can go into more depth and find out more about the student as a person. What is he interested in? Why has he chosen one-to-one lessons? What kind of learner is he, and what type of activities does he enjoy? The answers to these questions can shape my lessons and give me lots of ideas for creating fun and engaging activities to help the student learn.
Teaching a student one-to-one also gives me the opportunity to tailor lessons specifically to the student’s learning style.

[andrea scabbia]

Learning how to learn. I'm a primary teacher in Italy. It is a very interesting journey from the 1st class to the 5th class, after 5 years of English lessons.
At the bottom of this stair, you play with the kids. What else for them? They don't want to learn a new language for going to NYC or understand pop music lyrics. Just to play. Just to have fun and satisfatction. They are naturally interseted.
When they are 10/11 years old, you can see a change...how they grew up in their learning process. There are the pleasure of playing with the teacher, but it's no more enough. At first unconsciousness, at the end with a self-reflected mind. Different brains works different, and they have different ways...amazing to see!

[evarojo]

Our roles as English teachers are of mediators and facilitators. In my lessons I try very hard to involve the whole learner in the experience of language learning providing my students with opportunities for them to practice English in real, meaningful contexts for them, not for me or the curriculum or the textbook. And I say very hard as it is very difficult to make them be active as they just see English as a another subject. I come into my lessons and stir them up, making them think about what they want and how they want it. I find their opposition as they come from a lesson where they have been passive in their learning. It is an arduous task lesson after lesson, even more when your language colleagues do not agree with your way of teaching, I am famous for my noisy lessons, even once a teacher walked into my classroom thinking there was no teacher.

[marian]

Being a facilitator is essential for a language teacher. The idea of flipped-classroom is also interesting, where the class is devoted only to discussion and activities, since students have to do some preparation work at home, before coming to the class.

[Amaryllis]

Jul 2, 2020 15:40:08 GMT evarojo said:

I am famous for my noisy lessons, even once a teacher walked into my classroom thinking there was no teacher.

I agree, this has happened to me too!



For me, needs analysis is crucial. Often in a General English class my students have a wide variety of needs - housewives who want to communicate in their daily lives; students who want to eventually take IELTS; unemployed persons who want to improve their job prospects; and many more categories. Once I know what each student’s specific needs are, then I know how to supplement the general programme with authentic activities that will interest them. And then flexibility and negotiation are important - for everyone to stay on track and have fun too!

I think another difference between learning and teaching English as compared to other subjects is that we have so much fun in the classroom. I consider myself fortunate to be around people from so many different places, with so many different stories, and ways of seeing the world and expressing their ideas. I learn so much from my students. And yes, I definitely see myself as a facilitator in their learning process.

[Ulla]

I try not to dismiss anything a learners says without engaging them in a conversation about what exactly they want to say. This is particularly useful when teaching tenses because it helps the learners to connect form and meaning.

If English ever was a subject like any other, we can no longer teach this way now that it is the global language and so dominant on social media. Even if we (have to) follow a coursebook, we have to focus on using English for authentic communication as much as possible.

[miabae]

I tailor my courses to suit the students' needs and interests (as much as the coursebook allows, that is). If I learn of something they take interest in as a group (or the majority of them), I make sure to incorporate the topic into extra activities we do in class or at least in their homework. 

[Rachel Dry]

I think it is really important to create engaging stimuli for the student to practise using English. The situations should be as genuine and realistic as possible. Using topics students are interested in allows them to contribute and provide situations that may be recreated outside of the classroom where they engage in conversations about topics they are passionate about.

[Anita]

I would like to comment on negotiated feedback/correction. Whenever I plan group work or pair work depending on the purpose of the task,there is a sort of negotiation on how they are required to communicate. The teacher allows students to use L1 if required to comprehend the task and brainstorm ideas. However,groups would need to report or present their ideas in the target language.