Hi KJ

Glad to hear that you're "alive and kicking" in the sense that you're still maintaining enough enthusiasm to search for more ways to stimulate your students. Of course motivation is a key factor and that's what I've been working and focusing on recently.

Here is my plan for the new semester for both my writing students (freshmen) and speaking classes (sophomores), new classes (for ME anyway). Planning to set them off on the right foot, I will tell all the students to stand up and walk (or run if they're feeling energetic) to the windows and look outside and try to see and make out objects AS FAR AWAY and AS CLEARLY as they can (obviously a fairly clear day is a must, as well as a half decent view). I will then divide them into groups and tell one student at a time from each group to spend a minute observing and then to rejoin his group and relate as CLEARLY as he can what he can see while another student goes to the window.

When that task is completed, I will then use that to figuratively relate to the students the importance of having VISION and real and CLEAR objectives and goals. As English majors especially, they need to think about how their English skills can help them reach those goals. They (students in general) often tell me that English is difficult to learn and often not interesting. I often ask students (college students in my case), 'How long have you been studying English?'. The replies are usually in the 10-12 year range. I will usually express a 'wowwwww!' and say that's a long time to spend on something that they find difficult and uninteresting.

I illustrate this by asking them if they would work hard for ten years while every month saving a considerable amount of their salary in the bank and then later just walk away fom that money and say that they don't need it and that the money is of no use?

Even if they are not paying for their education, or not studying English by choice, that's a mighty lot of class hours-a big investment. Might they not be able to find practical uses for English today or in the future beyond it just being a tool for passing exams? Sometimes sophomore students, for instance, don't sem to make the connection between their use of English in their part-time jobs (if they have any), and their study of it, "Hey!, wait a minute, this English might be a good investment after all". I Ask them to tell me what use English is to them now, or how it could help them in the future (this of course will work better with college students, who are more likely to be using English in their daily lives).

I tell them that it's not enough to just turn up for English class on time each week, commendable as that is. In my college I ask them how long the screwed down desks and chairs in the classroom have been there and if those peices of furniture can understand or speak ONE word of English, and then ask them how many classes those chairs and desks have missed? "Don't be like wooden desks, while here, participate, learn, be active, and study outside of the class too!"

I ask them what is the centre of their study. No not your teacher, your mother, your dictionary, your boyfriend, the dean, the library!...YOU! YOU ARE! (The students). "If you don't learn English well, it can't be blamed on anybody except yourself." Even if this is CHINA they have or at least most of them do, the resources availabe to learn English well, but they need heart and desire. Tell the students that the one thing they must always bring to their class is their HEARTS. Don't leave them in the dormitory or outside the door. I tell them if their girlfriend/boyfriend has taken their heart they must ask for it back for my lesson, for ALL their lessons in fact, then they can return it as they please. All hearts are checked at the door!

They are told to not just study for degrees. To illustrate I try to "shoot" a student in a "gunfight"
with the most expensive highly polished gun in town, but as I have no bullets for it, it proves to be useless in the gunfight and I always end up shot. So I tell them "Do not be an EMPTY GUN!" A degree that says you have passed your TEM-8 is useless if you cannot function in an English or work environment!".

If they can see real benefits in learning you will notice a greater effort from them in trying to think for themselves, in using their initiative and in trying to think outside of the box. It's often about their attitude to learning. A lot are apathetic at first. In my writing classes I will play brief excerpts of Classical or Jazz music and tell them to debate their feelings and what comes to their mind when they hear them , and ask them to describe what they hear. Write famous inspirational quotes on the board at the beginning of lessons, divide the students into groups and let them discuss the meanings and what the authors are trying to tell them. I use these methods as warm-ups and stimulators. I tell them that when they read something it's not just a case of trying to memorize every word, but to understand the main points and how they can practically benefit from and use the information. Maybe you have used the above or similar already. I'll relate some more specific activities later. However I have found powerful, passionate and vivid illustrations to be quite successful in motivating students. I'm sure most people will agree that for any of us learning any language is not difficult if we have motivation, work hard and put our hearts into it.

It's good-particularly in classes where students are shy to express themselves-to emphasize to the students how important the power of speech or the written word can be. Tell them (whether you believe or not is not important, and this has nothing to do with any preaching or any religous beliefs by the way) that the Bible states that the Universe and everything around us was created by speech "Let there be light, and there was light..", this should vividly illustrate the power of words and help them realise that English can open up a greater opportunity for them to "Make friends and influence..." a greater number of people around the world. This reminds me of the film "Dead Poets Society", where the inspirational teacher played by Robin Williams helps his poetry students realise what a wonderful opportunity they have to add and contribute their individual voices and thoughts to the world in imitation of the many great poets and thinkers who came before them.

Students need to be constantly asked how?/where?/why?/when?/ and what?, as regards the use of English in their lives. I certainly find with college students and with the amount of time they have been studying English the best thing we can do for them is to set sparks of in the classroom and keep the fire burning constantly form lesson to lesson while thinking of lively discussion/roleplay activities to use with them. Vocabulary and grammar exercises are fine but at this stage of their learning they should be able to study these things independently outside of the classroom or let their Chinese teachers focus more on that aspect, while we focus on motivatian, inspiration and putting into practice what they have learnt so far (although there is quite a bit more involved with writing classes). As Fish touched on, a good way to build up vocabulary is for students to read, make note of new words and use them as quickly as possible, either in speech or in writing practice, or both.

I've also told them to let go of their "mother's" hand. At this stage of their English study especially they should not be holding on to their mother language's hand by constantly relying on translations into Chinese. They should by now be thinking in the target language if they really want to internalise English. I point out that they are like big children who have never let go of Mama's hand, and so still have trouble walking independently when they're older. I must add that before I give any of these illustrations they always discuss the issues FIRST (groupwork, and then as a class). The idea is that they try to arrive at these conclusions themselves, and then I drive the points home as vividly as I can.

In part of the writing exam for my students I told them to write about the purpose of writing and what skills can be obtained from the practice. Also they were told to explain how they intended to use their English skills in the future. I think this would be of more practical use to students than a constant series of vocabulary and grammar questions.

One poster in this forum gave reference to a great teacher who inspired a class of inner-city high school students to pass their Maths exams while nobody else thought they had a hope in hell. I believe his name was Jaime Escalante. The same poster mentioned the movie, "Conrack", which is based on the true story of a white teacher who had an incredible impact on a class or classes of black students who had also been written off. At the moment I've only read about the movie, but I'm now looking for a chance to watch it. These real life examples can be encouraging for us!

Sorry if I've been rambling, but anyway getting the students to think about why they should study English and how to acquire and internalise it by using powerful illusrations to drive home points that they should discuss first, has helped my students to become more independent, enthusiastic, and creative in the use of English, and more responsible for their own learning.

You've started a stimulating thread KJ. I'm sure there are many teachers with much more useful ideas than mine. It would be good to hear from them.