Turino
- 2010-03-05
Shy students will be less shy with Chinese teachers of English than with foreign ones when it comes to speaking English,agreed? Maybe you should ask yourself why you are here(in China):
To aid and abet Chinese education providers cheat their fellow Chinese on account of your foreign looks,at the expense of excusing your students' Chinese English and taking advantage of their naivity by playing games?Group satisfaction,eh? (I'd have thought that REAL foreign teachers come here to HONE Chinese students' English,but maybe I'm wrong!
Playing games with students,in my experience,is monkeying around, and cannot motivate the dull,certainly not sth I want to be part of!
Call me old-fashioned if you like,but I know that good grammar + intelligence + motivation makes the more accomplished speakers of English - after all, your students are EFL learners,and need a good foundation in grammar,something that cannot come naturally to them,unlike to native speakers.
It's worth mentioning that in spite of the perceived negatives of the Chinese education system,it still produces students who can speak excellent English!I thought they'd been abroad,but they hadn't;their Chinese teachers of English gave them a wide berth,so as not to be looked down upon. And those same students didn't appreciate foreigners coming here and then wasting their time on games!
englishgibson
- 2010-03-05
in my view, giving candies on your first day sets a rather sweet tone and you'll have to get more of those every time or face the consequences. don't bribe your kids on your first day is my suggestion :)
first days are tough and we often do not know what we're getting into. therefore, we should do our best to find out as much as we can about our class to be taught. ages, levels, characters, backgrounds etc are to enquired about. of course, more often we'll get little out of that and so we end up wondering. aside our experiences in the field, our cultural awareness as well as our social skills are to guide us through such classes. our knowledge of what the school's expectations of the class are may also help there. note that you could really waste your young learners class if you insisted on english names as it happened to me before too. so, try learning your students chinese names just in case.
cheers and beers to our sweet first days in class
friz
- 2010-03-04
A game for the whole class to break the ice..to make them feel more comfortable. Something were they will have to interact with eachother and hopefully develop friendships from it.
I feel like some shy students kinda slip through the cracks. Most of them could use help because of low self esteem. They are not usually behavior problems so teachers may fail to take the time to deal with their shyness. We do discuss them with other teachers, if we think they have a problem that we may can help them with. Yes, we act nice towards them!!!
We have one student at our high school who is extrememly shy. I requested that he be made office assistant so he would have to interact some with teachers. It seems to be helping him.
I was shy, so I know what it feels like!
-----------
A good teacher will know that the student is shy and reserved and will find ways to get them to participate.
Most teachers dont hate students...we just dont approve of certain behaviors....shyness usually does not bother us
If they're not talking they're either shy, not paying attention, have some sort of learning disability, have personal problems, or don't care. You have to know your students. So far, I've experienced about 10% of my students being shy each year. All but one have come out of it before school is over, too.
4th grade teacher
----------
I'm not a teacher but I don't think they should bother students. Everyone is different and everyone has their own personality that they're born with. Some can't help but be shy.
There's a difference between shy students and kids who choose not to participate, recognize that. I'm not shy at all, but in my first period Language Arts class I don't talk at all because I'm too tired.
Most teacher's I have call on people even if they don't raise their hand, so I guess you could say they "force" students to participate.
-------------------
I disagree with the person who said "A silent ESL class is one in which students are not learning."
I teach in a school that has a 55% Hispanic population, and about 35% of our students are in ESL classes, bilingual classes, or Dual Language classes. I teach reading, and a majority of my students are ESL.
When someone is learning a new language, they go thru a silent period. This can last from a short time to a couple of years. During this time, the person is watching and listening and thinking and learning. They might be silent, but they are still learning. They just don't have the confidence yet to start talking.
So, to get to your question. Role play can be done, but it has to be done with roles that the students are familiar with. Little kids can role play "asking a friend to play with you" "ask your mother 'what's for dinner?' " "tell a friend about your new puppy".
You still won't get everyone talking, because of the silent period where they're just learning the words. Maybe having them do it in their native language would be good first, just so they know what to do. Then maybe have them write out what they want to say in English. Don't have them "perform" in front of the whole class, since that makes people nervous, even in their own native language. Have the kids talk in pairs to each other first. Put the "shy" ones together and let them choose their own partners if they wish.
Move awaiy from the thought "break their silence" ... they're not talking because they don't think they can do it right. When they get the confidence, they'll talk. But if you force them before they're ready, you'll just push them into more silence.
Imagine if you were just transported to a country where you had no knowledge of the language. You'd be looking and wondering and not talking, too.
val
- 2010-03-04
You also might have an easier time if you bring in lots of props to demonstrate. When you see them, it will remind you of what you need to say next. Also, it will make your points clearer if you demonstrate as you talk.
Make sure you have an intro. Tell people what you'll be talking about. Then go through step by step. At the end, give a sentence or two reviewing what you talked about.
Practice (talking and using the props) before you present. Get some family or friends to watch you. Make them sit down, and stand in front of them. It might seem awkward, but it will make it easier when you actually present. Also, make sure they time you so you can see how you are doing with that.
I used to teach public speaking.
I'm a teacher!
- 2010-03-04
It depends on the age of the children you would be teaching but what you would usually say is:
My name is Mr/Miss/Mrs and I'm going to be your teacher in (Class Name).
Then state a few general rules you have with children at their level,e.g. when I'm talking to a class of 6-7 year olds I normally say "I want you all to try your best, listen when I am talking and try to be nice to others".
Make sure you tell them how pleased you'll be with them if they follow your rules and that you hope you'll learn lots of new things and have a lot of fun learning them.
I am teaching my first class soon near bejing
What are some good first day class ideas for middle aged kids who are probably going to be incredibly shy?