Hi everybody. How's your teaching going this term?

KJ, I've just realized how appropiate the theme of your PowerPoint presentation was. It was about the importance of making "connections", right? How did it go? It would be good to hear from you.

Every month, week, day, and lesson that goes by, I realize more and more, how important it is to connect with my students. Further to what has been debated about in another thread, expert knowledge of our subject is not enough to succeed in teaching English (or anything), certainly not here in China.

We have to understand where our students are coming from, their culture, their way of thinking, what has shaped that thinking, and also need to know what their specific needs are. We need to find examples of things that they can relate to in their everyday lives, and give them motivation and the desire to study. Phew!! Who claimed that teaching is easy?
Standing at the front of a classroom is easy, granted. Even I can do that! But to make a real difference is an entirely different ball game.

I often give mini speeches at the end of lessons to drive away the slightest hint of apathy, and boredom from my students. Only time will tell if it will help. Just recently I asked my English majors the following: "How important is English?" For example can it save the world, etc..? I then made the point that just because somebody knows that it's wrong to steal it doesn't make them a lawyer, and just because a few students "shoot some hoops" occasionally it doesn't make any of them Yao Ming. A student may be able to perfectly introduce himself in English ("Hello, how are you..."), but it doesn't make him an INTERPRETER, does it? Basketball is a lot more important to Yao Ming than it is to most of us. Because of basketball he is getting paid a fortune for playing the sport he loves, is idolized by millions the world over, and doesn't have to worry about where the next dime is coming from.

Why?

Because Yao Ming MADE BASKETBALL IMPORTANT! NOTHING is that important, it's what we DO with it that's important! It's HOW WE TEACH IT, and what our students DO with English that's important. They can make it important by taking the opportunity to really acquire English, and learn it as a skill, that they can use and put into practice to enhance their lives, or they can see it as a waste of time. It's their choice. We need to help them see this, and allow them to make their own choices. You can lead a horse to water...