| What do I teach them? | |
|---|---|
| Jun 5, 2008 00:19 |   |
| guestDee | Hi, I just got accepted into a college teaching English. I've taught English before but never in a college environment with 40 students. I asked the school if they would provide me with teaching material and they said no and that most of the class would be purely verbal. They told me they'd provide an outline of what they want me to teach but I would have ultimate control over how and what I teach them. I wanted to know what everyone else has been teaching in their classes and if you can shed some light into what a typical class would look like. Thanks in advance -D |
| Jun 6, 2008 21:11 | #1 |
 | Hi guestdee, My first gig in China sounds exactly like this, and was a bit of a shock after my CELTA course, the school had no advice or instructions for me about "what" they wanted me to teach and, worse, they had no books and I had no access to a photocopier except if I wanted to pay for all the copies myself. I had to create my own syllabus for oral English, my materials were myself, a blackboard and some chalk, plus a few bits that I brought over from the UK. I can offer you some suggestions. Topic based course is probably the easiest. You choose a specific topic every week: marriage, money, job interviews, sport... whatever interests you or your students... this allows you to use the topic as a basis for the class. Prepare the topics in advance and you can inform the students the previous week and get them to do some research, or ask the students what they would be interested in learning about and add their choice of topics to your schedule. Topic based allows you to introduce specific vocabulary and practise specific vocabulary. If you want to pick up a grammar point or language usage issue, it's a good idea. EG: formal language in an interview situation. Students are very interested in your home and culture, having little "genuine" experience of life beyond China, except for movies. Anything you can bring with you to stimulate their interests: photographs, magazines, newspapers (all light and cheap to bring). Use them creatively and you'll have to adapt them to what may be a great variety of learning levels. Big classes are tough. Worse is if you are in a lecture theatre, with seats that don't move. If you're lucky, your students will have moveable seats, this sounds crazy, but if they don't you can't put them in groups and it's a big PAIN. You can ask to move to another classroom if this is the case... explain your reasons and cross your fingers, it might happen! Chinese students aren't used to talking in class. They're used to sitting and being talked at... in the majority of cases. So, much coaxing and patience might be required. Students don't want to lose "face", a concept that shouldn't be overlooked, as it will have an impact on your teaching. I would suggest putting a small amount of time away in most classes for using a game, the students love games, and they love you to sing and even if you can't sing.... as I can't... being willing to sing and lose your own "face" will endear them to you. Games/singing just help to break the ice. Spending a few RMB on prizes also works wonders, even a prize of sweets. I had my students extend a class for about 15 minutes to produce a winning team when playing the game "taboo"! |
| Jun 6, 2008 21:11 | #2 |
| Chinese students at college level are not as mature as western students at college level. Also, Chinese students at college level have probably been learning English for a bloody long time, even those that love English classes get bored. Try to mix up your classes, mix groups, debates, pair work, dialogues, acting (worth asking the students their opinions on acting, many love to do it!), individual presentations etc. Another good tip is to use specific days of the year that happen to fall on your teaching schedule to introduce culture and interest. EG: Halloween, Christmas, Easter, St Patrick's Day (any days specific to your country/culture). One of my most successful lessons ever involved Halloween: I turned all the lights out, drew the curtains and told the story of the Jack-O-Lantern, and for good measure carved a pumpkin, lit it and brought it out.... the students were AMAZED! I then got them in groups telling ghost stories and stuff. Yes, you might have to explain the orgins of many festivals are religious (and if you're uncomfortable about this or feel it might not be appropriate then it's up to you). OK. Just a few ideas here and a general overview of obvious things, hope it helps, Good Luck and enjoy, LC |
| Jun 7, 2008 16:49 | #3 |
| Dear LC Nice to hear your story and it sounds like teaching English in the south of Italy. A lot of practice and repetition. Your progress is normally not that quick, so do not make to long lessons. Better short to the point and change often to keep their interest. I did the same in Italy: any special item what happened in the news (example soccer championship), special food (christmas Turkey), different cultural issues (how to raise children, how important is sport?) are just some examples. if you have a small group you could even let them follow reading instructions and build or make something simple. That way they have to do something and read at the same time. Could build in the competition site into it as well. Good luck with your teaching class. just be creative and you will be fine. Elise |
| Jun 10, 2008 13:28 | #4 |
| GUESTDEE | Thanks for the advice lemoncactus, was there any website or book you found useful for coming up with topics? I'm still a bit nervous about teaching with no books or material to use. Also I'm not what to expect when it comes to papers, exams, and grading (even though I'll be the one handing them out). Thanks again for the advice guys, Dee |
| Jun 14, 2008 11:44 | #5 |
| If it is a private college, especially a Poly, the standard is not very high. They are not intellectual, they have little reasoning power or ability to critically analyse. The main approach is to simply get them talking. With 40 in a group you can start by talking on a topic and asking a few questions. Then set a few small questions for them to discuss in groups of about 4 and ask them to discuss the topic - if they are new first years students iti s a good idea to get them to prepare dialogues and then act them out in front of the class. The best topics are human: family, relationships (should you avoid having a bf or gf while studying, is a good one). Do not worry to much if the groups revert to English in the groups but just steadily keep up the pressure to speak English. To start with do not expect very much, but just build their confidence. Most will have poor listening skills ie they cannot understand much of what you say, so much repetition and slow patient explaining is required. You cannot expect much in depth discussion (first years especially) as none of the rest of their education requires this, even in Chinese. If you ask questions you must nominate one to answer as it is VERY hard to get them to volunteer answers. Look for decent textbooks as the basis of your work... I have twice used Contemporary College English:Oralpublished by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press - it has limitations but is adequate. Have individuals read some dialogues as they provide some basic skill practice - do not have them reading together as it ruins syllable stress and sentence pattern (intonation). Syllable stress is probably the most important single area that needs improving. Have several small activities per 90 minute double class and do not expect too much, the pace is quite slow. The most important thing is to have happy students as they formally or informally assess you! If they say you are a good teacher, all is well! |
Post a Reply to: What do I teach them?
Copyright © 1998-2024 All rights reserved.