Job Discussion Forums

[bobs12]

Friends,

Have you ever taught in a long-term situation with small groups, where students keep coming and going from groups, occasionally joining other groups or breaking off for individual lessons?

I'm finding it very difficult to keep track of who's done what, I'm having to prepare twice as much material for the students that are switching between groups and I can't follow any kind of plan with them.

Any strategies for dealing with it? I've had this for the last year and I'm going a wee bit loopy.

Help/advice/moral support/chocolates are all welcome.

[rogan]

A fairly standard system that is used in "real" primary schools is to give each child their pwn record book.

You can set a weekly or monthly target of activities/skills/language points that you want your students to master - maybe print a masterlist for each student's book.

Then as and when the student completes the activity/work/assignment then you check it off/initial the index or somehow mark the work.

Your own mark book (Do you have one?) can also be used to record which student has cmpletede which skill.

Sory if I'm teaching you to suck eggs, grandma !

[rogan]

"own record book"

"completed"

"sorry"


whoops ! [/b]

[dajiang]

hmm, sounds like a hard situation if you dont have any control over those students moving about.
I'd say its pretty important for the teacher to at least know in advance what a student is going to do: move up, move down, go private. And know the reasons for it.

I worked in a school where ss came and went, they did stretches of 2 weeks English training. But there the teachers were the only people who could send someone up or elsewhere. In those cases we discussed it with the other FT's there, who did those classes, and so it wasnt hard to keep track of the ss.
Also, they could only move weekly. Not during the week.
So FT's knew how many and which students we had during that week.
The record book is a good idea, and because youre working with small groups the records can be quite detailed.

If ss did come in randomly, it usually wasnt a huge disaster, but a nuisance and we kept telling the principal it affected the efficiency of our teaching. Also the ss have to be assessed.

Main thing is that ss have their lessons at their level. So, have assessment tests ready, and once they want to move up or join your class, they should do the test, and they can move the next week.
if ss want to join your class from outside, they should ask you in advance.

Just remember, you are the teacher, it's your classroom, and especially with small groups its imperative you know how many ss you have, and what their levels are.

good luck,
dajiang

ps, this was all in China, but i imagine its the same in russia eh.

[bobs12]

Glad to know someone recognises the problem Makes me feel a bit less of a hypochondriac.

Thing is that I'm the only teacher, but telling people they can't move to a particular group is, apparently, me 'not doing my job properly'.

I'd like to skin the HR managers alive.