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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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 Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:55 pm Post subject: Describe your best lesson |
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| What is the best lesson you have ever given? What happened? I wish I had a story about teaching something that changed people's life, but it hasn't happened yet (not as well I would have liked, anyways). Maybe my ideal lesson would be for on the first day of class to do something about the importance of English and how it could be beneficial to one's life. As for good lessons in general, I think that which teaches while being interesting is good. (But I don't know the best way to achieve this.) Any thoughts? What are some good things you've done in the classroom? |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:13 am Post subject: |
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Silly imagining any single english lesson changing lives unless maybe you're some kind of charismatic guru, which I highly doubt any of us are. Kids will be kids & focus on general superficial impressions. ("Here comes that 'english is important' spiel again, teacher: blahblahblah.")
Not to say you cant make a lasting impact on a few of your students, but that will be based on consistency over the long haul: being kind, spontaneous, smart, humorous, & engaging, week-in week-out. Role model potential.
Though I did have one camp student years ago who I ran into again recently, a grown woman now. She told me she never forgot a lesson I gave on kiwis (the bird), of all things, & she went on to study english to near fluency in New Zealand!
One more: a former middle school student who is now a middle school english teacher herself, who tells me I '"inspired" her. Thats out of many thousand students, but I'd like to think I've had at least a small positive incremental impact on others over the years.
There is no perfect lesson -- they're all ephemeral. Think instead in terms of cumulative effect. |
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newinseoul
Joined: 22 Sep 2005
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 1:33 am Post subject: Re: Describe your best lesson |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| What is the best lesson you have ever given? What happened? I wish I had a story about teaching something that changed people's life, but it hasn't happened yet (not as well I would have liked, anyways). Maybe my ideal lesson would be for on the first day of class to do something about the importance of English and how it could be beneficial to one's life. As for good lessons in general, I think that which teaches while being interesting is good. (But I don't know the best way to achieve this.) Any thoughts? What are some good things you've done in the classroom? |
I think a good lesson is when you have the students engaged and wanting to ask questions and you can see the wheels actually turning.
I did a few lessons all about Canada at the end of the term. I made powerpoints and brought in a huge flag. I had videos of landmarks in Canada and taught them vocabulary based on what I was teaching. The students were mesmorized. Many of them wanted to learn more about other parts of the world. It is too bad geography isn't taught in primary school, perhaps the minds would open a little wider starting early on. |
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Squire
Joined: 26 Sep 2010
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:42 am Post subject: |
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Meh. I've had lots of very good lessons that seemed to go perfectly from start to finish with lots of kids learning stuff they didn't know when they walked in, but nothing that stands out or is genuinely memorable.
I did get a lot of satisfaction from my kindergarten kids this year. I got them writing (to a degree) and they really shined at some activities I was worried would be too difficult.
| schwa wrote: |
Silly imagining any single english lesson changing lives unless maybe you're some kind of charismatic guru, which I highly doubt any of us are. Kids will be kids & focus on general superficial impressions. ("Here comes that 'english is important' spiel again, teacher: blahblahblah.")
Not to say you cant make a lasting impact on a few of your students, but that will be based on consistency over the long haul: being kind, spontaneous, smart, humorous, & engaging, week-in week-out. Role model potential.
Though I did have one camp student years ago who I ran into again recently, a grown woman now. She told me she never forgot a lesson I gave on kiwis (the bird), of all things, & she went on to study english to near fluency in New Zealand!
One more: a former middle school student who is now a middle school english teacher herself, who tells me I '"inspired" her. Thats out of many thousand students, but I'd like to think I've had at least a small positive incremental impact on others over the years.
There is no perfect lesson -- they're all ephemeral. Think instead in terms of cumulative effect. |
That's awesome. |
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