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For those who teach adults

 
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Derrek



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 9:31 pm    Post subject: For those who teach adults Reply with quote

What do you teach?

What is a typical conversation teaching day like? Does your school provide materials? Or do you just talk about whatever is in the news that day?

Thanks!
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Rand Al Thor



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Locked in an epic struggle

PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Derrek,

check out this thread. School provides material, but supplementing is necessary. Also you should have a good plan ahead of time. Try to teach some grammar, not explicitly but rather inductively so your students don't get bored. I assume you are teaching at a hogwan? if at a University then I would teach the grammar a little more directly.

If you just shoot the breeze and talk about the days news, you and your students will run out of things to talk about by around day 4-5. It's very difficult to maintain that type of conversation over and over. Structure is important, and pre-planned questions with a logical progression of ideas, activities.

Hope this helps
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Tiger Beer



Joined: 07 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 4:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Adult students crave structure. Give them a plan. Run off topics a day before. Run off the whole syllabus the first day of the month for the month.

I find I will talk random 'junk' for the first 10 minutes until everyone comes in.

Present your topic.. I always encourage conversation.. sometimes i make it different.. sometimes i'll go over something like 'phrasal verbs' or something.. and then other days i'll do a topic (always bring in another topic just in case, or alternative plans).

Also, if you present a topic, I like to write a list of questions so they have a focus, and put them in partners or sometimes groups of 3's just so that you can guarantee everyone is TALKING!!

Don't let that go on all hour though.. I always like to join conversations around the room.. and then have 'group chat' about the topic..

Also, at then end, I always like to do a few idioms or slangs.. just so they have stuff written down that they can think about on the way home or whatever..

ANother thing is even adults like to play games.. not all hour games.. but try to find creative ways to teach little topics when you are teaching topics.. for example.. phrasal verbs.. put them with a partner.. set a clock.. say the word "WITH ___" and let the brainstorm rushing to find all the phrasals... have another group grade their work.. all kinds of stuff.. even adults like to be stimulated..

Main things, keep their minds going (games, interaction, etc.).. interaction is great..

Sometimes I see teachers lecture all hour or hold ONE HUGE CONVERSATION with 10 students.. it doesn't work.. more than half will be bored out of their mind.. mix it up alot.. and put them in partners alot.. but also bring the class together alot as well..
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Zyzyfer



Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?

PostPosted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 8:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was handed the "Side by Side" book and told to complete the entire thing in the course of a semester.

First semester, I didn't have time to do anything else, because I had fallen behind with the book. So my "extras" amounted to discussing little cultural differences between America and Korea. Didn't really have free time.

Second semester, I was more organized. I tried to instill a diary project(see the sentence, say the sentence), and we did some song fill-ins, but my contract with my main school ended halfway through.

You've gotta come to class prepared, that's for sure. Long after I had stopped actually planning lessons in the hakwon, I still sat down for an hour before my adult class, checking out the material for the day and organizing a basic teaching structure.
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canukteacher



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul, Korea

PostPosted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 11:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like to give my adult students alot of freedom, but there still has to be some structure, or nothing gets accomplished.

The first day I have them get to know each other, and then brainstorm for topics. I type up the list, and hand it out, and at the end of each class we pick a topic for the next class, or if someone has a topic that is not on the list, and the class is interested then we go with that topic. I really like them to make it "their" class. Of course, every class is different. I have two advanced classes right now. One class is great, and seem to thrive on the freedom. The other class requires "hand holding".

Always go in with some kind of plan, but be prepared to change it if necessary. The important thing is that your students are talking!

CT
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