Teacher Discussion Forums

[Anne Yang]

Using games, songs and role-plays can help children learn English without too much pressure. During these activities, generally the best thing for a teacher to so is to stand back and let students to do their performance. However, I find it is hard to avoid interfering.
I often use stories to help students learn English. Take Little Red Ridding Hood for example. I said, “Go straight to Granny’s house.” Students answered, “Yes, Mama. I will.” Then I demanded, “Don’t talk to strangers.” They chanted, “No, Mama. I won’t.” generally, Taiwanese students will tend to answer, “ Yes, Mama. I won’t.” I used the story to help them remember the structure. After they all got familiar to the story. I asked them to play the chief characters and made up their own lines. Usually, students make grammatical mistakes and I correct them. However, some students complained to me that my interfering disturbed their performance. They became nervous if I keep interrupting.
I know it would be better if I didn’t interrupt them. But I think if I correct them immediately, they can learn better and avoid making the same mistake. Should I listen to my students’ advice and stop talking?

[Lorikeet]

Yes, listen to your students. Make a list of the mistakes you want to correct and do it after the presentation is finished. Imagine how you would feel if you were giving a performance and someone kept interrupting you to tell you about all the mistakes you were making, when worrying about making mistakes was making you nervous in the first place.