Job Discussion Forums

[Contradicto87]

I know what it is, but I want to know more from y'alls experiences as to what exactly the expectations generally are.

I'm currently trying to get a hold of a copy of whatever work book the students have. But even the higher level kids at this middle school either seem clueless or DGAF when it comes to understanding and speaking spoken English. What "English" is being studied then? Just grammar and structural rules?

Those of you who have done the 'oral English' route, got tips you want to share?

Classes: 35-45 students, age 13-17, (mostly 13-15). A few have got some English speaking down, but most are very low level.

[chinatimes]

Most of your students will know in a passive manner. So, speaking and writing are not going to represent their strengths. This is why the school assumes we native speakers can wave a magic wand and get them speaking "our" language.

They forget to realize that while the student has a dictionary to understand our language in their language, they have nothing to go the other way. Like we don't have a Chinese to English dictionary. No, they say. They don't make them. Oh really? Then I show them mine, and they say, "Oh, you can use that one." I can use this one book with all 40 students?

Until I hear otherwise, that's what I am doing. Here's one approach. They usually put their geeky student who answers everything next to the teacher. Use them to help translate. Use the other good students to police the rest so they are quiet.

I divide the class up into 3-6 groups depending on the activity. Right now, I have 1 student from 2 groups come to the board (so it's 2 people and they can work together).

Use pictures. They write words on the board. Then, on the projector screen, make up sentence patterns with blanks. Find some way to pick students and then have them practice making sentences.

You also have activities you can do with each group. Go to each group and talk with them to get ideas. After you finish, then you can come back to the front and list on board or screen what people said. Sometimes, you get different replies from groups than when you walked around.

If you get a silent student or students, then you have a good student demonstrate a sentence. Then, you change it or if they are capable of changing it then they do it. If they are too low, then type it out and then read repeat word for word.

They are there to speak, not you. Don't go in there lecturing. Have them practice speaking. If they are willing to play games, go ahead. In my classes, they just shout out the answers sometimes without realizing they are giving the answer to another team. If no one realizes this and stops it early on, then the class goes from game to class activity. Not as enjoyable sometimes, but there is nothing you can do.

[Harbin]

What is oral English? It's picking up the slack for Chinese teachers who can only teach using the grammar-translation method and teach to the test. But to be fair, the test is live or die or Chinese students. However, that doesn't excuse their use of grammar-translation teaching.

[Big Worm]

Oral English is a special thing where you sit in a room with a white person, and when you're done you magically speak English like a native speaker, pass the test, get the job, buy the house and finally get married.

Speak well, young man.

[zactherat]

Oral English classes are concerned mostly with improving communicative competency, rather than linguistic competency.

It might be a good idea to look up both of those terms and how they have been constructed over the last half-century or so.

[Non Sequitur]

[JamesD]

[doogsville]

[Non Sequitur]

[Non Sequitur]

[Contradicto87]

It has been fun so far. This was the first week, so my stance was the basic "introduce yourself" lesson, while I attempted to keep track of everyone's English levels.

It's generally beginner to a few intermediate students.

This isn't troubling though. The younger kids are enthusiastic, willing to struggle, happy to learn.

The older kids are the biggest DGAF (don't give a *beep*) group I've ever met. They just give me the Chinese blank stare of death, leaving me unable to determine if the silence is from lack of understanding or DGAF, DGAF and DGAF.

[Contradicto87]

[BeijingBill]

I usually do something like I did today

Throw them a bag of jelly-beans

Tell them to take only 1 (I like to have 1/2 the bag left for snacks)

Write 2 pages about how they felt, while eating them

Then, if theres any time left, they can come 1 at a time to front of class to talk about it

[BeijingBill]

but, i dont like doing this with monday classes because they get a little loud sometimes during these lessons and i like to take a 45-60 min nap during my monday morning classes

monday morning classes go like this:

put in groups

tell the one with the biggest screen on phone in each group to put on a movie for whole group

then write a paper on it for homework

discuss it next class

this is good on monday because they usually get into the movie and are quiet

[Contradicto87]