Job Discussion Forums

[fluffytwo]

OK, so you've done a masterclass on prepositions by e.g. placing a pen under a book then solemnly intoning 'Where is the pen? Why, it's under the book!'.

Most of the students lapped or sucked it up, but one pain of a bespectacled student timidly raises their hand and in a fearful quavering voice asks 'Please Sir, why do we use "THE pen" there?'.

Do you

A) glare at them and tight-lippedly hiss that as you've shown them which pen, they should damn well be able to understand why the 'the' was used (even though asking the whereabouts of pens that one has just seen been "hidden" is hardly a real-world activity, and thus introduces a "Showdwinger's pen"-like quality to the lesson - Is the pen really that known, or not? - and all this simply for the sake of practicing prepositions, which was of course the lesson's only possible focus),

or

B) at least rethink your choice of sought items next time (e.g. 'Where's the remote control for the TV?'), if not the style of the query generally ('Hey, have you seen or do you know where the/my/David's...is?')?

[scot47]

Tell him he is very clever and that you will deal with this important issue another day.

[Dr X]

Teacher: Where's your text book?

Student: At home.

Teacher: What's it doing there?

Student: Having a better day than I am.

[Hod]

I once (only) played Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven, and the students had to follow the words I'd typed up, which started with:

Will you know my name, when I see you in heaven?

They had to listen for mistakes and discuss. It was, of course, an unprepared 2nd conditional warmer, but they started discussing who it was exactly in heaven and if that person should be there. I moved on.

For "the pen" vs "a pen", you could've used a toy animal and called him Bob. "Where is Bob?" shouldn't overly distract your star pupil, but he may well ask, "Why is Bob under THE book?"

I have to say, though, he sounds fairly bright.

[bograt]

[Hod]

No. Google the lyrics of Tears in Heaven.

[scot47]

Teacher, teacher, no music. This haram !

[bograt]

[fluffytwo]

The student (let's call him Oliver Twister) isn't necessarily bright, but simply an invention "for the purposes" (not that that question never gets asked, at least not by dim teachers: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=354228#354228 ), much like the example sentences. He'd hopefully wait until Scot's later articles masterclass before materializing. In the meantime, there is now Hod's CELTA 101 song-based lesson to enjoy!

[Hod]

Plenty more where they came from.

Yesterday (The Beatles) - Past Simple
I've never been to me (Charlene) - Present Perfect

But my favourite by far:

You can't always get what you want (Rolling Stones) - No idea what grammar could be taught with this one. I only ever played it in the staffroom whenever a PhD-less colleague asked about teaching in the Middle East.

[fluffytwo]

What really clinched the anti-communicative argument for me was when some genius, I forget quite who now, suggested that the teacher answer plaintive little Oliver Twister's question simply thus: '"Because both the speaker and the listener know which pen they are talking about,” and then get back to the preposition practice'.

'What extraordinarily useful and perceptive stuff!' I shouted to myself as I rushed back to my classroom to try it out on my patient (some might say long-suffering, pah!) students, whom I can now hold completely spellbound and thus pretty much silent thanks to this exciting rhetorical style that echoes not only Lambert Sauveur but also Tony le Mesmer.

[MuscatGary]

Teacher: Where is your homework?

Student: At home teacher.

Teacher: Why is at home?

Student: It's called HOMEwork teacher.

[twowheel]

[fluffytwo]

[rony albert]