Job Discussion Forums

once again · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 815

At the start of all my new classes I tell the students that I have only one rule and that is to be polite. I then ask them leading questions such as "Is it polite to keep talking when the teacher asks you to listen?", "Is it polite to ....?" When the rule is broken I write up the word "Polite" on the board and then ask if the thing that has just happened fits with the rule.

dduck · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 422 Location: In the middle

Lynn · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 696 Location: in between

Capergirl · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2003 10:38 pm Post subject:

I have the cell phone rule too (turn it off or leave it home), although it hasn't been a problem with this group. On the other hand, my former UAE students were notorious for cell phones going off in class. Confused

Re: dictionaries in class...We actually give our students dictionaries to use in their ESL classes. They are Oxford Wordpower dictionaries that are specifically designed to help ESL students. I try to discourage them (but don't forbid them) from using English-L1 dictionaries and electronic dictionaries. I do it in such a way that they willfully give those crutches up, however. Wink

I don't like using translation as a method of instruction in the ESL classroom. (I'm not going to get into this debate again, but as Lynn pointed out, it's all on the "To translate or not" thread. Very Happy

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Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

I tell students beforehand that they can't have their phones on. I have my own way to deal with the "no cell phone rule". Any phone that rings, I answer. I talked to a nice lady from China once (her English was much better than the adults in my class in Vancouver). She agreed that I had a fair rule and didn't mind paying for the expensive call. However, it embarrassed the student in my class and cured the class of that phone problem.