Job Discussion Forums

misterbrownpants · Joined: 04 Apr 2004 Posts: 70

hi there
i was wondering if anyboday has any suggestions on how to be a fun teacher... to make the students laugh... to make them talk.. something interesting... etc..
or website with good material.. fun weird wacky stuff...
anything would be helpful.. thanks!

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:08 pm Post subject:

Vague questions get vague responses- I'd recommend offering a little more info. Who are you teaching? How old? What level? Where? How many in a group?

Best,
Justin

MELEE · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:33 pm Post subject:

You could always wear a clown suit to class. Laughing

But I agree with Justin. For for whom, what age, level, how many, but also why.

I think we should all strive to be more effective teachers, sometimes that means fun, but sometimes it doesn't.

misterbrownpants · Joined: 04 Apr 2004 Posts: 70

i suppose for all levels..
i am having problems (well not really) with my teens.. i do activities that they like.. but i dont think they are having fun.. i did pink floyd lessons.. always something with music.. or something related..
and i am the only native speaker who does normal textbook work with the students.. and i suppose i am just comparing myself to the other teachers who get to do whatever they want with the students and not reported speech.. hmmmmm

any websites with good lessons would be helpful...
and i did well according to one of my students come to class in a clown suit.. (i wore some handmade pants - not by me - which i LOVE) but apparently i looked like a clown in them.. hmmmm great.. that made me feel great! and those were my teens that told me that.

john_n_carolina · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 700 Location: n. carolina

there's always a bunch of links if you follow the Korea forum. here is one that has about 10 sites...

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=99056&highlight=pronunciation

john_n_carolina · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 700 Location: n. carolina

http://eflclassroom.ning.com

MELEE · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:32 pm Post subject:

There's a book by Paul Seligson called "Helping Students Speak". He spent a number of years teaching teens in Spanish High Schools, before opening two language schools, one in Brighton and one somewhere in Brazil. It has a lot of good ideas about teaching largish classes of teenagers in a way that is enjoyable, managable and productive. I highly recommend it.

Another good thing to do is ask them to each bring you a song in English that they like and want to learn. Make them a CD that has all the songs and a packet of all the lyrics (google them)--I charge my students the cost of a blank CD and the photocopies--but in Mexico students are accustomed to paying teachers for things like this. Choose the most teachible/appropiate songs to use one a week in a lesson. The rest they can study on their own time. (I'm assuming you have more students in your class than weeks in your term.) Since they choose the songs, you know they like them. But you choose which ones to do in class, so you don't end up with impossibly hard songs or songs about drugs. (Or songs you're not sure what they are about!!!)

john_n_carolina · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 700 Location: n. carolina

http://www.elllo.org/

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F