View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
nawlinsgurl

Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 363 Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:59 am Post subject: How to improve my classes? |
|
|
I've been teaching at the same school for almost 5 years now. It used to be that there was no changing the school's curriculum, but now it seems my boss has given me the ok to do what I like.
I still have to incorporate the flash cards and repeating that my school does for everything, but I have 15-20 min. classes that I feel like the kids can learn more in. I also have a private class that's 45 mins and I can virtually do whatever.
The school is private and the budget is limited so I'd like to improve things cheaply, if possible.
I really want my kids to learn more. Their ages range from 2-5 and then in the afternoons grades 1-3.
Any ideas?? Websites you REALLY recommend? Books, magazines to help?
Thanks a bunch! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
nawlinsgurl

Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 363 Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
|
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
Oh I should have added the classrooms are small and desks are fixed, so there's not a lot of space for jumping around type-games. Usually the kids have to sit at their desks and I can call a few up at a time. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
move
Joined: 30 May 2009 Posts: 132
|
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 7:03 am Post subject: |
|
|
Yer kinda vague there, what areas do you think need improvement? |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Posts: 661 Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
|
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:59 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Quite.
Do you have any teaching qualifications? |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
nawlinsgurl

Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 363 Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
|
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:47 am Post subject: |
|
|
Sorry I guess that was vague.
No qualifications here, but I've been teaching English in Japan now for almost 5 years.
I guess I want to introduce more speaking exercises into my class and less paperwork. My school loves worksheets. I want to change that up a bit.
I'm tired of drawing hana-marus. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
move
Joined: 30 May 2009 Posts: 132
|
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 6:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
Wow, those are some pretty young classes you're teaching. There's a ton of ESL stuff online, if you just look up "ESL activities children" you should find a ton. If you mention a specific problem area you want to improve with I'm sure lots of people on here will have good ideas. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Dan The Chainsawman

Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 302 Location: Yinchuan
|
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Not in Japan myself, but I've taught a class or two of ESL in Korea and China.
My suggestions are to keep your activities simple and to the point. For small kids I like to use a constantly rotating selection of quick games to get them interested in class.
I'd use the time you have to do a quick warm up activity of sorts with an ending of some sort of lesson follow up game.
Don't play a game just for the fun of playing a game, but play it to help increase their ability to use the language learned in class. Games can be easy ways to review vocabulary, increase confidence in new grammar, and willingness to practice speaking English.
one tip though:
Don't play Hang man.. that's a time waster through and through.
You can also consider trying to teach them how to sing. Just do a google on karoke youtube and you'll find plenty of promising karoke songs for young learners. My Korean Kindergarten students liked singing, though it was a supreme test of my patience to teach them the songs.
You could have them create their own picture dictionaries. I have done that before with young kids. They color in the picture or even draw it depending upon their age and drawing ability. They write a word and or a sentence for the word depending on level.
Puppet shows are a fun way to get shy students to practice speaking. They get to hide behind a sheet to say their lines. Though, spend a few bucks on a couple of puppets as my students absolutely refuse to wear socks on their hands no matter how much time I spend jazzing them up to not look like socks.
Skits.. they work well if the kids are young enough and don't mind acting silly in front of their peers.
There are loads of activities that really won't cost your school much at all to use. Some of the best activities I have done didn't cost me anything at all.
- Show and tell.. have them bring in something they like.. they talk about it, why they like, where they got it- higher level..
- Magazine collages... using old magazines to cut out pictures to make a collage they can talk about.
That's about all that comes to mind at the moment. Good luck! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
|