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taffer
Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 50 Location: Japan
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 3:38 pm Post subject: Amen, TokyoLiz...as usual. |
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It happened again today. I lost track of the age, genders, dispositions and nationality of the students in front of me, and got lost in the joy of fun. We had gotten past the I am a teacher and this is our work mode and we Pied Piped every one of us to a class picnic of pleasure together. Eliciting is a major key, what do you like, dwelling and delving into the interests of my fellows. Once aroused, ahem...there was nothing I could not get across to this group. In turn, there was no end to what they produced and were willing to give back to me. Sort of like any relationship, any good relationship.
Robbie Williams sang, ...single handedly raising the economy and that is where we have to go as teachers. To clarify, for non Robbies, I am your star and I am going to provide a place to rock, and EVERYONE here is going to dance, and feel safe to dance their own way. And however this may sound, feel loved. Finally, towards class end, I am out of the equation for the most part except to act as the audience, a very warm audience, and these people are going to speak among themselves. All the while they are looking back at me, and they see my genuine show of support. Like a parent at graduation. Can we make the classroom the go to place for good times? But how to teach that to a fellow teacher? How to bottle that? There is no E=mc2 for teaching...Yet, I had but one simple impulse before the lesson started: how can I make this enjoyable for these people? |
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Inflames
Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 486
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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| seklarwia wrote: |
| JLL wrote: |
| They just aren't raised to learn other languages. They complain that English is so hard; it may be tricky but it isn't like Hungarian, or even German. It isn't that hard. |
I love it when people make these statements.  |
To be honest, I'd say that an average person here (as well as many other places) lacks the discipline to learn another language to an intermediate level. A lot of them don't even know their own language. Working hard is something that a lot of students don't do here. Often times mental barriers are the hardest ones to climb.
Just last week I was talking to a 国語 teacher. She pulled out a test question where the correct answer was 交通 and showed me a test paper where the student had written it as 銀通.
A lot of classes can be brought around with effort. I've only had two classes that were absolutely hopeless and nothing (I could do in class) would get these kids to pay attention or do anything related to English. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 1546 Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Inflames wrote: |
| seklarwia wrote: |
| JLL wrote: |
| They just aren't raised to learn other languages. They complain that English is so hard; it may be tricky but it isn't like Hungarian, or even German. It isn't that hard. |
I love it when people make these statements.  |
To be honest, I'd say that an average person here (as well as many other places) lacks the discipline to learn another language to an intermediate level. A lot of them don't even know their own language. Working hard is something that a lot of students don't do here. Often times mental barriers are the hardest ones to climb.
Just last week I was talking to a 国語 teacher. She pulled out a test question where the correct answer was 交通 and showed me a test paper where the student had written it as 銀通.
A lot of classes can be brought around with effort. I've only had two classes that were absolutely hopeless and nothing (I could do in class) would get these kids to pay attention or do anything related to English. |
Actually I was aiming more at the English isn't that hard to learn bit. Learning any language so different to your own is difficult. |
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