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[santi84]

Hello all,

I'm teaching a two-month course starting next Tuesday. I've been advised that they are literate zero-beginners, mostly from China. For those who know the Canadian language benchmarks, they were assessed at CLB1 (one was a CLB2).

I'm looking for any and all resources/tips/advice that people could share from their own experience I won't lie, I'm a bit nervous, I want to make sure they start off on the right foot I don't think I've taught below a high CLB2 before.

Touchstone is the textbook.

[Unchained English]

[spiral78]

[Sashadroogie]

Not sure what literate means here. That they can read in their own language? That they can use the Latin alphabet? If the latter, it is possible to know the alphabet, and still be designated zero-beginner. A Turk or Pole will know this, but could have no knowledge of English.

Anyway, tips. Stick to the book as much as you can. No matter how bad you may think it is. Beginners need all the visual support they can get. This gives them some sort of security. Chinese students particularly seem to view the book as more important than what even the teacher says. At least that's my experience, and that of my colleagues.

Also, consider making a list of classroom language phrases, and have these translated into LI. A whole lesson can be devoted to just this, with your own self-created visuals, flash cards to re-enforce the target language. Good for training them in things like pair work, group work, use of course book etc.

Typical phrases for classroom instruction are usually listed in most beginners books. E.g. Work together, open/close your books, ask him/her, answer the question, stop sleeping etc : )

Best of luck!

[fluffyhamster]

[Sashadroogie]

This is not the first time I have posted this idea here. It works well enough for the first couple of lessons. Nothing in my training says this is not OK. (And this is not the same as depending on a Japanese teacher to translate every instruction ever issued, if that is what you are driving at.)

Of course, the teacher isn't doing the translation. The photocopy with the students' L1 can be used as a key to see if they correctly translated the classroom language themselves. Almost the same as using a bilingual dictionary.

Has served me and my colleagues very well in Beginners classes for years. And most importantly, gets the low-level students out of the mindset that they can't understand what the teacher will say in the classroom.

[fluffyhamster]

If I were to drive at anything, it would be that a teacher who isn't even remotely capable (to do it themselves at a pinch) shouldn't be expecting others to translate for them, period. Nowhere have I said that I depend on others to do my translating for me.

But back to what you say, as that of course is the most important thing, especially when it might appear to be at odds with your training (=what one is told to do, and not do). I detect a slight case of "Do as I say, not as I do", and the defense that the translations aren't a teacher is a weak cop-out.

And would you believe it, you are even directing students to fall back on dictionaries, I thought that was also only meant to be a very last resort, or have I been imagining that dumbed-down more or less blanket proscription too?

'Gets the low-level students out of the mindset that they can't understand what the teacher will say in the classroom' indeed - they don't need to understand what the teacher will say with all this translation going on. Where's the cerebral and professional effort?! Teacher and students, throw away thy crutches, even though thou may well need literal crutches after all the English-only antics (miming, Pictionary, punches in the face, etc etc etc)!

I'm disappointed, Sasha! I thought you were a better teacher than that!