Job Discussion Forums

[Stephen Jones]

Nice to know, Moonraven, that you don't even wait for the bodies to be dug out before starting on the propaganda.. Good thing most see you as a laughable leftover from the sixties.

[moonraven]

I did not propagandize, oh spiteful one. Just because that's what you do, don't project your bs on this bird.

I did not make a single comment to the students about what I thought had happened. And that's what a good teacher SHOULD do. Students of all ages are capable of critical thinking--and they relish the opportunity to get to the bottom of things on their own. They simply don't need "adults" to TELL them how to interpret events.

Pedants like you who are living in the 19th century are incapable of anything except projecting your mean-spiritedness on other posters. That's a pretty dirty glass you are looking through darkly.

Try cleaning up your act.

[Guy Courchesne]

Looks like you missed the point Stephen

[moonraven]

I have yet to see a single post from the guy where he DID get the point.

(He's too busy picking navel lint and looking in the mirror to pay any attention to students.)

[Guy Courchesne]

Out of all the TEFLers I've trained, it's a very slim few that come prepared for the cultural change in teaching. Most take that to mean that they have to get used to being in the developing world, to different food, to uneducated masses, etc. The cultural shock, shocking to those who get it, is how much of yourself gets reflected in your own activities. this seems to hit Yanks and Canucks the hardest. Europeans not so much.

I've seen people completely change their world view after teaching abroad. I've seen people get hostile. I've seen people get a little shaken. In the end though, they are not enough who come out really ready to call themselves citizens of the world.

That has nothing to do with propaganda, and I am certainly not a flower-child, hug-the-world type. I just find it amazing how people react when they look at themselves in the mirror.

[hesterprynne]

One would hate to see the thread become just another Bush-bashing thread. Ahem.
ANYWAY-

[b]Survival spelling[/b]- Take seven students from the class and have them form a line along the blackboard, facing the class. Begin with the student on the end of the line. That student must say the first letter of a word you announce. The next student says the next letter. THIS IS VERY HARD FOR CHINESE STUDENTS AND IT IS FUNNY TO WATCH THEM GET FRUSTRATED. When a student makes a mistake, he must sit down. The remaining students begin again, starting with the first student. If the word is dictionary, the seventh student says "n" and we start back across the line with the sixth student saying "A".

QUESTION-MAKING GAME
Use the same lineup. But write who/what/when/where/why/how/how long
on the blackboard above the heads of the students. In this game, a successful completion of task lets the student sit. He must answer a question from the student next to him. Then he must use his question word to ask a question. THE BEST PART- if the (especially Chinese) student does not get the grammar or INTONATION of the question right on the first try, the teacher announces the error and moves to the next student. AGAIN- FUN TO SEE THEM GET FRUSTRATED! In this case, the first student goes again after the seventh student.

TIME BOMB- same lineup. each student may say one or two or three numbers and then clap to indicate that he is finished. Another one where the first student goes again after the seventh student. We are working on pronunciation here. Chinese students will say "three" with various manglings of the "th". I make them laugh by sticking out by tongue and biting it to show them how to form the sound. They say "fife" for five, "sis" or "sex" for six, "sewen" for seven, "nigh" or "night" for nine, "elewen" and "telve". They also often mix up eight and nine. WHY- i DON'T KNOW. They also mix up seven and eleven- which I understand. Anyway, you go up to twelve with these numbers. The student who would say thirteen is out. As are students who mangle the pronunciation or the counting order. If student six makes a mistake and is out, student seven begins the count again with "one". I explain that thirteen is unlucky. So the fun part is watching them try to strategize- how many numbers should they say to get their friend out or keep their friend in the game. Or they try to avoid having to say a troublesome sound. If they can get you out---- oh happy day!!! I believe this game gives the students a real overall improvement in pronunciation.

All are games I found online and adapted for 50-58 student middle school classes. If my instructions are unclear, you may PM me or search for the games on this site or on the web. I have changed them all a little. If you do not play for too long, and you allow the class to choose the volunteers, they will all watch and cheer for a while.

[Roger]

hesterprynne,
very well-thought out suggestions. Really very suitable for my Chinese students - judging by your descriptions.
The "survival spelling game" needs, perhaps, one little modification: instead of having those guys STAND when giving their letters, I would have them SIT, and as a "punishment" I would ask them to stand up for not correctly reproducing their letter!
Otherwise they would want to misspell in order to be allowed to sit down.

[hesterprynne]

Thanks, Roger- - - I had wondered what I could do if they messed up on purpose! With my large classes, they need to stand to be seen and to hold the attention of the crowd. But if I suspect for a minute that they are screwing up intentionally, I will change the rules and have them sit instead. Hahaha- I love to beat them at their own game.

[hesterprynne]

Again- stolen from a website somewhere- but it is so good for them.
They got very excited about this
Two teams in your huge class.
Begin by showing " to do" plus verb and "to be" plus verb+ing.
Let them show off to you how well they can conjugate with different pronouns and then the fun begins.
Again- intonation of question right on the first try or no cigar!
You draw a grid.
Down the side is who what when where why how.
Across the top is do does did are is was were.
They have to make a question.
Why did you come late?
Where were you going?
Why didn't you do your homework?
They get x's or o's where the question word and the first verb meet.
This is noughts and crosses to Brits, tic-tac-toe to me.
Since the grid is huge you mark a point each time they get three in a row.
If the new line of three overlaps an old line, the rule is that it must have two new x's or two new o's to get a point.
I love this since I always hear "Are you come from America?"
You will have to explain little rules here and there as you encounter them. But accept no mistakes. You get some funny questions!
And now- I swear- I am getting off this computer!!!!!

[moonraven]

Hester--I don't believe anyone but you has mentioned the word "Bush" on this thread.

[hesterprynne]

"This illustrates that despite the US propaganda machine spewing b.s. at Mexico 24/7, even Mexican children are not ignorant enough to swallow what most of the posters on this forum gulped down as the Gospel according to George W."
THE ABOVE IS FROM YOUR PREVIOUS POST, MOONRAVEN
My mistake! You were referring, perhaps, to George W. Smith or George W. Jones. You are correct. You did not write "Bush".

[jaytee]

Thanks to all those who bothered to reply with some ideas to help me out. As for raven, thank you for your debate idea, but you should of left it at that, I'm not interested in your political opinions, and I think those should be excluded from the classroom anyhow. All I asked for was some ideas on how to get my students off their bottoms and having a bit of fun to wake them up, not a running commentary on september 11, George W, Bin Laden or the CIA. All I wanted was some FUN games.

FYI, I teach grade 1, 2 and 3 middle school, and the competency level varies dramatically. Some speak almost as good as you and I, others don't seem to be able to understand a word. So far I have incorporated music, quizes, pictionary, speedball and all of these worked well.
Thanks again to those for submitting your ideas, any more posts are more than welcome.

[moonraven]

jaytee--sorry, but I doubt seriously that you speak as WELL as I do. And it's "should HAVE", not "should of". I suspect my activities are a little too far over your head to be useful. Fortunately, they are not over the heads of my students.

[Twisting in the Wind]

Ahhh, Moonraven at her most subtle. Sigh.

[jaytee]

I don't beleive I am a perfect teacher, in fact I know I'm not. How could I be when I have only been doing this for a couple of months. Which is why I find these forums very helpful - usually. I am new to this and the school I work for gives no assistance what-so-ever, so every lesson is an experiment for me. I never know if what I plan to teach will be a success or a failure because I have never tried it before.
You mentioned before, moonraven, that you train teachers. Maybe you should spend more time helping out your fellow teachers, rather then taking cheap shots at them. I wouldn't doubt for a second that you are good at what you do, but I fail to see how insulting your fellow colleagues, is a quality of a good trainer.
I only hope you put as much passion into your lessons, as you do into your politics.