Job Discussion Forums

[The_Prodiigy]

[fraup]

Why we say "an MP3 player"--we SAY "em pee", thus the vowel sound.

Same for "a UN observer" or "a university teacher"--it's "yew en", with the "y" functioning as a consonant.

English: just when you think you've got it, it pulls a sneaky trick!

[cowsuitlover]

the most successful lesson i have done with my university speaking classes (25-40 students) uses a frida kahlo painting (el camion) from their textbook. the painting shows 6 people waiting for a bus, including a young boy, a woman with a baby, and frida herself. the relationships between the people are ambiguous. i choose 6 students to be the 6 people in the picture, then have the rest of the class interview them. there are unlimited possible questions. since the students can all see the picture, the discussion stays concrete enough to keep them engaged.

after this, i had them turn to a different painting in the textbook, which shows a lion sniffing a sleeping woman in the desert. i choose 2 students to be the woman and the lion, and the questioning continues. it's hilarious and really gets them talking.

it could work with just about any painting! you should try it!

[vikdk]

Great idea cowsuit (no sarcasm - I really mean that) - have you tried that fine renaissance masterpiece Gabrielle d'Estr�es and One of Her Sisters (http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673225164&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673225164&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500815&bmUID=1149764429401&bmLocale=en ) - sure that one would get a wild debate going

[China.Pete]

"Why we say 'an MP3 player'--we SAY 'em pee,' thus the vowel sound." --Fraup

I think Grwt was simply illustrating how an apparent faux pas can be transformed into an English lesson. Clever, that one!

"(Y)ou can't control or monitor 50 students working in groups." --Saint

It's true that it's more difficult to monitor group work, as opposed to individual or pairwork, but it's still well worth trying. Maybe later in the term.

"(T)ake them outside to sit on the grass..." --7969

Possibly, too many distractions. There's something to be said for sensory deprevation to focus students' attention on the lesson at hand. Is there another classroom available?

[Ariadne]

I think going outside every now and then is a great idea, but you might want to check with admin first. Some schools absolutely forbid it. How could it possibly be education if the students are outside? One FT I know was strongly admonished for taking his students out of a dark classroom when the power went off. Sad, but funny, in a China sort of way.

.

[latefordinner]

If you're going to take them outside, just do it and don't ask permission. Easier to beg forgiveness. Have a clear purpose (or at least a passable excuse) for the expedition and make sure the class knows it, just in case you do get called for it. "We're going to see this, we're going to try and do that experiment". Works for me.

[Tessio]

With a large class of 50 people or so I suggest that you conduct the class, periodically, as an English Corner.

Think of a topic, such as "What Would You Do?", and make a list of 20 or more questions. You can write them yourself or find them on the internet.

http://iteslj.org/

Spend the first 10 or 15 minutes introducing the topic and defining new words. Then introduce the grammar/target structure - "If...I'd...because.."

Finally, have the students talk to each other in pairs using the questions as their guide. Encourage the students to ask each other Why?

I know that it is difficult in many schools to make copies for the students to keep. I would make 50 or 60 copies and have them returned at the end of class, hopefully without any writing on them, but that rarely happened.

Ideally, you could make 1 copy for each person to keep, but if you have 14 classes of 50 students, 700 copies cost alot. I was told numerous times by students that they liked that I gave them something to read, unlike most of the other foreign teachers at the university I previously taught at last year.

Have Fun!

[TravellingAround]

[xinpu]

Here's one that has worked for me on several occasions.

1. Get some photographs of different people from around the world (eskimo, south american indian, snake charmer, western business man whatever), make sure they aren't famous people.

2. Set up class by showing them a picture of someone (if it's a relative of yours all the better) get the class to guess the ersons age, job, hobbies, nationality, dreams, fears, likes, dislikes). Write these on the board and then reveal who the person is (I've used my niece)..give the students markes for how well they guessed.

3. Give one picture to each group of 5-6 students and ask them to 'create' a personality / life (using the responses from No. 2 on the board). Students present to class.

4. Reveal to students that all the people have a problem. They all have heart disease and need a new heart...but you only have one heart available. Students need to prepare a speech to convince the class that their person should have the heart. During presentation students can ask questions.

5. Students vote for the person to save (can't vote for their own person).

Add in some adjection vocab preparation before if you want plus any other vocabulary you feel if relevant as you go along

In my experience it usuall works, good students get into it and slackers are drawn away from magazines / sleeping for a few minutes.

Now if anybody has any good ideas for lower level non-english majors I'd welcme them.

[Leprecoon]

I have a similar situation here, lots of students in a language lab classroom, with the evil booths that can hide a newspaper if you aren't paying attention to the students!

Usually I give them some exercise to do in groups, with a feedback or performance bit at the end. This is an excuse to keep them busy.

Then, I go around the groups and chat to the students to see what they are doing. This is much easier than talking to 50 at a time, and they are much less shy in 4s or 5s.

[Leprecoon]

Oh one more thing.

In my language lab room, every desk has a monitor as well as the usual headphones etc.

I have been showing some home-made powerpoint presentations about culture etc from the UK and Ireland. They have been going down a storm with the students.