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[American Friend of China]

Looking for advice.

Summer intensive is here. And I'm teaching 30 hours a week, with four of those hours being the almost-fluent teenagers class, known in my school as C-14.

The problem with this class: Nothing ever pleases them. They have studied at this private English training school for five or more years, have been through more foreign teachers than they can count or remember, and have probably played every game and discussed every topic in the ESL world. I talked to two of their previous foreign teachers, and both said they had dreaded this class. One of the teachers said she used to put a disproportionate amount of her planning time into this class, and in the end, the lessons still did not go very well.

The problem with me, the teacher: I have many other classes to plan for, and am unable and unwilling to put a massive amount of time into planning their lesson and doing extensive research on games and activities. Plus, on my off days, I'm very busy applying for grad school, putting together all the documents for my wife's immigrant visa application to the United States, and getting ready for my return to the States. On top of that, I've already done over three and a half years of teaching ESL in China, and I've reached a total burn-out phase. Originally, I planned to be back in the States by now. But waiting for my wife's visa interview date and simultaneously approaching the expiration date of my foreign expert's certificate and residence card, I had no choice but to extend my contract with my employer.

Of course, I can't tell the students in the class all of this information, or they'll feel like they are unimportant. But I really have no energy to teach them, nor do I really want to do extensive research in finding something that they call "interesting" (yet, when asked, they themselves don't really know what that is; just that it must be "interesting"). Personally, I prefer the mid-level classes that use the SBS (Side By Side) series of books, because those books make lesson planning very easy.

Does anybody know of good games and activities for this level that can be explained in simple words in a short paragraph and that do not make the wheels in my head grind too much while reading it? Or any user-friendly websites that adequately explain a game for this level without needing too much time to read it and surf for it, and that any idiot can understand and incorporate into a lesson plan in the space of a few minutes? Anything that I can read quickly without having to do extensive research and long planning time.

I don't mean to sound so lazy. A professional teacher reading this would probably think, "Why don't you get off your *ss and do the research yourself?" and "Why are you asking others to plan your lessons for you?" But think of it this way, if you are one of those dedicated and not-yet-burned-out education-for-education's sake types, you can do this group of teenage students a favor by finding something that stimulates their learning, even though you don't know them personally and are teaching in another school or city. Why should these students suffer because of my lack of motivation and energy? I could beg my manager to trade an SBS class for my C-14 class and give the C-14 to a new motivated teacher with fresh energy. But with so many teacher changes after the SARS crisis, that would be bad for the classes to be changing teachers again.

Also, I think there ought to be more resources out there that teach us all how to do what I call "smart lesson planning" or "precision lesson planning." Just like how a laser-guided smart bomb hits its target with a high level of precision and minimal collateral damage, there must be techniques out there where we can put together a good lesson plan in a small space of time. Are there any websites out there called "ESL Lesson in 15 Minutes"? It kind of reminds me of "8-Minute Abs" and the movie "There's Something About Mary" where Ben Stiller picks up this crazy hitchhiker who comes up with the idea of "7-Minute Abs." But anyway, maybe that is what this website is for, where we can exchange ideas, thus reducing our workload in lesson prep.

Perhaps there should also be a new labor law in China where FTs are paid overtime for teaching advanced-level teens. (Just kidding! Or...maybe not?)

[Roger]

Although I have been teaching in China for many years, I am not sure where your class fits in. Maybe college level? That does not mean much to me - five years of uninterrupted learning by rote is not very imaginative, so your kids may be the truly burnt-out ones. Besides, summer camps are desired by their parents, not by the poor wretches that you see in front of you. Try to empathise with them!

OK, so what might help both you and them under the circumstances?
I am currently doing a similar job, though with kids aged 10 to 12. Do I play games? Yes, but not exclusively games.
Have you considered doing some calisthenics with them? It might be a good idea to take them on the schoolyard and do several laps on the tracks there! They could learn what their school denies them to know - that there are differences in performance, and the winner gets recognition - which in turn spurs on the laggards! My kids began asking for those exercises even though I put them through pushups and running five floors upstairs.
This takes up the first period every day. The second period I devote to reviewing a topic with which I expect students to be familiar: can your students tell you their birth dates? A difficult task! Their telephone numbers? Again, it takes some training that most have not received. To describe their homes - you know, some live in apartments, some own a villa, and some houses have twenty doors, others have no aircons; a vast topic really, and you need not recap a vocabulary already taught - just recycle it in meaningful discussions. Have them visit "departments" of a department store inside your school, and select items from the list of: a) Furniture (fourth floor); household appliances (third floor); bathroom equipment (second floor), with a "Directory" to the "department store" hung on the wall of the ground floor. Allow your students to use a dictionary (maybe the word "microwave oven" is new to some of them). Give them half an hour to shop for "as many things you can use in your home", and see how much they ring up at the till!
You can vary this game with supermarket items, clothes, cars, sports equipment...
OK, I have three periods with the same kids every morning. When they hand in their written answers (shopping lists, for example), I correct their mistakes and ask them to write the marked words again, not allowing them out of class for a break until they have finished their job to my satisfaction. No pain, no gain! Rewards consist in getting extra-long breaks! Surprising, how this old-fashioned method works with pampered Chinese kids!
Last period, I do a game for entertainment. "Rumour" is very popular - my kids have asked for encores several times. Also scrambling/unscrambling of words. Today, they had to individually count the steps of the stairs from the bottom to the fifth floor. Amazing: one guy found 180 steps, one "3"; four were correct (93), and the rest had anywhere from 60 to 132. It was a scorching hot day, so those who did poorly had to sweat until they came up with a reasonable answer before they could return to an, yes: airconditioned classroom!
I have had a heck of a good time for the past two weeks! And my kids too! Tomorrow, I take over a new class!

[greenwillow]

This game is played with marshmallows usually, but I don't know if they're available in China? Atomic fireballs can be fun too , but instead of having them try to say "fluffy bunny" three times fast you could use something more difficult, maybe something they struggle with pronunciation on. Or a tongue twister.

[woza17]

Hi
I hate to sound like I am repeating myself on other posts, but seriously the trivia game and the flyswatter games really work I am teaching rich kids and they really responded to these games. Today in class we talked about different types of music and I played several styles of music. I taught them a Bob Marly song and got them very interested when I told them that he had 40 odd children. On Thursday they will come to my house and we will cook lunch together, some can watch dvds or play computer games or board games. Next week we will go to the mountain and play paintball with waterguns. I am the luckiest in the summer camp I have the oldest and most receptive students. I feel for you though. I think Roger gives good advice and I have taken note of his suggestions.
Cheers Cai Hong