Job Discussion Forums

[thewall]

so i did my CELTA and the tutors didn't know what they were doing, (it was their 1st time doing it) and they always gave us mixed messages about lesson planning, so when i plan a lesson i try and make it as fun as possible. Like most of the readings or listening are really boring (in this new english file) it just takes about some guy's life (and alot of people don't care what this person does)

I have a group of teens who don't speak, they just sit there (i've asked them why are you learning english) they say i don't know.

I've been teaching for a year and i feel like i've already burnt out.

So can you give an advice.

Thanks in advance

[spiral78]

where are you, wall? teaching/learning cultures vary hugely across the globe. I and others might be able to help you out if you give us more info.

[thewall]

Thanks, i work in Almaty in Kazashstan....it's very hard to make the ss talk, and it feels like energy is getting sucked right out of you

[spiral78]

Ok, I'll suggest one possible approach that MIGHT be useful to try. I've used it with Russian teens (and adults) with general success...

Are you familiar with a task approach to language learning?

You could try collecting a small file of possible 'tasks.' These can be things like 'make a chart showing...' 'write the directions to do...' 'plan and hold a debate on two sides of an issue' 'make recommendations for the following situation' etc. ad infinitum.
You may be able to base many of these kinds of things on materials in the course book you're using.

THEN, let your students work in small teams. The more choices they make on their own, the better - who will be in their team, what task they will choose to do, how to organize themselves to accomplish it, and how they will present the outcomes to the whole class.

Presentations can be made in writing (like a wall chart), or a short oral presentation, with students deciding who will speak for them. I've even had students video and play back their presentations (this is very useful if they're up for it and you have equipment).

Planning this presentation is where the teacher comes in as a resource for language (and maybe organisation: things like how we open a presentation in English, signal the different parts of it, and close - which are essentially the same in short written essays).

These projects can be quite short (like describing the ideal holiday destination) or very complex (planning and conducting a business meeting).

The key seems to be that, working in small teams, students usually feel some responsibility to participate in the team (after all, it's their peers they are letting down if they don't). The pressure of speaking before the group is a bit less, because students can decide themselves who will do the speaking, or whether they will share it, and it will be planned speech, so no one is put on the spot. The fact that they choose a task and a team and decide how to present it is motivating - they won't choose something they think will be boring or will make them speak in some embarassing ways.

There are some drawbacks to the scheme - firstly, it takes a little training to get students started on a task-based style of teaching and learning. Ideally, you'll find models of some reports (charts, presentations, audio tapes of native speakers doing the same task, whatever). This can be tough in terms of planning time, and your resources may be limited. Secondly, you may get a lot of use of L1 during the planning stages. Whether this is acceptable in your teaching context, I can't say.

Anyway, it's an approach that has worked in my classrooms and might be worth a try (if possible) in yours. If you're interested in more information, Jane Willis' 1996 book A Framework for Task-Based Learning (Longman) is a very readable and practical resource.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Often students feel that they aren't learning if they aren't doing grammar drills (either wirtten or spoken). It's a big problem and one that often has institutional reasons fo being there (grammar tests for entrance exams, local teachers who've never done anything else and don't want to change what they do).

The worst part of it is that often the students refuse to do anything that isn't fill in the blank, and then after refusing to do anything at all for weeks on end complain that they aren't learning anything.

I'm not suggesting that you start teaching grammar explicitly (far from it), but if tasks don't seem to work either, then t least you may be able to understand whay it's happening a little.

[Joeys ESL Room]

I completely understand what you are going through when you said that you asked your students why they are learning English and they said "I don't know". I think though, that this is the root of your problem. Think back to when you were a student studying whatever second language they taught at your school - for me it was French - and I certainly didn't know why I was studying it at the time, which is part of the reason I had no interest, and why I don't speak French now.

You have CELTA training, but that won't get you too far if your students aren't interested in learning English - this is where you have to be creative. For starters, take the focus off of yourself, and put it on them. To get started, why don't you ask them to seriously think of what they will get out of learning English - you could use this to lead into some discussions between themselves, thus putting the focus back on them. For fresh ideas, take a look through our 'ideas for teachers' section - might give you a few new techniques to try.

Good luck!