Job Discussion Forums

[leeroy]

Just curious... The massive amount of diversity that exists in ELT worldwide probably results in a lot of different teaching styles, each specifically adapted to its own particular learning context. It would be interesting to hear about some of them, (and if it gets boring later then we can branch out into where the women are sexier and whether you need a degree to teach.) Here's mine, then you tell me yours.

My regular class is an FCE exam class (think high Upper-Intermediate) - but not all of them will be doing the exam, so it's a bit of a mix with general English. There is an even blend of Europeans, Asians and South Americans. They want to learn, and consistently demand more homework which they devour with a slightly concerning ferocity. I teach them for 3 hours 5 days a week.

Broadly speaking, my teaching style is communicative, but I'll chuck in a bit of substitution drilling every now and then for pronounciation. I can't stand the wishy-washy "Let's sit round a tape player and talk about our emotions" element of ELT, and steer well clear of it. Although the communication is usually learner-centered, the lesson structure and content is clearly decided by me.

Although my class's grammar and speaking is very good, they complain of not being able to converse with native speakers in London ('ardly surprising, innit guv?) - so I do a lot of work with contraction and the occasional focus on slang ("I don't think so", for example, is commonly said as "dun-ink-so"). This happens more as it arises, then a conscious inclusion into the syllabus.

I'm following "FCE Masterclass", which isn't bad as exam books go. We do exam skills (including things like process writing), quite a bit of vocab (which is usually more lexical collocation at this level) - and grudgingly do listenings from the book occasionally.

Are my students happy? It seems like it - feedback shows that Ichiro wants more Grammar, Jean wants more conversation and Stone wants more writing. (Can't please everybody...)

[dmb]

you can never please all of the students all of the time. that is why we should take an eclectic approach to our teaching. Also make the students aware that we all have different learning styles and so sometimes they might enjoy/benefit from some activites and at other times find them boring or not appropiate. If they do find an activity not to their liking they should keep quiet as another student might be benefitting form it and vice versa

[leeroy]

Thanks dmb - I agree with you.

But I was appealing to others to hear about their teaching contexts... Who are you teaching and how do you do it?

[dmb]

I am currently teaching 17/18 year old arab students. They are used to a grammar-translation way of learning. We are now trying to introduce/pilot an outcome/task based cirriculum. it will take time but trying to change learning styles will be difficult. give it time and I think we can do it. At the mo there is alot of extra work, but I think it is worth it. What do you think? Are you/have you piloted a new methodology which is unique( to the culture). I am doing lots of (unpaid) overtime but if at the end of it there is a better system then it is worth it. Yes?

[denise]

I try my very best to put lots of student-centered activities into my lessons--pair work, group work, student presentations, etc.--with varying degrees of success. Japanese students are more used to receiving information and, even in my context (a pre-university program that sends students to a uni in the States), I sometimes just get a lot of blank stares.

I give them plenty of wait time, but if there's still no response (no pulse?!?), then I end up doing the talking. Sometimes I think I hear far too much of my own voice! Not that I'm into the touchy-feely elements of CLT--when they need to know something, I have no qualms about commanding their attention and explaining it. It'd just be nice to have them venture a guess first... Sigh.

To dmb (I think...)--I think it's well worth it to put the time into a curriculum that will change their thinking/learning styles--provided there's plenty of time in that curriculum for awareness-raising (learner training), so that they know what their learning styles are and whether or not they are conducive to learning languages.

[shmooj]

Denise... don't give up on that. It will work but it will take time, a lot of enthusiasm on your part and a lot of trust on theirs.

We use self-discovery techniques a lot, inductive grammar is very common and we try to get students sharing roles in the classroom with the teacher and other students. It works but, like I said, it can take a lot of patient work before they get the hang of it.

[Roger]

After teaching at a lovely kindergarten full of lively young brains and bodies I am now in a college teaching semi-comatose so-called 'adults' in China.
My brief says to teach them "business English". One class is for secretaries, which uses a different textbook that's as pointless and useless as the other. Add to this the problem of having females only!
Well, it turned out to be manageable, and students actually are a lot more cooperative than I anticipated (based on previous experiences).
Each lesson has two periods. I give them a story to entertain them. The story is from a series called "Humorous English Stories" and written in very simplified English. Each story has about 300 to 400 words.
The point of listening to these stories is to tickle their minds. Unfortunately, they can't understand the gist of any of these stories, so I dictate them to the girls. One of them has to act as "secretary" writing it on the blackboard. I exhort students to check for mistakes. This way, I am teaching them to be their own teachers - a novelty for them. When we have completed writing the story, the girls realise how much they do not understand normally. Now they do understand the whole of the text - because their eyes help their minds. They no longer need translation.
As you can infer from this, my job contains mostly remedial work. These girls have had English for up to 7 years, but it has been presented to them the wrong way.
In the second period, we work on some topic related to their future. Currently, I am teaching them how to apply for a job. This means we study job adverts, write job adverts, then study and write CV's. If you think writing is not helpful my class would prove you wrong. Not only is writing helping their memories a lot more, I also have to interfere with how they write their formal letters - they haven't learnt when to use capital letters (!).
Initially, the ladies were rather typical CHinese, - passive. Now I am increasingly having a good time with jokes flying both ways between them and me, and that's a real first in my China career - the girls actually DO HOMEWORK!

[Lynn]

I teach several different classes at a few different schools. (welcome to ESL USA) My favorite is the beginner classes. I was taught a method that uses 80%-20% Student/teacher talk. The students catch on quite quickly and love it.

[denise]

[struelle]

[leeroy]

The "You'll work in pairs or else!" syndrome seems fairly common in Asia - it's interesting to see that in so many different places most teachers are essentially trying for the same thing - to make their lessons more communicative.

Rote memorisation and grammar translation are clearly ineffective in their singularity - I think teachers realise this and try to balance it with 'natural communication'. But is there a half-way point? Can there be some compromise between the style the learner is expecting (and is used to) and the style the teacher wants to use?

[Wolf]

I teach a "conversation only class." I come in with activities based on what they have in the book (which is pretty CLT adaptable, actually.) I set up, they talk, we reveiw.

I taught a writing class. My methodology is not worth recording for prosterity. But, I did have them do one assignment a week (again based on but not straight from their text), as well as a mid term and a final larger assingment. I did correct them all throughly and left tons of suggestions. I did notice an improvement.

I teach a literature class now. I have them preread. Then, we read in class. Then the discuss a question pretaining to the poem (doing poetry right now.) They do this in groups. Then I have them give feedback to the whole class. I give them written assignments as well (I'm checking through their first ones just now.) I'm going to give them tons of feedback on their first assingments and go through a two - draft paper after we finish the poetry unit.

I was so utterly stumped as to what to do with these classes (or what they were capable of handling) that I didn't see what else to do. Sadly, I'm by far the most experienced FE at the school. My orders are "make them talk." and "teach them British and Amercian Literature." My Syllabus Design prof, I hope, is not reading this (and if you are be nice.)

[shmooj]

[october]

since i teach mostly beginners and with them the structure of the lesson must be pretty frontal must of the time I can say that i have most fun with the "older" students (6 grade). Their work is usually individual, pair and group work and since I really hate the text books i have turned to different projects involving every skill they have to learn but i put it into a creative context. it could be anything -Dr. Seuss project, all about frogs, fairy tales - this way i don't fall asleep and i hope they don't either.
The main problem is getting the weak students to get into these projects and that is my main goal each year. with 40 kids in a class that a biggy.

[denise]