Job Discussion Forums

[fox1]

hi there..! any ideas? My kids are not interested in anything and have a 2-second attention span.

Thanks

[Glenski]

Well, if they are not interested in anything, you might as well quit now, right? Why even bother coming here? What has been tried and failed?

If you think there is a spark of something in them, you'll find ways to stimulate their interests.

1) Giving foreign exchange students tours when they arrive. Buddy system for a day.

2) Creating an English/Japanese survival guide for foreign visitors (students and others alike).

3) Putting on festival events (school festival and national holiday alike).

4) Having send-off parties for the exiting foreign exchange students.

5) Movie afternoon, with worksheet and games. No subtitles allowed.

6) Guess the lyrics game for their favorite Backstreet Boys or Mariah Carey songs.

7) Get them in touch with a class of HS or JHS students from your home country. Skype is your friend, but so is regular email.

Have them make their own version of Trivial Pursuit. Either language or both languages will do.

9) Start a collection drive for schools in developing nations. Used erasers are badly needed.

10) Have every member of a sports club help to make an introductory package for foreign exchange kids who join such clubs but don't know the first thing about it (sports like kendo or kyudo).

11) Assuming they joined the English Club because they have an inkling of interest or ability in English, get them started on extensive reading with graded readers. Make it fun. Oral book reports 1 minute long. Shared journals with code numbers instead of names (much like an Internet discussion forum). Cartoons for their favorite scenes. Explain a great word they learned. Explain a quote from the book, or at least describe what it means to you/them. (P.S. You can get many graded reader samples for free.)

12) Buy some multi-flavor jelly beans (25-30 flavors per bag) and see if they can guess the English name for the flavors.

There's a "dirty dozen" for ya. Give us a full report next week.

Above all, get a Japanese teacher who is halfway fluent in English to help you.

[fox1]

thanks man.

we don't get foreign exchange students. Do most schools have them?

We don't even have an English club, but I'm burning for something to do this exam and post-exam time. I just spent the morning having shomen noodles with all the teachers at a party.

I think I would never be able to face the students again if I played "Backstreet Boys" for them, but, other than that, it's a good idea.

The jelly beans is the best idea I've heard in a while.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

As a break from more teacherly things you can play Jenga. Then start a conversation when the game is going well. It's amazing how well they can actually use English when their mind is on something else.

[Glenski]

No English Club? Why the post then?

My ideas were not directed at regular classroom activities, but for clubs that have the time to take on these things. Same thing with Jenga (it's not for classes of 30-40.

If you just wanted activities for classroom use in a low motivation setting, why didn't you say so?

Doing something this exam time? Kids are going to be studying their butts off then, aren't they?

[fox1]

cos i wanna start an english club, after all the exams are over.

uh, i guess, it's perfectly fine for ME to do something this exam time (prepare), and then, after, we'll all do something

[fox1]

bump. any more ideas?

By the way, what are good current movies or TV shows to watch with the students?

How would "Lost" go down, do you think(!) or would a comedy would be better?? I hate "Friends"!