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thu_tinh
Joined: 27 Sep 2006
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 Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:21 pm Post subject: How do you teach the low level Middle School kids? |
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that are in absolutely LOW LEVEL.
Aren't motivated, don't care, and etc?
How do you deal with them on a daily basis? |
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goodsounz
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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I have found that listen and repeats then memorize and recite (ie the Korean way) works with the really low levels. I have 17 classes with an average of 35 students per class and only one of them is an absolute low level class. I have employed this method along with some fun English games to keep their interest up.
If it is so low that they cannot read English then I would start with that - the ABC's. |
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thu_tinh
Joined: 27 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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what kind of games do you use to catch their interests?
they know their ABCs
But today my low levels only had 2 sentences for dialogue and they wouldn't cooperate. even the co-teacher had a hard time. |
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ron_j
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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| A literacy strategy they teach us in the states is to use peer learning. Try to group the best student with lowest level. I've used this in high schools in the US and it works. Sometimes, kids learn from their peers more than from their teachers. |
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goodsounz
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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One game that always works for me is a game the Koreans know as "I am ground". The starting chant is "I am ground, _____ names" (pick a category). I usually start off with country names. Then you go around the room and everyone says a country name. If they say a country that has already been said, then make some sort of penalty. I usually get them to stand up.
Another one is to get everyone to stand up and then ask someone to spell something. If they get it right, they sit down. When you get down to the final two and you think they are up to it, have a show down. (I was the spelling bee champion of my primary school - which had all of 20 children! hehehe)
Memory games could work but in my experience, low level classes get bored very very easily. However, if you divide the class into two and give the losing team extra homework, that works with low level classes. |
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thu_tinh
Joined: 27 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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| ron_j wrote: |
| A literacy strategy they teach us in the states is to use peer learning. Try to group the best student with lowest level. I've used this in high schools in the US and it works. Sometimes, kids learn from their peers more than from their teachers. |
peer learning does not work in korea. especially when the entire class level is low and they end up cheating anyways. |
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oxfordstu
Joined: 28 Aug 2004
Location: Bangkok
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| I have 18 classes and all of them are low level. They can read English (I think), but very few can speak beyond "Hello" "How are you" "Nice to meet you" phrases. It's the beginning of the term, so what I'm going to do (and what was suggested by the former teacher) is spend 20 minutes in the textbook (which includes dialogue, conversations, listen and recite, etc.) and then the rest of the time doing a fun activity that's related to the skill in the textbook. |
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thu_tinh
Joined: 27 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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i was told to stay away from the text book because thats what the korea teachers do in their classes
so I have to come up with other things.
but its so hard for low levels to learn from me and the k teacher with no connections.
i'm just wondering how you all do it.
and what would be fun activity for kids who don't want to learn English at all? |
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tiger fancini
Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: Testicles for Eyes
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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| oxfordstu wrote: |
| I have 18 classes and all of them are low level. They can read English (I think), but very few can speak beyond "Hello" "How are you" "Nice to meet you" phrases. It's the beginning of the term, so what I'm going to do (and what was suggested by the former teacher) is spend 20 minutes in the textbook (which includes dialogue, conversations, listen and recite, etc.) and then the rest of the time doing a fun activity that's related to the skill in the textbook. |
Thats exactly what I do. On the whole it works, but I would suggest having some back-up plans for the smarter students in each class. They will be there, you just may not have noticed them yet due to shyness. When I started in my middle school I was amazed at how low the levels of English actually are. Sounds just like your place in fact! But, in each class there are usually at least one or two bright sparks, who are unfortunately kept on the sidelines due to the dominating low level students. Make sure you have something for the smarter ones to do, or they will get bored and that will lead to more problems. I wish students were grouped by ability here!  |
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bosintang
Joined: 01 Dec 2003
Location: In the pot with the rest of the mutts
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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There are two kinds of low-level students.
The low-level students, ones with low exposure to English and few English skills and there's the kind that thu-thinh is talking about: the LOW-level students.
I feel for you Thu-Thinh, I have plenty of them myself. If they are mixed in with the high-level students, the peer-learning strategy although not ideal, is probably the best way about going about it.
If the levels are divided, all you can do is try. *Fun* activities are good if you can motivate your students, but have a back-up when the students refuse to do them.
A lot of the students who are low-level and not completely hostile to learning English don't want "fun" activities -- they see them as a waste of time.Try talking to your co-teachers and coming up with something motivational for the students so that they take your classes seriously. I'll post more details later, but for example, this year my school is going to be having me do performance tests, and the mark is going to be worth a portion of their final grade.
I think also that you should be teaching based on the textbook if not from it. If it was me, one of these things would be worth fighting over. I would tell the Korean teachers to get some kind of system of evaluation, curriculum, or teach the classes themselves. |
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bosintang
Joined: 01 Dec 2003
Location: In the pot with the rest of the mutts
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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Here's some tips directly quoted from Teaching By Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy 2nd Edition", H. Douglas Brown, pages 98-99,102:
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Students cognitive learning processes
...Expect to engage in plenty of repetition of a limited number of words, phrases, and sentences...
Use practiced language for genuinely meaningful purposes. For example, getting information from a classmate whom a student does not know will require using newly learned language ('Whats your name?' 'Where do you live?')
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The role of the teacher
Beginning students are highly dependent on the teacher for models of language, and so a *teacher-centered* or teacher-fronted classroom is appropriate for some of your classroom time...
Pair work and group work [...] are effective techniques for taking students' focus off you as the center of attention and for getting them into an interactive frame of mind...
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Teacher talk
Your input in the classroom is crucial. ...Your own English needs to be clearly articulated. It is appropriate to slow your speech somewhat for easier student comprehension, but don't slow so much that it loses its naturalness....Use simple vocabulary and structures that are at or just slightly beyond their level....
Is it appropriate to use the students' native language?....The rule of thumb [in an EFL setting] is usually to restrict classroom language English unless some distinct advantage is gained by the use of their native language, and then only for brief stretches of time.
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Authenticity of language
The language that you expose your students to should[....] be authentic language...
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Fluency and accuracy
Fluency is a goal at this level but ony within limited utterance lengths.....it is extremely important that you be very sensitive to students' need to practice freely and openly without fear of being corrected at every minor flaw....On the other hand, you need to correct some selected grammatical and phonological errors so that students don't fall into the trap of assuming that 'no news is good news'...
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Techniques
Short, simple techniques must be used. Some mechanical techniques are appropriate - [for example] choral repetition and other drilling.....
Group and pair activities are excellent techniques as long as they are structured and clearly defined with specific objectives. A variety of techniques is important because of limited language capacity."
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There's a lot more, but I think I covered some of the basics there. |
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thu_tinh
Joined: 27 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:27 am Post subject: |
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| bosintang wrote: |
There are two kinds of low-level students.
The low-level students, ones with low exposure to English and few English skills and there's the kind that thu-thinh is talking about: the LOW-level students.
I feel for you Thu-Thinh, I have plenty of them myself. If they are mixed in with the high-level students, the peer-learning strategy although not ideal, is probably the best way about going about it.
If the levels are divided, all you can do is try. *Fun* activities are good if you can motivate your students, but have a back-up when the students refuse to do them.
A lot of the students who are low-level and not completely hostile to learning English don't want "fun" activities -- they see them as a waste of time.Try talking to your co-teachers and coming up with something motivational for the students so that they take your classes seriously. I'll post more details later, but for example, this year my school is going to be having me do performance tests, and the mark is going to be worth a portion of their final grade.
I think also that you should be teaching based on the textbook if not from it. If it was me, one of these things would be worth fighting over. I would tell the Korean teachers to get some kind of system of evaluation, curriculum, or teach the classes themselves. |
you explained exactly what I meant.
I need the Korean teachers to come and sit down and talk to me. I am tired of chasing them around and them telling me they are too busy. |
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xox
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Location: Bundang
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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they are really difficult to teach.
i really need help on this one as well. |
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ddeubel
Joined: 20 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| peer learning does not work in korea. especially when the entire class level is low and they end up cheating anyways. |
I think those who would prefer having the students grouped by level are really just trying to make their job easier and not thinking things through and seeing the possibilities of a multi leveled class.
First thing you have to do is find out who the higher level students in the class are. Not always apparent and you have to assess formally. You can miss them and also think some others are a higher level who aren't. Personality gets in the way too...
Next, group these students appropriately, based on several factors, with lower level students. Explain their leadership role and place. Then, in the following classes, very demonstrably, model how peer learning can happen.
Regarding the quote above. The whole point IS CHEATING. We want them to learn by cheating with their peers. As long as it isn't a formal test, this is what should happen and one of the ways lower levels learn. Learning from other peers is cheating and it is good.
DD |
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inverse_narcissus
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Masan / the pub
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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This is a really good topic, as I'm having the same issues with my 3rd-grade boys at the moment. Low level indeed...
However, I'm going to see if I can't get them to be more enthusiastic by rewarding them, before I try anything else. Which leads onto....
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?p=1095145#1095145 |
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