Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kentucker4]

Why are all Koreans way too concerned about taking action in class? I print off hundreds of questions for my adult students to talk about and all of the time I have to be the one initiating questions. I have no idea how to make my adult class good. Does anyone here have a SUCCESSFUL adult class. What are some of your tricks. None of the stuff in the idea cook books have helped me.

[waynehead]

I think my teacher's class is pretty successful, but I do have to initiate every question. It's near impossible to get them to interact w/ each other in English...I don't even try anymore.

[the_beaver]

[kentucker4]

[buster brown]

If you're giving them open-ended questions to talk about, here's how I've done it successfully. If it's a list, you can pass it out and then go around the room having each student read a question out loud until everyone's had a chance to read. You don't have to go through the whole list, it's just a chance to get everyone talking. Don't answer the questions at this point, just give everyone a chance to open their mouth. You can correct pronunciation or give a suggested form for an answer to anything that's not understood. Also let the students know that this is the time to ask vocabulary questions. After everyone's read one or two questions, let them know who are the pairs that will be working together and tell them "Get busy." Of course, there will be a pair or two that need a push in the right direction, so you go to them and say "Okay, HeeSu, why don't you read number one?" After she reads it turn to her partner with a look of expectation, as if you're waiting for her to answer. If the partner doesn't say anything, you can rephrase it any maybe offer a suggestion. Once that pair's moving, I'd walk around and listen in or make a comment or two to every pair.

One other thing I do to make the awkward silence go away...I put any random CD into the player and turn it on so that there's background noise in the room. I first tried to use only instrumental stuff, but later I decided it doesn't really matter, as long as it's not too loud for groups to hear each other. It might not have made a difference for the students, but it definitely calmed me down as there was some kind of noise as students were trying to form their thoughts and start their conversations.

I taught adults for two mostly-successful years. If you're looking for specific advice, feel free to PM.

[ddeubel]

Well for what it's worth I'll add my unconventional two bits worth....

I think the real problem with most of the "action" above is that the students are reading a list or a few questions. I think it almost useless to have any group other than the lowest false beginners do this (if the goal is conversation and especially communicative competence). Useless.

The problem is, very few teachers give students the opportunity/practice or environment for students to gain competence in asking questions. Further, for real "communication" the most important part is the "impulse" by which the initiator asks questions. If it is so inauthentic, the learning is rote and just about going through the motions and getting the task done.

A better way to practice conversation is through pictures. The students illicit question and response other than the core vocab. provided by the teacher.

One way is to cut up hundreds of little pictures or get some good flashcards. (I use the pics from 1000 pictures for teachers and also communication games by the Hadfields). Sit them in groups of 2/3 or 4/5. Model the target language on the board. Example "Have you ever ......." or for more advanced "Have you ever ..... and ........." . Randomly choose a picture and ask a student. Then , the rest of the class must ask 3 follow up questions. (put the questions prompts in large, on the board Who What Does...Have ...). An example for a picture of a spoon might be.

Jung rim, have you ever eaten cereal?

Yes, I have.

(another student) What kind of cereal did you eat?

I ate Corn Flakes

Where did you eat it?

I ate it at home

Who bought it?

I bought it. etc...........

The questions and answers are authentic and about the student's lives and interests but still you are hitting some specific target language and objectives. You can also do the same with a large ppt of images. In groups they talk about / respond with 3/4 questions , personal questions that somehow relate to the image. I've lots at EFL Classroom 2.0. Just go to the practice page and click and play.

My two bits worth.

DD
http://eflclassroom.ning.com

[yingwenlaoshi]

Who cares?

Blah, blah, blah and the class is over.

[KYC]

Yep I start my teachers class today and I am not exactly excited about it. Lately I've been resenting some of the teachers. I didn't even plan anything extravagant for it. I was going to make it fun, but if they don't even bother coming to my classes or do their damn jobs then it's not worth my time & effort. I'm just going to walk in & we're going to do free talking for 40 minutes.

[Easter Clark]

I think it's important to find out their motivation for taking the class. If they plan to travel abroad, then you can plan lessons that will be useful to them when they travel. If they're just there for fun, do a survey of their interests in the first class (free time activities). If they're there because their boss is making them come, then ask why their boss wants them to study English and plan your classes with that in mind.

[yingwenlaoshi]

For the most part, my adult classes cringed at anything with questions, books, etc. They just wanted free talk.

Depends though. Sometimes you might get the picky ones who want this and that. Still, that could be one student out of 10 where the other ten just wish for the lone, picky student to STFU.

[ddeubel]

[spliff]

Give them a task, present it well and do feed back (ask if they have any questions about the content or task), then set them off. If they just sit there like a bunch of zombies it's on them. After all, they could've/didn't ask questions. Personally, I couldn't be bothered if they just sat the rest of the class like stone monuments.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I disagree with some of the above.

It depends on the level of the students. 99.9% of them really do want to talk. They just don't know how to express it in English. I think it is required to help them form the question forms and the stems of the answer forms before turning them loose.

I also think you have to tell them why you are doing a particular activity. It may be clear to you, but often it isn't clear to them.

I also KNOW that each class has a personality and some classes are just a disaster, no matter what you do.

[yingwenlaoshi]

[pandemic902]

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

the English teachers at my school are at an intermediate level already, so they really enjoy these articles. allows for some focused discussion.