Korean Job Discussion Forums

[beachbumNC]

so i'm teaching advanced level and intermediate level adults. the advanced classes are great so far. they can follow the material and aren't afraid to ask questions about things they don't get and so on and so forth. they are engaged and make me feel like i'm doing a great job.

intermediate is a different story. part of it is that the "intermediate" students are more like beginners who have never spoken an english word to anybody before. and when they make mistakes and i try to correct them...haha, boy i get some nasty looks. they are very uncomfortable, i think, and i'm having problems getting them to realize that it's okay if they make a mistake. i'm having trouble connecting with them and i feel like i'm just boring them to death or confusing them. i'm ready to bust my ass to open these folks up and get them engaged and enjoying the class...only i don't know where to start.

any advice is appreciated. thanks.

[the_beaver]

Overt correction of mistakes gets in the way of communication and the looks you are getting are possibly due to a kneejerk reaction in which students are annoyed that you're not paying attention to the content of what they're saying.

Instead of fixing mistakes when you hear them, just jot them down. At the end of the class put them up on the board and give students a chance to offer the correct version before, if necessary, showing them the problems.