Search found 28 matches

by Heads Up English
Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:14 am
Forum: Activities and Games
Topic: Steal the Conversation
Replies: 0
Views: 2541

Steal the Conversation

Here's an idea I've used quite often with my upper-level students. Steal the Conversation Different cultures have different rules when talking. For some, it's polite to wait for the other person to stop speaking. For others, it's polite to never disagree or ask for clarification. Steal the Conversat...
by Heads Up English
Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:07 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: How much of their native language should you let them use?
Replies: 3
Views: 3003

I just wrote a section on L1/L2 in the classroom for my online resource manual. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, quite a bit of which points to complete abstention of the L1. However, use of the L1 has a number of benefits. For example: 1: When the focus is on fluency, students ca...
by Heads Up English
Thu May 28, 2009 1:32 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: Negative and Unmotivated Student
Replies: 4
Views: 3588

I'll be honest. You most likely won't reach this student, no matter how much time you spend with him. Even worse, you'll very likely sacrifice time from the other students in the class who do want to learn. Because of this man's immature behavior, time taken away from other students will negatively ...
by Heads Up English
Thu May 21, 2009 4:36 am
Forum: Activities and Games
Topic: How to make introverted students more active in activities?
Replies: 11
Views: 12610

I just ran a workshop on self-assessment, and we discussed a similar problem. Some students just don't want to participate! During this part of the workshop, we discussed appropriateness of and interest in activities. In some cases, students don't want to join because the activity is too hard. Some ...
by Heads Up English
Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:23 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: Advanced 1-1 Conversations with Bio-Chemist: Topic Ideas?
Replies: 3
Views: 3071

A lot of advanced students are fine with free conversation, or conversation on topics of great familiarity. Weaknesses become apparent when forced outside their comfort zone, so even advanced students have a lot to learn and master... it just takes more effort and work on our part as teachers. In my...
by Heads Up English
Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:14 am
Forum: Activities and Games
Topic: classroom activities
Replies: 19
Views: 28761

Here are some good sites. I've included mine (apologies in advance for the shameless plug), as well as a few others that I regularly visit. www.headsupenglish.com (adults / current events) www.flashcardhub.com (general / flashcards) www.eslhq.com (general / active forum) www.genkienglish.com (for ki...
by Heads Up English
Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:27 pm
Forum: Activities and Games
Topic: conversational approach
Replies: 6
Views: 8274

As someone who has developed a curriculum for a nationwide school in Japan, and a teacher training program to go with it, I can say that there are schools out there that value a communicative and creative approach to teaching. That said, the curriculum at my company took into consideration the needs...
by Heads Up English
Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:58 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: homework?
Replies: 11
Views: 10075

Homework is so vitally important for students, especially in an EFL classroom. If the only contact students have with English comes once or twice a week for a few hours, it simply isn't enough to make any real progress. Homework gets students to use, speak, and think in English for at least a few mo...
by Heads Up English
Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:24 am
Forum: Activities and Games
Topic: Activities for Middle Schoolers
Replies: 4
Views: 4653

I always recommend activities that get students out of their seats, and speaking/thinking as much as possible in English. Your lesson may be the only exposure to English as a communicative tool each day or week, so let them speak as much as possible. I pulled this straight from my site, the Flashcar...
by Heads Up English
Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:58 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: interview questions
Replies: 2
Views: 3775

interview questions

I'm putting together a short article on the hiring process at ESL EFL schools -- something to prepare job seekers and a little more targeted than the usual information found at career sites like Monster. Other articles I've written for Heads Up English can be found at: Articles | Heads Up English | ...
by Heads Up English
Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:15 am
Forum: ESL Management
Topic: Vetting of staff.
Replies: 1
Views: 7016

I personally know that some ESL EFL companies have been looking through applicants' pages at Facebook to get an idea of the type of person coming to the interview. It can seem a big Big Brother-ish, but this helps prevent pedophiles and real criminals from joining the company. In addition, you can g...
by Heads Up English
Thu Oct 11, 2007 9:54 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: need advice on evaluating students
Replies: 3
Views: 5597

This is always hard to assess, or at least to assess fairly. What if the student is having a bad day, or gets nervous in tests? I've given quarterly assessments in the past, which are based on the entire three months of lessons. You can jot down a few notes after each session, and then type these up...
by Heads Up English
Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:35 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: Need help with conversational english.
Replies: 4
Views: 3161

Hi Vivian, Articles are always good, so long as there is an objective. A lot of teachers hand out an article, read through it, answer some questions, and then have a chat. But there's so much more that can be done. Have you tried predicting what the topic will be about based on a few keywords or the...
by Heads Up English
Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:20 am
Forum: Material Writing
Topic: why do we teach students writing?
Replies: 6
Views: 10687

For some students, they need to see the language. For some students, it helps to associate the language with some kind of physical movement. So writing can be helpful, even in a class that focuses on speaking. I can understand that most students don't like writing because it takes longer to produce ...
by Heads Up English
Tue Jun 12, 2007 4:58 am
Forum: Adult Education
Topic: 30 minute one on one classes
Replies: 3
Views: 2191

Don't get discouraged! Consider the classes and students a challenge and a learning experience, which you can use months and years later. And having the chance to live abroad, work in a job that helps others... well, that's pretty hard to beat. Moving on... What can you do in the class? If your stud...