My regards
[/b]ways of making my teaching more interesting
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littleflower
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:59 pm
- Location: OMAN
ways of making my teaching more interesting
I am loolking for some ways to make my teaching more interesting. Recently I feel boring in my class and i don't have sense of humour. I need your advice to feel enthsiasm in my class . Tell me your ways.
My regards [/b]
My regards
[/b]Hi Littleflower
Lots of things can make the lesson more fun.
Things like games, songs, quizzes, puzzles, projects where students make something fun ... although a lot of it can also depend on the teacher's personality. I find that my students' mood and amount of effort they put into work changes depending on whetherI'm feeling energetic and positive or not.
Try a project that the students can work on a little each week in small groups or teams, building up to something they can feel very proud of at the end of term. Here's some I've tried that have been very successful and also popular with the students...
1. Making a board game that will help younger students to learn English.
2. Put on a play (there's a simple script for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in the book 'Imaginative Projects')
3. Make a magazine (with pop interview, job profiles, horroscopes, puzzles, class news, advertisements, agony aunt / letters page, movie reviews etc etc)
4. Photo stories - using digital cameras and powerpoint
5. Making comics. There's a webquest for this on my site: http://www.grammarmancomic.com (it's in the free stuff section).
Good luck!
Brian
Lots of things can make the lesson more fun.
Things like games, songs, quizzes, puzzles, projects where students make something fun ... although a lot of it can also depend on the teacher's personality. I find that my students' mood and amount of effort they put into work changes depending on whetherI'm feeling energetic and positive or not.
Try a project that the students can work on a little each week in small groups or teams, building up to something they can feel very proud of at the end of term. Here's some I've tried that have been very successful and also popular with the students...
1. Making a board game that will help younger students to learn English.
2. Put on a play (there's a simple script for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in the book 'Imaginative Projects')
3. Make a magazine (with pop interview, job profiles, horroscopes, puzzles, class news, advertisements, agony aunt / letters page, movie reviews etc etc)
4. Photo stories - using digital cameras and powerpoint
5. Making comics. There's a webquest for this on my site: http://www.grammarmancomic.com (it's in the free stuff section).
Good luck!
Brian
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littleflower
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:59 pm
- Location: OMAN
Brian is right. There are plenty of fun thing you can do.
When you've made a child laugh, what's the next thing the child says?
"Do it again."
This is an extremely powerful tool. When children are having fun or if they find something amusing, they will do whatever it is again and again and again. It's amazing. Not only will they want you to do it again then, but the next time you see them, they'll ask you, "Do that thing again." (Problem is you have to remember what it was.) In designing lessons plans this can be a key point for game/activity selection and/or creation, as well as presentation. If the students find something amusing they will want to do it over and over again (just ask SEGA.)
The problem is other than tossing them around, tickling them, physically harming yourself, what do they like?
Funny sounds: If you are drilling, try raising your voice 3 octaves at the end and have the students model, sing the word, whisper the word, shout the word, dance to the word, what ever sells.
Funny words: Don't be afraid to make up words or combine words to make non-sense. Children do this and love it. It's one way to learn about morphemes. Tell them you want an elephant-pencil. "An elephant-pencil? No, no a monkey-pencil! No, no. A ROCKET-pencil." "A pocket-pencil? What's that?" Children will jump in and start talking!
Physical comedy: unfortunately this could mean physically harming yourself, but the pros just pretend. I do a lot of street side performance type material that really gets kids laughing and on my side. For example when I meet a child for the first time I may go to shake their hand, miss and run right into them. Then, do it again. And again. And again, until eventually I just deem that there must be something wrong with the childs hand and make him/her shake hands with another child just to verify that his hand actually works and repeat. Small magic tricks hold some value. Then teach the students the same trick and have then try it in English.
As a teacher or at any profession, you can get very bored with the same thing every day. Games and new activities will bring some new life to your classes but you might think about some new things for yourself. Further education as a teacher may bring some new horizons. Beyond new horizons, it might bring you a lot of new ideas.
Build up! Be Positive! Teach hard!
Mark
www.mes-english.com
When you've made a child laugh, what's the next thing the child says?
"Do it again."
This is an extremely powerful tool. When children are having fun or if they find something amusing, they will do whatever it is again and again and again. It's amazing. Not only will they want you to do it again then, but the next time you see them, they'll ask you, "Do that thing again." (Problem is you have to remember what it was.) In designing lessons plans this can be a key point for game/activity selection and/or creation, as well as presentation. If the students find something amusing they will want to do it over and over again (just ask SEGA.)
The problem is other than tossing them around, tickling them, physically harming yourself, what do they like?
Funny sounds: If you are drilling, try raising your voice 3 octaves at the end and have the students model, sing the word, whisper the word, shout the word, dance to the word, what ever sells.
Funny words: Don't be afraid to make up words or combine words to make non-sense. Children do this and love it. It's one way to learn about morphemes. Tell them you want an elephant-pencil. "An elephant-pencil? No, no a monkey-pencil! No, no. A ROCKET-pencil." "A pocket-pencil? What's that?" Children will jump in and start talking!
Physical comedy: unfortunately this could mean physically harming yourself, but the pros just pretend. I do a lot of street side performance type material that really gets kids laughing and on my side. For example when I meet a child for the first time I may go to shake their hand, miss and run right into them. Then, do it again. And again. And again, until eventually I just deem that there must be something wrong with the childs hand and make him/her shake hands with another child just to verify that his hand actually works and repeat. Small magic tricks hold some value. Then teach the students the same trick and have then try it in English.
As a teacher or at any profession, you can get very bored with the same thing every day. Games and new activities will bring some new life to your classes but you might think about some new things for yourself. Further education as a teacher may bring some new horizons. Beyond new horizons, it might bring you a lot of new ideas.
Build up! Be Positive! Teach hard!
Mark
www.mes-english.com
Hi Littleflower
I thought of something else - something you can do to help yourself right away.
If your schedule allows you some free time, observe one of your colleagues teaching. Find out what works or doesn't work for them. When I first started teaching, I found that observing other teachers was very useful, and gave me lots of new ideas.
Brian
I thought of something else - something you can do to help yourself right away.
If your schedule allows you some free time, observe one of your colleagues teaching. Find out what works or doesn't work for them. When I first started teaching, I found that observing other teachers was very useful, and gave me lots of new ideas.
Brian
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littleflower
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:59 pm
- Location: OMAN
Hey littleflower,
I think the first thing to make class more interesting for students is to be interested & enthusiastic about what you want to do during the lesson.
Switch around with a range of activities, like watching a video one week, & then listening to a song next week, followed by newspapers or magazines, & then conduct a role play, etc... . I think its best to use tasks that the students will find relavant as well, so that they want to learn, rather than something irrelavant.
Also build on teacher-student relations. Get to know your students, & let them get to know about you too, this way not only will they feel more comfortable around you, but you'll feel alot more comfortable teaching them as well.
Lastly, when assigning them tasks, make sure that they are easy enough to successfully complete, but not too easy that they will think it is a waste of time.
Hope this helps!
J.
I think the first thing to make class more interesting for students is to be interested & enthusiastic about what you want to do during the lesson.
Switch around with a range of activities, like watching a video one week, & then listening to a song next week, followed by newspapers or magazines, & then conduct a role play, etc... . I think its best to use tasks that the students will find relavant as well, so that they want to learn, rather than something irrelavant.
Also build on teacher-student relations. Get to know your students, & let them get to know about you too, this way not only will they feel more comfortable around you, but you'll feel alot more comfortable teaching them as well.
Lastly, when assigning them tasks, make sure that they are easy enough to successfully complete, but not too easy that they will think it is a waste of time.
Hope this helps!
J.