How do you keep your students interested?
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Stevie0801
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2006 2:29 am
How do you keep your students interested?
How in the world do you keep 30 kids interested in what you're talking about day in and day out?
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joshua2004
- Posts: 264
- Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2004 7:08 pm
- Location: Torreon, Mexico
The exact same sort of activity done daily will bore kids, yes, but here in Japan, kids thrive on a consistent pattern of activities. So, if you give them the same routine daily, they will feel comfortable because they know what to expect.
To keep 30 kids interested means doing things they enjoy while learning, and to have THEM doing most of the talking, not you.
Show realia, whether objects or film clips.
Be animated, not a stiff. They get that from their own teachers a lot.
LISTEN to them and respond. HELP them with their weaknesses instead of berating them. (Remember when YOU tried learning a language for the first time?)
Make the topic appropriate for them. It's useless to have a topic on part-time jobs for Japanese kids because they are not permitted to have them until after they graduate high school. Nor can they drive cars legally until they are older, so you wouldn't have luck with lessons on that topic.
Oh, and I teach 45-47 kids at once, so don't feel so bad teaching only 30.
To keep 30 kids interested means doing things they enjoy while learning, and to have THEM doing most of the talking, not you.
Show realia, whether objects or film clips.
Be animated, not a stiff. They get that from their own teachers a lot.
LISTEN to them and respond. HELP them with their weaknesses instead of berating them. (Remember when YOU tried learning a language for the first time?)
Make the topic appropriate for them. It's useless to have a topic on part-time jobs for Japanese kids because they are not permitted to have them until after they graduate high school. Nor can they drive cars legally until they are older, so you wouldn't have luck with lessons on that topic.
Oh, and I teach 45-47 kids at once, so don't feel so bad teaching only 30.
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Senorita Daniels
- Posts: 202
- Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:11 pm
Keeping your students interested
The key to keep your students interested is to keep them guessing. If you teach the same way everyday you're going to loose the interest of the students. Here is a website you can go to to try and find some actitivies to help. http://a4esl.org/
Also another great way to keep students interested is involve them in the instruction. Play games with them, have relay races, keep there attention by doing something they wouldn't expect. One of my professors uses magic tricks to keep us intertained. If you aren't good at magic, try something that you are good at, or you may be able to learn something else. Another thing you have to remember is students like to work with hands on lessons. Not the regular everyday worksheets.
Try coming into school dressed as someone else and stay in character the whole lesson, but make it pertain to your lesson. This is a method of teaching called role play.
You could also try technology to interest the students, if it is available to you. By greating a slide show with animation or interesting facts and then showing in on a data projector or another type of projector you can interact with the students.
I hope these suggestions helped you out.
Also another great way to keep students interested is involve them in the instruction. Play games with them, have relay races, keep there attention by doing something they wouldn't expect. One of my professors uses magic tricks to keep us intertained. If you aren't good at magic, try something that you are good at, or you may be able to learn something else. Another thing you have to remember is students like to work with hands on lessons. Not the regular everyday worksheets.
Try coming into school dressed as someone else and stay in character the whole lesson, but make it pertain to your lesson. This is a method of teaching called role play.
You could also try technology to interest the students, if it is available to you. By greating a slide show with animation or interesting facts and then showing in on a data projector or another type of projector you can interact with the students.
I hope these suggestions helped you out.
Keeping kids interested in learning?
Thanks to texasjo25 for the website on helping kids learn through interactive quizzes/puzzles and grammar. Could you give me any other advice please on helping students stay motivated in their learning, as my first practicum was nerve wrecking.
The students weren't motivated/ and weren't interested to learn except wanting to play games on the computer!!
The students weren't motivated/ and weren't interested to learn except wanting to play games on the computer!!
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Ahmad Al-Mat'hammi
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2006 4:53 pm
- Location: KSA_Qunfuthah
I think that teachers must use psychology with student . Stuednts are humanbeings! so you will think of using the MI with them... However, each student has his own way of dealing according to their individual differences.
In Saudi Arabia, It is very complicated issue to deal with studens. Because some of them even at the secondary level do not know their mother tongue! so teaching them English is a difficult task.
I decided to go beyond their curriculum , I decided to think of their motivations and worries!!! So, I found that some students want to practice English and they were so happy to talk to them or to play with them in English.
Some of them ae fans to an English actor or singer!!! I ook this in order to let them know English>>>
One of my students gave me an Arabic poem and asked me to translate it. I didn't response and I told him.... I will let you write a poem if you learn English. Now he is changed. His aim is to be a singer....
Motivation is not difficult to raise but Worries and hateness!!!
Some says that English is non Islamic language. I gave them some verses and prophet says to guide them and I told them it is Islamic and you will gain good deeds..... Some respond ,others didn't...
It is a matter of social problems but they will be improved unconsciuosly!!!
Well, I found that you have to make your class active and fun with being an actor,,,, Writing is difficult but isf you say ... well, it is easy ... let's begin with simple Qs and answer them...
Link these Answer (tjey must have a topic) with each other and make them as a paragraph>>> then tell them that they wrote a complete essay...
I think that if you let them play and act as a brother ,they will respond..
THANKS!
In Saudi Arabia, It is very complicated issue to deal with studens. Because some of them even at the secondary level do not know their mother tongue! so teaching them English is a difficult task.
I decided to go beyond their curriculum , I decided to think of their motivations and worries!!! So, I found that some students want to practice English and they were so happy to talk to them or to play with them in English.
Some of them ae fans to an English actor or singer!!! I ook this in order to let them know English>>>
One of my students gave me an Arabic poem and asked me to translate it. I didn't response and I told him.... I will let you write a poem if you learn English. Now he is changed. His aim is to be a singer....
Motivation is not difficult to raise but Worries and hateness!!!
Some says that English is non Islamic language. I gave them some verses and prophet says to guide them and I told them it is Islamic and you will gain good deeds..... Some respond ,others didn't...
It is a matter of social problems but they will be improved unconsciuosly!!!
Well, I found that you have to make your class active and fun with being an actor,,,, Writing is difficult but isf you say ... well, it is easy ... let's begin with simple Qs and answer them...
Link these Answer (tjey must have a topic) with each other and make them as a paragraph>>> then tell them that they wrote a complete essay...
I think that if you let them play and act as a brother ,they will respond..
THANKS!