Hello all,
I'm new to the forums and hope I can find some help for a dilemma I'm in right now.
I'm relatively new to the teaching field, just a little over a year of experience, and I need some advice from some more experienced teachers.
I have a class at the school I'm working for right now that is causing me a great deal of frustration, they don't participate or interact regardless of what I do with them.
They are a group of ten people in their late teens and early twenties and I'm one of at least four teachers (that I'm aware of) that share the responsibilities of teaching them. The class comes in everyday except Fridays; I teach them for 90 minutes on both Wednesdays and Thursdays and I get them directly after they have had 90 minutes with another teacher.
With the exception of that class, I have five other classes that, by all appearances, are happy and participatory.
I've been asked to create a month's worth of lesson plans for the class before trying to teach them again.
I'm trying to look at this problem from as many directions as I can, but I don't think I have the experience to fully analyse it.
I know I'm new to the career field and I don't pretend to be any more experienced than I am, but could this possibly be an issue off too many cooks being made to work on one pot? How many teachers should reasonably be splitting teaching duties over one class of students?
Also, They are young and I never get them when They are fresh. How much might that have to do with it?
I'm not above changing my approach to them again, but I don't want to spend so much time adjusting for one class that isn't happy that the classes who seem to be suffer because I have to take planning time away from them.
Any advice on how I approach a group like this, tired young people at the end of a week?
From the information I have put here, do any of you have any insights as to what the true root of the problem might be? I'm getting more sceptical of it being completely me.
I'm working in the Czech Republic and have been told to perhaps take the group to one of the many pubs around here and bond with them. I am sceptical that will work as I'm told by my boss that as a group they spend a fair number of evenings in the pub as it is.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
I have a problem class, I need help analysing the problem.
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moonchild7903
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 2:25 pm
Looks like you need make them warm up to you. When I'm faced with a tired or bothered class, I usually take five to ten minutes of class time to loosen them up and get them ready for a lesson. I usually start by asking a discussion question related to the topic at hand. Once a student shares an experience, the classmates will follow suit and the motivation activity turns into a communicative exercise. Take a few seconds to synthesize the discussion and you will have their full attention.
In the University I teach at, I once walked in on a class that was depressed following an exam. I took five minutes to discuss what was bothering them and told them to put away non-English related worries until after the class. (I took no more than five minutes!). The result was an attentive class.
You may start class with ice breakers and short games too. The key is let their guard down and engage them by re-energizing the group before class starts.
In the University I teach at, I once walked in on a class that was depressed following an exam. I took five minutes to discuss what was bothering them and told them to put away non-English related worries until after the class. (I took no more than five minutes!). The result was an attentive class.
You may start class with ice breakers and short games too. The key is let their guard down and engage them by re-energizing the group before class starts.
Thanks for the advice.
On a good day I can get a warm up to work with them, but a lot of the time I get a half hearted effort from them.
I try frequently to get a conversation going, sometimes it works and other times they just see it as a nuisance.
A few times I thought I had games they seemed to enjoy, the problem is that once the games get going, they want nothing more than games for the full 90 minutes not just as a warm up or filler activity. I get some supreme dirty looks if I try to do something that resembles work from them.
How do I get them into a fram of mind to learn after the teacher before me showed them a film? Not long ago I tried to teach them directly after they saw "Shrek 2". I thought we could get a conversation going about the film, but apparently not. They were ahppy to talk about it amoungst themselves in their own language, but not in English. Nothing I tried in the class that day worked.
I just picked up a book called "700 Classroom Activities" put out by MacMillan. It looks promising as a source of warmers and fillers. Maybe it will help me turn things around.
Thanks again, any other input is more than welcome.
On a good day I can get a warm up to work with them, but a lot of the time I get a half hearted effort from them.
I try frequently to get a conversation going, sometimes it works and other times they just see it as a nuisance.
A few times I thought I had games they seemed to enjoy, the problem is that once the games get going, they want nothing more than games for the full 90 minutes not just as a warm up or filler activity. I get some supreme dirty looks if I try to do something that resembles work from them.
How do I get them into a fram of mind to learn after the teacher before me showed them a film? Not long ago I tried to teach them directly after they saw "Shrek 2". I thought we could get a conversation going about the film, but apparently not. They were ahppy to talk about it amoungst themselves in their own language, but not in English. Nothing I tried in the class that day worked.
I just picked up a book called "700 Classroom Activities" put out by MacMillan. It looks promising as a source of warmers and fillers. Maybe it will help me turn things around.
Thanks again, any other input is more than welcome.
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joshua2004
- Posts: 264
- Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2004 7:08 pm
- Location: Torreon, Mexico
moonchild7903 wrote:I took five minutes to discuss what was bothering them and told them to put away non-English related worries until after the class. (I took no more than five minutes!). The result was an attentive class.
The best advice for you is to communicate to your students. Find out what they like and don't like. You will learn a lot about what needs to improve in your teaching, what will work for them, and you will be teaching them English at the same time by doing the class meeting in English!
Put the desks all in a circle and tell them what you stated. Your concerns etc. Don't be afraid of criticism or feedback, they are the secret to your success.
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moonchild7903
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2005 2:25 pm
Sometimes, it will help to lay down your learning goals and plans so the students know where you're going for the day's lesson. When my students know the point of the lesson, they usually appreciate it more. However, you will lose the element of surprise and I know a lot of us *HATE* to be predictable.
If you are in a structured school rather than a language center, it might help to incorporate their content subjects in your English class. That way, they may appreciate the relevance of your subject.
If you are in a structured school rather than a language center, it might help to incorporate their content subjects in your English class. That way, they may appreciate the relevance of your subject.
Greetings.
I experienced that at first my students were reluctant to talk. They answer my questions with just one short sentences each. I did not tell them to say more. I don't correct them yet. I just proceeded with the next question. After about a few days to one week, they become talkative.
This probably happened because I was open. I disclosed secrets about myself. I was transparent. When they see that's is alright to open up, they did. I also respect their opinion.
The ideas of the other teachers above are great. They reminded me of similar suugestions from the book, "Strategies for Effective Teaching" by Allan C. Ornstein. Accordingly a teacher can motivate students by:
1. Challenging statements
2. Pictures and cartoons
3. Personal experiences
4. Problems
5. Exploratory and creative activities
6. Charts, tables, graphs, maps
7. Anecdotes and stories
8. Contests and games
Good luck.
I experienced that at first my students were reluctant to talk. They answer my questions with just one short sentences each. I did not tell them to say more. I don't correct them yet. I just proceeded with the next question. After about a few days to one week, they become talkative.
This probably happened because I was open. I disclosed secrets about myself. I was transparent. When they see that's is alright to open up, they did. I also respect their opinion.
The ideas of the other teachers above are great. They reminded me of similar suugestions from the book, "Strategies for Effective Teaching" by Allan C. Ornstein. Accordingly a teacher can motivate students by:
1. Challenging statements
2. Pictures and cartoons
3. Personal experiences
4. Problems
5. Exploratory and creative activities
6. Charts, tables, graphs, maps
7. Anecdotes and stories
8. Contests and games
Good luck.
You've found one thing that motivates them: games.
At the beginning of each class write the name of the day's game on the board. Then spend 5 minutes teaching a single language point that will help them play the game more successfully. Make the 5-minutes-then-game structure a reliable thing that happens every class. Games don't have to be wasted time. They're best when they're actually just painless and highly functional drills/practice. However, with 90 minutes, you may have to choose games that can become progressively more complex so boredom doesn't set in.
You also found another thing that they enjoy: going to pubs.
Make the losing team buy a round for the winners. That'll make them motivated to pay attention to your (short!) lesson so they can win the language game/contest.
Good luck.
-EH
At the beginning of each class write the name of the day's game on the board. Then spend 5 minutes teaching a single language point that will help them play the game more successfully. Make the 5-minutes-then-game structure a reliable thing that happens every class. Games don't have to be wasted time. They're best when they're actually just painless and highly functional drills/practice. However, with 90 minutes, you may have to choose games that can become progressively more complex so boredom doesn't set in.
You also found another thing that they enjoy: going to pubs.
Make the losing team buy a round for the winners. That'll make them motivated to pay attention to your (short!) lesson so they can win the language game/contest.
Good luck.
-EH
Hmm, I'm not sure I agree with some of the suggestions offered here. There is a limit to 'opening up', playing games and watching TV. At the end of the day, you are a teacher, they are your students and the objective is that they learn something.
Do you know the expression 'the carrot and the stick'? The donkey will be attracted to the carrot but sometimes he will only move because of the stick.
Who are your students? As you posted your question in 'Adult Education', are they employees? Reminders about poor performance in front of an English-speaking client may help. Are they students who are preparing for an exam? A mock exam or test may help them to see how much work they have to do. Are they unemployed, looking for a job? Again, reminders about better prospects will help.
It would be nice to be friendly and to 'bond' with your students but it is not always like that. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going!
Do you know the expression 'the carrot and the stick'? The donkey will be attracted to the carrot but sometimes he will only move because of the stick.
Who are your students? As you posted your question in 'Adult Education', are they employees? Reminders about poor performance in front of an English-speaking client may help. Are they students who are preparing for an exam? A mock exam or test may help them to see how much work they have to do. Are they unemployed, looking for a job? Again, reminders about better prospects will help.
It would be nice to be friendly and to 'bond' with your students but it is not always like that. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going!
just an opinion or two
1. First of all, you can't make everyone happy all the time. I'm sure you've had the experience of a lesson that goes great in one class but bombs in another. If you believe in what you are doing, then you should stick to it. However, this is the reality of for-profit language teaching: the students dictate what is to be taught. This sounds like a worst-case scenario of a couple of students not liking you and they are leading the rest of the class against you. That happens quite often, I'm afraid. If you are in a school where success or failure is purely measured by attendance and complaints, there's almost nothing you can do.
2. The only way out of the for-profit teaching racket is to get better credentials. Then, you have the choice of teaching or not. It's far easier to be an administrator in a for-profit teaching system than it is to be a teacher.
2. The only way out of the for-profit teaching racket is to get better credentials. Then, you have the choice of teaching or not. It's far easier to be an administrator in a for-profit teaching system than it is to be a teacher.
Hey,
I had a similar problem with a class, but the issue was me. All of my students were from a country where women are not allowed to drive or work or etc... And having a women teacher (who was young) just totally freaked them out. If this is a possible problem here's how I sorted it out.
I set a homework task: what I hate about
a) my classes
b) my teacher
c) class tasks
and what I would change about a, b and c. (Probably not the most proffesional way of dealing with it, but it did work.) I asked them to hand it in on Friday so I had the weekend to feel bruised and angry
, and get over it by Monday.
Then on Monday we talked - I took on board valid critism (ie stuff I could change) and we spoke about other stuff (ie I'm a woman, get over it because I can't change). Then we agreed to a contract of respectful honesty.
(At times I regretted that 
(But I hadn't realised that a gentle shhh was basically a F. U. equivalent.)
Basically the contract boiled down to "you tell me whatever bothers you, I will agree to change what I can but you participate" (or see DOS - he was very supportive so it helped).
We discussed tomorrow's lesson the day before (2 min at end of class) and they had to let me know if anything wasn't to their liking. The change was amazing. I don't know if it was the chance to tell me I shouldn't work or knowing what was expected the next day, but they were great! Once they saw how serious I was about full participation and trying to accomodate their wishes they did anything I asked. In fact they still are one of the best classes I had. However I would get your DOS on board, and be confident enough to take personal critism if you have to. (I stuck up the most insulting essays and we had a good laugh about it, usually I would have been rather upset but I forced myself to assume it was cultural.)
If however the issue is just general lethargy, there are several things that have worked for me: (I seem to get problem classes - I was a naughty kid
1) Play music of their choice initially (ie 5 min) in the background. While a conversational task is set - one that you want feedback on but is completely personalized. Get them to write an essay on what interests them (if they are completely hopeless give question prompts) so you know what subjects will get them interested. (Also find out why they are learning English so you know what's motivating them
2) Get them out of their seats - tasks where they have to get up and find their partner, or have to get information from many other students help. More movement the better.
3) Competitive games based on the weeks work- pm me for more ideas if neccessary. (check out idea cookbook)
4) Sometimes a bit of honesty (see jodi) goes a long way. A 'I'm not loving teaching right now - you're bored, I'm bored (and upset, fustrated etc) what can we do about it' often gets the issue out.
Lastly remember that your other students are happy, so don't lose confidence. You're (we all are) up against huge cultural boundries in this job and we all have classes we'd like to phone in sick for!
Good luck,
Carolynne
I had a similar problem with a class, but the issue was me. All of my students were from a country where women are not allowed to drive or work or etc... And having a women teacher (who was young) just totally freaked them out. If this is a possible problem here's how I sorted it out.
I set a homework task: what I hate about
a) my classes
b) my teacher
c) class tasks
and what I would change about a, b and c. (Probably not the most proffesional way of dealing with it, but it did work.) I asked them to hand it in on Friday so I had the weekend to feel bruised and angry
, and get over it by Monday.Then on Monday we talked - I took on board valid critism (ie stuff I could change) and we spoke about other stuff (ie I'm a woman, get over it because I can't change). Then we agreed to a contract of respectful honesty.
(At times I regretted that (But I hadn't realised that a gentle shhh was basically a F. U. equivalent.)
Basically the contract boiled down to "you tell me whatever bothers you, I will agree to change what I can but you participate" (or see DOS - he was very supportive so it helped).
We discussed tomorrow's lesson the day before (2 min at end of class) and they had to let me know if anything wasn't to their liking. The change was amazing. I don't know if it was the chance to tell me I shouldn't work or knowing what was expected the next day, but they were great! Once they saw how serious I was about full participation and trying to accomodate their wishes they did anything I asked. In fact they still are one of the best classes I had. However I would get your DOS on board, and be confident enough to take personal critism if you have to. (I stuck up the most insulting essays and we had a good laugh about it, usually I would have been rather upset but I forced myself to assume it was cultural.)
If however the issue is just general lethargy, there are several things that have worked for me: (I seem to get problem classes - I was a naughty kid
1) Play music of their choice initially (ie 5 min) in the background. While a conversational task is set - one that you want feedback on but is completely personalized. Get them to write an essay on what interests them (if they are completely hopeless give question prompts) so you know what subjects will get them interested. (Also find out why they are learning English so you know what's motivating them
2) Get them out of their seats - tasks where they have to get up and find their partner, or have to get information from many other students help. More movement the better.
3) Competitive games based on the weeks work- pm me for more ideas if neccessary. (check out idea cookbook)
4) Sometimes a bit of honesty (see jodi) goes a long way. A 'I'm not loving teaching right now - you're bored, I'm bored (and upset, fustrated etc) what can we do about it' often gets the issue out.
Lastly remember that your other students are happy, so don't lose confidence. You're (we all are) up against huge cultural boundries in this job and we all have classes we'd like to phone in sick for!
Good luck,
Carolynne