I'm currently teaching Oral English at a low-rank university in Henan, China. The students are between ages 18-23, but sometimes I feel like I'm teaching kindergarten students. I have about 50 students in each class, and I feel like I can't get through a whole class period without reminding the students several times that they cannot talk while the teacher is talking, that they need to keep their cell phones in their pockets during class, that they shouldn't spend my class time reading books for other classes, and that when I ask them to do an activity it doesn't mean it's time to stare at the wall for fifteen minutes.
I feel like college students shouldn't need to be constantly scolded and prodded into participating, but my students make it seem like I have no other choice. Are there other things I can do to make them participate? Should I just ignore the students who act like they don't care and focus on the ones who do care?
Any advice you can give on the subject would be greatly appreciated.
Andy
Henan, China
Is Scolding Necessary?
Moderators: Dimitris, maneki neko2, Lorikeet, Enrico Palazzo, superpeach, cecil2, Mr. Kalgukshi2
-
ofmodestmice
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:24 am
- Location: Henan, China
With 50 students it will be hard to keep the energy level high no matter what you do. But here are some ideas:
1) require movement. Every five minutes or so have everyone stand up or stretch in a certain way or do something visible that is a response to your directions. That way everyone knows who is paying attention and who isn't, and the slackers may get their act together.
2) avoid straight lecture formats. Make sure the students each have some speaking responsibilities each session.
3) give incentives. Hold contests, or give prizes for good behavior, or reward the whole class collectively in some way for group good behavior.
4) check cell phones at the door, if it comes to that. Or make a new policy that you will confiscate any cell phones not in bags.
5) introduce some aspect of competition. Sometimes being on a team makes a student more likely to participate.
Good luck,
-EH
1) require movement. Every five minutes or so have everyone stand up or stretch in a certain way or do something visible that is a response to your directions. That way everyone knows who is paying attention and who isn't, and the slackers may get their act together.
2) avoid straight lecture formats. Make sure the students each have some speaking responsibilities each session.
3) give incentives. Hold contests, or give prizes for good behavior, or reward the whole class collectively in some way for group good behavior.
4) check cell phones at the door, if it comes to that. Or make a new policy that you will confiscate any cell phones not in bags.
5) introduce some aspect of competition. Sometimes being on a team makes a student more likely to participate.
Good luck,
-EH
-
ofmodestmice
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:24 am
- Location: Henan, China
-
Sally Olsen
- Posts: 1322
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Canada,France, Brazil, Japan, Mongolia, Greenland, Canada, Mongolia, Ethiopia next
You can stop students who use their phones as they leave the class and get their numbers. Then text message them during class to pay attention and put their phones away or get a friend to do that for you. It shocks them into behaving sometimes and they certainly tell their friends so you don't have to do it for very long. They are taken aback that you know their number as well and that might keep them in line.
There is a long discussion on large classes in the Activities and Games under stickies. It certainly is a difficult thing to do for any group to pay attention and to genuinely be interested in whatever the person in front is trying to teach. You really should look up books on lecturing as well and how to give a great lecture. A great lecturer will do all the things suggested above, using groups, having small discussion groups and so on and getting the students involved and moving.
You can establish rules with the class - no cells phones, no sleeping, no extra books on the desk, and then ways to enforce those rules - using humour if possible or something that would be practical for the students to help them learn - a short speech in the next class in English about the book they were reading or the pressures they are under to get homework done for other courses with not enough time to do that or the fact that your class has no marks and thus no incentives to study and so on. Keep it real and the students will be dying to participate.
There is a long discussion on large classes in the Activities and Games under stickies. It certainly is a difficult thing to do for any group to pay attention and to genuinely be interested in whatever the person in front is trying to teach. You really should look up books on lecturing as well and how to give a great lecture. A great lecturer will do all the things suggested above, using groups, having small discussion groups and so on and getting the students involved and moving.
You can establish rules with the class - no cells phones, no sleeping, no extra books on the desk, and then ways to enforce those rules - using humour if possible or something that would be practical for the students to help them learn - a short speech in the next class in English about the book they were reading or the pressures they are under to get homework done for other courses with not enough time to do that or the fact that your class has no marks and thus no incentives to study and so on. Keep it real and the students will be dying to participate.