Lesson Ideas for Listening and Speaking

[magpou]

I have just been assigned a tutoring job to a small group of businessmen who work for a cement plant. The only information I have been given so far is that these individuals want lots of practice with Listening and Speaking. Would welcome ideas for what topics would be suitable for classroom discussion or anything else. Each class is 3 hrs. in duration, twice a week. Also, would games be suitable for adult males?

[Lorikeet]

I think most of us usually begin our suggestions with some kind of needs assessment. In other words, your students may be interested in listening and speaking, but for what purpose? Do they come into contact with English speakers as part of their job? Do they need certain kinds of vocabulary and/or topics to assist them in what they want to do? Do they want to be able to use "small talk" with clients, or are they looking for assistance in making presentations?

The ESL class I prepared for a class of assembly-line workers was to meet the needs of the employer and the employees. They wanted to be able to communicate with native-speaker co-workers, to minimize cross-cultural misunderstandings, and to enable the workers to fully participate in the employee participation activities in the workplace.

I think what you do will depend on what your students need.

[magpou]

The points you have raised are all pertinent and it was my intention to spend some time in the first lesson to establish the students' needs and then plan the course from that. I am sure that many of the needs that you have addressed with your group will be similar in mine.

I was looking for some suggestions re ideas for lesson material, e.g. might a taped news broadcast of current events be suitable? Situational topics associated with their jobs? What else? I asked about games -- usually great for adolescents and younger, but businessmen?

I think most of us usually begin our suggestions with some kind of needs assessment. In other words, your students may be interested in listening and speaking, but for what purpose? Do they come into contact with English speakers as part of their job? Do they need certain kinds of vocabulary and/or topics to assist them in what they want to do? Do they want to be able to use "small talk" with clients, or are they looking for assistance in making presentations?

The ESL class I prepared for a class of assembly-line workers was to meet the needs of the employer and the employees. They wanted to be able to communicate with native-speaker co-workers, to minimize cross-cultural misunderstandings, and to enable the workers to fully participate in the employee participation activities in the workplace.

I think what you do will depend on what your students need.

[dduck]

I was looking for some suggestions re ideas for lesson material, e.g. might a taped news broadcast of current events be suitable? Situational topics associated with their jobs? What else? I asked about games -- usually great for adolescents and younger, but businessmen?

I think all of my Mexican students are primarily interested in Speaking and Listening. I do this by following our text book (doesn't matter which one). I have them do the normal Speaking and Listening exercises, plus they read aloud the reading exercises - sometimes when they have the text in front of them sometimes not - and I have them do the writing exercises as homework. Nothing special. <shrug>

Iain

[magpou]

Hi, Iain:

I would take the same queue, i.e. exercises from a textbook, if my students were younger. However, being adults and business people to boot, my thinking is that I may have to be more creative with the lesson. Thanks, all the same.

I was looking for some suggestions re ideas for lesson material, e.g. might a taped news broadcast of current events be suitable? Situational topics associated with their jobs? What else? I asked about games -- usually great for adolescents and younger, but businessmen?

I think all of my Mexican students are primarily interested in Speaking and Listening. I do this by following our text book (doesn't matter which one). I have them do the normal Speaking and Listening exercises, plus they read aloud the reading exercises - sometimes when they have the text in front of them sometimes not - and I have them do the writing exercises as homework. Nothing special. <shrug>

Iain

[Lorikeet]

I still think the key isn't the need to be creative, but the need to meet their expectations. (whatever they may be.) As I said before, the subject matter may depend on what they want to use the speaking/listening for.

In one of the sets of material we wrote for the assembly-line workers, we had a segment with brainstorming. We gave out a topic (for example, what differences have you noticed between what is acceptable behavior in your culture and in the culture you see in this country; what is/isn't good behavior in the workplace, etc. ) Students were put in groups of three and were given a large poster-size piece of paper on which to brainstorm their answers. One student served as the "secretary," writing down everything. Another student reported back to the group, pasting the large paper on the wall and reading the items. After all the groups presented, the duplicate items were eliminated, grammar was corrected, and a final list emerged. The groups were then asked to sort the final list in some way (The most common to the most uncommon; the most important, etc depending on the subject matter.) The employer we were working for was particularly interested in getting the employees to learn how to brainstorm and share ideas because those techniques were also used in job-related meetings.

We also did some roleplays on work-related issues, including polite ways to ask for advice, give advice, disagree, interrupt, etc.etc.

[magpou]

Lorikeet:

Thanks a million; your suggestion has most certainly helped me to "nail it". That's the direction I was wanting to head, to introduce activities that would be relevant to their work situation and for the exercises to be useful. You are absolutely correct when you say their expectations have to be met. That, in fact, is the criteria for the tutoring as opposed to other classes where students learn from an set syllabus. I'm sure that after my initial session with the group, the ideas for lesson plans will flow. Thanks for your great mentoring!

I still think the key isn't the need to be creative, but the need to meet their expectations. (whatever they may be.) As I said before, the subject matter may depend on what they want to use the speaking/listening for.

In one of the sets of material we wrote for the assembly-line workers, we had a segment with brainstorming. We gave out a topic (for example, what differences have you noticed between what is acceptable behavior in your culture and in the culture you see in this country; what is/isn't good behavior in the workplace, etc. ) Students were put in groups of three and were given a large poster-size piece of paper on which to brainstorm their answers. One student served as the "secretary," writing down everything. Another student reported back to the group, pasting the large paper on the wall and reading the items. After all the groups presented, the duplicate items were eliminated, grammar was corrected, and a final list emerged. The groups were then asked to sort the final list in some way (The most common to the most uncommon; the most important, etc depending on the subject matter.) The employer we were working for was particularly interested in getting the employees to learn how to brainstorm and share ideas because those techniques were also used in job-related meetings.

We also did some roleplays on work-related issues, including polite ways to ask for advice, give advice, disagree, interrupt, etc.etc.

[dduck]

Hi, Iain:

I would take the same queue, i.e. exercises from a textbook, if my students were younger. However, being adults and business people to boot, my thinking is that I may have to be more creative with the lesson. Thanks, all the same.

Funnily enough, all my students are adults, and most of them are accountants, managers, test engineers, etc. My upper intermediate class seem to be quite happy with the lessons I give them. We use authentic texts, discussions, interviews, roleplays. The exercises are really just a springboard into authentic conversations.

Iain

[Lorikeet]

Hello again,

I'm glad you are getting ideas. I looked back at some of the materials my friend and I had written for the several courses we prepared for this employer. Just to plant some more ideas that might get you thinking (and remember these students are working alongside native English speaking workers in an English environment), these are some of the things we had listed on our Curriculum:
Teamwork activities: (the afore-mentioned brainstorming) List situations at work in which communication can be a problem; Decide what work-related questions to ask in an interview, post questions and agree on format, interview each other; list four topics you think are appropriate for "small talk" in this country and 4 that you think are not; What qualities do you think are important for your job? Reach consensus on the 6 most important; What advice would you give a new employee?; What are some strategies for handling criticism?; What are the most annoying things at work?
Language focus: Asking permission, asking for clarification/restating, starting, ending, and interrupting a conversation; giving and accepting compliments; asking for and giving advice; taking and keeping the floor in a meeting situation; encouraging someone to speak; agreeing, disagreeing, giving in; making negative comments politely, telling someone they are wrong; giving and accepting apologies; asking for favors, agreeing to do favors or declining to do them; giving suggestions

Well, I guess you get the idea <grin>.

[magpou]

Hello, Lorikeet:

Thanks a million for your ideas. You've deifinitely helped to bolster my confidence! Will keep in touch with you as the classes progress.

Hello again,

I'm glad you are getting ideas. I looked back at some of the materials my friend and I had written for the several courses we prepared for this employer. Just to plant some more ideas that might get you thinking (and remember these students are working alongside native English speaking workers in an English environment), these are some of the things we had listed on our Curriculum:
Teamwork activities: (the afore-mentioned brainstorming) List situations at work in which communication can be a problem; Decide what work-related questions to ask in an interview, post questions and agree on format, interview each other; list four topics you think are appropriate for "small talk" in this country and 4 that you think are not; What qualities do you think are important for your job? Reach consensus on the 6 most important; What advice would you give a new employee?; What are some strategies for handling criticism?; What are the most annoying things at work?
Language focus: Asking permission, asking for clarification/restating, starting, ending, and interrupting a conversation; giving and accepting compliments; asking for and giving advice; taking and keeping the floor in a meeting situation; encouraging someone to speak; agreeing, disagreeing, giving in; making negative comments politely, telling someone they are wrong; giving and accepting apologies; asking for favors, agreeing to do favors or declining to do them; giving suggestions

Well, I guess you get the idea <grin>.

[magpou]

Hello Iain:

It's nice of you to continue with your input. My tutoring mission has been contracted to me by a private language school whose experience is mainly focused on teaching foreign students from abroad - adolescents and young adults at an intermediate level. Therefore their teaching materials (textbooks, etc.) are more aligned to a general syllabus for language instruction. My particular tutoring project, as Lorikeet points out, would be different as I will be required to address the needs and expectations of the students more specifically, as to how it may relate to the industry they work in.

Hi, Iain:

I would take the same queue, i.e. exercises from a textbook, if my students were younger. However, being adults and business people to boot, my thinking is that I may have to be more creative with the lesson. Thanks, all the same.

Funnily enough, all my students are adults, and most of them are accountants, managers, test engineers, etc. My upper intermediate class seem to be quite happy with the lessons I give them. We use authentic texts, discussions, interviews, roleplays. The exercises are really just a springboard into authentic conversations.

Iain