Teaching out in the boonies...

[rhibbs]

I am teaching adult refugees who vary in ability (all in one class) and feel like I am running out of ideas. I need some ideas on how to teach one class of varrying levels (6 people total) without creating some kind of riff among students. I want to be able to accomodate all language abilities but am having a hard time coming up with ideas when my access to a copy machine and computer is limited. Any ideas about how to work with these dynamics?? I want to incorporate ideas of international affairs and human rights into the class content too. Thank you!!

Robin

[surrealia]

Robin:

here are a couple of pages that might help out:

This page should give you some ideas for teaching about international affairs ->

http://www.onestopenglish.com/tefl_skil ... Topics.htm

and this page should come in handy since you have limited access to a copy machine (maybe you can jot down some notes when you are able to use the computer or print out anything that looks useful) ->

http://www.onestopenglish.com/teaching_ ... /index.htm

Also, this page has a lot of links to FREE lessons, games and activities ->

http://www.geocities.com/allhou/lessgames.htm

[Sally Olsen]

Do you have access to a TV and video tape machine? You can tape the news every night or just before you go to school in the morning - just the short news and then play it for the class, replay it and so on. You can get the transcript as well usually from the TV station - they might email it for you but it will be in a kind of short hand that is quite interesting and easily learned. The students can copy down what they can manage and then share the information until you build up the script and then you can discuss issues and explain vocabulary and so on. You can then use the scripts to do all the worksheet activities that you can think of - comprehension questions, whiting out verbs or prepositions and so on. You can build up a library for homework and follow up stories in the local newspapers. They often give Literacy programs free copies so you might persuade them to do the same for you. I used the discussion to teach negotiation and peace keeping techniques - you can get manuals at the library or books on better ways to communicate. It works the same for the local radio station. You can eventually invite the news reader to talk to the class which is always a thrill to them and might get you some support in the community as well for materials that you might need, job resources and so on.

[rhibbs]

Thank you for the advice! I will check out those websites, they look exciting already. I do have a TV, but it just gets a few local channels, no english channels. Maybe I should look into renting a movie....One more thing to figure out when I don't speak the language!

Anyway, Thanks!

[Sally Olsen]

I thought it was a ESL class in an English speaking country. Sorry. Movies are great and you can get the scripts from the Internet and do the same things as the TV news or radio news. Don't you get BBC or something on the radio though? Where are you?

[rhibbs]

I'm in Thailand, outside of Chiang Mai. My students do not have access to TV and...well, I assume the radio is all in either Thai or Burmese. I should look into that.

[bigdave]

Have you tried using TPRS...the storytelling method.

I use it alot for that kind of group. It works great...because you start off slow for the lower students and build up to the level of the higher students. By the end of the class the students understand everything and everyone is happy.

[rhibbs]

Can you expand on TPRS?

Thanks!