355. The students need a calm environment to learn a language


One day teacher A said to teacher B, “The climax, the ambience, of our classes should be of calm work. This is the environment where they can learn a language.

Give them clear instructions about the exercise they have to do right then. Mold the answers. Or make them focus on the example of the sentence given by the exercise. Or ask one high-achievement student what they are expected to do in the exercise.

Circulate among the rows of desks, observing how the kids manage to fulfill the task.

After they have finished the exercise, ask them realistic, practical questions so as to use the grammar pattern in a ‘real’ and meaningful way. They’ll someway notice this exercise was useful, was communicative, was not something to be just fulfilled.

Calm down a starting ‘riot’.

The exercise ought to take a short period of time.

Also you be humane, close to the students, and firm in a discipline of serious work and learning. Be benevolent, but not lenient, as a colleague of ours said some days ago. If they are not little children, I’d tell you not to give permission to go to the bathroom – they might be thirsty though. Explain the why of this rule: something like not going out of the classroom and a serious, concentrated labor helps create a committing striving to work good. They can’t up and go out when they are expected to be working.” Photo from www tesol-france org

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