3674. Can Your Students Follow You in Class or They Are on the Moon?

 You may be a second or foreign language teacher, like me. I would like to tell you today about clear messages in class so your dear students may understand you. 

It’s well-known that you may speak to them in a bit above their level of the target language, for example English in my case. In that way they will understand much of the messages and will likely learn new vocab and new grammar – a drop above their English level, as I said. 

On these new school year first lessons I’m teaching I can observe whether my students can follow me or otherwise not, and I try and speak a little above their level – well, sometimes quite much. The intake language thus must be finely tuned in at more or less certain level. 

Also as I said I have to convey clear messages, for example clear instructions to carry out such and such activities in class. Otherwise the class becomes a pandemonium – a mess, in other words. 

Clear messages I said. As well a temptation I have to fight against is to talk to them in Spanish so they’d understand me better. Right now I make the firm resolution: to speak in English and explain things in that target language – and perhaps some little, very little Spanish so as to clarify some dark point. In English some ninety-something percent of the class. Even all in English maybe … 

The second point today is: Have my students participate a lot in class. It seems okay I would try and speak in English, but it’s THEM the ones who have to also speak in L2. And in principle my groups are not too large, and I’ve seen they can intervene a lot of times per class, a big lot of time, so lessons are kind of a conversation among us. 

Even I might encourage that student that asks me in Spanish to also say that – try it, come on! – in L2. 

I also have seen that fortunately and thank God the students who have been with me for several years – and they’re adults – well, they have some capability of partaking in English, and newcomers and new students notice that, well, their classmates can speak in L2 in a natural way! 

All of this is beautiful, you know: to have lessons in English from me and from them alike. So clear messages, for dark and obscure messages may show a dark mind or the sort. And when I turn into Spanish sometimes … I could say, Well, in English … - so that I correct myself and try to defeat the desire to say things in L1. Have a nice day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3672. Are They Students or Slaves in the Classroom?

  Our students, kids or adults, need to be taught and educated in liberty. No free students, no growing up and developing in a right way.  Obviously you teacher may have set a few class rules at the school year beginning, and they are necessary, but you may have set not many of them, the necessary ones for working, learning, self-improving.  If you teacher are like a class cop or sergeant, and have your students caught in a stiff fist, when those students – for example kids – feel they are not under your eyes, well, they then could behave mischievously and do bad.  When I taught kids quite many years ago I was told by the school assistant principal that, ultimately, my students were free to do what they thought more appropriate. I had to have my students wish to learn and work, but ultimately they keep being free!  It’s like raising our children: we also have to educate them in freedom.  Otherwise if we do not have them face life and everyday happenings little by little, they will grow
Read more

3673. Learning to Learn in the Classroom

  Is motivation in the classroom important for our students? Yep, it is indeed, but there are other crucial factors, as you may know.  For sure the lesson cannot be boring and our students would get drowsy like sheep, but also we have to consider other points so as to have efficient lessons.  I say it because when a student – either a kid or an adult – gets so involved and plunged into learning about some issue, well then that student may become an expert at that topic, and for him or her it may be that interesting.  I think we have to help our dear students create and make up working habits. Then, it’s more likely they will like the school subject we teach.  Schools are not amusement parks, as Spanish teacher, philosopher and pedagogue Gregorio Luri puts.  Our subject and its presentation in class must be interesting, competent, and professional, yet we ought not to seek motivation as the most important point in class.  I have met teachers that with their commitment in and out of the
Read more

3668. Again, How Flexible Are You as a Teacher?

  We may be about to start a new school year, at least at the north earth hemisphere. And you may be a hectic teacher. And you have to plan that school year by following the premises given by the school plus the points perhaps the school does not demand from you but you think they are important for your daily teaching.  That is what I’m doing. And maybe you’re a committed teacher who wants to get hold of every problem that might turn up in your pathway and your students’ one. Ok, great.  All the same I would tell you not to specify every mishap which could pop up during that school year. Even more if you tend to be a perfectionist teacher.  You will face any trouble when it occurs. Even you may have some transcendent view of life and may trust in God and his loving providence. Do not get everything tied and super tied up. Also because we may not know the students we’ll have soon.  Each and every one of them is unique and can provide their richness to the lessons. We work with people, w
Read more

2540. Why Do You Shout So Much?

Image
Class management: an important subject for the teacher to pass.  However, if you shout quite often now, can you please tell me what you’re going to do when you really should shout because of grievous misbehavior? / Photo from: man-shouting www playbuzz com
Read more