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Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > Student "prompts" all the time - what should I do?
Student "prompts" all the time - what should I do?
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LittleSunshine11
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Student "prompts" all the time - what should I do?
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Dear friends,
I need your help. I have just started an in-company class with pre-intermediate/intermediate students. The atmosphere in class is ok, but not as relaxed as I �d like it to be. There are 10 students (29-55 years old) all with different backgrounds and slightly different levels.
Here is my problem: Some students are very shy, others are very outgoing (that �s ok, I can deal with that in general) but two of them are pretty advanced for their level and whenever I ask another student a question and they (the advanced ones) know the answer, they promt it, say it out loud, so that the student I asked in the first place doesn �t get a chance to think about the answer and give it himself.
This is a first for me, I �m younger than most of the students and not "the authoritarian teacher" in general. I don �t want this situation to become a problem in class, every student should feel confident to take their time to answer a question and also make mistakes and learn from them.
What do you do in a situation like this? What can I say without being rude or anything?
Thanks for your help!
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19 Jan 2011
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htunde
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Hi,
I had a summer class with a similar group, and I formed a sub-group of the higher level students and gave them challenging exercises for them to solve as a group. And I could work with the others as I had planned. The exercises and tasks should be to the topic but of course higher level. I took printables from eslprintables. Hope I could help,
T�nde |
19 Jan 2011
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kmtr
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You could start a general routine in your class where you don �t allow call-outs, but pull a name out of a cup (a lot of teachers in my school use popcicle sticks that they write the names on.) As the call out of turn (which they will-habits die hard!) just remind them that it wasn �t their turn, that you are using the new system. They should get retrained in a few days.
If it is a question that is an opinion, or a lot of different answers, I tell them before I even ask the question that everyone will have a turn to answer, so don �t call out, but to let everyone think. Then, if it is a more challenging opinion question, I start with the "middle" students, and then jump around based on who is ready to answer. This allows for those who need more thinking time. If it a question with limited answers, I call on the slower students first to allow them to answer with the more obvious or easier vocabulary which makes the advanced students think more for the harder or more obscure vocabulary.
Also--just be honest with them. Tell them that you know they are more advanced, but that they need to allow the lower students time to think and answer. Sometimes they are so excited to show you they know the answer they don �t realize they are really being rude to the lower level students.
This is hard for all age levels! I hope this is helpful.
Kat |
19 Jan 2011
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