|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > I īm loosing my voice
I īm loosing my voice
|
LittleSunshine11
|
I īm loosing my voice
|
Dear teachers,
I joined this site a couple of weeks ago and I īm addicted already 
I appreciate all your great work!!! Thanks everyone!
I also enjoy reading the forum and now I have to post a question myself. I īve been teaching since three years, mostly 2-3 hours twice a week. I īve started a fulltime teaching job recently *Jippi* and I īm very excited about this, it īs working out fine with the school and the students BUT I have to talk a lot more, my students are beginners, and the classes take 6-7 hours a day. My voice hasn īt gotten used to this much work yet and I wanted to ask for your advice and experience.
How do you keep your voice from becoming all scratchy in the afternoon??? Any special tea or exercises or....... My students have been very understanding so far but I have to do something about this, I can īt keep loosing my voice in class.
Your ideas will be highly appreciated! THANKS AGAIN! Have a lovely weekend!
|
25 Apr 2009
|
|
|
|
carinocitalgonzalez
|
|
HI, HOW ARE YOU?
YOU SHOULD PROMOTE AND USE MORE ACTIVITIES WHICH YOUR STUDENTS SPEAK MORE AND YOU CARE YOUR VOICE!
|
25 Apr 2009
|
|
|
joy2bill
|
|
Theoretically the experts say that students must speak for at least 60% of the lesson. This is particularly important with beginners as they cannot absorb too much at once.
My suggestion is that you do a lot of pair or groupwork. I even do my written exercises in pairs so that they have to make choices and justify their answers to each other. This works well with multiple choice.
Dialogues, tongue twisters, find someone who, single question surveys are all good for getting students to talk.
By single question surveys I mean one student will ask the same question to everyone in the class so that they get the repetition in a meaningful way. They then write a report.
eg Student 1 asks: What did you have for dinner last night?
Report is: Six students ate rice last night. 4 students ate fish last night. No students ate broccoli last night.
I hope this is useful. |
25 Apr 2009
|
|
|
|
|
mjotab
|
|
You can also buy a voice amplifier. I use one that I bought through Amazon web page. It is a device you wear attached to a belt, and you talk through a micro (like a telephone operator or similar). I love it, because I had a lot of problems before. I would copy the link to the amplifier here, but it may be seen as an an advertisment. |
25 Apr 2009
|
|
|
libertybelle
|
Ok - you īre losing your voice and not loosing it - thank goodness!
I try and speak so quietly, that the kids have to be quiet to hear.
Write instructions on paper or write them on the blackboard so you only
have to talk them through the finer points.
Learn to support by using your abdomen. (you can read about support on the net)
Lift your voice to a higher register, don īt growl or speak close to your vocal cords.
(that means don īt speak in a low voice but in a higher-pitched voice placement)
Don īt ever whisper - that is so hard on the vocal cords
Don īt yell, either.
If you have to raise your voice - pancake the sound and make it shrill, not louder.
A shrill voice can cut through cement - a loud groggy voice sounds muddled and just gets lost in the classroom noise.
Make sure you make assignments that gets the kids talking.
They are less shy if you pair them off two and two and they speak together.
Let them read aloud in class, not you.
If you still have problems - you might want to go to a speech therapist.
Hope some of this helps.
I have been teaching singing for 25 years and these are some of the methods we use for building the voice and not straining it.
and last but not least, stay out of drafts or wear a scarf around your neck if it is cold.
L
|
25 Apr 2009
|
|
|
manuelanunes3
|
|
Hi
In fact there is a tea that may improve you voice and care for your vocal cords. There is even a Portuguese singer that drinks this tea all time with meals etc. It is made of these small violet flowers, unfortunately I don īt know the name in English...  I can only tell you the scientific name: Gomphrena globosa.
Perpétuas roxas |
25 Apr 2009
|
|
|
Roclam
|
I use an amplifier too. I bought it from a music shop, it īs meant for singers. You wear the microphone on your head and you have a little "box" you hang to your belt (you might have seen something similar on tv). This is connected to another device and to a big loudspeaker I place on my desk.
It īs quite expensive, but it īs the best investment I īve ever made on my health. I teach in a very noisy place, there īs a lot of traffic outside, and I used to shout for hours and go home exhausted. Now I haven īt had a sore throat in 4 years and I couldn īt teach without!
|
25 Apr 2009
|
|
|
douglas
|
|
I use "Ricola" the all-natural Swiss herb candies--they tend to help. Also, keep your throat wet (water is better than soda).
Douglas |
25 Apr 2009
|
|
|
BRAHIM S
|
|
I have no specific tip for you, but add my voice to Bill2joy: Whether we like it or now, it is the students who are supposed to do most of the speaking Google "the silent method" and you will see it is always possible for us teachers to speak less Take care� |
30 Apr 2009
|
|
|
