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ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > Asking for advice
Asking for advice
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Emy Lee
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Asking for advice
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Hello everyone,
I �m having an issue with one of my students and I would like to ask for your opinion and advice.
Some time ago, I �ve been assigned a tutorial conversation class with a nine year-old boy, one hour a day from Monday to Friday. The kid is a complete beginner, so you can imagine the struggle of having him talk. Actually, he would need to improve all of his skills. Though, that is not the real problem. I planned games and activities and so far, I got him to speak. Well, a bit.
From the start, he barely talked, nodded and shaked his head for answering instead of saying a clear �yes � or �no �, showing almost no interest in class, failed to fill the worksheets, drawing in his notebook, etc. Again, this is not the real problem because I always managed to have him warm up to the lesson and participate.
The real problem is that is it obvious that he doesn �t want to take the class. I felt it the first day. It seems that his parents forced him to. And he confirmed it to me later... in a rather rude way. Lately, he became quite disrespectful, as he wanted to make me pay somehow. I �m supposed to be his teacher for one last week, but his mother told me she planned to have her son sign up for an other two months. I don �t know if he can handle it...
So, what should I do? In a way, I feel sorry for the boy and I don �t way to let him down. I don �t want to dissapoint the mother or put the kid in trouble. In a other way, I feel he would be a lot happier in a class with other children of his age. Maybe he would be better off studying something else than English.
Have you ever had experiences like these? I am looking forward to reading your replies. Thanks!! |
24 Aug 2009
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celia86
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dear emi lee;
This is has happened to me once, and I don �t know if this can help you but this is what I did. I talked to the mother and suggested her the idea of including his son in a course with children of his age, because I thought this might help the kid feel more interested in learning English. Unfourtunately, the kid would never become an active participant of the class, never spoke more than a sentence (only when I asked him to do it) he was feeling really miserable, anyone could see that. I talked to his mother and told her that the kid was suffering, this might have been shocking for her becuse that is the word I used "suffering". She realized her kid was not happy at all and decided to find another activity for him.
I think you try to do the same, after all it �s for the kid �s sake
ok, good luck  kisses
celia |
24 Aug 2009
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costaricanangel
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Well Emy Lee, that story sounds similar to me!!! In fact, I have a student like that in fourth grade. The rest of the teachers and I, well, we don �t know what else should we do....
We talked to our boss (principal) and his parents, but there wasn �t any positive behaviour from the child!!  Last week, he just went to class for a day and then, he didn �t come anymore (lucky for us)  At first, I started to giving him some stickers every time he finished a job, and he was doing great, but suddenly, I don �t know what happened, and he stopped working. He decided not to work!!! Right now, I trying to help him, but if he doesn �t want to work, I kind of ignore him!!! In this group I have 33 students, I can �t loss my time in just one student!
I think his family and the child should go to a psychiatrist, but they say they are okay!!
See Emy Lee, you are not along in this teacher �s crazy world!!! 
Good luck!!! Johanna! |
24 Aug 2009
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Ivona
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To me the real problem lies in the fact that learning English has been imposed on him and does not come out of his free will, so he is acting rebellious. What i would do in a situation like that is some of these:
- make him see that his parents mean him well,
- ask him what he would like to do/say in English,
- find out which of the intelligences is strongest in him (visual/spatial, logical/mathematical, etc.) and try to enforce it
- make him laugh in class, even if it takes making a fool/clown of yourself
- make him speak not by telling him "c �mon repeat" but by playing �deaf � or totally ignorant of his mother tongue and use the english accent (the r �s, t �s, etc.) to speak his mother tongue - it aaaalways gets them going (btw, i can see you �re canadian?? so i don �t know if you speak the boy �s first language. also, you didn �t say what his first language is)
- "seduce" him into learning, make him think that all you �re going to do is play and have fun, and not learn English
- do a recording of him. record chunks of his english and then play it as a sequence and make him see that it is possible to speak english and sound goooood
ummmm ... i �m running out of ideas, but if i think of sth else, i �ll let you know
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24 Aug 2009
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class centre
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Sometimes I say to my sts: OK, guys, no learning today! Only games! They are happy and very willingly participate. Besides, my system of prizes works amasingly. They want to complete the job or to answer a list of words, or to do watever which is rewarded. The other members on the forum are very right - laughter, making fun of everything ( including yourself), running, jumping, catching ball, anything to break his intention of being rude and uninterested. He is just a boy! They all like to play and enjoy their activities... Something hinders him to accept your lessons. I am sure it �s a family problem or his parents � wrong behaviour. You can not change it. Try everything and take it phylosofically.
Good luck!
Natasha
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24 Aug 2009
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miss K.
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That �s a hard and not an encouraging case to have such a student. Several suggested to have fun even if it means making fun and clown of ownself. Well, don �t you think that if teacher willl make fun of herself it will motivate the student to be even more disrespectful to the teacher? It won �t help to better up the situation. |
24 Aug 2009
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Ivona
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@ miss K. I think you took the �clown � idea literally. What i (we) actually meant is that it is good to exaggerate things with the kid and get overexcited. That �s all. 
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24 Aug 2009
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joy2bill
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Try some tongue twisters and show him that you can �t do them eihter. That way you �ll have a good laugh together. Do you access to a computer? If so try some of the English games. Do lots of mimes, etc and have fun.....the grammar will come in time. Think about how he learnt his mother tongue!
I think sometimes we as teachers take ourselves too seriously.
I am over 60 yrs old and I think nothing of crawling on the floor if I need to demonstrate "crawl" and so on.
Yes, make a clown of yourself. There is nothing better than laughter. See the movie "Patch Adams" to see what I mean. |
24 Aug 2009
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MyFairy
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Why don �t you consider this as a challenge? And look for the patient, committed and wonderful teacher in you... I would show this kid that learning English is not what he thinks... it could be a bit tough at the beginning, because all the work will be yours... but once he started enjoying his classes you will see his attitude will change.
I would talk to him, ask him about his likes, what he would like to do in class, etc.
And, of course, I completely agree with bill2joy.... HAVE FUN TOGETHER...
I don �t think you should give up!!!
GOOD LUCK and let us know what happened!!!
Eugenia |
24 Aug 2009
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fulyakemal
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hiii everyonee,,
ıam a new teacher and ı need experienced teacher �s advice.ı will teach can and can �t to beginners. they only know some words. they have just learnt the names og the animals, so ı will use animals ans ask can ...fly ex.would you please give me more creative ideas about this<*thanks beforehand |
27 Aug 2009
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