As you know by now (for this is my umpteenth posting requesting advice and help) I �m a brand new teacher and I �ve got a very advanced class.

 

Here lie the problem:  THESE GUYS KNOW EVERY RULE ABOUT GRAMMAR!  They �ve been through ALL levels, graduated from one to the next, and KNOW THEIR STUFF.

 

Today was a �magic moment � day - I was gearing up to do my first (rather nerve-wracking) lesson in RELATIVE CLAUSES and THEY KNEW EVERYTHING!

 

Thank Goodness I was prepared for a complete change in lesson plan. 

 

The advice I �m looking for is this:  Is it ok to TOTALLY focus my lessons on SPEAKING (predominantly) and LISTENING/READING/WRITING? 

 

One of my korean students came up to me at break and requested we have a debate when we go back into the class - she felt we were doing too much writing and studying of english and, by her own admition: "can do that on my own with my grammar book � - I of course am VERY OPEN to the idea - no one REALLY wants to teach/learn grammar, lets be honest.

 

I went back into class and had a short chat with the students about this - they agreed that grammar was not where they wanted to focus, but rather on speaking and listening - reading/writing sometimes, but not as important at SPEAKING.

 

Is this ok?  Am I being a push-over in allowing my students to choose the lesson structure and focus?  I �m all for autonomised learning (wish I had more control when I was at school) but is there �too much of a good thing? � 

 

Again, these guys �n girls know and seem to have a good handle (possibly better than myself) and are ADVANCED - some doing the TOEFL next month.  I feel OK, but I also don �t feel like I �m imparting any knowledge as a teacher would.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and thank you in general for your on going support,

 

Regards from Sunny RSA:) (any South African teachers in other countries out there? would love to hear from you!)

 

AND THANKS TO THE TEACHER WHO POINTED OUT THE ERROR IN THIS AD!  APPRECIATED!

Hiya Matthew,
i think you should go along with the SS � needs. It is very good that they were open about it and told you what they were really in need of. You already said they knew all about the rules and grammar and that they now only wanted to put it into practice while speaking. I see nothing wrong with that. There are a LOT of resources for advanced learners by any publisher of ESL material, there are good ideas from some of the members working with advanced students (I think HelenMcK has good conversation ws), you just have to do a little bit of research.
 I personally would work on enriching their vocabulary and make the most of their imagination, i.e. do re-enactments. They can do some writing along with it, too. I would go along with the debate that they suggested!

You may need to meet your employer �s requirements, if they have any, while also  meeting the students � needs - a bit tricky if they haven �t given you a syllabus as a guide and just thrown you in at the deep end.

 

There are excellent role play activities on this site where you use the cards to reinforce grammar points - revise the theory using the board then use the cards to practice it conversationally.  When you search select �activity cards �

 

There are also role plays to practice language functions which they will probably find useful and fun.

 

Try these links for other great ideas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I start teaching debating this week and I use this link as a guide.  http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krieger-Debate.html .  Last term the debating component was extremely successful and popular.

 

Last week I did an intro to debating using this:  http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/debate3.htm.  Your group will probably enjoy this - it �s on the usefulness of grammar!

 

Cheers

 

Jayho

http://www.google.hr/search?hl=hr&rlz=1W1GZEZ_hr&q=british+council+CAE+CPE+practice&btnG=Tra%C5%BEi&meta=

 

Anita

 

LOOK OUT FOR MY NEW "DEBATING WORKSHEET" on the DEATH PENALTY - with related articles (for reading) and a WRITING section:)  Wouldn �t have been able to make it without all your help:)

 

Thanks guys!

 

Matt

Good luck and really enjoy it!

Anita

 

BTW, if you are ever stuck for a filler just grab some articles from the newspaper and give them one each to read.  Then, in a party-type situation they mingle and talk about what�s in the news, using the range of language functions.  Watch their confidence grow as they circulate around the room.  I have a �party� every week where we do this - they mingle and talk about the weather then the news (just like in real life).  It�s great for improving their general knowledge as well as conversational ability and thankfully requires very little preparation or cost.

 

Enjoy!

 

Thinking of having them write a short review on the experience of going to the opera and NOT the opera itself (which, of course, will all be in Italian).

 

Thanks again for all your encouragement and suggestions!!  I must say this is THE MOST SUPPORTIVE network of people I have encountered!  GO TEACHERS!!!!:)

 

M

 

Good luck and enjoy!!

 

did a great activity with my SS today actually - we debated: TRADITION IS THE ENEMY OF PROGRESS.  Really interesting cause I �ve got a lady from a very intense moslem culture in the centre of Africa - a VERY LIBERATED young guy from the Dem.Rep.Congo as well as 2 very VERY bright students from Korea and Russia - all with different ideas of Tradition, and it �s role in society, as well as the need for human progress.  Strangely the discussion kept heading back to woman �s role in society and then abortion was debated for a long time (which stemmed from the laws in Korea on pre-natal sex determination and abortion).  Very interesting with a guy who lived in Congo and saw/knows about MANY woman who were raped due to horrific civil war crimes and a girl whose nation values males over females and has now imposed STRICT laws to prohibit couples from determining the sex of the foetus and aborting.  (the law apparently says that you can only determine the sex once the foetus is too developed to abort)  SO INTERESTING!  Also with the Russian lad who describe the alarming rate of teenage pregnancies in Russia. 

 

So what started out as a discussion/debate on TRADITION ended up being a completely different discussion but still related to the topic in a way because their ideas/beliefs stem from their Traditional values to some degree.