|
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 >
Message board > motivation!!! Letting go
motivation!!! Letting go
|
Mariethe House
|
motivation!!! Letting go
|
I would like to say a few words about this subject to one of our collegues who left a message on this board and sorry, i cant remember your name... I think you are from Turkey!
I was feeling exactly the same on friday when i came back home..... Fed up, frustrated because the nice ws I had downloaded from esl printables didn�t work ... because they ( a class of 17 16 year olds) couldn�t care less about the past continuous and the simple past!! how dare they,?
Well it is another day today.... I have had a good night�s sleep and I am feeling calmer and more objective about the situation....
Well, It was Friday for everyone yesterday and at the end of the week, in my country anyway, the kids have had 10 teachers during the week, in front of them, trying to persuade them ( for 26/30 hours in their timetable)that their subject is thee most interesting in the world... Well, it is their passion, Teaching English is my passion... But there are times when we have to accept that, however good our lesson is , however interesting it looks to our eyes, it is just school and only school and for the majority of them school is not a passion!
SO..... I have simply admitted , very humbly, that the kids we teach are human and also have the right not to be interested!
But, all the same, on monday after 35 years� teaching, I will go in , hoping that that superb lesson I have so well prepared will go down very well and they will be absolutely enchanted!
Aren� I a bit narcissic?
It will work if I feel CONFIDENT, that�s all and feeling confident, I have learnt , is letting go!
But I know it�s not so easy!
|
6 Dec 2008
|
|
|
|
libertybelle
|
A great message!
Sometimes it helps to NOT tell the kids that they are working with grammar.
If you have some really interesting texts or stories, you can always go hunting
for grammatical things in the text. That way they read, discuss, work with grammar and
figures of speech. They learn to go in depth with a text and find different layers.
Here�s an idea I use.
I choose a theme to work with for a month. The theme should be something the kids
are interested in, but also something they can learn from.
Last month we worked with Teen Identities.
We read the book The Body, by Stephen King. Then they worked with worksheets for comprehension.
Then we talked about the difference between being young in the 50�s-60�s and now.
They made posters of teens in the 50�s and teens today.
Then we went back to the book and used it for finding grammatical things.
Later we saw the film "Stand By Me" which is based on the book.
Later, in groups, they wrote about other forms of identities, such as
gangs, mobbing, anorexia, being over weight, consuming and problems with parents.
Every worksheet, text or exercise can be used for teaching verbs, nouns or whatever.
Language is a living thing and sometimes just working with grammar can be too boring.
But if you combine it with good texts, it�s easier to swallow.
Good luck
L
|
6 Dec 2008
|
|
|
Mariethe House
|
|
I agree with you Libertybelle but the kids I am talking about Don�t have enough language to do anything as complicated as you say! Some of them can hardly speak english at all..The grammar lesson I am talking about came after a reading comprehension, questions about a text where I told the story tha had really happened to some of them etc.. but I felt the expression itself was so incorrect that i had to do some grammar! And ... That wasn�t a very good idea on a friday afternoon! Thanks for your ideas they�re very good and I shall adapt them to my pupils� abilities!
|
6 Dec 2008
|
|
|
emila
|
|
Good evening my dear friends,
I sometimes feel hopeless,bored too.My students also don�t care the subject I taught.They are always busy with something except lesson.I often said that I mustn�t have been a teacher.
I�m an english teacher in a girls� vocational school.They are 15,16 years old but they couldn�t speak English. We have 3 lessons in a week.One lesson is 40 minutes.I try many things but they don�t want to talk.Classes are about 40 students.I don�t have enough time for each students.They always want to use the mother tongue.
In Turkey mostly we have an education system depended on a teacher.Teachers are active,students are just listeners.We are focus on grammar.I know this is wrong but they also don�t know our mother language�s grammar.I tried different things.We listen songs in class,I gave homeworks that they are interested in,but they don�t like English(A few of them except).Is it same in your own country? Or do we do something wrong? I really want to speak English with them.I missed working on reading parts,poems or writing something different with my students.How can I do?
I say myself that I�m a bad teacher.I can�t teach English.I really need your advise.What do you suggest me for improving myself?Thanks for everybody in here.Your worksheets are very helpful for meJ)I like using them in my lessons.
I feel confident myself Mariethe.I think they can learn.(Girls� power) thanks for nice message
Thanks for your nice message and advice , libertybelle.I will try theme idea.See you |
6 Dec 2008
|
|
|
MrMo
|
|
Hi Mariethe House,
I think you mean narcissistic. But it�s so sweet, I could hear your French accent just reading your words.
I have been teaching English for a little while but in different countries and I have noticed that for some reason the language seems to change. Has anyone used the expression "in former times" to mean "in the past"? Well, in Germany it�s a pandemic.
I just want to communicate that the English we teach is rarely 100% correct, books and other materials made by non-natives are often full of quirky little mistakes.
I�m glad however to have come across this very helpful website. So, let�s remember that Confidence is really important and Nobody�s perfect.
All the best, |
6 Dec 2008
|
|
|
karina7777
|
|
Hi everybody,
especially for Emilia:
I find that information gap exercises work very well with pupils who refuse to speak in the usual classroom setting. Often they don�t want to speak because they don�t have enough language, but when you use information gap exercises you can provide them with the exact structure and vocabulary they need in order to be able to communicate. Are you familiar with information gaps? Otherwise, send me a private message and we can discuss it. There are also quite a few information gaps here on the site.
Also, I think that using songs in our lessons is very motivating and even inspiring for the kids. I teach teenagers and they really, really love to work with lyrics and sing along to the songs we work with. Each student has a folder with the songs we have worked with, and we keep these folders in the class. That way we can always include a little song in our lesson : ) . Even though I am a keen singer, I am not particularly good at it, so I usually play the song on the CD-player or the smartboard as we sing. The really good thing about songs is that it encourages the kids to open their mouths! : )
I have also made some conversation questions for pictures I have taken of the pupils. I have printed 6-7 pictures on a paper and laminated this paper. For my class of 20 pupils I have 10 of these papers with pictures. Then I have written a lot of questions, eg: "How many girls can you see in the first picture?", "Who is wearing a blue sweater?" and "Which boy has the biggest smile?". The students sit in pairs; one has the questions and the other has the paper with the photos. Sometimes we also do this exercise walking in pairs - I find it�s really good to get up and move around a bit in order to "stay awake". The questions are really easy - but that is also the point. This gives them the feeling that they UNDERSTAND English - and I think this is so important. A lot of the students we consider disinterested and lazy have simply given up.
In addition to this, I have made the same kind of conversation questions for pictures from the net. I don�t think I am allowed to post them here, since I have used all kinds of pictures from the net, but I can mail them to you if you like?
Have a nice evening, everyone : ) |
6 Dec 2008
|
|
|
mary-butterfly
|
|
MARIETHE,EMILA...
I JUST FELL LIKE YOU .
I HAVE CLASSES WITH ALMOST 40 STUDENTS AS WELL,AND THEY DON�T WANT TO LEARN ENGLISH.
MY MOTIVATION IS...
IF I TEACH ONLY ONE IN A CLASS OF 40,I MADE MY DAY,I WON�T GIVE UP BECAUSE I LOVE TEACHING ENGLISH.
KISSES FROM BRAZIL  |
6 Dec 2008
|
|
|
Mariethe House
|
Mr mo sorry! you�re right! it�s narcissistic!
I lived in England for 4 years but as you can see, I still make mistakes and I expect my students to speak perfect English!Noone is perfect!
My confidence has gone down to the drains! Is this expression still used in English? Would you be kind enough to answer my question ?
Have a nice weekend .
Mariethe
|
7 Dec 2008
|
|
|
