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ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > How do you handle FAST students
How do you handle FAST students
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annabelle1654
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How do you handle FAST students
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I find that my adult esl students go through worksheet after worksheet. If I teach a point they say they understand and that�s the end of the discussion. The worst offenders are my private students when I have only one or two of them in a group the lesson seems to take only 30 min. 60 and I am left with 30 more minutes and I dig in my bag for more material. I need some tips on how to expand on my material. I find this site very helpful and fun and I am happy to be a member. Belles |
8 Jan 2009
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mena22
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 Good morning annabelle! According to my experience, fast students devoure grammar worksheets. They understand the rules and, just like you�ve said, that�s it. So maybe the answer is there. Have you tried to give them a text with pre-reading, reading and after reading activities? Or the same on the other skills - listening, writing, speaking? In Portugal we have 90-minute-classes. Fast students may finish an activity 1 minute before the others but that�s it. We also use the text as the starting point for introducing a grammar topic. It�s not that we don�t use worksheets for drilling, we do, but when we see they�ve interiorized the rules we use a more communicative approoach. I hope it helps.
Have a nice day,
mena |
8 Jan 2009
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Zora
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You could go over vocabulary that they have seen in the text. I like to sometimes point out certain words - or have a sheet made up beforehand and then have them learn the words, repeated them back to me, then I say them to them in English and they need to tell me what the word is in their own language ... (here it�s basically to see if they are catching how the word is pronounced and understanding it when someone else says it. If they are advanced students, obviously you can just skip this step altogether... )
And when I am done, I get them to:
a) describe the word in English - if it is an object. Example: What is a fridge? / If it�s a feeling, emotions, etc. Example: "When do people feel happy?" "What makes you happy?"
b) make sentences with the word - and if they are really good I make them use two or three words (of my picking usually) to form a sentence. Here the activity can be oral or written.
These are some things I do with my private students if they finish early. |
8 Jan 2009
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douglas
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There�s an advantage to having adult students: you can expect/demand more of them and expect them to think more on their own. This allows you to use a less structured teaching format at times.
If you have students that wiz through a worksheet, challenge them to write 3 (or 4, or more) new sentences/exercises that can be added to the worksheet.
This moves them into the application phase of learning.
You may be surprised and be able to use the results in later classes (don�t forget to share the new work sheet :)).
Doug |
8 Jan 2009
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HARIM
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Hi Annabelle,
To have fast learners is what most teachers pray for.The problem is with slow learners.
In your case, and as Mina22 has just suggested,I �d devote enough time for communication and there are many ways to do that:
Pre-lesson activities:
Warm up:stds talk about their day,the latest news......
Review pre-taught material:
Set up the scene
Guessing:From time to time,we invite students to guess what the text will be about.To make a story from the pre-taught vocabulary or pictures......
Post-lesson activities:
Pair work
Group work
Swap seats
Debates
Role plays
Life experience Questions
If you apply these and others,you�ll be short of time and students will be looking forward to the next lesson.
Wish you all the best
GOOD LUCK !!!
FROM HARIM and all the community
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8 Jan 2009
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Khadooy
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I have the same experience... what we usually do is diffrenciating teaching materials... it is a good idea to divide the class into 3 groups: advanced, avarage, and below avarage students...
you should tell this to students as some emotional problems will occur....
you can simply design a specific worksheet for each ability group- you may give the advanced students more challenging tasks that motivate them to think more and spend more time working with one worksheet....
you may give the below avarage students simple worksheets that they understand basic skills first...
if your students finished before expected time, don�t worry... assign them to work with other groups...ask to work in collaborative groups and they should help each other---let them discuss the topics they have in their own worksheets...
the more you give students, the better it is for your sake and for their own sake! |
8 Jan 2009
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fletsch
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I teach University students and usually at the end of my classes I give them an assignment, a worksheet, a role-play or a debate topic that they need to have ready for the next class. I then take the first 20 minutes of the next class going over their homework and having the students stand and explain their answers or perform their role plays or have their debates. It fills time in class, get�s the students speaking and also gives them some out of class work. It has really proved to be useful for me. I have found that sometimes the homework turns out to be a great unexpected lesson. Hope this helps...
Fletsch |
8 Jan 2009
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annabelle1654
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Thank you, All!! I am going to use your suggestions to create a Lesson plan where I use more the communicative approach, reading, writing and debate. I have saved your answers, and I know that the suggestions you have given me will save ME a lot of grief:)) Thank�s again for your support. Belles |
8 Jan 2009
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