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Ask for help > Ideas for a difficult student
Ideas for a difficult student
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melissab
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Ideas for a difficult student
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Hello to all! I am going to start up classes again with a student who has taken a 6 month break. He is a lower intermediate level but is very outgoing and always tries to express himself eventhough he makes mistakes. I want this new year for him to be different! But I don �t want to bore him with too many grammar/writing focused classes. At the same time I do want him to advance in his English learning and have him not only learn the grammar but also apply it. To give you an idea of what he can do: He still hasn �t mastered the use of present perfect. He can make sentences on an exercose sheet, but he doesn �t incorporate it into his speaking. Nonetheless he travelled to England and the rest of Europe during his 6-month-break, so he can defend himself. Thanks in advance! |
18 Jun 2015
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yanogator
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Hi, Melissa, It sounds like this is a one-on-one situation. My idea will work in a classroom setting, too. You can play a present perfect game. He leaves the room for 30 seconds (or put his head down on his desk). While he is out, you make some kind of change in the room. When he comes back in, you ask him, "What have I done?" He discovers what is different about the room, and tells you. For example, "You have erased the blackboard" or "You have put that book on the floor." Since the action has a consequence in the present, the present perfect is the correct tense for the question and the answer. If you play the game just a few times each day, he won �t become bored with it, and it will probably help with his problem.
Let me know if you try this, and how it goes. Bruce |
18 Jun 2015
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melissab
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It sounds like a great idea! I will try it. I �m guessing that this type of activity is the best kind for him to apply his acquired knowledge to real life situations. Thank you. |
18 Jun 2015
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yanogator
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After you have tried the idea, I �m sure you � �ll think of variations on the idea. I was also thinking of asking him questions like, "Have you been to London?" or "Which cities in Europe have you visited?" and "What foods have you eaten?". You might have him write an essay about the things he now has done/places he has visited/foods he has eaten/sights he has seen, etc., as opposed to before his trip. Something like this: "Because of my wonderful trip to Europe, I have seen the Eiffel Tower and have eaten escargot. I still have not seen Budapest..." Bruce
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18 Jun 2015
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ELOJOLIE274
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What i do during my one-to-one sessions is record every thing the student says. correcting the student after every mistake is not productive because the conversation will go no where... but if you have the conversation and then ask him to listen again and try to identify the problems your student will actually learn how to correct himself without your help - if he is correct on paper he should be able to correct the mistakes he hears, and only can he correct his own speech while speaking. I do that all the time in class, my pupils are usually able to spot a mistake in another classmate �s speech after a i make a "special gesture" (i pat on my ear and frown a little to indicate i heard a mistake) that way i don �t have to say a word, the student knows there �s a mistake in his sentence, either he can correct himself or the other pupils can... |
18 Jun 2015
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melissab
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Good idea! I have never tried this, but I will. Thank you. |
19 Jun 2015
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