Create a student centered environment
So, what is a student centered environment? The meaning of this is simple, the students needs and requirements come ahead of your own, the teacher. To do this you must first decide what the student’s strengths and weaknesses are and develop a program which meets the requirements of your students. For example if your students are shy and lacking confidence its time to shake things up a bit and encourage them to get active and use English rather than just sitting back and letting you do all the work. Again, if the students are already very capable of handling things themselves, set some rules for an activity and hand over the reins to one of the stronger student s. Then you just sit back and guide the class. The important thing to remember is that the class should be based around the students and getting them to use English.
Practical Application
In most classes, especially those focusing on language acquisition, practical application is vital for successful classroom dynamics. Practicing everyday language is a high priority but should be done in a systematic way. For example the present simple tense (I am a doctor, my sister is a lawyer.) should be taught separately from the perfect present continuous tense (I have been working as a doctor etc.). Each one of these examples requires sufficient amounts of time to practice and remember.
Be repetitive
Building upon what students already know and then reviewing those topics frequently will lead to an increase of language retention and confidence. When you are teaching young ESL learners it’s very important to repeat things over and over, not in the same way mind but mix it up change the way you say it, who you say it to, allow the students to practice with each other and by doing so you’re drilling the knowledge into the students brain and permanently planting it there.
Grammar Discussion
English language learners are notoriously book smart when it comes to grammar however when it comes to using that language in open conversation it can be completely different. So this is where open ended questions come in, ask questions which encourage the students to speak up and voice their opinion. They may not like it at fist but as they improve and get the hang of it they’ll thank you.
Matching interests
Find out what your students like and use it in class. Sometimes even the best lesson plans can fail in class if the students can’t relate to the topic. Spend some time listening to the students and talking to them outside of class and find out what makes them tick and once you find that you can base your lessons around these things. Some students might enjoy competition in class whereas others might enjoy a more debate orientated class approach. So it’s important you try and fix a class that meets everyone’s needs.
Good Influence
During class can be a great chance to give a few life lessons and build good people out of your students. Different cultures have different upbringings, we all know that. But as a foreign teacher feel free to give your spin on things and teach your students that when speaking English it’s important to act English and remember all the polite little things that go with it. When you are playing a game or doing a classroom activity encourage fair play and teach good manners as well as good English.
Tap Into Experiences
ESL students of any every age and every level have past experiences that you can use to make learning more meaningful for them. As well as this students love hearing about your pasty experiences and by talking about these things you can build a powerful connection with your students. Sharing the students’ previous knowledge and experiences shows peoples strengths and weaknesses and once this has been achieved you can now start paring well matched individuals and allow students to help each other.
So, what is a student centered environment? The meaning of this is simple, the students needs and requirements come ahead of your own, the teacher. To do this you must first decide what the student’s strengths and weaknesses are and develop a program which meets the requirements of your students. For example if your students are shy and lacking confidence its time to shake things up a bit and encourage them to get active and use English rather than just sitting back and letting you do all the work. Again, if the students are already very capable of handling things themselves, set some rules for an activity and hand over the reins to one of the stronger student s. Then you just sit back and guide the class. The important thing to remember is that the class should be based around the students and getting them to use English.
Practical Application
In most classes, especially those focusing on language acquisition, practical application is vital for successful classroom dynamics. Practicing everyday language is a high priority but should be done in a systematic way. For example the present simple tense (I am a doctor, my sister is a lawyer.) should be taught separately from the perfect present continuous tense (I have been working as a doctor etc.). Each one of these examples requires sufficient amounts of time to practice and remember.
Be repetitive
Building upon what students already know and then reviewing those topics frequently will lead to an increase of language retention and confidence. When you are teaching young ESL learners it’s very important to repeat things over and over, not in the same way mind but mix it up change the way you say it, who you say it to, allow the students to practice with each other and by doing so you’re drilling the knowledge into the students brain and permanently planting it there.
Grammar Discussion
English language learners are notoriously book smart when it comes to grammar however when it comes to using that language in open conversation it can be completely different. So this is where open ended questions come in, ask questions which encourage the students to speak up and voice their opinion. They may not like it at fist but as they improve and get the hang of it they’ll thank you.
Matching interests
Find out what your students like and use it in class. Sometimes even the best lesson plans can fail in class if the students can’t relate to the topic. Spend some time listening to the students and talking to them outside of class and find out what makes them tick and once you find that you can base your lessons around these things. Some students might enjoy competition in class whereas others might enjoy a more debate orientated class approach. So it’s important you try and fix a class that meets everyone’s needs.
Good Influence
During class can be a great chance to give a few life lessons and build good people out of your students. Different cultures have different upbringings, we all know that. But as a foreign teacher feel free to give your spin on things and teach your students that when speaking English it’s important to act English and remember all the polite little things that go with it. When you are playing a game or doing a classroom activity encourage fair play and teach good manners as well as good English.
Tap Into Experiences
ESL students of any every age and every level have past experiences that you can use to make learning more meaningful for them. As well as this students love hearing about your pasty experiences and by talking about these things you can build a powerful connection with your students. Sharing the students’ previous knowledge and experiences shows peoples strengths and weaknesses and once this has been achieved you can now start paring well matched individuals and allow students to help each other.
Displays
Students love to see their hard work up on display. Whether it's a poster finger painting article or whatever, when a student performs well put it up for all to see. This adds incentive and reward tro the class. Finally it keeps record of their progress as English speakers.
Rewards and discipline
Students are students not best friends. It’s important to keep a clear line between teacher and student. There is nothing wrong with building a strong connection with your students but when the time comes to put your foot down will they listen? In each class rules are essential. They state a clear procedure on how students should act during class and also shows the consequence if the rules are not followed. That being said students won’t work for nothing, or at least very few do. So the need for reward grows, this can be very simple with younger students sometimes as little as a ‘high five’ or a sticker. In older classes be creative and allow students to choose their own rewards (within reason) an extra 10 minutes rest or no homework etc. Students love these kinds of rewards so keep an open mind and see how it goes.
Non-Verbal Signals
Non-verbal signals can be very useful to manage the volume of your class, classroom etiquette or warnings that discipline is about to ensue. These signals can be tailored to your individual classes, and you can have students come up with their own ideas of how to institute non-verbal signs. A popular example used in a lot of classrooms today is when the teacher raises one hand, it means he or she is asking for the class to quiet down. As each student sees that that the teacher's hand is up, they too raise a hand and close their mouth so that other students notice it is time to be quiet. Pretty soon, the whole class will have raised hands and are silent. This can be used to stop an activity, to make an announcement, or simply to calm them down at the beginning of the lesson. Another popular one to use is the American Sign Language equivalent of applause. Students shake their hands in the air instead of clapping hands together. It is silent and can be used for various scenarios. One last one that you could employ during discussion is some type of sign (like the forefinger and pinky raised) to show agreement. This way the student who is speaking is getting affirmations without necessarily being interrupted by other students. Come up with your own set of non-verbal signals to manage all sorts of elements in your classrooms.
So there we have it a short guide on how to manage you classes and students. For the latest on Teaching in China head to www.networkesl.com or follow these links:
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Students love to see their hard work up on display. Whether it's a poster finger painting article or whatever, when a student performs well put it up for all to see. This adds incentive and reward tro the class. Finally it keeps record of their progress as English speakers.
Rewards and discipline
Students are students not best friends. It’s important to keep a clear line between teacher and student. There is nothing wrong with building a strong connection with your students but when the time comes to put your foot down will they listen? In each class rules are essential. They state a clear procedure on how students should act during class and also shows the consequence if the rules are not followed. That being said students won’t work for nothing, or at least very few do. So the need for reward grows, this can be very simple with younger students sometimes as little as a ‘high five’ or a sticker. In older classes be creative and allow students to choose their own rewards (within reason) an extra 10 minutes rest or no homework etc. Students love these kinds of rewards so keep an open mind and see how it goes.
Non-Verbal Signals
Non-verbal signals can be very useful to manage the volume of your class, classroom etiquette or warnings that discipline is about to ensue. These signals can be tailored to your individual classes, and you can have students come up with their own ideas of how to institute non-verbal signs. A popular example used in a lot of classrooms today is when the teacher raises one hand, it means he or she is asking for the class to quiet down. As each student sees that that the teacher's hand is up, they too raise a hand and close their mouth so that other students notice it is time to be quiet. Pretty soon, the whole class will have raised hands and are silent. This can be used to stop an activity, to make an announcement, or simply to calm them down at the beginning of the lesson. Another popular one to use is the American Sign Language equivalent of applause. Students shake their hands in the air instead of clapping hands together. It is silent and can be used for various scenarios. One last one that you could employ during discussion is some type of sign (like the forefinger and pinky raised) to show agreement. This way the student who is speaking is getting affirmations without necessarily being interrupted by other students. Come up with your own set of non-verbal signals to manage all sorts of elements in your classrooms.
So there we have it a short guide on how to manage you classes and students. For the latest on Teaching in China head to www.networkesl.com or follow these links:
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin Youtube Google+