The TEFL Times

June on the TEFL Times has been set aside for a series of articles from Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa, the creator and writer for TEFL Tips.

Although many teachers dread teaching mixed level classes, there are ways to make teaching these classes easier.

● Pair weaker students with stronger students. Both students benefit in this situation. Stronger students solidify their knowledge of English because they have to explain things to the weaker students. And weaker students benefit because they get things explained to them in different ways.

● Call on everyone. Sure, the stronger students will be more likely to volunteer, but give the weakers students a chance to participate as well.

● Keep silent. By keeping silent after asking questions, you’ll give the weaker students a chance to put together their answer. The stronger students will also get a chance to double check theirs.

● Projects. Have students do a project or two where they have to work in groups. Not only will they get the chance to meet other people, but they will also learn valuable group working skills.

● Routines. They make students comfortable and will lessen the need for explanations. If students know that they do listening, followed by pair work, etc, they will automatically be prepared for what they have to do.

● Have sequential material. Have different questions according to the level so that all students can feel challenged. For example, after a reading, you could have three different sections of comprehension questions according to the levels in the class.

● Give students choices. Offer students a choice whether for homework or projects. By giving students choices, they take responsibility for their learning and can choose the activity that will challenge them the most.

● Use students to help. Students can pass out papers and even help explain exercises and grammar to their peers.

● Create activity corners. Think of a couple of activities that students can do on their own or with a small group. Put these activities in different places around the room. Students are free to move around as they finish an activity. You could have listening in one corner, a speaking exercise in the net, a problem solving one in another, or possibly a game at the front of the room and a song in the back. The options are limitless.

● Divide the class. When presenting a new topic, some students will have already seen it before. So after presenting it quickly, send those who know it to the back to work on exercises. And those who don’t know, you can give a more detailed presentation.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.

June on the TEFL Times has been set aside for a series of articles from Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa, the creator and writer for TEFL Tips.

Teaching English is challenging enough, but when you have a large class, things get even more difficult. But there are some things that you can do to make it easier for you as a teacher and help your students learn English.

● Write the rules with the students. When the students participate in making the rules, they will feel that they are more fair than those that the teacher makes. An added plus is that usually students make stricter rules than teachers.

● Give instructions clearly and check comprehension. Most students would rather just nod and say that they understand than ask for clarification, so if you do comp checks you can ensure that they really understand what was said.

● Dictations. Try playing a listening at twice its normal speed, than have students work together to piece the listening together.

● Write things on butcher paper or OH or PPP beforehand. Writing on the board is time consuming, so if you have everything written out beforehand, you’ll save much needed time.

● Use drawings. Drawings can make a class fun and are worth 1000 words, so why not use them in class? You don’t have to be an artist. There are lots of books out there on how to make stick drawings for class. And often the ugliest drawings get the best reactions from the class.

● Bring realia. By showing students real objects, they will make the connection between English and their lives.

● Use what students see. Direct to indirect, reported speech are just a few things that you can practice using your students’ own words.

● Activity notebook. Everyone works at different speeds, so some will finish sooner than others. Rather than just having them sit and do nothing, or worse, start distracting others, give them something to do. At the beginning of the term, you can give them worksheets that they can do when they finish or put a folder in the back of the room with things to do in it.

● Importance of learning a language. Discuss WHY learning English is important and help motivate your students to learn it.

● Move away from students. When a student speaks softly the biggest mistake that you can make is moving closer to them. Move away from them so that they have to project their voice.

● Adapt material. It’s hard to use everything from the book, so change some of the material so that it better suits your students. Change the vocabulary or topics so that your students will see how English relates to them.

● Have sequential material, low and high students. Have different questions according to the level so that all students can feel challenged.

● Use students to help. Students can pass out papers and even help explain exercises and grammar to their peers.

● Have them write goals. Make students work toward something. If they see what they’re working for, they will able to see progress..

● Routines. They make students comfortable and will lessen the need for explanations. If students know that they do listening, followed by pair work, etc, they will automatically be prepared for what they have to do.

● Teach them to be respectful. In large groups, respect is of utmost importance. They have to realize that they need to take turns speaking and listening to other ideas. Teach them this form the beginning and things will be easier.

● One paper per groups. Save trees and teach students to work in groups. By sharing papers, they will be forced to work together.

● Work on editing. By having students read each other’s work, they will be able to recognize mistakes and also be able to explain why they are wrong.

● Have assigned groups and change them weekly or monthly. IF students know who they are working with, then less time will be wasted creating groups. Change it up every once in a while so that people get the chance to work with other people.

● Group students. Creating smaller groups allows students the chance to speak and practise their English.

● Walk around. Don’t just stand in front of the class and lecture. Moving around and you can help students when needed.

● Create activity corners. Think of a couple of activities that students can do on their own or with a small group. Put these activities in different places around the room. Students are free to move around as they finish an activity. You could have listening in one corner, a speaking exercise in the net, a problem solving one in another, or possibly a game at the front of the room and a song in the back. The options are limitless.

● Try discussions. Everyone has an opinion, though not everyone may want to voice it in front of a large class. Break students up and give them a topic to discuss. You can either walk around and listen and correct what they have to say, or have them present their ideas in front of the class, or do both.

● Get to know the students. Yes, it’s difficult to memorise everyone’s names, but it makes things a lot easier and lets the students know that you take the time to get to know them. If names are hard for you, try a seating chart, or name tags.

● Make yourself available. Let your students know that they can meet you at certain times on certain days in order to ask you questions about what was taught in class.

● Ask for feedback. Surveys can do wonders for your teaching. Students have valuable suggestions on how you can make your class a better learning environment, so ask them.

● Make comments. Grading papers is hard enough, but when you have tons of students it can be a daunting task, nevertheless, you should write comments on each students’ paper, even if it’s just to say good job.

● Change things up. Do different activities during class. Movies, songs, drama, role plays, and debates are all great activities for large classes.

● Call on everyone. Don’t just call on the people in the front or those with their hands up. Call on those in the back as well, so that they know that they can’t hide from you.

● Projects. Have students do a project or two where they have to work in groups. Not only will they get the chance to meet other people, but they will also learn valuable group working skills.

● Provide an outline. Let students know what will be discussed in each class with a simple syllabus. Then for each class, write an outline on the board about what will be taught in class.

● Be fair. You’ll probably get to know some students more than others, but you still need to be fair. Make sure all your rules, about being late, missing assignments, etc, apply to everyone. Using rubrics, whether created by you or the students, work well and let students know how you are grading.

● Don’t shout. The students should listen to you while you’re giving instructions. If they don’t, make sure that there is a consequence for them. For example, if you have to wait more than ten seconds, they have to stay one minute after class.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.

June on the TEFL Times has been set aside for a series of articles from Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa, the creator and writer for TEFL Tips.

Often something’s that both newbies and old hands struggle with is maintaining discipline in the classroom. Rowdy students can distrupt the lessons and making teaching difficult for even experienced teachers. But if you keep a couple of tips in mind, you can make classes better for both you and the students.

● Be consistent. You have to be consistent in what you say and do both throughout the lesson and throughout the course. DOn’t change rewards or punishments.

● Positive Reinforcement. By punishing only the bad tings that happen, you’re only fighting half the battle. Rather than concentrating on the bad behaviour, look at the model students and praise them for their behaviour. And when you see a difficult student doing something well, be sure to praise them as well for their hard work.

● Start strict. Most teachers agree that it’s easier to get more lenient throughout the course than become more strict. So lay down the rules on the first day and stick to them.

● Play games at the end. Tell students that if they behave well, you’ll play a game at the end. It doesn’t have to be a long elaborate one, short games work as well. Anything from Simon Says, Hangman, Seven Up, or 20 Questions can work. Your students might be able to teach you some common games they play in their culture as well.

● Provide things to do. Not all students work at the same pace. And often students get out of hand because they have nothing to do. Keep a couple of extra exercises, worksheets, books, or games for them to do when they finish. If they’re busy, they’re less likely to make trouble.

● Don’t shout. First off, there’s probably no way that you can shout and be heard when many students are talking. Second, you’re not really fixing anything, you’re just adding to the noise. Try clapping your hands, or ringing a bell to get their attention.

● Follow through. If you say that you’ll play a game, do so. Likewise if you say that a student will be punished, you’ll have to follow through on that. And don’t make promises that you can’t keep.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.

June on the TEFL Times has been set aside for a series of articles from Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa, the creator and writer for TEFL Tips.

Teaching young children can be challenging just because it’s difficult to get their attention and keep it for an extended period of time. However there are a few things to keep in mind that will make teaching young students easier.

Change Activities Often
If you’re teaching children how to introduce themselves, plan a bunch of shorter activities instead of one long one. Each activity should last about five to fifteen minutes maximum. Young children simply can’t pay attention for a longer period of time and will start fidgeting.

Move Around
TPR, or Total Physical Response, is great for children. Think of Simon Says and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Children love to be active and move around, so if you can add any movement to your class, kids will love it. Try giving rambunctious children leadership roles. Have them hand out papers, collect game pieces, etc. It will keep them busy, quite and make them feel important. And try games, such as Simon Says, or Do What I say, Not What I Do. in order to get their attention

Games Rule
Forget boring fill in the blank activities. Put those same questions on a game board and children will be mesmerised. Card games work well as well. Try Games Galore and Mark’s English for game ideas and templates.

Group Children Differently
Children lean just as much, if not more, from their peers as they do their teacher. High level students can learn from lower students and vice versa. By changing the grouping, children move around, but more importantly work with different people. They learn group work skills in addition to language skills. When you pair students up, they can sit side-by-side, face-to-face, back-to-back, or even have pairs on opposite sides of the room. Small groups work well around a table or sitting on the floor. Larger groups, or splitting the class in half work well for competition, whole-class games.

Rewards
Rather than punishing students for bad behaviour, try rewarding them for good behaviour. Stickers, stamps, and little gifts are wonderful ways to reward students that behave well. Even praise works wonders. Watch what happens when you compliment one student on sitting properly in his chair, all the others will quickly sit up straight because they want to be praised as well. Or tell the students that at the end of the class, you will give out rewards to the three best behaved children.

Discipline is Key
Discipline can be hard. So try Star Lotto. At the beginning of class, draw three stars on the board. When you want them to be quiet, start counting down from ten, if you reach zero, erase a star. At the end of class, you have a student draw a number. You’ll have to make the number beforehand and should laminate them as well. Numbers need to be from one to six. If a student gets a number that is equal to or less than the stars on the board, then the class gets a sticker on their Star Lotto chart. Once they get a certain number of stickers, they get a prize.

Use signals for silence. Have a signal, such as putting your hands on your head, then clapping three times and then sitting up straight. Students will be able to see you and know that you want them to be quiet even if they can’t hear you.
These are just a few tips, try talking with other teachers as well. By sharing your ideas, both you and your students will enjoy learning more.

Make sure students understand the rules. Demonstrate how to do something with a couple of students in front of the class. That way, if they don’t understand English, they can see what they have to do.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.

June on the TEFL Times has been set aside for a series of articles from Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa, the creator and writer for TEFL Tips.

As teachers it can be frustrating to teach beginners, everything seems to go painstakingly slow. But think how difficult it would be for you to learn a completely different language. Below are some tips to help you out when teaching beginners.

● Explain things again and again. Most people aren’t going to grasp a concept on the first try. Be patient and be prepared to explain it again, but in a different manner.

● Provide lots of review activities. Try reviewing a little bit each day. Also allow for different situations in order to practise what was learnt. Think of different grouping, such as individual, pairs, small groups, and whole class.

● Be patient and don’t pressure students. While some students are ready to make mistakes and start talking, others are perfectionist who want to make sure they can say something perfectly before they say it.

● Give students more time. Wait and then wait some more. Don’t worry if you have to wait 30 seconds or a minute to have someone respond. It’s not because they’re not interested. It’s simply because they’re thinking of how to say it.

● Give homework. It sounds bad, but if you give homework, the students will open their books and be forced to review what they’ve learnt in class. The majority of students won’t open their books unless they have to.

● Forget the slang. Learn to speak properly and enunciate your words. Say something and stop, don’t keep rephrasing what you’ve said. It will only confuse your students.

● Give compliments. Let your students know that they are doing well. Have them save their past work so that they can see the progress they’ve made.

● Make learning fun. Let’s face it, most of us would rather do something fun than boring, so apply this concept to your classes. There are plenty of websites and material out there to make your class a blast.

● Use technology. There are websites that allow students to practise their English online. From games to online tests, there’s loads to choose from. Try assigning an online test or game for homework and you’ll see that most of your students will do it.

● Enroll in a language course. This is the best way to empathize with your students. You’ll know how they feel if you feel the same way. You’ll understand that learning a language requires a lot of time and effort.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.