I've been an English teacher at a college for 1 year and sometimes i feel frustrating because many the back-line-sitters seem to be idle at class---dozing, playing their mobile, even talking in a low voice. I hope i can help them from the "torture" and enable them to enjoy the class. Any good ideas? Also, I began to teach a new class this semester and some students asked me to speak less English and more Chinese, which made me feel at loss. What should I do?
You feel frustrated. I think you are a good teacher. Some teachers constantly speak their mother tongue. I think your students just don't understand some aspects of English, that's why they ask you to speak Chinese. Perhaps you should vary your classroom activities. Most students don't like learning using only textbooks.
Students are the same in Russia. They are respectful when the teacher is really strict or the lesson is really exciting.
Hi,
I guess you need to get to know your students a little better. Find out their likes/dislikes and use them during your lessons.
Talk to them find out what they need.
What seating arrangements do you have in your classroom?
You could sit students that would usually sit at the back near the front but not together.
Try to have an open feedback session to encourage the students to speak with you rather than eachother.
Move the class around so that all students get a chance to work with students they wouldn't usually work with.
Hope this helps.
Nicky
Ellie - most of the time tactics like that do work but there was a story in China of a student killing a teacher by slashing his throat because the teacher confiscated his phone. Not trying to scare anyone but you have to be careful!
Some of the ideas you were given here are great, but if those ideas don't work...
Here is another option:
Take thier mobile phone of them, I heard from a Chinese girl who study here in Australia that her teacher took the mobile phone of 2 boys.
It seems to have worked well, they didn't use it in the next lesson.
Give them their mobile phone after the lesson, tell them that if they do it again... the phone will be confiscated untill the end of the day.
It works well in Australia, it should work there too.
In my opinion if are not strict - youn may lose some of their respect pretty fast.
What about splitting the class into teams and having a year long competition - you can give points for activities, team with the most points at the end of term/year wins? I agree with Yulia - make it active, don't just have them sitting in the class not doing anything (although I know this is the traditional approach to classroom based learning).
