Teaching experiences
| Isabel:. | How was your first class with young learners, Maria? |
| Maria: | Oh, well, a bit of a disaster, I think. They're a nice group, and the first 15 minutes were fine, but then ... everything went wrong. |
| Isabel: | Really? Why do you say that? |
| Maria: | Well, I found it difficult to get their attention. At first they listened to me, but after a while there was so much noise. While they got out their books and found their pens, they couldn't really hear what I was saying ... or they weren't listening! ... What can I do about that? |
| Isabel: | Well, right from the beginning it's good to establish order, you know, the rules of the class. Make it clear that when you are talking you expect absolute silence. And then, if you give them a time limit to do things, that helps, too. You could say something like, "Now, in one minute, I want you to take out your books, write your name on a piece of paper and put it on your desk … like this." You see, then it's clear what you expect from them. |
| Maria: | That's a good idea. I wish I'd spoken to you before the class! |
| Isabel: | What else? … |
| Maria: | Hmm… Another problem was that when I asked a question, they all shouted out the answer at the same time, so nobody could hear anything! |
| Isabel: | Yes, well, you can tell the kids to put their hand up if they want to say something. Then you nominate who you want to answer. That way there is less noise, and they can hear each other. It's much better! |
| Maria: | Yes, the noise was incredible, especially working in a big group. |
| Isabel: | That's another thing: if you do group work for too long, they can get pretty noisy. The best thing is to have a variety of interaction in every lesson – you know, working alone, or in pairs or groups, depending on the activity. |
| Maria: | So you do group work, pair work and individual work at this level? |
| Isabel: | Yes, if possible. If you vary the grouping, the kids don't get bored, and they concentrate better. |
| Maria: | But don't they speak in Spanish a lot when they're in pairs or groups? |
| Isabel: | Well, sometimes, but I try to monitor them and encourage English. It also helps if you give them words or sentences that they need before you start the activity. For example, you can list useful phrases on the board. You could even elicit these .... Like for a craft project, elicit words like scissors, glue, etc., ... or for a game, write on the board things like It's my turn now, Throw the dice, and that kind of thing. When the children are more involved in each stage of the lesson, they'll be more motivated and they'll get more out of it. |
| Maria: | Hmm. Thanks. You make it sound easy! ... These are great ideas. I'll try them in my next class, ... and I'll definitely be asking you for more advice! |
| Isabel: | Sure, no problem – whenever you like. I know what it's like when you first start out and .... |