| Teaching a child ESL can be a HUGE task, whether | | | | role to perform in the team so he/she is more likely to |
| teaching ESL one on one or in the classroom setting. | | | | pay attention and keep the team focused. |
| Especially when taking the language barrier into | | | | 3. Assign a disruptive student to be the teachers' |
| consideration. Sometimes it is easy but other times it | | | | helper or score keeper. |
| can become down right impossible. But there is always | | | | 4. When someone is disruptive or doesn't want to |
| a way around it. How? | | | | co-operate, give points to the other team. Never take |
| The novice ESL teacher will just have to FIND ways | | | | points away unless it is part of a game. |
| around it or they can ask a more experienced teacher. | | | | 5. For the student who wants to learn but is having |
| The latter is preferable. Whereas the experienced | | | | difficulty, try spending a few moments with him/her to |
| teacher has his own bag of tricks up his/her sleeve to | | | | slowly go over the material until they understand it all. |
| get through to the student(s). There are 3 categories | | | | 6. For a type 3 student, you could assign a student |
| of students. They are as follows: | | | | who is quick to learn the lessons as that student's |
| | | | helper. But the helper must agree to try to only speak |
| 1. The student that doesn't want to learn. | | | | English. Not just translating. |
| 2. The student that doesn't want anyone else to learn | | | | 7. Try to dummy down your lesson a bit so he/she |
| so they are disruptive. | | | | understands it. |
| 3. The student who wants to learn but has a hard time | | | | Try to remember one thing from your own education |
| understanding because of the language barrier. | | | | through out the years. Chances are that if YOU don't |
| Some methods of getting through to them will work | | | | understand something, that others may not understand |
| for all three types of students. Others are more | | | | as well. So the chances of more than one student not |
| specialized and will work for only one or two types of | | | | understanding the lesson you are trying to teach are |
| student. Listed below are various tried and true | | | | pretty good. The rest of the students are probably just |
| methods that some experienced teachers have used. | | | | too proud or embarrassed to say anything. |
| | | | One thing you should NEVER do in an ESL classroom |
| 1. In the classroom, making teams helps in the way of | | | | is show anger or openly discipline a student in front of |
| peer pressure. If the one team is trying and one | | | | the others. Especially with Asian students. If a teacher |
| student is not because of Student type 1 or 2 above, | | | | embarrasses a student in front of others, they lose |
| the rest of the team gets on their back to participate | | | | face and then that student will be all the harder to get |
| better. Works great in that you don't have to do any | | | | back into the groove of things. |
| disciplinary actions. The students do it for you. | | | | There are other methods available. The only limit is |
| 2. When a student is disruptive in class, make them the | | | | your imagination. |
| captain of their team! That gives them an important | | | | |