| What Can You Do? | | | | (Acts 2:1 - 11) Add too little time to a decided lack of |
| English language students, you can't live with them, you | | | | resources and virtually zero other resources in many |
| can't do without them. What's a frustrated English as a | | | | third-world classrooms and you have a critical teaching |
| Foreign or Second language teacher going to do? | | | | / learning situation indeed. But there are ways, even on |
| English language teachers, there are good ones, so-so | | | | the lowest budget, of producing virtually free or very |
| ones and then there are those that justice would only | | | | inexpensive English language teaching and learning aids |
| prevail if they were permanently excused from the | | | | for use in the EFL or foreign language classroom. |
| classroom. So what's a near-desperate English as a | | | | 3. Over-Crowded English Classes |
| foreign language learner to do? | | | | The number of learners in a class room can range |
| Critical Problems | | | | from one, for those who teach individual private |
| Here are the first three of the English language learning | | | | learners, to 15 or twenty learners in a typical classroom |
| classroom's most critical problems with comments on | | | | up to "multitudes of 35 or forty or even fifty or more |
| what might be done in dealing or managing each one. | | | | learners packed into a language leaning situation. |
| We'll continue the discussion of the final two critical | | | | Forget anything even remotely resembling "individual |
| problems in ELT in a second article. | | | | attention". Either the throng "gets it" or they don't with |
| 1. Lack of Learner Motivation | | | | little available to the teacher. When I'm faced with |
| Students skip class, and when they do show up it's | | | | over-sized groups I immediately implement strategies |
| likely due to fear of failure more than anything else. | | | | using choral, small group and pair work to help in |
| They may lack any semblance of attention during | | | | lessening the load on both me and my large group of |
| class, chatting with classmates, doodling in their note | | | | learners. I also separate out a few of the more |
| books or, (gasp!) in their textbooks. What experienced | | | | "advanced" learners to help me with group work |
| English or other foreign language teaching professional | | | | elements. It doesn't solve all the problems, but it's a |
| hasn't faced the problem of reluctant, unmotivated | | | | good start. |
| learners? One key to increasing motivation is to use | | | | Your Ideas, Suggestions and Comments, Please |
| activities matched to the personalities, learning styles | | | | While it would be absolutely impossible to provide |
| and characteristics of the learners as often as | | | | detailed answers to such critical, world-wide problems |
| practically possible. | | | | in the English language teaching and learning classroom |
| 2. Insufficient Time, Resources and Materials | | | | here, we can recognize our limitations and constraints, |
| You know the old adage, "you can never be too rich, | | | | and collectively make an effort to address and |
| too thin or have enough English or foreign language | | | | overcome them. If you have ideas on any of these |
| vocabulary. So what can you do when charged with | | | | problem topics, feel free to share them in comments, |
| teaching English or a foreign language in only one or | | | | e-mails, forums, ELT conferences and teacher |
| two hours per week? One of the only times that was | | | | meetings. Who knows, your voice may be just the one |
| ever successfully accomplished was with the pouring | | | | to break open the problem with a universally workable |
| out of Holy Spirit on the apostles during Pentecost. | | | | approach or solution. |