miércoles, 9 de mayo de 2007

Teaching adolescents for the first time

TEACHING adolescents is not an easy task to be carried out. It is also difficult for us, as teachers, when we meet them for the very first time: Your body shivers and you start trembling for a second till the moment you come "on stage". The first thing the teacher has to do when facing a group for the very first time is to share some of the experience with them, telling them what they are going to do over the year, and some interesting things that they would like to do. It is useful the use of a class survey with a questionnaire guide by which you can include those things (or relevant ones) they would like to do with you during the year course of studies. Once you read at home their answers you would have an overall idea about what they WANT and what they NEED to learn. We, as teachers, have to show our students that learning a language is another subject at school they have to take into account. It is also important the selection of relevant material (things that they are accostomed to seeing in everyday life) to show them their own reallia. (Bad habits, for example or sports) so they can work on a proyect based on this topic work. Having said this, I would like to add that adolecsents, like children have to learn a language for a purpose to apply it in everyday life, feeling confident with the topic they are learning, and also our main task is to give them the tools for this to be carried out. Last, but not least, it is important to remark that motivation is essential for them because when students are motivated the process of learning makes easier our every day teaching

From teaching and language.... by tricia hedge
(points for discussion - option 2)

4 comentarios:

osval dijo...

On 31-may-2007, gladysbaya said:

I think it's great that you've thought of starting from identifying learner's needs and interests" as the first point in your curriculum design, Osvaldo... :-D

By the way, do you think teaching other age groups is easier for everyone? Or perhaps just for you? And do you think training might help you feel differently about that?

Love,
Gladys

osval dijo...

On 31-may-2007, Loreley said:

Oswald, I completely agree with you in the sense that we, teachers, need to start our classes from our student's needs and ways of learning.
See you in class

osval dijo...

On 6-jun-07, Norma B. Tomé said:

Teaching adolescents is like an old Elvis' song,"I'm all shook up" isn't it? ("...My legs are shaking/ and my knees are weak/... --> add the music, of course!Ha, ha, ha!)
But we've all been there, we've all been adolescents (not THAT long ago) and that's a huge advantage we have on them. And a teacher learns while teaching; practice makes perfect, you know. Motivation, however, is key; in my view, at least. When I was attending Psychology at the TTC, there was nothing my dear teacher could do to motivate me (she deserves not only a gold medal in a plattinum setting, but also a place in Paradise). It was ME, who couldn't find a trace of intrinsic motivation for the subject. I don't think motivation lies on the hands of the teacher, only! If it were so, Wow! So, Oswald, let's take it easy. You'll do just fine I'm sure.
I'd like to read more from you.
Love,
Norma.

osval dijo...

On 18-hun-2007, osval replied:

Gladys (refering to your questions)
Of course I agree with you, teaching other age group is no esasy for everyone, I think that in order to face a new group of learners or a group of adolesents, teachers should be trained enough to develop their classes succesfully, the more trained you are the more successful your classes will be