Saturday 26 April 2014

how to be dynamic in the esl classroom

A very important question from a teacher - and some very helpful tips from colleagues - all posted at the British Council's website 'Teaching English':

TeachingEnglish
How to make an ESL class dynamic?
I have some trouble in making my ESL class dynamic. I'll be very appreciative if you are kind enough to offer me some teaching theories, tips & practice.

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Rahma 09's picture
Rahma 09
Submitted on 24 December, 2008 - 14:21
Love is the key to success...
In order to make your Esl classroom very dynamic and high-motivated, you need to make your own students love english language's learning process. They should be interested in what you're teaching them. and they want to improve their skills in english. In order to achieve this, as a teacher, before you begin your lessons explanation, you should begin by a motivated warm-up that help your pupils to be more familiar with new words, grammar rules or writing skills. the warm-up can be a simple game, or song with a catchy tunes so that the students remember it the whole year, or using different pictures or flashcards,animated posters;so, your pupils will be in touch with the real world.
Try to vary your teaching's tips, don't make your english classroom a boring place where ideas are repeated, otherwise; it should be an environment of innovation and creation. For example, ESL students have to learn different animals' names  and where they live, you can use animals' pictures in the first session,using funny drawing of animals in the board in the second session, working via interesting videos about the wild life in the third session;As a result, when you vary the way you teach, the learners will be so dynamic and they make progress.
Finally, using teamwork in ESL classroom is so useful and fruitful.It encourages all students to participate,working together and cooperate with each other.teamwoerk have many aspects: 1)Role play: when the students writing dialogues, and conversations together in order to act it out in front of their classmates. 2) competition: 3)creating teams 4)making mini-projects
I hope that my humble ideas could be useful for u and u esl students. Good luck. An english teacher Rahma.

Amir A. Ravayee's picture
Amir A. Ravayee
Submitted on 28 December, 2008 - 07:33
Dear Friend,
It is very important to find out why your students are studying English? How will they use English in the future? What do they need to learn?
Be prepared to make changes to your lesson plan. If the lesson you have prepared just isn't working, don't be afraid to change it.
Teaching materials are very important, too. Most students are dissatisfied with some course books and activities. It is essential that you choose activities which are truly communicative and meet the needs of your students.
A good way to motivate students and liven up your classroom is to change usual activities into something fun, e.g. games. Students can also be motivated by giving a variety of interesting topics and activities.
Some teachers keep correcting students’ mistakes and errors and that’s like a poison to an EFL class. If you over correct your students they prefer to be silent. You can ignore some mistakes.
Amir Abbass Ravayee


amazinanian's picture
amazinanian
Submitted on 28 December, 2008 - 13:41
Dear colleague,
While teaching ESL to students, many teachers believe that preparing a warm & friendly atmosphere for minimizing students' anxiety is the first step. Students react well when the anxiety is removed .Second step is bringing joy and laughter to the classroom by choosing competitive teaching materials suitable for every class level , I mean students should be able not only to digest them well buy enjoy the activities too. Finally finding out student's interests is of high importance as it motivates them to participate eagerly in class activities.
The following site's materials have been designed especially for ESL learners where you can find astonishing lesson plans and related programs.http://www.esl-galaxy.com
Hope above suggestions meet your inquiry. A Mazinanian

liuyanli's picture
liuyanli
Submitted on 3 January, 2009 - 08:34
I am an English teacher of primary, my students like my class.  Because in my class they have enough chances to listen and speak English in an intersting task. Every class, they can sing and chant. I think this kind class is dynamic!

teacherjoe's picture
teacherjoe
Submitted on 23 January, 2009 - 17:19
I struggled a long time with this question, especially when I was in Japan facing 40 very shy high school students. Here are five general principles that worked for me:
1. Give positive feedback, even for the tiniest successes at first.
2. Provide clear goals and instructions, so students are absolutely sure what is expected of them.
3. Use the element of surprise in your lessons to keep students alert. (Seehttp://www.teacherjoe.us/TeachersMotivate.html for some specific ways to do this.)
4. Try a variety of techniques in class so students do not become bored.
5. Try FRIENDLY competition to encourage participation. (Warning: I would NOT recommend basing grades or the giving of any other rewards on the outcome of classroom games!)
Good luck and let me know if these ideas work for you.

girishseshamani's picture
girishseshamani
Submitted on 12 October, 2009 - 14:25
The English Language is all about innovation. You need to ensure that each session is a challenge for the students and you should generate an innate desire within each student to raise their level. Set a culture in the class where students can make mistakes without getting insulted. Have a combination of individual and group activities. Keep a contest each month where the top 3 teams are given prizes and a certificate of merit. Treat all your students as adults and ask them to come out with their suggestions also. Never be tempted to have favorites in the class. You need to be unbiased and ensure that the entire class is treated as one unit without any kind of discrimination whatsoever.

divakar3368's picture
divakar3368
Submitted on 13 August, 2010 - 09:23
Hi dear,            I 've been working as an esl teacher for the past 6 years. Initially i felt as what you feel now. The students were very bored and they even started hating English. I realised one thing that it is repetition of the same tasks that makes the esl classroom very boring. let's try some innovative ideas to facilitate learning in esl classroom. We can start the class with an ic-breaker or an interesting game. It will surely work out. But be careful ,it should only be for sometime and try to make it related to the topic. It is better to provide some interesting puzzles and word games .Visit puzzle maker.com. You can design puzzle related to the topic.esp- to teach vocabulary. Create  a friendly atmosphere in the class. Take the class according to the mood of the students sometimes .Best of luck Divakaran.

vkwing's picture
vkwing
Submitted on 2 March, 2011 - 18:56
Thanks Teacher Rahma for your advice about making our ESL classroom dynamic.

How to make an ESL class dynamic? | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC
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