What am I doing here…? 1. Introduction March 2009

Help!

How can I become a good teacher?

Be the teacher you want your child to have

He listens… He listens… He listens again…

She looks them in the eye. She thinks before she speaks. She stays calm. She cares about my child. She respects each child. She’s fair. She disciplines.

She does HER homework.

How do I manage that class…

Talk about what they know. You make the difference, not your material. Teach the student. Kindness and love. Talk about what they know.

You are the boss X

Open the windows Know all the drills at the school: fire/flood emergencies/first-aid Rest room use

Teach them how to get your attention.

Teach them how you get their attention.

Keep ‘em happy! Chop and change your games and activities every 5-10 minutes. Vary the pace during the lesson. Repeat, review and revise.  Make your lessons playful and full of physical movement.  Play games where everyone wins. Bring in puppets to introduce new vocabulary.   Keeping ‘em quiet! Chop and change your games and activities every 5-10 minutes. This is vital because preschool children need variety as they get bored easily and have a very short attention span. Vary the pace during the lesson, mixing up excitable games with quiet ones.  You do not want your children getting bored but you do not want them getting over-excited either, so vary the pace according to the mood and keep the children on their toes but not over the top. Repeat, review and revise.  Use short games to review vocabulary and phrases you have taught earlier in the term and the year.  If you neglect this, the children will have no recollection of the language you have covered! Make your lessons playful and full of physical movement.  The children will enjoy them more, be more motivated and remember the language better. Teach in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with plenty of encouragement. Avoid competition with preschoolers.  It can be stressful and overwhelm them.  Play games where everyone wins, or where you do not single out a winner. Bring in puppets and have the puppet introduce the new vocabulary for the lesson.  If you do not have a puppet you can make one from a paper bag, or by sewing a couple of buttons on a sock. Use chants, rhymes and songs.  These are great for movement and frequent repetition of vocabulary and phrases. http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/3-5.htm

Still keeping ‘em happy! Keep ‘em quiet! Encourage and support your young learners. Only use real praise.  Build vocabulary. Concentrate also on speaking practise. Be prepared. Be flexible.   Bring in real objects. Still keeping ‘em quiet! Encourage and support your learners.  Never tell them they cannot do it, they are no good at it or that they have failed.  You could put them off wanting to learn English for life. Concentrate on listening and understanding, building vocabulary and the acquisition of short phrases. Concentrate also on speaking practise, starting with single words and short phrases, and gradually moving onto longer sentences and questions. Avoid abstract concepts and concentrate instead on concrete real items that the children understand and relate to. For example start with familiar topics such as colours, numbers, greetings, animals, fruit, food and drink, families, body parts, shapes, clothing, the weather, days of the week and short everyday sentences and phrases.  Be prepared - practise telling the stories before you go into class and have your picture flashcards and materials ready.  This will allow you to be relaxed and to enjoy the class and the children rather than frantically trying to organise your materials while the children become restless and bored. Mix up active participation and listening.  If the children become restless, do something active. Be flexible.  If something is not working then change the game or activity.   Involve shy children too - give them a central role and help them come out of their shell.   Bring in real objects when you can, such as clothes to dress up in, or props for acting out little plays or stories.  When you cannot bring in real items use whatever objects are available in your class, and use colorful pictures of real items in the games. http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/3-5.htm

Manage the class… Manage the class… Using sketches to manage a class, has many advantages: You simply sketch and point and wait for them to listen. You never need to raise your voice. You always in control because these speak much louder than words which Ss tend to block out when it suits them, especially in a 2nd language class. You “condition:” your Ss to your needs. Example of conditioning: 1. Draw a face on the board. A series of happy faces earns them points which works towards a lollipop (for big classes, divide your Ss into groups). A series of unhappy faces works towards demerits (no lollipops and disgrace for the group when their teacher comes back). 2. Your angry face means you mean business. Only use it after you have asked for something twice and got no reaction. Use it sparingly, otherwise they will not take it seriously. 3. Your disgrace face has a name… the name of the Ss who misbehaved. And that name goes to the principal. 4. Your sleepy face, is your goodbye face – go well and be happy at the end of class. To lose face: Draw a happy face on the board. Each time Ss in a group don’t listen, they “lose” a part of their face e.g. a smile/a nose/an eye… Demerits for the group. Source of these faces: Mark Fletcher from http://esl.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://brainfriendly.co.uk/index.php

Issues to clear up right from the start: Discipline What you will teach How to handle your local teacher Go to give, not to tell people how to run their schools

Where do I get materials to use in class…

In your children’s closets In the closets of your children’s friends Books Magazines Newspapers Brochures Flyers Menus Cartoons Maps Photographs Really cheap RMB1 stores

The perfect combination

Wordle copy http://www.wordle.net http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/page/Wordle.html

http://www.edhelper.com/

http://www. primarygames. com/print_zone/activitypages/activity_pages http://www.primarygames.com/print_zone/activitypages/activity_pages.htm

http://www.eslprintables.com/

http://www.songsforteaching.com/

http://www.unclefred.com/

Give them something

If I Could Teach You, Teacher If I could teach you, teacher, I’d teach you how much more you have accomplished than you think you have. I’d show you the seeds you planted years ago that are now coming into bloom. I’d reveal to you the young minds that have expanded under your care, the hearts that are serving others because they had you as a role model. If I could teach you, teacher, I’d show you the positive effect you have had on me and my life. Your homework is to know your value to the world, to acknowledge it, to believe it. Thank you, teacher. By Joanna Fuchs