Give your class structure – it helps!
Give your class structure – it helps!
In China foreign ESL teachers often find themselves in a situation where a school or training center sends them down the river with no paddle. More specifically, they find themselves with a schedule full of classes for which they have no book, no curriculum, no resources and no help.
If you fall into this category of teachers you are not alone. Chances are, you scour the Internet for ESL resources, games, and activities on a daily basis to fill your classes and piece together a course for your students.
There is nothing wrong with this and the Internet is an incredible source of supplementary material for your ESL classes. However, as you might guess, having structure and defined semester goals in your class will not only help your students but also make your life as a teacher a lot easier.
My Suggestion
The easiest way to give your course a structure is to create a defined system of evaluation. This doesn’t take long to do and will have a great affect on how your students react to everything you do in the classroom. They will listen, participate, and speak more.
The simplest and quickest way to do this is by merely dividing the students’ grades into 3 parts…
Attendance (how often do they miss class or come in late)
Participation (do they participate in class activities, do assignments, etc. I usually make this the biggest part of the grade and have it include a wide range of things).
Written Tests (Simple written tests about what was taught in class. These don’t need to count for much but will encourage students to study outside the classroom).
In general I stay away from oral exams although these are sometimes necessary. The reason I like to stay away is because they are VERY time consuming and the students are sometimes too nervous to say a word. It can be a crippling experience for students who are not ready to be so “outspoken.”
See what this teacher has to say about evaluating students…
Comments
Leave a Reply