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Teaching Matters: Preparing Student-Centered Materials for the Classroom
“If it is language that makes us human, one half of language is to listen.”
– Jacob Trapp (1899-1992), American religious leader
Part 3 of Teacher Edition Tuesday, a weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition!
We previously discussed the importance of classroom design in fostering a communicative learning environment. What about the ESL lessons themselves? Is there a simple teaching method that I have consistently found effective in creating authentic classroom conversations?
Yes! Know your students, and focus on their interests while expanding their working English vocabulary. Give English students a clear structure, a definite task, and plenty of opportunitiy to talk with each other. I also prefer to to motivate our English students more out of choice than duty, and acting as a coach to a referee. Therefore, I find tailoring ESL and EFL material to the actual individual students in each class remains the ideal. (Tutors have a great advantage of ver ESL and EFL teachers for this reason.)
Yet the gap between ideal and the real always exist. Therefore, it is crucial that ESL teachers prepare flexible, student-centered materials and adopt standand textbooks to match the teaching context.. When we show an awareness for their intestes and concerns, students will often devote more energy and focus to developing and deepening their speaking skills in our English classes..
Here is a handy lesson planner I’ve developed for my English classes. It’s also designed to make lesson planning easy for Compelling Conversations materials – and other quality ESL textbooks.
LESSON PLAN
Give Opening Quote:
Make brief opening comment to class:
Select three questions to introduce the topic:
1.
2.
3.
Review Vocabulary:
- Expand vocabulary for class discussion (5-10 minutes)
- List new words that could be used for academic discussion
Pair Students off for conversation (Record starting time):
- Allow 20-40 minutes for conversation
- Circulate among students and take notes
Conversation Content:
What did you hear the students say?
Summarize:
Select three class discussion questions (Prepare to lead 20 minutes class discussion):
1.
2.
3.
Lead Class Discussion:
- Lead 20-30 minutes discussion
- Call on wide range of students
Provide Pronunciation tips:
- Review overhead “good mistakes” made by students (10 minutes)
- Model proper pronunciation, review sound patterns
- Find a minimal pair to contrast sounds
By leading student-centered discussions and asking questions that provoke personal responses, you’re opening the doors for a truly engaging classroom dialogue. It’s also quite helpful to use authentic “good mistakes” from our own English students to make general grammar and pronunciation points. For a reproducible copy of this worksheet, click here.
Do you have a favorite lesson plan or structure that you use to adapt lessons so they better fit your students? If so, please feel free to share!
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com
Teacher Edition Tuesdays feature material introduced in Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition, the companion text to the original Compelling American Conversations. Sample chapters of each are available on CompellingConversations.com and ChimayoPress.com. We also offer a free copy of the Teacher Edition with class sets for adult ESL schools, literacy centers, Intensive English language programs (IEP) , church and other non-profit groups offering ESL classes to immigrants and refugees. Contact Eric Roth here for more information.
Teaching Phrasal Verbs – Fun with Take and Make
Making art.
“Make change your friend.” – Bill Clinton (1946-), 42nd President of the United States
Part of Teacher Edition Tuesday, a weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition!
“Take” and “make” create many common phrasal verbs. One could “take” several English lessons just going over the intricacies of their usage in a conversation. Variants such as “make up” and “take out” have multiple meanings and are often very confusing for many English language learners. This confusion is the reason why students must listen and read for context rather than individual words. Context comprehension will also assist them in getting better scores exams such as TOEFL and IELTS.
Some common examples of take/make phrasal verb variants are:
Take out, after, over, apart, in, up, back;
Make out, of, over, through, up.
You can also take this opportunity in the classroom to show how phrasal verbs can be separated.
Example: George took his girlfriend out for dinner in Little Italy to celebrate her birthday. Did you make it through exam week intact?
Here’s a working list to get you and your English students started:
Take After – To look or act like someone else
- Wow, David really takes after his father. He looks and acts like him.
Take Apart – To break into smaller pieces, to dismantle, or to reduce something or someone’s action or statement
- Did you see the debate yesterday between the two candidates? The Senator took his opponent apart.
- I won’t know what’s wrong with your car until I take the motor apart.
Take Back – To regret and apologize for something said or done
- “Take it back! I never cheated in soccer. You’re the one who always cries foul.
Take In – To observe with detail and for enjoyment
- We took in the view when we climbed the mountain
Take Out – To remove something from somewhere.
- Hiro, could you take out the trash on your way out please?
- Take out the reference in your essay about Joey, he might not appreciate it.
Take Over – To conquer or take control of something.
- Do you want me to take over? You look tired.
- Genghis Khan formed the Mongol Empire after invading and taking over most of Eurasia.
Take Up – To begin to do something or accept an offer
- Did you hear about Eric, I heard he took up scriptwriting and stopped writing novels.
- I think I’ll take you up on that offer to go to Hawaii. I really need a break.
Make Of – To figure something out or to try and distinguish something.
- What do you make of this painting? It’s truly odd.
Make Out – To kiss someone, or to interpret meaning
- I saw Jenny and Ted making out at the restaurant last night. I didn’t know they were a couple.
- What were you trying to say? I couldn’t make out your handwriting, the ink was smudged.
Make Over – To have a complete change in life or to change something/someone’s physical appearance
- Laurie had new carpeting installed in her living room, and now she wants to make over the whole apartment!
Make Through – To survive something or to complete something
- The end of the semester is difficult, and many college students are just trying to make it through finals week in one piece.
Make Up – To create or invent something out of thin air, or to settle differences.
- That news sounds too good to be true, did you make that up?
- Juan and I had an argument last week, but we made up over coffee today.
Which phrasal verbs do you review in the classroom? What context do you give your students to aid their understanding? Let us know!
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com
Teacher Edition Tuesdays feature material introduced in Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition, the companion text to the original Compelling American Conversations. Sample chapters of each are available on CompellingConversations.com and ChimayoPress.com. We also offer a free copy of the Teacher Edition with class sets for adult ESL schools, literacy centers, Intensive English language programs (IEP) , church and other non-profit groups offering ESL classes to immigrants and refugees. Contact Eric Roth here for more information.
What makes a conversation-friendly English, ESL or EFL classroom?
“There is a role and function for beauty in our time.” – Tadao Ando (1941–), Japanese architect
Introducing Teacher Edition Tuesday, a new weekly series based on ten teaching tips from the recently released Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition!
What makes a conversation-friendly English, ESL or EFL classroom?
Sometimes it’s the little things that matter. Creating a comfortable atmosphere can begin with where student sit. You physically arrange your class to a more conversation-based environment.; however it makes a large difference to arrange the chairs so that students feel comfortable moving around. This seating style encourages making eye contact with one another, and explicitly expands the audience beyond the instructor. Everyone listens and speaks in a conversation class.
Many English classrooms today include chairs on rollers making both partner and small group work far easier. At The University of Southern California, the language classrooms also include small tables where four students can comfortably sit together and talk. From my perspective as an English professor, this simple seating arrangement seems ideal for small group discussion.
In more traditional settings, some ESL teachers find arranging the chairs in a u-shape or circle will allow students to feel equal to one another and be able to address each other. This arrangement also improves classroom interactions by encouraging shy students to face classmates, establish eye contact, and speak a bit more. Further, it inhibits students from distractions such as electronic devices.
Sometimes, especially in security first classrooms, chairs can also not be moved. Teachers working in some developing countries may also have classes of 50 or more students where benches are more common than individual desks. Teaching conversation and discussion skills requires exceptional focus and skill to overcome the limitations. Some English teachers also change rooms in the United States public schools, and feel uncomfortable changing seating arrangements. Many of us, however, have great autonomy in how we organize our English classrooms.
If you have control over your classroom setup, decorating the walls creates an engaging, dynamic learning environment. When teaching a language, having immediate points of reference throughout the room adds context and beauty. Put up pictures, maps, calendars, grammar rules, funny and thought provoking sayings, quotes, proverbs to re-enforce lessons and help open minds. Adding even an old-school chalkboard where students can express themselves every morning can work. (Have you noticed the popularity of chalkboards in trendy cafes and restaurants?)
We hear a great deal about the importance of edtech these days, and we’re certainly blessed to teach English with so many fantastic tools today. Smart phones, laptops, projectors, and monitors can make a huge difference. Still, for creating a conversation friendly classroom, the physical enviornment matters much more
In my classroom with small tables, for instance, I often use Search and Share activities from the Compelling Conversations series. The Advanced English students search the web, select an appropriate article, and fill out the worksheet given in class. The seating design makes conversation comfortable and natural. This simple technique puts more emphasis on student speaking than instructor talking, and helps create a lively advanced ESL classroom. Here is an example of a worksheet that I’ve used with considerable success in intermediate and advanced ESL classes.
Classroom design matters. Sometimes where you sit literally determines what you see – and say. When ESL and other language educators design the classroom and their materials with equal care, compelling conversations soon follow.
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com
Teacher Edition Tuesdays feature material introduced in Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition, the companion text to the original Compelling American Conversations. Sample chapters of each are available on CompellingConversations.com and ChimayoPress.com. We also offer a free copy of the Teacher Edition with class sets for adult ESL schools, literacy centers, Intensive English language programs (IEP) , church and other non-profit groups offering ESL classes to immigrants and refugees. Contact Eric Roth here for more information.
Do you use Teachers Pay Teachers Yet?
“They know enough who know how to learn” – Henry Adams (1838-1918), historian
Where do millions of dedicated teachers find affordable, readymade lessons? What if you could reap real benefits from all of your original supplementary classroom materials? Why haven’t we done this sooner?
Exciting news, readers: Select chapters of Compelling Conversations and Compelling American Conversations (with bonus material from the Teacher Edition) are now available for purchase on TeachersPayTeachers! A longtime fan finally joining the parade, I am very optimistic about the opportunities it presents for Chimayo Press and many other ESL and EFL educators discovering the pleasures and perils of self-publishing.
The Etsy-esque site’s greatest appeal is its “by teachers, for teachers” mentality. With a user base well in the millions, you can easily find what you’re looking for: all materials adhere to Common Core standards, and feature unique, affordable lesson plans and activities for all grades and subjects.
Founded in 2006 by New Yorker and teacher Paul Edelman, TeachersPayTeachers is “the first and largest open marketplace where teachers share, sell, and buy original educational resources,” as reported by CNBC. Most resources sell for around $3-5 dollars, but according to multiple success stories, this can add up fast! TPT’s top ten sellers alone have earned millions, and what started out as a hobby for some – like California English teacher Laura Randazzo – has become a serious source of revenue.
However, not all the benefits are monetary. As CEO Adam Freed has pointed out:
“Sure there’s a great business there, but for teachers who use our site, it’s always about the students.”
How refreshing to hear! We don’t always get to choose our textbooks, and supplementary material can make all the difference. As someone who’s spent 25+ years teaching English students at various levels how to have compelling conversations – and having co-authored five books on the subject– seeing such a supportive, education-driven community sharing so many excellent resources and wisdom reminds me that the students will reap the ultimate reward. It is also a boon to tutors and novice teachers, who may not know where to start when creating supplemental material of their own. Consider me excited!
Click here to visit our page with over 25 unique lessons and bundles available for your classroom needs. We look forward to adding more chapters from our original Compelling Conversations and It’s a Breeze titles in the near future. Onwards and upwards!
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com
Teaching Matters: Explaining the concept of skill in relation to the workplace
“In business for yourself, not by yourself.”
~Ray Kroc (1902-1984), McDonald’s founder
How do people get jobs in the United States? Internship season is almost upon us, and finding work is not always an easy thing – particularly in an uncertain economy. Many ESL students may be from countries where people are employed through families, political parties or the government. However, most people in America have had to apply and interview to get their jobs.
Therefore it’s important for English teachers to explain to their students the concept of skill. Define and explain the meaning of the word professional as meaning that you are paid to do something. It does not necessarily mean that you are good at it. For example, some professional entertainers and comedians may not be that entertaining to many people, but they are still considered professional because they are paid to perform.
In the classroom, teachers can pair or otherwise group their students to make lists of skills they have and skills they would like to improve. For example, reading, writing and speaking their native language are skills the students already have. Reading, writing and speaking English are skills they want to improve. That, of course, is why they are in the class. Incorporating sayings and quotes like those like the ones below, or others that you may find, introduce and explore the importance of maintaining, developing and expanding skills in a competitive modern economy:
“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.”
— American saying
“God helps those who help themselves.”
— American saying
“People rise to their own level of incompetence”
— the Peter Principle of Dr. Laurence J. Peter
Want to learn more? Check out the Practicing Job Interviews chapter from Compelling American Conversations. This chapter is also available here with expanded material from the Teacher Edition on Teachers Pay Teachers!
Ask More. Know More. Share More.
Create Compelling Conversations.
