One to one teaching

[lindajameel]

Hello
I am a CELTA qualified teacher and have been teaching English for 4 years, first in England with multi national groups and one to one teaching and now in Spain.
I have a 16 year old boy who is top of his class in English, reads beautifully and has good pronunciation. He can complete any exercises put to him but cannot use the language if he has to, say, write a paragraph on his own. He is keen to use the language so it is not his motivation. I have given him pieces of news about his favourite subjects (sport) to read and then asked him to tell me the story in his own words. He uses really poor language, but if you ask him the past participle of any verb - he knows it!
Does anyone have any suggestions to help me to help him? I have had him for 6 months now and he hasn't really improved that much.
lindajameel

[konungursvia]

The problem may be that he needs to be given exercises that relate to his life, to his interests, something that turns his crank, as we say.

[2006]

Hello
I have a 16 year old boy who is top of his class in English, reads beautifully and has good pronunciation. He can complete any exercises put to him but cannot use the language if he has to, say, write a paragraph on his own.
What are his shortcomings? no ideas or imagination? poor choice of words/vocabulary? bad grammar, bad spelling, what?

He is keen to use the language so it is not his motivation. I have given him pieces of news about his favourite subjects (sport) to read and then asked him to tell me the story in his own words. He uses really poor language, specify...give us examples but if you ask him the past participle of any verb - he knows it! When he carries on a basic conversation with you, how does he do?
lindajameel

2006

[Raymott]

Hello
I am a CELTA qualified teacher and have been teaching English for 4 years, first in England with multi national groups and one to one teaching and now in Spain.
I have a 16 year old boy who is top of his class in English, reads beautifully and has good pronunciation. He can complete any exercises put to him but cannot use the language if he has to, say, write a paragraph on his own. He is keen to use the language so it is not his motivation. I have given him pieces of news about his favourite subjects (sport) to read and then asked him to tell me the story in his own words. He uses really poor language, but if you ask him the past participle of any verb - he knows it!
Does anyone have any suggestions to help me to help him? I have had him for 6 months now and he hasn't really improved that much.
lindajameel

It sounds very much like you do not use much spontaneous English communication in your classes. A clue to this is that this boy can be at the top of the class without being able to "write a paragraph on his own".
Apparently then, it seems that you do not count "writing a paragraph on one's own" as a testable skill.
Are you using the Grammar Translation method?