Absolute Beginners

[chrisday]

I'm currently in Berlin and will be teaching english to members of my godfather's company. Some of them speak virtually no english at all (old GDR residents), has anyone got some tips or methods for introducing basic words (especially prepositions and verbs) and grammer? Bearing in mind my german is quite basic.

[Tdol]

There's no need to worry about not speaking much German. At beginner level, you can use flashcards and pictures for this, as well as miming, drawing on the whiteboard, if you have one, etc. Try here for resources: http://www.usingenglish.com/links/Te...ces/index.html

[Teaching English Games]

Hello there,

Yes you don't need German at all (although it's nice of course), but think how teachers manage in a multi-national class - they have to use English exclusively and use diagrams and actions to explain things.

You can either buy a clip art software, or you'll find free flashcards on many sites - here's one I found recently - the flashcards are a bit naff, but they get the job done!

www.eslhq.com

Also try some of my games - meant for kids - but it might loosen up some of those stuffy business men (hoping they are not, in fact, stuffy) - and they are just the ticket for beginners because they give you varied ways to present and practise new vocab and simple sentences.

You can try some free by signing up on www.teachingenglishgames.com

Kind regards
Shelley

[chrisday]

thanks for the advice, will try it out