Culture & lack

[O Masary]

Hi everyone ,
I'd like to express my sad feelings towards the school I teach " intermediate 2ns grade " . Students hate English coz culturally they don't use it & they were driven crazy by previous teachers who made English as nightmare .

Can you help to overcome this problem ? What should I use , do to attract students to English ?

many thanks

 

[teacherjoe]

Your situation reminds me of when I first started teaching in Japanese schools. My students were totally passive and some tuned out English completely. The first day of class, students shouted out "I hate English" and "I hate foreigners", in Japanese of course. All I could do was try to introduce English as a means of communication, using all the creative methods and techniques I could think of. With patience and perseverance, students started to see me (and English) as "okay".

Those first students were never enthusiastic in class (though some are now English teachers themselves!) but future students were much more receptive because they heard about my reputation for interesting English classes based on communication rather than test results.

Please just keep on trying, using any and all approaches you can think of. In the future, your current students will become more eager learners (and they will thank you for it!) while your future students will certainly be better.

 

[Tdol]

They may not use it now, but when they enter the job market, they may regret not having tried to learn it. How old are they?

 

[sana618]

They may not use it now, but when they enter the job market, they may regret not having tried to learn it. How old are they?

Yes I too would like to know the age of the students, because I think that we should plan our lessons and activities according to the age of the students

 

[stunneduck44]

Please just keep on trying, using any and all approaches you can think of. In the future, your current students will become more eager learners (and they will thank you for it!) while your future students will certainly be better.

Do you have any paticular lessons that were super effective at breaking them out of their "I hate English" shells? An activity or game that really got them involved?

I'm in the same boat as O Masary, my second years are not huge fans of English. Their ages are 13-14, and because of their attitude most of them are a lowe level than my younger students. I know that age group is paticularly hard, and I'm tying, but any additional ideas would be helpful.

 

[MiaCulpa]

Do you have any paticular lessons that were super effective at breaking them out of their "I hate English" shells? An activity or game that really got them involved?

I'm in the same boat as O Masary, my second years are not huge fans of English. Their ages are 13-14, and because of their attitude most of them are a lowe level than my younger students. I know that age group is paticularly hard, and I'm tying, but any additional ideas would be helpful.

This is not from an experience with ESL students per se, but I volunteered as a tutor in a Junior High for troubled children one summer and was at my wit's end with one 13-year-old boy (whose family spoke Spanish at home). He could barely read English and seemed impossible to engage. This is unconventional, but I finally gave him (pre-screened) comic books, and the art work and action got him interested in the story, which got him interested in the words of the dialogue. His reading skills improved markedly. I suspect any media that introduce engaging visual art and story narrative (such as age-appropriate movie segments) could be a useful tool in youth ESL classrooms.

 

[NikkiBarber]

Are your students very young? I have very little experience with teaching young children but it seems to me like the students that lack interest are often the ones who feel that they have little chance of succeeding. It might help to grade them depending on their individual progress as a way of encouraging them?
Here are a few other ideas:

1) You can also try making your classroom an "English Only" zone. My sister used to teach second-year English to children between the ages of six and ten and she had a lot of success with this method.
Children want to fit in and if it is the norm to speak English in your class then most of your students should want to adapt to this. It is also a useful way of getting students to speak and overcome their fear of making mistakes.

2) Depending on how much freedom you have over your curriculum you can use teaching materials that are culturally relevant to your students. There must be something connected with English that interests them? Maybe movies or music? Whatever it is, use it as a basis for your teaching to get them interested.

3) I always start with a discussion of the many ways in which my subject can be used, both in everyday life and when it it comes to a career, whenever I get a new group of students. Tell your students about all the (cool, amazing and wonderful) things that will be possible for them if they learn English.

I really hope that you find a way to get your students interested. It sounds like they are young still and it would be a shame for them to give up already. Good luck.

 

[khurliman]

School “MASTER-STUDENT”

Crafts were appreciated in the East since old times. Experts were held in respect and honor, the studying youth was offered support.
The questions of revival of the heritage of national workmanship, traditions “master-student” were lifted to the level of the state policy.
The previous generations had a wide experience of training the youth on the basis of traditions “master-student”.
It was hard for a handicraftsman to reach the level of his instructor. Except for his craft, the instructor should have vast knowledge and understand religious and secular sciences. In that period there were many instructor’s manuals.
It is difficult for a student who does not have the instructor to accomplish his self-control. Not without justification, there is a proverb that is a disciple who did not go through the good school of training is not able to undertake work properly.

 

[teacherjoe]

That's a good point. Students' future at work is greatly influenced by how much they learn. Kind of obvious, but you said it well!

 

[teacherjoe]

As you mention in your thread that students hate English. I think they are not trying to understand English as language.

That is a definite possibility. Still, they must go to class so if they can learn something (and enjoy doing so) their time will not be a total waste.

 

[teacherjoe]

That is a definite possibility. Still, they must go to class so if they can learn something (and enjoy doing so) their time will not be a total waste.

Perhaps I'm idealistic (or just very stubborn!) but I like to think that enjoying and learning go together.

 

[teacherjoe]

Do you have any paticular lessons that were super effective at breaking them out of their "I hate English" shells? An activity or game that really got them involved?

I found quite a few techniques that students enjoyed that also helped them to learn English. You can read my collection of Teach ESL articles at this page: Teach English. Those are, basically, the best of what I have to offer. There's not much more than that, but I found those to be very useful in many, or even most, situation.

Good luck.