Conversation 1 Review:
We began the second conversation topic this week: what makes a good teacher. Our grammar focus was conditional sentence with if-clauses. The class was more helpful to some than to others:
Things that worked:
The warm-up activity (change places). This activity got people listening, smiling, and moving. It was the perfect way to begin class. We started with easy and observable statements like "If you're wearing blue, change places," before switching to would rather and would prefer statements. Some students got a chance to lead the activity. In addition to asking people to lead who did not find a group, I asked people if I heard them speaking Vietnamese. That was appropriate for this exercise because I acted out the words so beginner students did not have to rely on their neighbors' translations.
Discussion. During discussion, we talked about teaching methods in Vietnam (past and present), differences in education between our countries, and challenges that educators face. The beginner students were visibly uncomfortable, sitting in a circle with no table to hide behind or piece of paper to stare intently at-- so I assured them that I would only ask for volunteers to speak and that they should listen for general meaning of the conversation. Their bodies visibly relaxed. The conversation seemed to engage most students. I watched as the beginners' faces changed from confusion to understanding time and again, like the sky darkening and clearing before and after a storm. Nevertheless, I felt bad about having a discussion in which only half of the students felt comfortable contributing.
Things that didn't work:
Interviews. During the interviews, students remained seated and talked to people at their tables. This meant that each person talked to two or three people, rather than six. Students also spent considerable time writing sentences, which slowed the pace of conversation, and, in some cases, limited the number of students engaged. Lastly, sitting created a stilted atmosphere, in which students were less likely to expand on topics and get into conversations than to insert words into the framework before staring into space.
When I debriefed the exercise, I mentioned that next time I would ask students to stand and mingle because it's helpful to listen to different peoples' pronunciation, vocabularies, etc. In my own reflection, standing usually gets the creative juices flowing, as it's more awkward to stand together in silence or stand without a partner than to sit. I would also give students a chart to record the names of their six interviewees, as a way to guarantee movement and give people something to do with their hands.
Practice Teach. This activity flat-out failed. Students did not understand my instructions about demonstrating teaching methods or teaching vocabulary words to their group. I was disappointed because the plan suggested dual infallibility: teach students new vocabulary, while appealing to tactile learners. Perhaps it was too narrow to expect students to teach a vocabulary word, or maybe I should have given information about mnemonic devices. Regardless, after several attempts at an explanation, I had students bring their chairs into the circle for class discussion.
Homework. I have not figured out a way to assign effective homework for these students, or to use assignments effectively. Thus far, I have assigned articles, journal entries, and speaking assignments. Articles mentally prepare students for a topic, but the one time I asked students to discuss an article, very few had read. Journal assignments help students synthesize their thoughts before or after a discussion, but only one student turned in the last writing assignment. Speaking provides positive backwash for the competence I'm trying to build. However, there's little way to check that students have done this work. I have not decided how much this concerns me. I'm inclined to provide students with supplementary material and let them peruse it at their leisure. They have demanding personal and professional lives (most are married with children and work at the college), varying levels of English ability and motivations for study.
Things I'm pondering:
Corrections. When to give corrections? On what to give corrections? Whom to correct? The advanced students are primarily taking the class to practice pronunciation. The beginner students want to begin to speak. I want to encourage the beginner students, so correcting them after every word (or simply repeating and emphasizing with correct grammar and pronunciation) would be counter-productive. I need to stretch and support both groups, but it's difficult to correct an advanced student's subtle errors without correcting a beginner student's blatant mistakes. Last but not least, when I'm training my ear to the lowest common denominator, I'm listening for meaning above all else; so when an advanced student pronounces something incorrectly and I understand, my brain skips ahead for the big picture. I need to fine-tune my listening to pick up on these subtleties, at which point I can determine the best way to call attention to the mistakes.
Structure. Do I want to do 10-15 minutes on pronunciation each class, despite the fact that it will be difficult to integrate into the themes of the lesson? Or do I want to set aside several full class periods for pronunciation? I'm leaning toward the former. Secondly, when to include jazz chants/sentence stress? This class's conversation structure works well for grammar, but I have yet to formally integrate other language components.
Attendance. It fluctuates a lot because teachers are busy and things come up. I'm inclined to treat class like a club in which people come when they're free (classes don't build on each other as they do for Level A); however, low numbers means less classroom energy, and I think that's detrimental for a conversation-based course. After today's lesson, I sent text messages to people I had not seen in a week or two (completely appropriate here), saying I missed them in class and hoped everything was okay. People responded positively, and I anticipate a large attendance bump next week. When it comes down to it, many faculty members need English to qualify for programs abroad, so a little push from me might not be a bad thing.
Vibe. Relaxed and friendly with food and out-of class activities? Or more formal? I'm leaning heavily toward the former for faculty members, as they work all day and a fun atmosphere is what I've been advised. I have already gone to coffee with some, and am beginning to initiate my own invites, as well. If I establish relationships with the faculty members, I think they will feel more inclined to attend class and work hard. With Monday through Wednesday students, boundaries and some formality will be more important-- attendance and grades will also hold more weight.
And lastly, a self-evaluation...
*The warm-up activity was inspired by Mr. Lam, one of my hosts in Vietnam. The vocabulary chart in Activity 2 was inspired by Stephen C, Fulbright ETA 2010-2011.
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