Like any job, teaching can become as dull and routine as
cleaning offices or counting dollar bills. (Though usually not that many
dollars come into it!) You, the teacher, trail into the classroom, greet the
class, do corrections, present a point or read a text, practice, assign
homework, go into the next class and repeat.
The difference between teaching and other jobs, though, is
that you can decide to break the mold when things get too repetitive. Of
course there's material you have to cover, and a timeline to follow, but the
whole lesson doesn't have to go out the window in order to inject some variety
into your lessons. Here are a few simple ideas to break out of the doldrums and
find some new life in your lessons.
Let your students teach
Assign pairs or
groups. Let them know what they will be presenting to the class in the
following lesson, set a time limit, and ask them to come up with an original
way to do it, for example by using music, movement, a short theater piece or
even a piece of art. Even a new grammar point can become fun and memorable in
this way.
Make it a game
Almost any aspect of language-learning can be turned into a
game. There are ideas all over the Internet – including on this site – and
don't assume that if your students are older, or even adults, that they won't
profit from or enjoy a bit of play. Having fun makes the brain more receptive
to new information, it breaks up the routine of the class and it gives every
student a chance to shine. One word of warning: Try not to use the same game
ideas over and over, no matter how popular – you defeat the purpose by turning
play into another kind of routine.
Talk to your students
Set aside ten minutes
or so at the end of the lesson to talk to and listen to your students. Set a
topic, or ask students for suggestions. Make it meaningful to them: they've
already done the environment and life in other countries, so try talking about
their own lives, the place where they live and things that concern them. Do it
in English as much as possible, but tolerate lapses. Make real communication
the point. Your class will bond, and will become more tolerant of periods of
the class when routine and repetition are necessary evils.
Do you have any comment or idea on this topic? Please, post them here. Thanks!
