Handling Examinations Effectively
Work According To Your Study Style: Some students prefer to work
individually; others study better in a group. Match your study
style to your personality and study habits. Do not get guided by
others blindly, after all, you know your self best. Studying On
Your Own: Proceed according to a study and revision plan. Start
your preparations well in advance so that you do not panic in
the end. It is ok to study in a group initially to start with
but it is better to study alone starting, may be, 1-2 weeks
prior to examinations.
Studying In A Group: Make sure that your study group has
students genuinely interested in studying; else you will spend
all your time criticizing the school or the latest film
released. At least some of your peers should be at your level or
better. Brainstorming on the possible questions is also a good
idea. By this you can score out lot of material, which may not
be asked in examinations.
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Teaching ESL to children is challenging but also very rewarding. Before I walk into a class of 10-year olds, I take a deep breath. Children have
no attention span AT ALL, and so I tell myself to slow right down before I start. Teaching children requires patience and a sense of fun and playfulness. Even though it seems obvious, a common mistake is to think that children are simply ’short adults!’ This is sure to get you off on the wrong foot!
Here are some tips for teaching ESL to children:
1. Involve Children in an hands-on Activities. Children’s minds are incredibly open and they learn by absorbing ideas and concepts directly. Children need to be actively involved. Get students up and out of their chairs and moving around. Sing songs, and play games.
2. Avoid talking for long periods of time. I find that the energy level of the classroom drops lower and lower. Explain an activity quickly and then go to it. Keep the energy moving! If your planned activity is a flop, move on. Keep a few extra activities handy for this purpose. Children need
lots of stimulation all the time.
3. Children learn by interacting with each other and with the teacher. Try to talk to each child individually each class. Whenever possible, have children working in groups and in pairs.
4. Review, Review, Review. New information is absorbed and has meaning when it is related to information students have already learned. Quickly review new concepts at the beginning of each class.
5. Encourage students to correct themselves and other students. Self correction or self-regulation is an important part of learning. Students should be encouraged to ask, “How am I doing?” and “Am I doing this right?” in an open and non-judgmental environment. Children raised in authoritative cultures may need additional re-inforcement.
6. Use what is learned in different contexts. The more contexts used the better, and the more concrete and ‘real life’ the contexts the better. Make it real for students by talking about them and their lives.
7. Praise, Praise, Praise. Encourage and build students up in a natural way. Learning occurs when students are motivated and feel good about themselves.
Looking back on my years of teaching, the children’s classes took a bit of getting used to, but were the most memorable and fun!
George and Daisy Stocker have traveled the world teaching
ESL to children and adults. Their website, ESL for Children
offers ESL curriculum, including textbooks and Storybooks for children
age 7 - 12. Their adult ESL site, ESL offers ESL
activites and curriculum for adults.
View their website at: www.esl-storybooks.com
