How to Effectively Discipline Your Students

Whether you’re in an ESL setting or teaching in your own country,disciplining students is never a fun thing. However, the reality of the situation is that discipline is an inevitable part of being a teacher.

Read full story via  examiner.com

15 Simple Ways to Increase Comprehensible Input

1. Read often, start with picture book
2. Slow down (speak more slowly, not loudly)
3. Use shorter sentences
4. Demonstrate
5. Post visual cues in the classroom
6. Use hands-on activities
7. Make frequent checks for comprehension
8. Use realia, photos, or actual objects
9. Display language and content objectives
10. Avoid idioms and slang
11. Use appropriate gestures
12. Scaffold with guided questions and practice
13. Cooperative learning
14. Activate prior knowledge
15. Remember, a smile goes a long way

* Comprehensible Input

Krashen, Stephen D. 1981. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. English Language Teaching series. London: Prentice-Hall International (UK) Ltd.

“Bucket Words”

Playwright Howard Barker wrote, “Some words, like buckets, slop with meaning.” (The Castle).

When you communicate with language learners remember to put your “bucket words” first.

This form of speech is also likened to “motherese” or in our case, “teacherspeak.”

Avoid modals (will, should, would, could) and especially idioms (Get out! No way! What’s up?).

For example, instead of saying, “You may not hit your friends.” to young language learners say, “No hitting.” For now, the words yes and no and the focus behavior are all that need to be said.

Another example is to try “Black crayon?” (using intonation) instead of “Would you like the black crayon now?”

Please and thank-you are great words to learn, but say them AFTER the bucket word, not before. For example, “Yes, please,” or “Sit down, please,” and “No, thank you.”

Point and say the word, but do NOT use the phrase, “Say…” this will lead to students repeating everything including the word “say.”  Use single command or labeling words and repetition if necessary.

In linguistics, the morpheme is defined as the smallest meaningful unit of language that may or may not be a word, but it conveys meaning. Suffixes, prefixes, pronouns, nouns, etc. can be morphemes if they carry meaning.

Studies show one of the first morphemes acquired is the progressive –ing. Words that describe what you are doing are a great start. Try labeling your actions throughout the day, “walking, crying, coloring, etc.”

Enjoy your English language learners. They offer such a wonderful perspective to our daily routine. We can all benefit from recognizing the many “buckets of meaning” we carry and pass on to our students.

by: Elizabeth Dowling

Christmas is a season in the Hispanic culture

Christmas, or Navidad, is a season rather than a day in the Hispanic culture. Celebrations begin in mid-December and culminate with the feast of Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, which is celebrated on January 6th, twelve days after Christmas.

As many of you are aware, it is a family tradition for students to leave for several weeks during December and January. Rather than allow ourselves to be frustrated by the loss of instructional time, we can look for ways to incorporate this tradition into our classrooms.

In the past, sending large amounts of class work has proven ineffective. Quite often, students lose the papers on the journey. Sometimes students “play school” with their cousins in their native country and all sorts of scribbles return. Consider assigning a “follow-up” report about the festivities or the journey. Try sending a disposable camera they can bring back for you to develop and have them share what pictures they have taken. Or, have the student create a journal with drawings and notes. Give students mathematical challenges to solve (estimate mileage, or the cost of gasoline, etc.). If you wish to send homework, choose content you are certain is review rather than new material.

Be creative and supportive. Many children are torn about leaving their friends in the US and are unnecessarily worried about what repercussions they will face for missing school. Understanding and working with diverse cultures gives everyone the opportunity to form positive school and home relationships.

Dave’s ESL Cafe

This is a very robust site for ESL. There are many tools and forums to help teachers and ESL learners. The job section is very good as well. Postings are current and diverse.

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/