New teacher please help
 

Hi

I am teaching in China, it is my first teaching job so my experience is very limited. I realise the students seem to love and learn best from playing games, but I am really really struggling.

I teach different age ranges, 17 years and 8-11 years. I am in the middle of nowhere so my resources are a little limited, I have a computer but no printer. My biggest problem I teach about 60 students, so the games I see are not very practical for me.

Does anyone know of any good sites for teachers who have a lot of students or any good ideas?? I spend my days off thinking and searching and thinking and searching and coming up with very little.

Any help very gratefully recieved.

Re: New teacher please help
 

Try this show on big classes.

The super-sized class is always a daunting task. How do you teach a group of 60?
http://www.eslteachertalk.com/2006/1...g-big-classes/

There are a lot of ideas there.

Here's an older thread from these forums
http://www.eslhq.com/forums/showthre...=large+classes

Here's a thread from Dave's ESL cafe
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teache...pic.php?t=1222

Re: New teacher please help
 

Hi

Thanks for your feedback. I will get some headphones as mine don't work with this computer, it looks very helpful.

I have also read the threads you sent me, it's always nice to read about other people in the same position, I don't feel quite so alone.

Re: New teacher please help
 

Seems that your resources are very limited. Have you talked to the principal or director of the school? No printer or photocopier? That would be very difficult. That means that you have to try and use the board a lot for visual activities or get your kids to run around a lot in the classroom (Chinese whispers is an example), as long as they aren't too loud :)

Re: New teacher please help
 

Hi

Yes thats right no printer and my boss doesn't seem to like me using the photocopier, I guess because there are so many students. Most of the schools do have an OHP which is something I guess.

I started using games the other day after searching frantically to try and liven up my lessons, and Chinese Whispers was my first game, the students loved it, although it did get very noisy and I got asked to keep the noise down. For me though this was a breakthrough, just to see them having so much fun.

I guess I best get on and start planning my lessons for next week, I may hopefully find some more games.

Marie

Re: New teacher please help
 

Ask for the classes to be split in two - then you've got a million and a half activities!

Re: New teacher please help
 

Split it into 4 - appoint team captains!

Re: New teacher please help
 

Hi!
You can divide your class into groups and ask one student from each group to come to the board and describe a sentence or word that you are covering at that time either by drawing or by describing it without naming.
or you can ask them to draw a happy face on a piece of paper and a sad face at the back of it and stick it on a pencil. you can use them with reading texts as True or False markers.