[rkittle1]

I've been teaching ESL for a year now in a public school. I play games like bingo, jeopardy, 20 questions, etc... As well as teaching them new vocabulary words and playing games to reinforce them. Sometimes I have them do skits in small groups. My class size is about 40 students. However, my principal says that he doesn't feel that my lessons are productive enough and that my classes are too loud. He would rather have the students stay in there seats and be quiet to learn.

Does any one have any idea on what kind of lessons that I can do for this situation and still keep the students interested? They are 1st grade middle school, and we are more on the country side, so their English is a very low level. Please Help!

Thanks,
-Robin

[ICAL_Pete]

It's never easy with a big class and the ideas you're using sound good.

I don't think it's a matter of finding activities for the whole class but rather approaching the class in a different manner, using traditional (quiet!) ideas which your boss will approve of but organising them in a manner which keeps the whole class involved:

* speaking quietly when giving instructions so everyone must listen

* mixing groups

* getting groups to do peer marking and so on

Take a look here where there are a few more strategies which might be useful.

[kisito]

I think you have to take a look at these ESL Powerpoint games. They are excellent for large classes. You can also use the free templates on this site to create your own games. These games help you students to produce more language and the good thing is that they do not easily get too loud. I had a principal in china who did not like loud classes. I had to use these.

[wtc]

What does the principal expect an oral class to be, quiet? He should be thrilled that you have the students excited and interested enough to participate in your activities. Tell him to buy some ear plugs and get over it. I had someone come out of their room today and told me my class was making too much noise. I asked him if his doors worked. He said 'yes'. So I told him to go back to his room and close his doors. I'm doing everything I can to keep the students interested enough to continue to participate, I'll be darned if I'll ask them to start holding back.

[DarylM]

It sounds just like my school - a boys middle school with up to 34 students in each class. Fortunately the Principal who wanted silent, book-based lessons has now left, but last week I was told of a schedule change - specifically 'teach this class NOW and make sure it's a quiet lesson because it's next door to an exam'. Typical.

By a stroke of luck a colleague had given me a lesson idea the week before - it worked a treat and I'm sure it could be adapted in many ways. This is it:

Each student has a sheet of paper and a coloured pen. Ask them to draw a line down the right hand side - a quarter to a third of the paper and right their name at the top of here. Then tell them that they have to listen very carefully and do only as you tell them. Tell them to draw a head (ONLY A HEAD) then pass the paper to the person on their right. (I have classes sit in groups of six). Then draw eyes, pass the paper etc. Carry on till you have a full drawing and tell them to find their original paper with their name on.

You can then asks students to label the picture (a list - eyes, mouth etc might help) Tell them 'this is your new best friend' and you want to know all about them; Name, age, where are they from (again, a list on the board may help) and they should write this in the margin they made. Then you can ask individual students to stand at the front and show the class their 'new best friend' and describe him (by folding over the 'margin' they can read their description while showing the class the picture.

Though there was lots of muted giggling in my classes, they were pretty hushed waiting for the next instruction, not wanting to mess it up for the person who they passed their paper to. I'm thinking of adapting the same thing using maybe a house and teaching prepositions (there is something scary under the bed, there is something ugly next to the TV), or even using writing rather than drawing.

I love my big noisy classes on most days and agree that whipping them up to the point where they are falling over each other to speak is the best way. Then again there are definitely occassions where quiet is preferable! I hope this helps, and thanks Kisito for the links - a few more to add to my collection.