First lessons - Expectations

Think about yourself in three different roles: yourself as a teacher, a parent and a child. What do you think each person's expectations are for the start of an English course?

Compare your ideas with ideas from other teachers in the table below. Which are the most typical expectations where you work? Remember that educational departments, school principals, heads of department and directors also have expectations.

What expectations do you think they have? Expectations from administrators may cause you as a teacher to adapt your teaching in different classroom situations.

For example, if an educational department places a particular area of grammar or vocabulary in the curriculum, you will need to make sure you include this in your programme.

Teacher	Parent	Child
· To speak to a number of individuals in the class · To start to learn something of the individual characters in the class · To set rules, boundaries and set up classroom routines/systems · To start to learn some personal information about them · To start the first lesson in the book · To start to find ways of working cooperatively with others · To hear and respond to people speaking English · To get to know the profile of the class (identify mix of abilities) · To get to know the energy levels of the class · Create a good first impression	· For their children to speak some English · To get "exposure" to English · To study grammar · To pass tests · For the child to be liked and not bullied · Enthusiasm and motivation generated · Expectations are high! · "This may effect my child forever!" · Involvement · Unrealistic expectations (timescale)	· To speak some English · To have fun · To be able to understand songs in English · To make friends · Get to know the teacher · To like and be liked · To fit in · To feel a part of the class

As a teacher of young learners, consider the following situations and how you would respond to them if they happened in your class.

1. How would you feel if half the class couldn’t say anything at the end of the very first English lesson, or, at the start of Lesson 2, seem to have forgotten everything they could say in Lesson 1?

2. What would you do if, in the first lesson, some children will not repeat words you want them to, or speak only in their first language?

3. What would you do if some children misbehave during the first class?

4. What could you do if some children do not participate during the first class?

When you have answered the questions, go to Teachers' thoughts - Q1-4 resources to see how other teachers answered.

Your answers to these questions may have been influenced by a number of factors. Many teachers feel under pressure to produce immediate results.

Teachers often worry about their own performance; parents want to hear their children speak English; administrators need evidence of progress. As a result, you may feel responsible if new structures and new vocabulary are not produced each lesson. It is often forgotten that silence can mean children are actually processing their language environment.

You’ve now identified a number of expectations that you, children, parents and administrators may have for the first English class. The next step is to look at and compare a number of ways of starting the first English lesson.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14