Teach English in Jiedian Zhen - Yuncheng Shi

Ever since being a young child, there was always the fascination of reading, and books. Having being born in the country, with no television, radio limited to a half-hour radio serial per day, an era where personal computers, notebooks and iPads where only a dream of a fact of fantasy, walking past a bookshelf suddenly unveiled a myriad of secrets, an unexpected garden suddenly revealing a plethora of fantasy, stories, imagination and tales. Passing on this on to students presented a challenge. Moving countries, suddenly in Latin America, a private school Teaching English as a Second Language, and a pre- determined Literature program: challenge accepted. Introducing vocabulary was always the first task presented. Discussions, examples, putting the words in notebooks with definitions, writing sentences and pop quizzes are all gradable results suitable for a school demanding up to 10 grades per student per subject per month. Studious as this may be, it wasn’t great for students. Better were little presentations, interactive in nature, of vocabulary words used in each story by students. Not knowing it, but following ESA practice, study were definitions studied, followed by activation: group projects and presentations. The results lawyer appeared the same: students learning word definitions for literature. However student satisfaction and interaction certainly seemed higher, and students were more satisfied with the lesson delivery. Literature stories certainly lend themselves to ESA: Activation techniques can involve theme discussion, lesson period research and reporting on aspects of the stories' themes; YouTube presentations , discussion. Actual delivery of the story can be delivered in a number of ways. Certainly needed is a certain calmness within the classroom, however just the act of reading for Literature can have a calming and soothing effect on the rowdiest of students. Stories can be read: it appears students still enjoy and respond to, stories being read to them. Reading in turn challenges pronunciation. Also developed is the skill of performing, albeit shortly, for other people. Skill developing and confidence building, this could be argued to be a valuable experience students' personal development. Audio cassettes, CD's and even audio books, can also prove an invaluable method of delivery. I recognize that this could be classified as reading out aloud, it could still be shown to be an essential part Literature syllabus, challenging students to “keep up”, follow the story, match what is being heard with the written media and be used to native-speaker speed of reading. Better still, using an audio-book app on iPad, projected story on the classroom white screen, with the audiobook reader and an adjustable speed is perfect for Esl students, as class speed of reading can differ in different circumstances. Synthesis, summarization, drawing conclusions and investigating comprehension and critical thinking works well with iPads, internet, group activities and collaboration. Presenting results can be done in a variety of ways: group presentations, drawing, graphics, plays, being among some of the most common. For Middle School students and at times the behavioral challenged, apps and websites such as Schoology are invaluable. It takes a little time to set up each class, as each student needs to individually entered in each class, passwords given and students taught and registered as to how to use the site. However the dividends pay out in full: instructions, directions, readings’ pages, audio, even video, can be constructed into one lesson: all the student need do is follow each step at his or her own pace, listen, follow, read, answer as they go along. At any stage the student, therefore can have at any given moment, instructions projected onto the whiteboard, iPad in front of them, Literature book open and notebook open and ready as they respond to the lesson: reading the story, answering questions, researching a topic or checking some audio/visual aid, taking notes, answering requirements as they progress through the stages. The end result using this technique was total immersion in the topic, and I was fortunate to be able to pioneer this within my school. The teacher then becomes an assistant, a guide, facilitator and an aid, freeing them for the demands of active and enthusiastic Year 7’s, 8’s and 9’s. It is worth noting that this is not just dependent on using iPads, in fact, computers and smartphones can be used for the same purpose (also obviously depending on educational policy about smartphones). The challenge to study and deliver Literature in schools can be fun, involved and challenging. However with today ‘s technology, and the bulk of students being digital natives, days of talk and chalk are in the past. New technologies can be incorporated, and even to the extent of total immersion in the story, plot, theme, tasks, projects, group work and products all related to the story and theme is possible. Complete student involvement and immersion using this method is high: students look forward to it, the teacher acts as a facilitator and guide, and each student can travel through the experience at more of his or her own speed. Motivation is high, enjoyment levels are increased and understandings deepened.