This article will, probably, anger a lot of language
professionals. In my opinion, education is for many more of a religion than
religion itself. There are things in the classroom that need to be done, no
matter what science might have to say, or productivity research.
As a consumer, I mostly hated language courses. I considered them
extremely unproductive and tedious. Being forced into a group setting with a
teacher that just follows his or her protocol.
Below are the top “sins” I observe in the classroom. However, they
are derived from certain assumptions that some might not share:
·
Speaking a foreign language is a skill that needs to
be trained (like sports, music, crafts)
·
The classroom group setting should offer something
that cannot be replaced by other online and offline activities
·
The lesson time should offer a maximum of (guided)
practical training for the student.
1.
A one-man (or woman) show
In many lessons, the teacher uses up 80/90% of the speaking time,
thus depriving students of the opportunity to train themselves. Yes, many
students may like it. Listening to an expert speaker may give them the illusion
they themselves speak it at the same level. And, if they occasionally are asked
to give short answers (most often single words), they might “feel” they are
able to maintain a long conversation.
2.
Being too teacher-centered
My key question always is: what if the teacher needs to leave the
classroom for 5-10 minutes (without giving some reading or writing assignment),
will the training process go on or will it break down. Typically, most of the
lesson time hinges upon a teacher “moving” and pushing the group through different
activities, like a dynamo. Problem: to train at home and to make progress beyond
our classes, students need to become self-regulated learners.
3.
Having no classroom training routine
A good sports or music training always includes certain standard
routines, like warming-up, finger exercises, etc. Do you just rely on jumping
from one page of the textbook to the next? Or do you have your personal
training routine to start and finish lessons: e.g. voice exercises, sentence or
phrase production)? And, if yes, do you have them in written form so that a fellow
teacher could replicate your style, in case you are ill or on holiday, so that
your students get a similar experience?
4.
Not ensuring proper note-taking during the lesson
5.
No
productive small-group activities
6.
Relying
on “games” to make lessons “interesting”, and not productive
Many
language teachers, rightly so, think that the main complaint of students is
that lessons are “boring”. However, many a teacher jumps then to the wrong
conclusion, to make lessons more “interesting” by including as many “games”
into the classroom as possible. There is nothing wrong with games that teach
experiences no other exercise can do. However, many of the games are 1)
activities to just keep students occupied so that the lesson passes quicker, 2)
at a kindergarten/elementary school level of required intelligence, 3) remain
teacher-centered, relying on the teacher to keep the game going, 4) are often
time-consuming and tend to drag on. Relying on games for their own sake may
backfire, because – later on – students may get the impression that they had
fun, but learned little. In my experience, the key for students to stay engaged
and enthused is to make lessons productive, and productive in the original
sense. The more a student produces something (sentences), the more interesting.
It is like in sports: the more you are yourself on the ground (and the less on
the sidelines or listening to your trainer preaching), the more fun.
7.
Not instilling a proper training routine at home for students
If you want me to go into more detail with some, or don’t agree:
please leave a comment below or contact me.
Stay tuned!
Gerhard
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