Too Many Words

There are many times when I talk in front of the class, I get this strange feeling that the majority of students don’t understand what I’m saying. I always ask if they understand, and the usual response is yes. Well, luckily I am not that gullible because I know for a fact that they don’t understand everything I say. Imagine how this is? Watch the video and see if you understand. This is great example of what ESL learners may be going through. Yes, they may have some English background but it may not be very strong.

One should ask, “What must be done?” In my class, I make sure to speak slow and repeat. I found out that this helps a lot. Not only is speaking slow/repeat a good idea but also writing the main points on the board. In my writing class, I utilize the board all the time and have students write examples individually and sometimes with a partner. The new concepts are drilled into their heads because they heard it so many times and that it has been written on the board. The other thing I do is ask lots of questions. I love asking questions because it tells me that students are actually paying attention or not -I know some don’t pay attention.

The main question I ask myself is this: How do I get the main point across? Before my class, I look over my Power Point and see what needs to be revised. The thing with my Power Point is that I make it as simple as it can be with minimal writing. In other words, I do not write everything from the textbook. My students do more writing than reading in the textbook -very appropriate for a writing class of course.  Even though some may not understand completely, they do grasp the concept slowly. I walk around the classroom to check on my lower proficient students to make sure that they are on task. This helps them be accountable for their work, and they like it too because they are forced to work hard.

Yes, lecturing (my favorite thing to do) is a great thing, but sometimes it is not enough; in fact, it can be dangerous because some students will simply shut you down. Just like the video, it is only going to be words, and spending too much time figuring out what they’re trying to say is not feasible to them.