Teaching Help!
By jeseravi
@jeseravi (337)
February 22, 2009 11:40am CST
I have been tutoring a junior high school student recently. My job is to teach the grammar knowledge. Initially, I considered this requirement was very easy compared to the teaching of oral English and writing, for I am very confident in my knowledge of grammar, and it seemed that the only thing I need is a systematic grammar book. Therefore, the first several classes were consisted of my explanation of some grammar point plus some complementary exercises. But every time the boy yawned and yawned. So after that, I add some interesting sections into my tutoring, for example, guessing idioms, telling jokes, and so on. But the result is still unsatisfactory. It seems that those interesting sections do add some spice to the tutoring, but when it comes to the teaching of grammar knowledge, he again begin to yawn and yawn. By the way, multi-media equipments are inaccessible. I am very frustrated. Is here anyone who can help me? How can we make the teaching of grammar interesting on earth?
1 person likes this
10 responses
@sbeauty (5865)
• United States
22 Feb 09
It's all in how you present it. Include the student. Interactive will keep him more involved and interested. Make him teach you how to do something. Find a topic he's really interested in, and do a lot of reading. Grammar is part of the written language, so the more reading he does, the better he'll understand grammar. Grammar in itself is boring. Try a rousing game of "Guess the hidden word". Write sentences on a piece of paper and cover one word with a post-it note. Take about the sentence and have him try and figure out what the hidden word is. You can tell him it's a noun, a verb, or whatever you're trying to teach. There are tons of free materials on the internet, so spend time browsing for interesting ideas.
1 person likes this
@sysdexlicwriter (1619)
• United States
22 Feb 09
I home schooled my daughter for ten years. We both dealt with dyslexia. I remember trying to use some of the modern day school books to help her with grammar. They were written in circles and even though I had a good command of the English language, I could not get grammar across to her. I could not believe the definitions of what a sentence is. That is a basic. My daughter and I were so confused at the complicated definition. This then caused her to not even want to try to learn the rest and I sure did not want to teach it. So, I have learned to keep it simple.
This is what moved my daughter from no grammar to college level grammar in a little over a year. One simple book. Before I can give you advice on a book, though, I need to know what grade level you are working with. That will help with giving you a better idea of which book to use.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
13 Jun 09
To got a class interested in grammar. I told them about me trying to teach a girl in Finland how to speak English. I discussed how she mixed up was and were. Most of all they enjoyed hearing about quite a lot and very much. They liked working on paper not a boring text book. Good luck.
@klaudine (3650)
• Indonesia
22 Feb 09
I can understand your frustration, because I was tutoring kids for English as well. I was tutoring comprehension by the way, but I can see the same frustration from the teacher tutoring grammar because grammar is the most difficult thing to be understand. Well, kids like comprehension because all they have to do is reading and answering question, and making some writing about anything.
Maybe you should start with tutoring with games. Make a little competition so that they would get challenged in learning that. Some challenge would make them more interested.
1 person likes this
@vijayanandp (682)
• India
23 Feb 09
I think it would be better that you add some interesting comedy names in grammar so that he could enjoy and well don't take a long class and in between keep some break so may be in that way he may be confertable to understand as well he will enjoy it
@Nancy312 (282)
• China
23 Feb 09
Try to have a change..
Let the students be teacher to teach you ,and you are student to listen.Then for the one thing,students will make enough preparation with the lessons in advance,and it's useful for them to understand the grammer much more better.If they have some questions,they have to ask you in advance,because everyone wants themselves to give others a wonderful lesson.For the other thing,this can also help students to find the confindence in themselves and more opening and with more couragous to stand on the platform or in front of so many people.
@urbandekay (18278)
•
23 Feb 09
Well, speaking personally, I found the most interesting way to appreciate grammatical structure was to understand the logical structure it supports; the manner in which it augments the clarity of language and reduces ambiguity.
I am puzzled because although you say you are teaching your own use of English suggests to me that it is not your first language; your sentences are short and the construction is a little unusual. Are you then teaching someone learning English? This might make a difference to the way you approach the instruction in grammar.
all the best urban
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
23 Feb 09
First of all you are teaching AT your student. Forget about the bbok part and think about practical application. What other materials can you use to illustrate your points? Kids learn best through practical applications. Projects and experiences that allow them to apply hands on approaches. Kids have very short attention spans and these days you have to go above and beyond to make the lessons interesting as opposed to the old days when the teacher taught and you got it or you didn't. He shouldn't be yawning however, that is a sign of disrespect and you should not tolerate it. Your time is valuable and after all, he needs your help, not the other way around. There are so many things you can try but first you have to get your student to give a d(%#! For more ideas check out Edutopia.
@jeremyrush (41)
• Italy
22 Feb 09
I found a couple of articles, that might be of help on www.onestopenglish.com
Task-based grammer teahing
www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?catid=58110&docid=144974
Teaching at advandced levels
www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?catid=59430&docid=146378
hope it helps
