Suggestions for Maintaining Interest and Control in English Second Language Classrooms

When we at Successful ESL first started teaching ESL classes, one of the very first things that we learned was the alarming student drop out rate, even when you have a good curriculum. There are always those that think it would be real cool to speak English, but lose interest when they find that there is a certain amount of hard work involved. These people often quit after just a few lessons. The challenge for the teacher is: “How am I going to motivate my students so they will keep coming to class?”

Experienced teachers know that control is key to success with  many different types of classes. It seems that each group develops a personality of its own. Some groups have their energy needs under control – they are ready and eager to learn throughout most lessons. This type of group is the dream of all teachers! Although these students make teaching easy there are many other more complex situations that teachers deal with every day. Let’s consider several of the more difficult groups and offer some possible solutions. This article is about how teachers can help these students in the classroom. Anything a teacher can do to assist a student with problems outside of the school situation, would vary from culture to culture and will not be addressed in this article.

These students are often in their teens – it seems that they have turned-off on learning or given-up. Perhaps they have attended too many boring lessons, maybe they don’t get enough sleep or perhaps the problems of their life at home occupy their thoughts and sap their energy.

The most important answer to that question is achievement. Students must feel that they are making progress, or they will become discouraged. Your ESLcurriculum should have frequent tests. Rather than dreading these tests, students soon learn that they can be used as a learning tool. If a student can make a mark in the 90’s, they will feel confident, and then study their test to see where they made their mistakes.

There are always times when a class becomes restless, and doesn’t seem to be responding well to what is said. This is the time to be flexible. We often prepared some fun activities and put them in a file folder which we took to class. When the class seems out of sorts, stop what you are doing and do a fun activity. It is surprising how quickly the tone of the class will change. You will find that students who were discouraged and restless are suddenly having fun, (and learning lots of English in the process.)

An ESL curriculum should include lots of small group work. Students always enjoy working in a small group with their friends. There are many activities available for sale, and many free ones that are to be found in blogs.

Some students really enjoy role-plays. We had a class once that asked if they could delay presenting their role plays till the next class, so that they could bring some props and costumes with them next time. While the students are preparing their role-plays, it is a good idea for the teacher to get around and do some corrections on their scripts, so that the class will be hearing correct English during the “production.”  Suggested Verb Tense Role Play

Cut unusual pictures from magazines, and stick funny captions on them with computer labels. Divide the class into groups of three or four, and give each group one of the pictures. Ask them to make a short story, based upon the picture and the caption. After a set period of time ask that a spokesperson for each group read out their story. These are always fun, and it is surprising the vocabulary that the students will find in their dictionaries.

• Try starting the class with a song or by playing a popular song using whatever audio equipment you have. Whether your students are living in their first language environment or in an English speaking country they will likely be interested in hearing a song that is popular in the “West”.
• Brainstorming topics of interest, or having a debate might help some students to get involved, especially if the topic is seen as “cool” by others of the same age who are members of the “in-group”. If their English is very limited then suggest some words and write them on the board. If they are more advanced then try some different material.
• Competitive games help to get them involved. Of course it isn’t possible to play Word Bingo throughout every class, but if such a game is part of the class time, then the students’ attention for other activities may slowly improve.

These students need an outlet for all their ideas and their energy. They are talking and laughing as they come into class. They don’t necessarily have a problem; they are just enthusiastic about life and want to do everything all at once. It’s sometimes difficult for them to concentrate on one thing at a time. Once again let’s focus on what we can do to settle them down rather than the reason for all the noise. Tips for keeping English Second Language Teenagers interested.
– Establishing a routine for what they do when they enter the class may be helpful. It could involve doing something quiet such as a Crossword or a Word Find puzzle. For some groups it’s best to require a quiet atmosphere but for others that may be too difficult. Perhaps allow them to talk quietly while they work together to solve a puzzle.
– These students are often very creative. You might want to have them create puzzles. These could be made available for their classmates to solve.
– These active groups may have one type of activity that they prefer. They’ll ask to do it as soon as they enter to room. Explain that there are other things that they need to do first and then they’ll all be able to participate in the requested activity.
Try some of these suggestions – choose ones that are right for you and will integrate with your teaching style. A variety of teaching approaches are needed to maintain control and meet the needs of the multiple learning patterns of students