Check with a colleague whether the activity you find will go down well in the culture
you’re working in.
If they already know each other, you could spend a short time allowing the students to
get to know you. They could interview you. For this, they prepare questions together in
pairs and then ask you their questions. An activity where students get to know their
teacher isn’t suitable to all cultures; find out about this from more experienced
colleagues.
Try to avoid reading and writing in the first lesson. Listening to a recording is not a
good choice either; listening can be stressful and you need to be sure it will be pitched
at the right level. I suggest some language work (either grammar or vocabulary) which
should be kept quite light and a speaking activity to give you a chance to evaluate your
students’ abilities. If they have been together recently as a group, find out what the
students have been studying recently and work on something related to that or
something that builds on it.
For the first lesson with an unknown group, choose a neutral topic that will interest
most people or at least a topic that everybody can contribute to, e.g. holidays, work,
school, families.
1.10 Giving instructions
The success of various stages of your lesson will depend upon your ability to give clear
instructions. If the students understand your instructions, they will carry out the task as
you had planned. If instructions are misunderstood, students will not do the right thing.
If you realise in time, you can give your instructions again; but if you only notice this at
the end of the activity, some students will have done the wrong thing. In any case, in
order to use time efficiently, it is essential to give clear instructions and to check that
students have understood what is required of them before they start work.
When planning your lesson, think about what you will ask the students to do. Then
think about how you will say that to them in a way they understand. When you first
start teaching, you might want to write your instructions on your lesson plan, or on a
separate piece of paper, to help you when you are in class. Giving instructions will
soon become second nature to you and students will get used to your way of working
and your explanations and things will go more smoothly.
Before giving your instructions, make sure everybody is listening. Explain carefully and
precisely. Once you’ve done this, check that the students have understood. Don’t
assume anything. It’s not enough to say have you understood? Am I clear? The
majority of students will just say ‘yes’. A far better way is to ask students to explain
back to you what they will be doing. You can then move onto a demonstration of what
is required. You could do an example together as a whole class or ask a stronger
student to carry out the task with you.
Don’t give your instructions too far in advance of the task itself. Explain what is needed
immediately before students start the activity. If there’s a gap between the instructions
11
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and the activity, students might forget what to do. For example, if your students will be
moving to work in groups, first ask them to move, and then give the instructions.
Finally, if you realise that the students are not on track, don’t hesitate; stop them and
go over your instructions again.
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