August 20th, 2008 / Teaching Tips

Here are some tips for English composition teachers:
Always remember that when a student appears uninterested in his own work, it just means that he is putting on a bravado to hide is anxiety over how his work is going to be perceived. Read your students’ works with care. Acknowledge the students’ efforts. Avoid marking the papers. Take note of the mistakes and tackle them as part of your grammar lessons in class. A budding writer’s spirit might be crushed just because of your insensitivity.
Nothing makes students scream “boo!” more than a boring topic. Let them write about what they know best. If they feel the need to include illustrations with their works, go ahead. Encourage them. Let them be creative. You can always balance this with required writing throughout the school year.
Praise your students for what they’ve done right. Write little margin notes on their paper, telling them which parts are interesting. You can even write a lengthier end note. Students love to know that you do read their works.
Help the students compile their works in a portfolio that they can keep at the end of the year. This will help them proudly showcase their works.
August 19th, 2008 / Teachers, Teaching Tips, Uncategorized

Funny thing is students can now actually teach their teachers a thing or two about computers as they’ve been growing up alongside these contraptions. But if teachers were to introduce computers to absolute beginners of any age, how would they do so?
Try to adapt a down-to-earth attitude. There is nothing worse than someone telling you the ropes with a smug smirk on his or her face. This is especially important if you are handling adult classes.
Just try to make your students feel at ease and that they have nothing to fear about computers eating them alive. One of the reasons why people do not wish to learn how to use the computers is because they’re afraid of how complicated it can be. Just make things simple and practical. If the students see the “cool” things a computer can do, then they’d be more inclined to know more about it.
Let them do hands-on work. Let them explore on their own (within a given parameter, of course) and avoid looking over their shoulders. This will only make them tense up, instead of enjoying the learning experience.