Engaging+Learners

Engaging a student is not the same as entertaining a student. Games should have a purpose, activities should draw students in and make them want to participate and communicate. Fun should result in learning and progress. Language classes provide many opportunities for lively interaction and dynamic experiences. Following are techniques that can be used to make your class engaging and exciting.

Ask questions
Asking questions and having students respond is a natural and proven way for the teacher to engage students in using the language. Teachers should use questions frequently in the classroom to encourage the students to talk. An active learning environment in the classroom can be created by asking effective and appropriate questions. Here are several strategies you can develop to make your questioning more effective:
 * 1) As you prepare your lesson plan, think of the questions that you can ask.
 * 2) Use questions that will help students follow the lesson and reflect on new concepts.
 * 3) Ask clear and specific questions that will enable your students to give clear answers.
 * 4) Give students sufficient time to answer your questions. Don't jump in and give the answer for them.
 * 5) Rephrase your questions if students do not respond to them the way you expect them to. Use vocabulary and structure that they can understand.

The lightning strikes method of asking questions is very effective and can be established from the first day of class. The teacher asks a question and then pauses two or three seconds before calling on a student for an answer. This way, during the pause, all students will think of an answer in case the "lightning strike" falls on them. And even though the teacher calls on only one student, others are more likely to listen to for the answer to see if it is the same as theirs.

ACTIVITY : For active, fun questioning, use the “lightning strikes" technique and a squishy ball, a bean bag or some other easy to catch object (Beany Babies are great) Ask the question and pause before suddenly throwing the ball or other object to a student. The expectation is that everyone is has think of the answer and be ready to say it as soon as they catch the object. Try looking one direction and throwing the other way to an unsuspecting student. If your class can handle the excitement, allow the student who just answered to chose the next “victim” by throwing the ball someone new after you ask the question.

Plan changes of pace into your lesson plan
Language class becomes much more interesting when you use a variety of activities with your students. Vary the materials used in one class period from textbook to handouts to manipulatives. Vary the pace as you move from one activity to the next. Vary the grouping. Have students move from whole class activities to pair or group work and to individual assignments and then back again. Get them active and out of their chairs to enliven the lesson.

TEACHER TIP : Don’t let communicative activities drag on for too long. Set a timer and stop when it goes off- even if everyone hasn’t finished. It is better to leave them wanting more than to go on for so long that they lose interest or start talking English.

Play
Language classes should be the loudest, most active classes in the school. Students who have fun while learning remember what they have learned. Playing games with your students will help them learn Arabic more quickly. Students love to play games. Take advantage of that by planning games that develop speaking skills, and encourage creative thinking and communication. Use games to help students memorize vocabulary words, practice grammar structures, explore cultures, etc.

SKITS

RESOURCE: Language games

Add the element of competition
Whenever possible and appropriate use competition to liven up the classroom TEACHER TIP : Don’t allow the students to always team up with the same friends. Mixing up partners and groups will keep them from getting too comfortable and getting off task because they are with their buddies.
 * Divide the class into teams for questioning
 * Challenge the boys to go against the girls
 * Have contests, playoffs, races, etc.

RESOURCE : Eggspert buzzer game. A student favorite that turns any activity into a competition. []

Teach with lots of "stuff"
Use pictures, cards toys, books, tangible objects, maps, realia and visuals graphics. Use these items to implement kinesthetic activities that encourage movement and interaction.

RESOURCE : See the page in this Wiki on using Visual Aids in the Arabic classroom RESOURCE : Teacher's bag of tools. A list of veteran teachers' top ten teaching items RESOURCE : Guide for using hands-on activities and language manipulatives.

Have a positive and playful attitude.
None of the above ideas will succeed if you don’t have the right attitude. Language teachers should be energetic and creative and willing to laugh and play and learn along with the students. If the students sense that you think singing, or playing is childish or embarrassing, they will be reluctant or “too cool” to join in. If you go into it with a positive attitude they will too.