tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26177615.post7929399472217778831..comments2023-10-20T18:47:34.841+07:00Comments on Religion, Sex & Politics: "Such a Lovely Place"Dr. Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788468231312646543noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26177615.post-18536950310340601522008-06-07T20:36:00.000+07:002008-06-07T20:36:00.000+07:00"My nearly six hours in the classroom went by quic..."My nearly six hours in the classroom went by quickly, although my legs ached from standing up most of the time."<BR/><BR/>Hi Will,<BR/><BR/>Please pull up a chair and sit down. I can't remember the last time I stood up in a classroom (and I've been teaching English for over 12 years)....<BR/><BR/>....If you stand up in the classroom you are making a statement about roles and expectations that is not healthy. Sit down, see your students on the same eye-level.<BR/><BR/>I remember having 70 students when I taught in a Thai university, I still had the chairs placed in a circle! We simply had two or three rows to the circle - and I sat in that circle.<BR/><BR/>It's better for your legs, better for the relationship with your students, better for their listening and better for setting expectations.<BR/><BR/>And don't forget that the most important thing is PAIR WORK. Have your students talk in pairs for the majority of the class. It doesn't matter if it gets noisy - they only have to hear the person sitting next to them.<BR/><BR/>You can move around then, listen in, make the odd comment, sometimes a correction if it's really important. But mostly you sit and listen.<BR/><BR/>Oh....and if you over-prepare (and you will) don't try to squeeze it all it....save it for the next class!<BR/><BR/>Anyway, just like all advice, feel free to ignore it, but it works for me.<BR/><BR/>All the best again Will,<BR/><BR/>MarcusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com