Teaching English Tips to Stay in Control of a Large Class

Teaching English with games is becoming standard through
out ESL classrooms of the world. And this is good news,
because children love to learn through games, and become
much more motivated students as a result. However games
often make children excited, and if you have a large class
you need a few things up your sleeve to bring the class
into line immediately if things get a little over-heated.

Here are some tips and ideas to help you contain your
pupils' enthusiasm and manage your large class. There are
three sections. Essential basics, useful tips, and
attention grabbers.

1. Some essential basics to manage a large class

Together with your pupils define the rules in the first
lesson, and post them on the classroom wall for reference.
Knowing WHY a rule is in place makes it easier to keep. You
must establish the rules on day one and stick to them!

Be consistent in applying your rules. If you are arbitrary
about how you dish out your rewards or 'consequences', or
punishments you will undermine the rules themselves.

Praise good behavior to generate love and self-esteem.
Whatever you do, avoid being like so many parents who spend
their whole time telling their children, "don't do this",
and "don't do that". By focusing on the positive in order
to draw more attention to it you apply the universal law of
"you attract what you focus on".

If you are working in a school know the law and rules of
your institution before you go into the classroom for the
first time, and work in harmony with the school.

Start out strict and fair - and stay that way! Being
strict is not about looking stern and being bossy. It is
about making sure the rules are kept, in a firm but fair
way. You can still be a really fun, loving teacher and be
strict with your class at the same time.

2. Useful Tips

Don't break your own rules by raising your voice to be
heard. Instead talk quietly or stop and wait. Your class
should know that for every minute you are kept waiting they
will receive extra English homework, or whatever
consequence you have designated.

Children love the sound of their own name more than
anything else. So use an individual's name for praise and
avoid using it when telling someone off.

Create teams and deduct or reward behavior points to a
team's score during a game. Your class will respond
naturally by using peer pressure to keep the naughty
children from misbehaving.

Empower your children with choices. For example, ask a
naughty child, "Do you want me to speak to your Dad?" By
asking a question you give the child the power to choose,
whereas if you use a threat such as, "I'll call your Dad if
you don't behave", you take the initiative away and seem
tyrannical.

You can also say things like, "you can either play the game
properly or you can sit in the corner". The child will
probably choose to play the game properly, and you make
them responsible for their behaviour.

Prevention is better than cure, so try giving boisterous
children an important task BEFORE they start to play up.
They may respond well to the responsibility.

It is important, especially with a large class, to hand
things out quickly or use a system to have this done, such
as giving the well-behaved children the task as a reward.
Sing a song together or do some counting or a quick game to
occupy the class while materials are handed out.

Play a mystery game and, before you start your fun game say
that during the activity you will be watching the whole
class for 3 well-behaved children who will be rewarded.

Only play games where you know you can keep a handle on the
situation. For example there is no point playing a
boisterous game with a lot of movement if you have more
than around 20 children. With large classes, including
classes of up to 60 children, you need special games where
the children have limited movement - such as standing up or
making gestures but while remaining in their seats. You
can sign up to receive free games in the resource box
below, and some of the free games given out are suitable
for very large classes.

Attention grabbers

Start an English song the children know and love - they
will all join in with you and at the end you'll have their
attention.

Clap out a pattern which the class must clap back, or start
a rhyme they know with actions.

Use quiet cues such as heads down or lights off. Vary these
with other fun quiet cues such as "Give me five".1--on your
bottom, legs crossed; 2--hands folded in your lap; 3--face
the speaker; 4--eyes and ears open; 5--mouths closed.

You teach this repeatedly in the first lessons and after a
few weeks, you only have to say "Give me five:1,2,3,4,5",
and the children will do it.

You can also use the Magic 1 2 3 idea. When a child does
not comply start counting 1, 2,...The child knows that if you
get to 3 there will be some sort of consequence, such as
missing out on the next game. If you use this and you reach
3, you must follow through with an appropriate consequence
consistently.

To summarise, establish the rules and consequences for good
and bad behavior, apply them consistently, set a good
example, use peer pressure and points, and use attention
grabbing cues such as favorite songs, English rhymes with
actions and countdowns. Above all play suitable games where
you know you can keep in control of your class.

You can be firm and fun at the same time, and if you cannot
manage your class, you should realize that, although it
sounds harsh to say it, you are wasting their time.

Can Brain Training Really Help a Child With a Learning Disability?

If we want a healthy brain we must stimulate and use it. Brain exercises are important for anyone who wants to think clearer and faster. Moreover, there is specialized training to build areas of the brain through intense one-on-one training that will yield lifelong results. This intense training targets strong and weak areas of brain development. In practical terms, cognitive processing training takes abilities such as concentration, long and short-term memory, visualization, visual memory and other abilities that we all have in measure, and improves and enhances them. Without these skills operating at peak performance, children have difficulty learning. Anyone can benefit from cognitive training but children particularly need this training to improve learning capacity.

A disability is defined in Websters dictionary as a limitation or restriction. A child with a learning disability is restricted and limited in learning capacity when one or more learning skills is underdeveloped. For example, memory is an area of the brain in which we all would like to see improvement. Memory is a cognitive skill or ability that can be developed and improved with proper training. Targeted training, pinpoints the areas of the brain that need improvement and works on the weak areas while strengthening the higher functioning ones, such as the following examples:

Timmy reads so slowly that the text has no meaning and he never finishes his work on time
Amy is a fast reader but skips words and lines when reading and lacks comprehension
Jake lacks concentration, has poor memory skills and a short attention span
Steve goes to tutoring for several months each year and catches up with class and then falls behind in school again.

These problems will never go away and will only get worse over time. An intervention of intense training will lay a strong foundation for success. One-on-one training can be done in a clinical setting or at home or school. After an evaluation is made and the weak areas of cognitive development are identified, training should begin. In only a few weeks children can improve processing speed by 2 to 4 years.

Preschool Learning Activities-Emotional Development & Fine Motor Skills Activities

Preschool learning activities are varied and just involve a little creativity. Emotional Development activities for kids as well as Fine Motor Skills Development are very important areas to develop in your child or preschooler.

Having your preschool child cut out various shapes and objects is a great way to help develop fine motor skills. Of course if you are going to allow your children or preschoolers to do this activity you need to ensure they are using the proper 'child safe' scissors when doing ANY cutting in any material.  

Here is a fun preschool learning activity that you can use with your preschool child to help develop them in these specific areas of growth. Keep a collection of old magazines, newspapers or flyers that are full of images of people with different expressions etc.

Instruct the children to pick a magazine or newspaper etc. to look through and find images of people's faces showing different expressions.  They may find pictures of happy faces, sad faces, surprised faces, angry faces, scared faces and many more.    

Your preschool child can then 'cut out' all the faces they find using 'child safe' scissors of course, and they can discuss each different image with the parent or teacher and discuss what they see in the person's expression.  You could even just have children find and cut out a certain expression, or what 'they' see as a certain expression. For example, you could tell them to find any pictures of 'happy faces' and see what they come up with, you may be surprised what they find!  

It is good to keep these images and glue them to a piece of Bristol Board or construction paper, and then to laminate it. You can then cut them all out and save them in a box or envelope! This will make the images last for years so they may be used again and again in many different ways to teach children.  You could even use these different faces and expressions and have children 'GROUP' all similar expressions together in a pile.  

Another Great learning activity for children becoming familiar with spelling and simple reading or word recognition would be to have a few different images (4-6) out. You could then have the names of the expressions written on a piece of paper or a label (example) Happy, Sad, Angry etc. You could have the child(ren) match the image to the word. This is excellent for simple reading and recognition of every day words that express emotion.

How To Effectively Use Games In The Preschool And Elementary ESL Classroom

Organization. The first thing you should do when start teaching a preschool or elementary school ESL class is to figure out how to organize your class. For the younger students you'll want to change your activities every five to ten minutes because they have shorter attention spans. If you don't change your activities, they'll soon start losing interest. As you get towards the higher elementary grades, you can expand the time you spend per activity. The best way to gauge this is to pay attention to your class for the first few days to see what length of time works the best for them. Additionally, try to have everything ready to go before the students enter the classroom. That way you can go from activity to activity with minimal downtime.

Expectations. If you notice that your class is getting noisy or rambunctious, it's time to change activities. Kids of this age are active and like to be active; in order to balance out the energy levels in the classroom, alternate between active activities and quiet activities. If you have a large class you will need games that do not degenerate into chaos. This will leave you exhausted and the children ignorant! Also important is that the language in the game should be well within the grasp of the children. Start simply and increase the difficulty of the language, or increase the amount of vocabulary in a given game gradually. If you see that the children are hesitating too much in a game switch to an easier game immediately.

Be careful how you use activities that require fine motor skills - or more importantly pay attention to your expectations for activities that require fine motor skills. Children in preschool and early elementary are just learning to write in their own languages. This is not the best time to bog them down with writing in English as well. It is better to spend the bulk of the lesson time on listening and speaking skills for the younger children. As they progress through elementary school, however, you can begin using games and activities that require them to write small amounts.

Variation. You want to make sure your activities appeal to all sorts learning styles, so even when you are using games to teach grammar you'll want to vary the types of things you expect your students to do. For preschool and early elementary grades, stick to games that use talking, listening, looking and moving. For middle and high elementary, you can continue to use games that use talking, listening, looking and moving and add in some games that use writing and reading.

Going along with this same idea, think about what children learn from the easiest. Television commercials are short and catchy and the most memorable are the ones that are repeated often. Keep these characteristics in mind when you are teaching grammar to your students - incorporate these characteristics into your daily activities.

Respect. To make games work for you and your class, be sure to operate your class with the utmost respect - both to and from students. This includes teaching your students from the very start that you expect respect at all times. This includes giving encouragement and following the rules.

That said, you'll need to make sure the rules for all of the games are clear and manageable. When possible, explain the rules in the students' native tongue so that they all know what is expected of them. When there is an environment of respect in the classroom, the students will feel safe enough to participate in the games so that they can get the most educational value out of them.

Towards the end of elementary school, you can start introducing competitive games, but only if the class is respectful and it shouldn't be the main focus of the game.

Routine. Even if you only have your students for a short time every week, establishing a routine will help the class go smoothly. Children of this age (preschool through elementary school) thrive on routine and if they know what to expect next, they will be more able to participate in what's going on now. Set up a schedule for the type of activities you'll be doing at any given time throughout the class whether it is a game, story or song or whatever you want to do. Then, when you are planning your class, plug in the appropriate activities to each section of time. You should also leave a little time at the end of the class period to allow the students to clean up and gather their things as well as time for you to recap the class, praise the students and tell them good-bye.

You can also designate a "sign" to use to signal to the students when it is time to change activities such as clapping or signing a specific song so that they know it's time to return to the circle, table or desks.

Nurture. Perhaps the most important thing you can do with your students is to nurture them everyday. For each child in your class, find something you like about him or her and be sure to tell him or her. Be encouraging, patient and kind while playing games and participating in activities and they'll like you as a teacher and a person which will in turn help them get excited about your class and what you have for them to do everyday.

Just by keeping these tips in mind, you'll be able to teach children grammar with ease. You'll be having fun and they'll be having fun - so much fun, in fact, that they might not even realize they are learning in the process!

Preschool Graduation

A graduation ceremony is a very nice way to say goodbye and pass along good wishes for the next year of school. Preschool graduation is no different in that aspect. It is a fun way to celebrate a milestone in your child's life. While it is also a somewhat "serious" occasion, for preschoolers, this ceremony should include more fun than solemnity.

If your child is attending a preschool, your part in the festivities will be simple. You will simply make sure that all friends and relatives you would like to be there on the big day receive invitations in time to make plans. Of course there may some cost involved regarding purchasing a gown and cap for your child. Depending on the school your child attends, you may also be asked to contribute a food or beverage item to the reception following the preschool graduation ceremony. But, for the most part, your biggest responsibility will be getting your child there on time.

You may be one of the many parents who opt to do homeschooling these days. This is does not mean that your child cannot enjoy a special day of marking the completion of preschool. Parents of homeschoolers take great pride and joy in acknowledging their child's accomplishments, just as parents of children schooled in the traditional way. You can still have a preschool graduation ceremony for your child, although it will take a bit more work on your part.

There are many sites on the internet offering everything you will need for your child's big day. You can buy everything from caps and gowns to themed party supplies for the reception. These sets also include invitations matching the theme you have chosen. However, if you have a printer and some colored ink, you can always print these out yourself.

A preschool graduation would not be complete without a diploma. This, too, is something else you can do right from your printer. These can be printed out plain for you to write your child's name on, or the name can be printed right on the diploma using one of many fancy fonts. You can easily produce a special certificate for a special child.

If you are homeschooling your child, and know some other local parents who are also doing this, you might consider inviting them and their children to be a part of the preschool graduation. The ceremony can turn into a very festive occasion for everyone.

Go, Diego, Go! Educates and Entertains

The "Go, Diego, Go!" television series is touted as being highly educational for the pre-school age group, of children ages two to four. Diego is Dora the Explorer's cousin, and after appearing on Dora's show a few times a new series revolving around Diego was made. While many are of the opinion that Dora attracts girls and the "Go, Diego, Go!" show attracts primarily male preschool viewers, actually this isn't the case. Diego is equally popular with all pre-schoolers, regardless of whether they are male or female.

In summary, the series revolves around eight year old Diego who, accompanied by his friend 'Baby Jaguar', goes around rescuing all kinds of animals that find themselves in some kind of trouble. The show uses this approach to help younger children learn all about nature and the animal kingdom, with each episode featuring a specific animal. Whereas the Dora Explorer show mainly revolves around teaching pre-schoolers Spanish, "Go, Diego, Go!" majors more on teaching about the animal kingdom with a little Spanish thrown in as well, something that most young kids love.

Parents and educators alike agree that this show has been very helpful in teaching children facts about animals. During the course of each episode a number of animal facts are explained to the children, and around half of these facts are reviewed throughout the episode. By the end of the show, most children even as young as two years old have retained quite a few of the facts shared with them during the course of the show. It is also highly interactive, with the children being encouraged to participate throughout the program.

Not only does it teach children about animals, but it also encourages good morals and attitudes between Diego and his friends. During the course of the series we meet Dora, Diego's sister Alicia and his grandfather.

To complement the series, there is now also a selection of DVDs on sale, featuring compiled episodes and sometimes adding an educational game on the DVD. Several popular child-friendly computer games have also been released.

If you are concerned about your pre-schooler watching educational and moral building TV shows, you can't really go wrong with 'Go, Diego, Go!' With its animal themed facts and learning, and its lively and fun music and songs, this program will most likely have any pre-schooler glued to the screen for the length of the entire episode, and then asking for more once it is finished.

Boom it Out at Broadcasting Schools

If you've ever been told you have an outstanding voice, you should give a good consideration to pursuing a career where your voice is your job, and you can learn how to do it at Maryland Broadcasting Schools. You'll get to master the elements involved in voice training, from tone to sibilance to modulation, and you'll get to perfect your skills with reading prewritten material, ad-libbing, and thinking on your toes to avert "dead" air time. Keep up on the current trends in music and other pop media so your broadcasts will always be fresh and informative.

Many broadcasters use a large scope of sound effects to augment their work, and you can find out all about how to generate these effects using the latest computer sound systems.

There's basically no limit to what you can do; you might lead off with radio for your first broadcast, but you can easily transform your radio career into one in television. You can either be soothing your listeners with a soft voice and lull them to sleep late at night, or you can get them up and prepared for the day as the silly morning DJ.

Along with voice training and performance drills, you'll also study an outstanding deal about technology at Maryland Broadcasting Schools. There's nothing more rewarding than the first hour of having your voice blast out and have possibly all of Maryland hear you, but a lot of disc jockeys serve double duty, handling the programming of the equipment and assisting with the production; you're going to need a lot of technological expertise as well so you can contend with the rest of them.

You might possibly get that chance to work with celebs and popular musicians, along with your local celebrities in sports and entertainment, getting to meet and question them. Find out about all of the planning and preparation that goes into on-air promotions, and learn why songs are played in specific in order to achieve maximal listener satisfaction.

Polish your vocal "appearance" so that your voice will appeal to a large range of ears, and you'll be on your way to a winning career as a broadcaster.If you like, you may even learn how to make your own copy, or along with many broadcasters, receive pre-written copy and learn to present it smashingly in your own manner. Regardless of what the format is or who your target audience turns out to be, with a training from Maryland Broadcasting Schools, you'll be given a chance to share your voice with the public, and earn a more than decent livelihood, all at the same time.