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Games, activities and teaching ideas > Difficult student, 1 to 1 lessons.
Difficult student, 1 to 1 lessons.
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tulpen25
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Difficult student, 1 to 1 lessons.
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I used to teach large classes so I �m finding 1 to 1 lessons a bit daunting. All of them are going well except one with one of my youngest pupils. We �ve been having lessons since October. We used to do 3 hours a week and this has now been reduced to 2. He is moving to an English-speaking country soon so has to learn English but he doesn �t want to.
He 10 years old and has quite an attitude - his parents have spoken to me a few times about his bad behaviour at home and at school - and I �m finding it very hard to do anything with him. No games seem to interest him, he says every worksheet is either "too easy" or "too hard" so he "doesn �t want to do them." I try to do a lot of speaking with him and he sometimes refuses to answer or just replies in Dutch.
It also doesn �t help that we �re in a teeny tiny room/cupboard that �s facing the playground and his classroom. He �s always looking outside or at the people in his class. The room we are in has no board (I bring a mini whiteboard), no computer and no space to move around. I �m not a teacher at the school and there �s no other room we can use.
I am completely out of lesson ideas. Can anyone help? I really want to do fun activities with him but I have no clue what I can do. I was thinking of maybe dedicating some of the next lessons to subjects he �ll be doing at his new English-speaking school and doing Geography, History, etc lessons with him. |
9 May 2011
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Zora
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Hi there tulpen,
As a person that experienced a move to a new country where I had to learn a new language, at relatively difficult age � 14 years old. I can tell you that the best thing you can do is to do what you were planning. Give him exercises in English in geography, history, math, etc. but don �t try and force him to learn English. He will learn it soon enough, since he has no other choice, when he gets to the English-speaking country.
I have a feeling that your student is acting up, refusing to learn English, because of the move. It �s a big thing for a child to move away from all his friends and all that is familiar to him and this might be his way of rebelling.
I think all you can do, is perhaps make the move less scary for him, try bringing in things related to the country that he is moving to. It �s always nice to have some knowledge of where you going and it gives you a sense of power over the fear of the unknown.
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9 May 2011
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tulpen25
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Hi Zora,
Thanks. I completely agree with you. I definitely think he �s worried about moving and that �s why he is acting up.
Maybe a lesson about his new country might be a good idea. |
9 May 2011
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Natashenka
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Dear friend! I had the same problem some years ago and I noticed that the majority of children of his age are kinesthetics so they do need space to move. Isn �t it possible to have lessons at his or your place? But if not, I also know that such children prefer immediate tangible rewards, it �s useless to moralize and say that he/she will need English in future, because their motto is: "I want it and I want it now". So may be you should use some motivational cards because we know that children like to get marks, sometimes it �s an important motivational factor. Your student will get one card for the correct answer and when he gets, for example, 3 similar cards, he will get another bigger and better one and so on. The highest "prize" will be the sheriff �s star at the end of the lesson. If he always looks at the playground, suggest him to play with you after classes as a reward for his good behaviour and correct answers. While playing try to make him speak English. Also tell him that you have a lot of penfriends all over the world because you know English well and periodically bring their "letters" to him and let him read them (let your "friends" write some regards/greetings to him) instead of reading activities. Use cartoons in English ("Muzzy" is wonderful) or kind old films (my young ss adored "Mary Poppins") because children always like something kind, pleasant, funny and not only action films. As I �ve understood, the boy is difficult to communicate with but I am sure that he likes contesting. So why not use grammatical and lexical lotto, bingo and domino? Play in two and let him win from time to time, he will be so glad! Also I think it �s necessary to know his interests, perhaps he collects smth. and build your lessons according to them, take into consideration his personal problems and needs. I wish you all the best!
Natalie |
9 May 2011
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PhilipR
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You can lead a horse to water, but you can �t make it drink.
I think a chat with the parents and/or head teacher is long overdue. I �d even consider asking for a change of teacher if that �s possible in your situation after what I read. If not, I think you should make it clear to your student that unless he shows some cooperation you �re not willing to teach him anymore.
Other less drastic measures: change classrooms (if you �re not shackled to the wall yourself), teach outside, take him somewhere useful (supermarket for instance) to practise his English or possibly some other carrot and stick approach.
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9 May 2011
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Apodo
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 Philip! Tut Tut!
Sounds as if he has a behaviour problem that would be difficult for anyone to deal with.
Is there anything he does enjoy doing? |
9 May 2011
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carme sammut
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Hi, once I had a similar student. I got to know that he supported an English football team. So we started a project book. He brought several pictures which he pasted and started writing sentences about the pictures he got at school. By the time he finished the project we bridged our relationship and he adhered to creative writing which he hated before.
good luck NB he supported Manchester United
best regards
Carmen |
9 May 2011
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MarionG
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Hi Tulpen,
I think Zora is right. I �ve seen a few kids who became �impossible � to work with when faced with such a drastic change in their lives. Often the decision to move to another country is taken without any involvement of the kid at this age. It can be very traumatic for a kid, the thought of leaving all and everyone dear and known, even if he is not completely aware of it. If you have 2 hours a week with him, and at this point those two hours are pretty much wasted anyway..I would take a completely different approach. I would meet him in the usual room, say: Let �s go out...I don �t feel like a regular lesson today. Buy him an ice cream and just try to talk...not english, Dutch. Just talk to him, listen to him. Tell him that you would be stressed out if you had to leave everything behind, what does he think to do there, what kind of school will he go to etc. Will he miss his friends?, does he intend to stay in touch over email, etc, etc. etc. True, it will be an hour without English, but if later he will be less resistant it will have been worth it! (and IMHO, in the life of a 10 year old, if he feels there is an adult actually listening to him, interested in his feelings about it, that is already worth it as well! Life is more than just learning English. Believe me, after a few months abroad he will speak English fluently, with or without your preparation, he has no other choice once there...) |
9 May 2011
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aliciapc
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Yes, Linda is right, and Marion , sorry to tell you that moving to another country cannot involve the kids � opinions ... I �m going through that "process" right now, and of course, my kids would like to stay, but there are lots of things they can �t understand, which are - and will be , in the long run - much more important to them than their friends and school here (as traumatic as I understand it may be ... ) .
Off to work now, have a good afternoon ! |
9 May 2011
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Neru006
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Maybe if you look for a reading in which someone talks about his/her feelings about a big change in his/her life, this could give your student the chance to talk about his big change and how he feels about it.Perhaps this could help.
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9 May 2011
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MarionG
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alicia, I didn �t mean that permission should be asked from the kids but I do think it is really important to involve the kids as much as possible, ask their opinion, make it clear that just because they don �t have "a say" in the decision, that doesn �t mean they don �t have anything to say about it. Even though their feelings may not be a deciding factor, they should have a place and it is important to relate to them!! The fact that the way they feel about it doesn �t matter in the final decision, that doesn �t make those feelings less valid or important. |
9 May 2011
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