Tuesday 28 August 2012

Quick Tip: Hold English Corners

I know that many teachers complain about having to do English corners but they are useful if used correctly. Popular in Asia, English corners are informal chat sessions that help students become more confident in speaking English.

The difficulty lies with having students with mixed levels or one student who dominates the conversation while the others sit silently or them expecting you to tell them your life story.

The best way to avoid these problems if by being prepared. Have a variety of questions suitable to different levels. You could try pairing the students off or putting them in small groups. They can talk about the topics for a given amount of time and then come together and share their ideas. It helps if you remind students that they're supposed to have a conversation. This means asking and answering questions. You don't want them to give monologues.

Other people have talked about books, movies, and tv shows. It depends on you and your students. You might have the same group show up week after week or you might get new students every time. It's really not that bad if you're prepared. You'll find that your students have interesting ideas as well.

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