Teaching

Teaching teenagers: discipline

• Do not take their behavior personally
• Why?
• Problems outside the classroom (dyslexia, ADHD, etc.)
• Lack of motivation
• Peer group pressure
• Need for qualifications
• Types of learners
• Mixed-ability classes
Teenagers: tips
• Establish a good rapport
• Maintain interest
• Personalize to allow students to talk about themselves and their
opinions
• Make use of pop culture
• Pair or group work
• Vary the pace of the class; be flexible
• Change the type of actvity
Teaching teenagers: rapport
• Informal conversation about their lives
• Get to know their insterests
• Don’t try to play teenager
• How was your day? How is the week going? What was the best/worst part
of the day? Was that exam easy? What do you find difficult about Biology?
Why don’t you like the teacher?
• Have you been to (insert event)? Would you recommend it?
• How was the match, Juan? Did your team win? Did you score any goals?
Teaching teenagers: reading
• Youtube video to introduce topic
• Divide text into sections
• Pair work
Teaching teenagers: vocabulary
• Do not do an entire page of Vocabulary
• Use drawings
• Pair work
• Organise competitions
Teaching teenagers: grammar
• No books for explanation
• Personalize language
• Make use of pop culture whenever you can
• Make comprehension questions
• “Communicative” drilling
• Do first gaps together; the rest in pairs
• No more than 2 exercises
• Wrap up with a communicative activity
Teaching teenagers: punishment
• According to the policy of the school
• Note
• Call parents
• Meeting with parents
• Set rules and consequences of breaking them
• Fair and consistent
• Focus on praising and rewarding appropriate behavior