engaging students
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Convincing a quiet class to communicate
How do you convince a class of 17-18 year-olds to speak when they prefer to stay quiet? Quite a challenge. A language class feeds on student participation and interaction. Welcome to the engine room of the good ship Teach English in a French secondary school. This is the story of a class of pleasant, intelligent students who are curiously quiet. Is it fear of making mistakes? Or that speaking requires something they can't give? It's up to the teacher to take the first step in trying to understand the situation. Wish me luck. I'll have to come up with something. But that's okay because I know that communication is constant…
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So what is the Subjective Classroom?
Once it is up and running, the subjective classroom is a busy place in which everybody is invited to contribute actively. The focus is on developing skills applied to meaningful content. Individual contributions are essential to the construction of what goes on, and people participate once they understand their voice matters. This is by no means simple for people more familiar with a more directive, objective classroom, but helping them change their perspective, even partially, is a mutually enriching process.
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Benjamin Zephaniah, outspoken word artist
Benjamin Zepahaniah, British Carribean dub poet, actor, recipient of no fewer than 16 honorary doctorates, professor of poetry and creative writing, left us yesterday. Already gone, but his work lives on. He encouraged people to read and he made people listen. Here's one of his poems, Talking Turkeys, ready for use in the Subjective Classroom. Bon appétit!
