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      I am going to be a private teacher HELP
      Submitted by anxilein on 7 November, 2008 - 13:21

      How is it possible to motivate a 13 year old teenager to be concentrated on learning English, when she probably has other things in mind....? Not being a "real" teacher as most of the people on this site, but in fact a student myself, I wonder what might help this girl to be taken away by this beautiful language? (yeah, already difficult to make her accept this fact.)

      Thanks for any help by some "professionels"!

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      ol4ik's picture
      ol4ik
      Hi! The situation is
      Submitted on 5 December, 2008 - 08:00

      Hi!

      The situation is really difficult. I think so because I have some similar experience. I personally tried to connect first lessons with the topics which my pupils are interested in. For example, one of my pupils likes football and that's why I'm trying to associate the lessons with this game. For him it's much more interesting than standard lessons.

      Wish you good luck!

       

       

      amazinanian's picture
      amazinanian
      Teaching English and student’s interests
      Submitted on 5 December, 2008 - 15:22

      Hello dears,


      Students learn English better when teaching materials are chosen in accordance with their interest.
      I suggest that you try to find out her interests. What are her likes and dislikes? Once a friend of mine had this problem but soon he realized that his pupil was very fond of western films and when he purchased a suitable one, the result was miraculous .The pupil imitated the voice of artists in the film and as the story was very interesting he soon became very involved in watching, listening and asking questions about the film. This method may be helpful for students who have some knowledge of English but for beginners I suggest cartoons films in English.
      Hope this helps
      Best wishes
      A Mazinanian
       

      mo_bohacova's picture
      mo_bohacova
      motivation
      Submitted on 24 February, 2009 - 18:25
      I agree with the previous posters - it's great to find a way to connect the student's interests to the lesson.  Another thing I've found is building 'rapport.'  Once you have established a positive relationship the student will generally make more of an effort to do work even when it's not necessarily fun!  Some ideas for this:  have student-centered projects where the student can share things about himself/herself.  For example - a writer's journal where the student can share ideas, creative writing, or things about daily life (maybe a page a week.)  You can also do a poster presentation where the student creates a poster that represents himself/herself (pictures, copies of special certificates, poems, etc.) and then talks about it with you (be sure to ask questions!)  You can also share information about yourself - pictures of family and friends.  I also find that taking some time to do activities out of your regular space can help.  Take flash cards and practice vocabulary in a park or ice cream parlor... see an English language film together.  Oh - and don't forget to integrate online resources... there are plenty of sites for ESL learners.
      Mi's picture
      Mi
      Motivate yourself!
      Submitted on 12 March, 2009 - 14:29

      Hi, there!

      While I agree with all that was said before and duly acknowledge rapport and interest for your pupil as pillars  of a learning setting, I also believe that, partticularly with private tuition, you must be motivated as a professional and confident that you can deliver a good class on your end of the spectrum.

      This 13 year old will always look up to you as someone who will bring her a different perspective to her conflicting existence. So, take good stock of the love that you seem to have for this beautiful language and prepare yourself with lessons that will truly convey this passion of yours and your strong beliefs in teaching it. 

      I have found that, no matter the age nor the level, what sets a good tone to real learning in an one-to-one experience is the shared enthusiasm for what is happening during class and there's no better way to set this into motion than being a motivated (and motivator) of English and of learning yourself!

      Happy teaching!

      Best,

      Mirela Ramacciotti