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Why Don’t Students Like English Class ?. J. Puccini ELF in El Salvador, 2012. Warm-up. What kind of person are you? Do you prefer… To vacation at the beach OR in the mountains Cats OR dogs Saturday nights out OR at home. Warm-up processing questions.
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WhyDon’tStudentsLikeEnglishClass? J. Puccini ELF in El Salvador, 2012
Warm-up What kind of person are you? Do you prefer… • To vacation at the beach OR in the mountains • Cats OR dogs • Saturday nights out OR at home
Warm-up processing questions • How did you like the activity? • How do you think it might help students’ learning and/or participation? • How might you adapt it?
Agenda • Your ideas and experiences • 6 reasons and some possible solutions suggested by research • Conclusion • Q & A
Ojectives • To explain different answers to the question (why don’t Ss like English class?) • To describe ways to help solve the “puzzle”
Your ideas What explanations do you have for the question, “Why don’t students like English class?” Example, “Many students just don’t think English is important.
PrimarySources • How Learning Works. Susan Ambrose, et al.,2010. • Switch. Chip & Dan Heath, 2010. • “Ten Commandments…” Zoltan Dornyei and Csizer, 1998. • Why Don’t Students Like School? Daniel Willingham,2009.
6 Lens for looking at the “puzzle” Broader: • Society • The subject (English) • Classroom environment Narrower • Peers • Students’ history • The teacher
Broader Lenses • How might society contribute to students’ not liking English? • How might the subject, English, contribute to students’ not liking English? • How might the classroom envirnonment contribute to students’ not liking English?
Society: one reason • English is not important (compared to math, science, and other subjects)
Society: one insight The rider, elephant, and path (Switch)
Help people “find the feeling” Example: the $1,000,000,000 gloves
The Subject: one insight English is boring (grammar rules, reading, topics unrelated to Ss reality)
The Subject: one insight • What makes language classes interesting?
Classroom environmnet: one reason • Classrooms are dark, uncomfortable places
Classroom environmnet: one insight From Social-psychology: • Broken Windows theory
Pair share • What reasons did Jeff talk about? • What solutions does the research suggest? • What ideas seem most useful for you and your context? In other words, what is something specific you can do?
Narrower Lenses • How might peers contribute to students’ not liking English? • How might students’ history contribute to students’ not liking English? • How might the teacher contribute to students’ not liking English?
Peers: one insight The rider, elephant, and path (Switch)
Help find the “bright spots” Example: malnurished children in Vietnam
Students’ history: one insight Poor practice failures Good practice successes “Learning is best encouraged when students’ practice includes 4 points” (Ambrose, et al.) • Goal • Challengelevel • Quantity/frequency • Feedback
The teacher: six insights Zoltan Dornyei’s, “10 Commandments” 6. Make classes interesting 5. Increase Ss linguistic self-confidence 4. Develop good relationships 3. Clear instructions 2. Classroom atmosphere 1. T as personal example
Motivation • How Learning Works: “Ss motivation determines, directs, and sustains what they do to learn.”
Pair share • What reasons did Jeff talk about? • What solutions does the research suggest? • What ideas seem most useful for you and your context? In other words, what is something specific you can do?
Conclusion Cognitive science and social-psychology have shown us that
For example • Theydon’tlikeEnglishbecausethey are _____ • My team lost the game because the coach _______ • Ourpartylosttheelectionbecausetheotherside _________
This is how the our minds work because we crave coherent stories. The answer to our question is not one simple, coherent story. There is no one magic formula or solution. When the door closes, there is just me and my students. What steps will I take?
What insights have you had? • What steps might you take?
Q & A • What questions do you still have? • Materials available: jspuccini.com • Contact me: jspuccini@yahoo.com