EC class Day 2

In the second EC class, I again achieved my learning goals; however, an issue cropped up that is a caution for future efforts to teach English at Saaraketha. The language levels of the students in the class is a little too broad. One student, Kasun, can read the novel I am reading and is simply bored with the level of the class. Kasun came to me after class and said that he really wants to improve his English but he needs a more challenging class. The students in a single class need to really be within a band of the same level or some of them aren’t learning. This is obviously a consideration in forming classes in the future. I am going to design an independent study course for Kasun, which I will post on the blog later on, but most of the teachers I am working with do not have the time or resources to work independently with individual students. I am also going to give some extra instruction to the two lowest level students but, again, that is not realistic in a normal situation.

In the lesson today, I gave them a few sentence models and a list of descriptive adjectives (colors, taste, textures, shapes). Then I sent them out on the Farm in groups and told them to pick objects and write paragraphs describing those objects. I also had them draw a picture of the object and write the Sinhala word. When the students came back, I made every student stand in front of the class and present one of their pictures. One girl resisted but I pushed her so even she presented with help. Their English is basic but they were all able to use the sentences and vocabulary to do the assignment, and they all did give little public talks. This encourages me that I can get them ready to make videos about things on the Farm in 6 more weeks of classes. It also encourages me that project based learning is more exciting than more traditional grammar intensive focus.

I don’t know how the students felt about the presentations, but they seem willing to take risks, are focused in class through 2 days, and so I am confident that I can use the project to give them some vocabulary and grammar structures that will encourage them to communicate.