On my first encounter with the class and there were certainly some issues, which will be familiar for ESL teachers in many east and south east Asian cultures. Education in Vietnam is very traditional, and you can see Confucian ideas in practice. The expectation can often be that the teacher will transmit knowledge, with a big focus on rote learning, and repetition. People can often see it as a transaction where paying for something fixes a problem and creates expectations. The class were university students on average around 20 years old, so were open to new ideas but still challenged by them.
Other issues included nervousness, often missing homework, or arriving late as is common here. To overcome the first issue about educational culture, activities were more structured at first with gradual release of control to students. Regarding student responsibility I set up a fines system with proceeds going to our end of term party, and student choice of homework. My students love apps, IELTS tasks (with lower expectations), and Kahoots.
Activities that went well
Treasure hunt - Students took a while but really got into this, but remarked they wanted to feel more confident in themselves an would like more follow up.
Chopsticks - They really enjoyed the competitive element, but it sometimes held weaker students back. It was important to pair strong and weak students together.
Kahoot - Worked well, allowed me to see what they knew and didn't know, and added a little fun to class.
Ted Ed - TED talks graded for the level were a lot of fun as my students already enjoyed TED talks. A lot said this was their favourite activity.
Film English - This added something fun and interesting to stimulate learners.
21st century skills mini lessons - These were really fun and useful according to the students. Students learned skills like sending an email, presenting, and researching. This helped with projects in the long run and also in other class time. It was a great way to build learner autonomy but can require a fair bit of trial and error and some time.
Activities with issues
Other issues included nervousness, often missing homework, or arriving late as is common here. To overcome the first issue about educational culture, activities were more structured at first with gradual release of control to students. Regarding student responsibility I set up a fines system with proceeds going to our end of term party, and student choice of homework. My students love apps, IELTS tasks (with lower expectations), and Kahoots.
Activities that went well
Treasure hunt - Students took a while but really got into this, but remarked they wanted to feel more confident in themselves an would like more follow up.
Chopsticks - They really enjoyed the competitive element, but it sometimes held weaker students back. It was important to pair strong and weak students together.Kahoot - Worked well, allowed me to see what they knew and didn't know, and added a little fun to class.
Ted Ed - TED talks graded for the level were a lot of fun as my students already enjoyed TED talks. A lot said this was their favourite activity.
Film English - This added something fun and interesting to stimulate learners.
21st century skills mini lessons - These were really fun and useful according to the students. Students learned skills like sending an email, presenting, and researching. This helped with projects in the long run and also in other class time. It was a great way to build learner autonomy but can require a fair bit of trial and error and some time.
Activities with issues
Google hunt - Students didn't really see the point of this and felt that they would prefer me to give them the answers.
Flipped classroom - Students felt that again they wanted me to teach them, and additionally lacked confidence.
Video - Students talked about being self conscious, or not being technical enough.
English Pronunciation app - This helped students with sounds and they liked it but eventually the novelty wore off as it can be a bit 2D.
Projects - These really took a while to grow on students and were difficult for students. Often people wouldn't speak in the first project or 2 because they were 'not confident' or didn't understand the usefulness. This changed over time (see part 3 and 4).
Things I learned and changed
Students need quite a lot of scaffolding and patience to do this well. An activity may take a few trials before it goes right, and due to cultural issues students may find this to be strange.
A lot of time will be spent building confidence and doing supporting activities. This may seem time consuming but it will be worth it.
In my time i found Edutopia very useful for ideas and recommend you check this website out. It has great ideas for connectivist studies.
Flipped classroom - Students felt that again they wanted me to teach them, and additionally lacked confidence.
Video - Students talked about being self conscious, or not being technical enough.
English Pronunciation app - This helped students with sounds and they liked it but eventually the novelty wore off as it can be a bit 2D.
Projects - These really took a while to grow on students and were difficult for students. Often people wouldn't speak in the first project or 2 because they were 'not confident' or didn't understand the usefulness. This changed over time (see part 3 and 4).
Things I learned and changed
Students need quite a lot of scaffolding and patience to do this well. An activity may take a few trials before it goes right, and due to cultural issues students may find this to be strange.
A lot of time will be spent building confidence and doing supporting activities. This may seem time consuming but it will be worth it.
In my time i found Edutopia very useful for ideas and recommend you check this website out. It has great ideas for connectivist studies.
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