ESL Jobs Forum

[alex22]

I've been teaching in South Korea for only 1 and a bit months now. I am already getting complaints from my boss. She says my students are bored by my classes and the school is losing money because my current students are not signing up for next months classes.

I teach fairly advanced adults. The class is just a conversational class with free talking based on a text book with a different topic for each class. I try to make the topics interesting (since I have to follow the book), I don't understand what they are wanting from me. When I ask them face to face, the students say they are enjoying the class (maybe they are scared to tell me the truth?)

I don't know what to do. How can I make a conversational class more exciting for Koreans? Help!!

[ICAL_Pete]

I think it's a matter of preparation; although you're using a book, you should discover the core of what each lesson is teaching and adapt a speaking activity to practice that item.

You can, of course, use a similar activity to practice different items. But over time you can build up a good collection of activities which you know your class likes and bring these into the lessons.

For example, suppose your class has a lesson about booking movie tickets. At the end you could play a fun game like Name That Title which practices this.

If your class enjoys this, a few lessons later you can play the same game but following on from a lesson on giving directions adapt it to suit that theme.
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