My favorite lesson from this semester was one
I did with my sophomore ESL university students on Long-term and Short-term goals.
The lesson started with students reading a short article on “Future Plans:
Long-term & Short-term” to create a base for the lesson. Then together, we
discussed the differences between short-term and long-term; and I introduced some
new expressions for them to use to explain themselves. After that, I had
students write a short paragraph listing 2 of their short-term goals (by the
end of the semester) and 2 long-term goals (within 5 or 10 years). I encouraged
them to try to use one of the new expressions in their paragraph. From there,
the students got into pairs and shared their paragraph with their partner. I
encouraged them to support their opinions with concrete examples and it seemed
to go over quite well.
Next we moved into larger groups (4-6
members) and everyone shared their goals with the group. After that, I had 3 or
4 volunteers come up to the front of the class and share their short-term &
long-term goals. Once the volunteers had completed their task, I allowed for
some feedback from the audience and a short Q&A session. I was surprised
with how detailed each of the presentations were, and with how creative the
questions got.
The
learning objective for this lesson was quite simple; my students were able to
put their goals down on paper, and they were able to use language to explain
their aspirations to the class.
The reason this was my favorite lesson is because
it allowed me to hear my student’s plans for the future. It gave me a gauge on
where they were in life and where they wanted to end up. It really opened my
eyes to the “trials and tribulations” they go through in an attempt
to obtain their goals. I actually learned a lot about myself listening to them;
as most of their plans were quite inspirational and displayed a lot of hard
work. Honestly, it gave me some perspective on my life and lifestyle as well.
Until we meet again…
Great Idea. I saw a video on the internet that had a similar activity. I think it was a great idea for you to introduce this into the classroom. Often times students can be a bit shortsighted in their goals. Getting them to explore the idea of long term and short term goals and share with their peers is a great way for them to build stronger connections to one another and gain an insight on what is important for their classmates. I know Analia has tried a similar exercise in her cafe discussion groups and she has said it was very successful. I might expand on what she has developed to include some of your ideas and introduce this activity into my class. Could be a great ice breaker exercise for the first week of study. Great post, might give it a whirl in my class.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to the Goals video I mentioned.
http://www.mindvalley.com/goal-setting-redefined#sthash.xj3bWsdm.dpbs
What a great idea Colin. You not only covered a lot of teaching elements (reading, writing, speaking, etc.) but you also discussed material that is relevant and personal to your students. I think this is always the best way to teach something. If the students can’t see the relevance of the lesson or relate to the material in some way they usually have trouble understanding. I also like how you got those few brave souls to share their goals with the rest of the class, prompting a Q & A session. It is always nice to get a closer look into the lives of our students. I think this helps us become better teachers!
ReplyDeleteSome of the best lessons I have taught are ones that were not only effective for the students but also taught me something about my self or gave me an insight into the lives of the students. Sounds like you achieved just that.
ReplyDelete