Unlock with PatreonThe Problem with CI
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
Large Classes
Share:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Ben Slavic
Get The Latest Updates
Subscribe to Our Mailing List
No spam, notifications only about new products, updates.
Related Posts
CI and the Research (cont.)
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
Research Question
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
We Have the Research
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
6 thoughts on “Large Classes”
Using the gestures to prompt the choral response certainly helps get big choral responses. I think when I do something physical it helps prompt the physical memories of the students. I’m doing lots of gesturing this year and I think it’s helping keep kids engaged. The motivation to do this came out of a late night coaching session at NTPRS. It’s making the language more of a “visceral” experience to use Ben’s term.
I’m doing the hand over the head for “stop, I don’t understand.” When a new word comes up, I pause, say it very slowly (I KNOW it’s a new word for them) and start doing the motion myself – just to prompt their physical memories and then they start doing it. Some of course don’t need the prompt but most do. For those who still aren’t doing the motion, I look into their eyes, saying the word several times – kind of a firm but friendly stand-off until I get the hand over the head response. Then I write up the word and translation.
Other gestures are:
-thumbs up for a yes answer (and answering verbally in the TL is encouraged on “yes” and “no”).
-thumbs down for no
-hands going up for “oooohhhh!”
-shaking head and sad intonation for “oh – no!”
I agree completely! My largest class is 26 (still small), and my smallest is 12. Twelve is too small, as students feel more exposed and vulnerable, less energy in the room, and harder to build enthusiasm. My class of 12 is six boys and six girls. It’s so hard to get the girls to participate, even in TPR. They are so reticent to step out of their comfort zone. TPRS is painful in that class, even after 6 weeks. Any suggestions? The boys do not “dominate” the class, but they do respond well. I’ve had small classes like this before, but this one is especially withdrawn…. just the girls’ personalities. How do I entice them? Thanks for any advice.
The only thing I can think of is that I have noticed that a lot of Anne Matava’s stories are built around a girl who gets to be the center of attention in the way that happens in high schools. I would bet that one or two of the girls is secretly anxious to get up in front of the class and have a boy fawn all over her while all she has to do is sit there looking pretty while you reject all kinds of answers from the class and make her out to be the coolest girl in the school. I can just see it – the girl sits there and you ask questions and at some point a boy actor is brought up and you keep on asking questions and soon, the way Anne’s stories work, the ice is broken and the girls are involved. Some examples – all from Volume 1 – of that kind of story from Anne are:
He Brought a Girl Home
He Wants to Get Married
The Surprise
Non-Smoking, Please
Thank you, I’ll give it a try!
I think 26 is a good size. Are you all talking about middle school or high school? I started out with a class of 34 8th grade students this year. Even thought this year’s class had more kids last, I lost a lot to intervention classes and more newer kids showed up, than expected.
Hi, I’m starting out this year with really small classes. Between 7 and 12 students per class. Will this work??? Has anyone had classes this small?