Ideas for Univ classes

[gretch]

Okay, I dropped of the radar a bit while I've been getting everything ready for my trek to Xianyang, China in 2 days ( ), then had trouble logging in here (excuses, I know )...Anyway...In this flurry of preparations I guess it's time for me to think about WHAT THE HELL I'm going to "teach" these people! I will have written and/ or oral English classes with Univ students. They're level- I don't know; their ages 18-22yr, so first level/ year/ ?.

Not sure about the textbook/ no textbook situation yet.

So what wonderful, exciting, mind blowing lessons might any of your inspiring minds out there contain?

Side question: I teach/ taught high school kids here in NJ, and taught high school kids during my short stint in Beijing, found Beijing kids to be a bit more immature than average US kid. What are the Univ kids (again 18-22yr) like? comparably?

Thanks all and I will be joining you very soon....that is if this butt load of snow that just dropped on the east coast melts by then...these people freak when they see snowflakes!

[Dragonsaver]

University kids are like grade 10 students in the US/Canada. Quite immature but really super. One of my fellow teachers taught High School for about 30years and this is her assessment.

I had freshmen students in Sept. I didn't know what or who I was teaching when I arrived. They (Uni) provided the textbook and the schedule. I had no problems following the text and I had never taught before.

You'll do fine. Don't worry.

[Lotus Eater]

Your university students sound 1st/2nd year. They will be much the same - only more polite - than your home high school students. Their competence will vary widely, especially if you are not teaching at a specialist languages university. The msot competent English speakers will head to the Languages universities, the others may be English majors but will have wanted to study something else as a first preference, so will be a little lower.

What to teach them - for oral classes I usually try to make them talk at least 60% of the time in class, so set up a fair bit of pair/small group work after I have introduced/modelled what I want to do. Then I wander round taking notes of common mistakes and pronunciation problems. Unless I can do it without making them lose face I don't correct students as they speak in public. I generally leave the problem correction until I have enough for maybe 30 minutes practice and then do the whole the lot together.

For writing I talk about techniques, and also have them keep a journal that I mark on a regular basis. This semester I have advanced writing for my Post-grads - which will include both creative writing and thesis/technical journal paper writing.

Have a ball!!