I work at a non-chain eikaiwa and mainly teach kids. Recently, other teachers have mentioned to my manager that my explanations to students might be long-winded and a little confusing. One teacher implied that I explain as if I'm speaking to adult native English speakers. I think that’s a bit of an overstatement, but I’ve been aware of using too many words in the past.
When I started, I admit I kind of winged my set up of the target language for a lesson. Later on, I identified this as an issue and developed a new approach. That’s why hearing this feedback feels like a gut punch.
Currently, I focus on showing rather than telling. I use the board a lot—things like timelines to demonstrate tense and function—and I guide students to see the grammatical patterns. However, I sometimes wonder if my approach is too long-winded for kids.
For example, when teaching "this is" and "these are," I create two columns on the board. Then, I tap one shoulder and point to the "this is" column, and tap both shoulders for the "these are" column. Then I get the kids to put six flashcards in the appropriate columns, rather than getting them to produce the grammar point itself. Finally, I drill the phrases flashcard-by-flashcard.
Or, when teaching how to answer closed questions on this point, I start by demonstrating the meaning of "there is" and "there are" using props and pointing. Next, I create a column titled "Are there …s?" and use it to elicit "there are" and "there aren’t," writing them in the "Yes" and "No" fields. I use a red marker to highlight the common words in the questions and answers. With that pattern established, I move on to elicit the answers for "Is there a ….?"
I like this approach because it’s interactive, but it can take a few minutes to set up. Sometimes, I notice that I never hear my colleagues set up lessons in a similar way—or even drill, for that matter. I couldn’t give feedback on their methods because I hardly hear them, which makes me think I am doing something catastrophically wrong. I guess I am going out on a bit of a limb.
Is this approach too much for kids’ attention spans? What do you colleague-respect-havers do? What does the theory say?
by jamestheobscure