How to control/teach English to completely out of control students?

TokyoJoeblow

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Ok, so in all my years (8 years) of teaching English in Asia...these are easily my worst students. They are brother and sister, they are twins and they are both 6 years old.

They show obvious disinterest in English, learning and even just being at school in general. I'm not going to judge the parents or complain about that as the possible reason. I just want to be able to improve the lessons with them.

They don't listen if I play the tough teacher with the harsh tone, telling them what to do. They don't listen if I'm polite and constantly encouraging them.

They don't even listen when I promise to play a fun game at the end of class should they actually try to learn a little.

I know their being twins might have something to do with it because they are so close. I plan to try to sit them on opposite sides of the classroom, so they are less distracted by each other...but I'm sure they are just going to stand up and walk around the classroom, fighting each other/trying to grab toys, which causes me to have to be the strict teacher as always.

I always try using positive body language with them such as a thumbs up or a high five, etc. but I'm only able to keep their full attention for about 5 minutes max...the class is 40 minutes! So it is this constant push and pull routine.

I'm planning to talk to them in a louder but non-threatening voice when I speak to them in English, so as not to give them nightmares. I have read countless "classroom strategies" type articles and nothing seems to work...is this a twins problem? lol

Has anyone ever taught young twins before?
 
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TokyoJoeBlow,

I suggest you seek out, normal, not TAG, English teachers, such as The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT).

https://jalt.org/

In the meantime, I did a quick Google search to get you started. Please join JALT for long-term professional development.

Teaching English in Japan is a challenge. I think that one of the greatest hurdles to overcome as a new teacher here, is coming to terms with the fact that English class isn’t about learning English. If it were, teaching would be lot easier.

English class is first and foremost about having fun. It’s viewed by many parents as a sort of extracurricular activity, akin to gymnastics or soccer. And to some, it’s viewed as a babysitting service. But it’s not typically viewed as an opportunity to gain a language skill. And therein lies the problem.

She goes on to suggest tips for teaching difficult students.

http://www.takenbythewind.com/2008/11/29/tips-on-disciplining-problem-students-in-japan/

Professional organizations give you the opportunity to learn from those that have face the same problems you face. They share what works for them.

One example is called Power Teaching


http://genkienglish.net/teaching/discipline-power-teaching/

Best of luck!
 
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Ok, so in all my years (8 years) of teaching English in Asia...these are easily my worst students. They are brother and sister, they are twins and they are both 6 years old.

They show obvious disinterest in English, learning and even just being at school in general. I'm not going to judge the parents or complain about that as the possible reason. I just want to be able to improve the lessons with them.

They don't listen if I play the tough teacher with the harsh tone, telling them what to do. They don't listen if I'm polite and constantly encouraging them.

They don't even listen when I promise to play a fun game at the end of class should they actually try to learn a little.

I know their being twins might have something to do with it because they are so close. I plan to try to sit them on opposite sides of the classroom, so they are less distracted by each other...but I'm sure they are just going to stand up and walk around the classroom, fighting each other/trying to grab toys, which causes me to have to be the strict teacher as always.

I always try using positive body language with them such as a thumbs up or a high five, etc. but I'm only able to keep their full attention for about 5 minutes max...the class is 40 minutes! So it is this constant push and pull routine.

I'm planning to talk to them in a louder but non-threatening voice when I speak to them in English, so as not to give them nightmares. I have read countless "classroom strategies" type articles and nothing seems to work...is this a twins problem? lol

Has anyone ever taught young twins before?
Sorry if any of the opinions/suggestions below don't work or not helpful. Each student is different after all.

I'm not good at being a strict/stern/tough teacher, but when I have to, it usually only works in bigger groups, where the obedient ones can at least be an example to the naughty ones.

One of the challenges of teaching English to young Japanese children is the paradox that there must be enough repetition for them to remember the material, but at the same time, you need to do new things to keep their young minds interested. I tend to err on trying new stuff more, with some level of structure.

Rather than promise them a fun game at the end, I'd say just do the game incorporating some of the material somehow.

I think I did teach a pair of young twins before, but again, there were other kids in the class. Honestly, them being twins is not that big a factor, I feel.

My humble opinion is that you need to introduce some kind of structure to your lessons, which is key for young kids to remain engaged. If they feel like they cannot grasp what is happening or about to happen, they will escape to their own familiar world.
 
Do they not do the thing where you make students stand in the hallway or the corner of the classroom holding a bucket of water anymore in Japan?
 
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What about playing a movie or a cartoon, something they may like? Or even a comics or something fun to look at can do sometimes? If you run out of ideas, just ask them what they like to do in the end...
 
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Sounds challenging. If the twins were thrown into a group of English speakers, they would learn the language quickly by themselves. However, if they don't see any action that convincingly exemplifies the new word/syntax that they are supposed to be learning, they would just be confused. When teaching small kids alone, a teacher needs to be skilled, perhaps in acting, or needs to extensively utilize visual teaching materials. Besides, a 6-year old doesn't know many words yet even in Japanese. They even may not be able to understand why another language exits. Kids don't concentrate when they are confused...anyway, good luck!
 
Sorry if any of the opinions/suggestions below don't work or not helpful. Each student is different after all.

I'm not good at being a strict/stern/tough teacher, but when I have to, it usually only works in bigger groups, where the obedient ones can at least be an example to the naughty ones.

One of the challenges of teaching English to young Japanese children is the paradox that there must be enough repetition for them to remember the material, but at the same time, you need to do new things to keep their young minds interested. I tend to err on trying new stuff more, with some level of structure.

Rather than promise them a fun game at the end, I'd say just do the game incorporating some of the material somehow.

I think I did teach a pair of young twins before, but again, there were other kids in the class. Honestly, them being twins is not that big a factor, I feel.

My humble opinion is that you need to introduce some kind of structure to your lessons, which is key for young kids to remain engaged. If they feel like they cannot grasp what is happening or about to happen, they will escape to their own familiar world.

Yes, I have actually incorporated countless games during the lesson but that only works sometimes. My anal boss doesn't like when I do that...which is lame because he should allow me to teach anyway that works. I talked with him before the lesson today about some things I planned to try out and he is finally starting to open up a little and give me more freedom (this school has its own curriculum/books/etc).
 
So the class today wasn't perfect, but it was A LOT better than last week!

First thing I did was greet them in a really friendly way, asking them how they feel today (fine, good or great!) rather than just the simple "Hello, good afternoon" routine.

I made sure to speak much louder so that even when they started to babble about things, I was able to overpower them and keep their focus. I also made a lot more friendly eye-contact. I also sat them across from each other, which I think helped a lot because they weren't as easily distracted by each other.

The boy was unusually attentive, which was great, but the girl started to lose focus and get too hyper toward the last 20 minutes of class. She started walking around the room in circles around me, but I made up a game on the spot, where my arms were doors that would only open (let her walk by me) if she spoke to me in English. She started to try to cheat by trying to walk pass me in the opposite direction, so I had to hold up both my arms to block her in both directions and have her continue to speak English to pass by me. It was awesome because it really worked well!

I will do a lot of these same things next week, but I will try out some of the things mentioned by people in this thread as well.
 
Any updates on the out of control twins?

C'mon, good buddy...

We read the beginning and the middle.

Don't leave us hangin' here.:nailbiting:
 
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Any updates on the out of control twins?

C'mon, good buddy...

We read the beginning and the middle.

Don't leave us hangin' here.:nailbiting:

Every episode of a good drama end something like this.

tom-cruise-nic-cage.jpg
 
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Just a suggestion which popped into my mind for no specific reason: tell them if they don't get quiet fast you will give a hard lesson to their mum :)
 
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