英語ノート
EigoNoto.com

There are no formal tests in the Eigo Noto classes, but there are times when checking students' work is necessary.

After doing a listening activity in the Eigo Noto workbook is an example. Here is a simple way for students to check their own answers.

Simply asking the students to check their answer with their seat partners before listening to the CD again and/or checking the answers with the whole class accomplishes many goals:

• Students are self-directed. Successful language learners, or any learner for that matter, display an ability to learn independently.
• Students check their answers in a (usually) non-threatening atmosphere, reducing their anxiety about testing. Keeping the anxiety level low in the Eigo Noto classes is paramount in achieving the goal of preventing students from learning to not like English.
• Paired students get an opportunity to communicate together in their native language. One of my HRTs today said her students need practice in this skill. The Eigo Noto lessons are not only about communicating in a foreign language, but also about improving the students' ability to communicate in their own language.
• Higher level students get a chance to teach what they know; lower level students get a chance for peer-level error correction. This is actually one of the great advantages of the mixed-ability classroom; use it to your advantage with group work.

Check out the EigoNoto.com Bookstore!
Find free publications not posted on the website!

Use the TELL A FRIEND button to email this post to a friend or team-teacher-

The English in the Eigo Noto is very basic--some of the students will know the meaning already from juku or other practice. Even if the students are seeing/hearing the language for the first time, it is important to train them to guess the meaning for themselves, not to rely on the teacher to tell them. So before giving students the meaning of something in Japanese, simply ask if anyone knows what the meaning is. Since meaning often depends on context, you have some options:

• explain or demonstrate how the language is used in a situation that the students are familiar with
• show a flashcard or refer to pictures in the textbook

One teacher I saw on TV said he never tells his students an answer. Instead, his technique is to provide the students with the materials they need to find the answer themselves.

See the EigoNoto.com activity to do this at WYAN- Words You Already Know.

I try to remember that someday, when school is finished, a student may be in a situation and need to find the answer by themselves. It is for this time that our training in the classroom needs to prepare the students.