Introducing…The Questions Jar

It's a jar of questions; a simple, 2-euros-worth idea, but one that goes a long way with kids. It has only been two weeks, but I can already say that I've learned so much when it comes to the most effective and efficient ways to teach English.

I have started private tutoring for four hours a week (making an extra 70 euros a week). On Mondays and Wednesdays, I teach a 12-year-old girl named Jimena; and on Thursdays I (separatley) teach a brother and sister-Raul, 14, and Helena, 12. It is amazing how much Jimena and the brother/sister differ skill-wise. Jimena has grown up watching American television shows and listening to her favorite artists/bands which include One Direction, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bruno Mars and Adele (I know, great taste). Therefore, she learns fast and loves to talk. She wants to move to Ireland with her family so that she can become fluent in English and then pursue her dreams to become a favorite singer and marry Niall from One Direction...

Raul and Helena are a different story. While Jimena has attended a bilingual school since she was young, Raul and Helena have just recently joined the program. So while I expected to use almost the same material as I did with Jimena, I ended up resorting to lessons I taught the 4th grade students at my school that day. In fact, I tutor them using Spanish to explain things rather than English most of the time.

But back to the jar...I started this to work on understanding questions (interviewing) and obviously speaking. With students at school and private tutoring, I get them to pull a question from the jar, read it out loud and either answer it or choose someone to answer it. Example questions: What are you going to do this weekend? If you could only keep two of your posessions, what would they be and why? Who is someone you care about and what's your favorite thing about them? Would you rather have an elephant trunk or a giraffe neck?

They love it.

With students at this age, they take exams at the end of the year to see where they stand in the English language. So we have to work with them on speaking, reading comprehension, grammar, listening and writing.

Most of the students really want to learn English, so it's fun helping them. It's also fun thinking of creative ways to do it: like games, arts and crafts, story-telling, etc.

But to be honest at the moment I'm more focused right now in getting Jimena to let me borrow her Beatles albums collection...

#teaching