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Unit 20 covered troubleshooting. First lessons, warmers, different levels, large classes, use of native language, reluctant students, and difficulties with listening texts were discussed.
In a first lesson, teachers should establish rapport, find out as much as possible about students, their needs, and the language level of each student. Some activities were recommended for first lessons such as the pass the ball game (the teacher should participate as well).
Warmers should be short, fun, and communicative activities, and lessons should start with them in order to get students in the mood for learning. A typical warming exercise is hangman. Warmers can be linked to the Study phase.
Teaching different levels within a group can be solved with handing different materials to stronger and weaker students, or handing the same material, but giving different instructions to stronger and weaker students. It is also possible not to make a difference between stronger and weaker students. It is the teacher's decision. In the latter case, pairing weak and strong students in case of pair works can be a good idea.
When it comes to teaching large classes, several tips were mentioned. Using worksheets, choral repetition, plenty of pair and group work, and appointing group leaders are some of the suggestions.
The usage of native language can appear in monolingual classes. It may be avoided by explaining everything clearly to everyone, and by making sure that the activities are at an appropriate level for the students (thus they are not too difficult). Encouraging the usage of English, constantly reminding students how important it is to use English during the lesson, and making sure they only use their native language when it is extremely necessary all help and most probably solve this issue.
Some tips to encourage reluctant students to participate more were provided. Pair work, role play, and plenty of controlled practice are all potential ways to get them more involved in the lessons.
When it comes to difficulties with listening texts, it is important that teachers do not solve this problem with avoiding listening tasks. It should be solved by choosing a text which is at an appropriate level for the students, by pre-teaching potentially difficult vocabulary, and by listening to the text more times.
