You may recall our recent in-class discussion regarding the things we should (or should not) teach as instructors of English as a Second Language.
If you click on the title of this post, it should take you to a relevant article.
Any other further comments or observations?
Thursday, April 22, 2010
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I think that teaching manners is an integral part of an ESL course, especially one where students are expecting to enter the American education system. Students in a language school are surrounded by peers from their own country and from other countries. Sometimes these countries share customs; sometimes they are different.
ReplyDeleteFor example, in a student's country it may be perfectly fine to take a pencil or eraser from a nearby student's desk, use it, and return it, all without saying a single word. That student may be comfortable with that, or accept that as common in that student's country.
But an American classroom is different. If a student sitting next to me in a class were to take my pencil, use it, and return it without saying anything, I might be upset. And I can guarantee that there are many Americans who would be more than upset.
I don't recall this in-class discussion (was it Thursday?), but I wanted to say this, because if we don't teach our students how to behave in an American class, they might get in trouble.