How do I make my teenage students listen until the end of the lesson?
I have problems with my middle school students. Maybe near the start of the class they are concentrating but by the end they are tired and don't concentrate at all!! Sometimes I still have important information to give them but they don't listen! What can I do? Marwa Ahmed
Dear Marwa,
The best thing to do when your students are not in the mood for "important information" is either to keep that information for another time when they are in the mood or put them in the mood by giving them that information in a way that is appealing to them. Middle school students are at an age where they can concentrate for 45 to 60 minutes. However, we still need to keep their interest going for the length of that time. This can be done by using tasks that are appropriate for the age group. Teenagers tend to feel like outcasts so discussion activities that involve self- expression and language practice activities that involve group games are ideal for this age group.
These activities and more can be found in Language Activities for Teenagers which has 90+ practical and ready-to-use activities for 11–16 year olds. It is one of the titles in the popular Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers series.
Regards,
Amy
Amy Sarkiss is a Teacher Trainer and Editorial Consultant for Cambridge University Press in the Middle East and North Africa. Amy holds a BA in English and Comparative Literature from the American University in Cairo and the RSA CTEFLA and DTEFLA from Cambridge University. She was an EFL teacher for 14 years, the last 9 of which were at the British Council in Cairo.
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