Faculty Resources
Teaching Resources
Ideas for Working With International Students
1. Establish a community of trust and cooperation in the classroom
2. Identify lesson objectives
3. Encourage student interaction and active participation
- Use partner, small group, and whole class discussions
- Balance the amount of teacher talk versus student talk
4. Let students know how they can succeed in your class
- Emphasize the importance of using the Educational Support Services available at the Academy of Art. Many services provided by the ESL Department are specifically designed to support your international students.
5. Provide support materials in writing
- Write key words, assignments and directions on the blackboard or on handouts to back up your oral explanations
6. Check for comprehension using a variety of questioning techniques.
- Wait 10 – 12 seconds before calling on students to respond.
- Avoid asking, “Do you understand?” (The answer will always be “yes”.) Instead, ask students to do something that shows they understand.
7. Rephrase main points or difficult concepts
8. Beware of cultural references or slang phrases
- Idioms, humor, and negative statements may be unfamiliar to the international student, and don’t translate well, if at all
9. Assess the English skills of the students
- Find out what English classes students have taken/are taking
- Find out how they best express themselves in English and what their language strengths are: Writing? Reading? Listening? Speaking?
- Allow them to use their strengths to succeed in your class
10. Elicit feedback and provide appropriate evaluation
|
