Well, how about that? We have the complete group -- the reserved man who I hadn't seen since lesson to as reappeared, and that means we have the full group as on my original list. 12 of us, and no losses so far. Of course, there's always the chance that one someone might get released.
So, who do we have here? It's quite cosmopolitan little environment we have in our bare narrow room: four Italians, three Romanians, two Albanians, one Tunisian, one Moroccan, and one Colombian. The youngest is Julian, the 19-year-old from Romania who speaks very fluent and natural English (but is more limited than on first impressions). After one lesson I asked him how he had learnt his English -- apparently it was from intensive viewing of Cartoon Network since the age of three.
The rest of the group are a mixture of men in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Once you're in the classroom (and you try to forget the bare walls and the steel barred windows high up) you could be in a class anywhere -- the dynamics, the rapport, the humour, the focus of attention, it's the same as it would be if I was teaching in school or on a company course for example -- actually in some ways it's much better than often happens outside. The big difference of course is that this classroom really is our world at least at the moment. The kind of things that often pepper normal lessons just don't happen here. We still know next to nothing about each other apart from what we have understood from these encounters -- no personal backgrounds or information on Private lives.
I can hardly asked the usual friendly enquiries such as “Did you have a nice weekend?”, “Are you doing anything interesting later?”, “Where are you going afterwards?”. At the end of today's lesson I explained how they could use their books between lessons “when you are at home”. “At home!” they all jaunted - rather ruefully. A slip of the tongue and they understood -- I was the only one who'd be going home that day.
Feb 23, 2012
Feb 15, 2012
Behind Bars - English for inmates, part 6
Lesson six
I think we're getting there -- since we've been able to have a little run of regular lessons we've achieved a kind of momentum. Problems of severe lateness have been less evident and we now seem to have a definite group that has gelled into a positive and collaborative unit.
Today was really good - everyone was focused and keen. During the review that always opens lessons, students were really able to focus on the language that they had by now become to feel at ease with -- all simple stuff, but the fact that any stuff at all is now ‘simple’ gives a good sense of achievement. The oral work -- the basic question-answer work -- has got a good bit of pace to it now and that gives us the kind of positive impetus that brings us up to new work eager and ready. Here the fact of having two one-hour lessons rather than a single 90-minute lesson makes a great difference. The lesson comes to an end before anyone is tiring too much and the shorter gap between lessons helps keep things fresh in the students’ minds. Plus the fact they now have the book, which I’m really pleased to see students seem to be using a lot between lessons.
There is a fair degree of diversity in the group, in terms of level, or at least competence -- a few of the students have missed much of the course until now, either through absence or significant lateness, and unfortunately this applies to two of the real zero-beginners. On a lesson like today when everyone was here for a full lesson (more or less) it allows me to work on those who need to catch up a bit -- it's important to avoid situations where people feel they are losing touch hopelessly. For the last 10 minutes we worked with the books with the students in pairs. I tried as much as possible to pair up students so that those who had missed out could be tutored by those who had managed to follow fully. My two higher level students work together (I have given each of them a more advanced book to give them something more interesting to work from in their own time and to bring to lessons so we can find something more challenging).
It was great to see these guys working so conscientiously together-- people who would probably not have much - if anything - to do with each other, trying to explain this new language, trying to impart the best they could, the knowledge they've picked up so far in this classroom.
I think we're getting there -- since we've been able to have a little run of regular lessons we've achieved a kind of momentum. Problems of severe lateness have been less evident and we now seem to have a definite group that has gelled into a positive and collaborative unit.
Today was really good - everyone was focused and keen. During the review that always opens lessons, students were really able to focus on the language that they had by now become to feel at ease with -- all simple stuff, but the fact that any stuff at all is now ‘simple’ gives a good sense of achievement. The oral work -- the basic question-answer work -- has got a good bit of pace to it now and that gives us the kind of positive impetus that brings us up to new work eager and ready. Here the fact of having two one-hour lessons rather than a single 90-minute lesson makes a great difference. The lesson comes to an end before anyone is tiring too much and the shorter gap between lessons helps keep things fresh in the students’ minds. Plus the fact they now have the book, which I’m really pleased to see students seem to be using a lot between lessons.
There is a fair degree of diversity in the group, in terms of level, or at least competence -- a few of the students have missed much of the course until now, either through absence or significant lateness, and unfortunately this applies to two of the real zero-beginners. On a lesson like today when everyone was here for a full lesson (more or less) it allows me to work on those who need to catch up a bit -- it's important to avoid situations where people feel they are losing touch hopelessly. For the last 10 minutes we worked with the books with the students in pairs. I tried as much as possible to pair up students so that those who had missed out could be tutored by those who had managed to follow fully. My two higher level students work together (I have given each of them a more advanced book to give them something more interesting to work from in their own time and to bring to lessons so we can find something more challenging).
It was great to see these guys working so conscientiously together-- people who would probably not have much - if anything - to do with each other, trying to explain this new language, trying to impart the best they could, the knowledge they've picked up so far in this classroom.
Feb 6, 2012
behind Bars - English lessons for inmates part 5
Lesson five
A good day - an excellent day! It felt almost like our first proper lesson. We still had the noisy room but we knew so from the start, so we built it into our set of expectations. Also, most students were able to leave their cells and get to class within 10 minutes and it began to feel like we were a group at last - today there is a definite sense of team spirit.
It'll probably take another few lessons to see who we have and if anyone has dropped out, but we seem to have a core of 10 or 12 students.
There are lots of different kinds of teaching, but very often lessons where there is energy fit the bill. I think there might be some sort of equation -- if we look at last lesson, no matter how much energy I tried to emit, it all seemed to be sucked up and dispersed into the air, with very little energy coming back. In contrast, this lesson the energy equation reversed -- every unit of energy I gave seemed to trigger even more units of energy in return.
There seem to be E factors: environment is one E factor, engagement is another. Negative environments and low engagement equals low energy or possibly negative energy. Experience (and probably) expertise and enthusiasm are other E factors. Enthusiasm is a must, and experience and expertise can smooth the way to engagement, facilitating a highly flow of Energy. Anyway, I'll think about this more.
As much as possible I want these lessons to be in a whole-group format -- there will be pair work but that will be relatively limited - at least at present. I have received authorisation to distribute books, which has really pleased everyone. They all seem very serious about the course and getting the best out of it - two lessons a week now and the chance to read and revise between lessons should really give everything a boost.
A good day - an excellent day! It felt almost like our first proper lesson. We still had the noisy room but we knew so from the start, so we built it into our set of expectations. Also, most students were able to leave their cells and get to class within 10 minutes and it began to feel like we were a group at last - today there is a definite sense of team spirit.
It'll probably take another few lessons to see who we have and if anyone has dropped out, but we seem to have a core of 10 or 12 students.
There are lots of different kinds of teaching, but very often lessons where there is energy fit the bill. I think there might be some sort of equation -- if we look at last lesson, no matter how much energy I tried to emit, it all seemed to be sucked up and dispersed into the air, with very little energy coming back. In contrast, this lesson the energy equation reversed -- every unit of energy I gave seemed to trigger even more units of energy in return.
There seem to be E factors: environment is one E factor, engagement is another. Negative environments and low engagement equals low energy or possibly negative energy. Experience (and probably) expertise and enthusiasm are other E factors. Enthusiasm is a must, and experience and expertise can smooth the way to engagement, facilitating a highly flow of Energy. Anyway, I'll think about this more.
As much as possible I want these lessons to be in a whole-group format -- there will be pair work but that will be relatively limited - at least at present. I have received authorisation to distribute books, which has really pleased everyone. They all seem very serious about the course and getting the best out of it - two lessons a week now and the chance to read and revise between lessons should really give everything a boost.
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