You realize your English classes are not having the level of interest that you would like. Just when you think you have created an engaging activity, only to find that your students are more excited for recess. So let’s review and focused on your question,
“How can I make my English class fun and interesting?”
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In a hurry?
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How Can I Make My English Class Fun and Interesting?
Educators have been developing and trying new teaching strategies to keep their students engaged and interesting. There are, of course, successful and unsuccessful strategies. To make your English classes fun and interesting, let the following teacher-tested ways keep your class engaged all the time.
1) Use Real-Life Stories and Pretty Materials
Stories are compassionately attractive. In other words, a tale is a fast way to gain and hold attention. So if you tell the story of Planet of the Apes, you’re not just fascinating the mind using characters, but it helps learners absorb information interestingly.
The English subject teaches writing, as well, which uses descriptive paragraphs. Depending on your specific topic, concrete items (artifacts) likewise help learners visualize the lesson, structure, time, place, and period.
Real things in their natural state help connect students to the real world. Colorful photographs, shapes, and figures are visual items that spark the imagination and provide a better understanding of what you are teaching and the beauty of the subject matter.
If you’re constantly answering questions with plain “yes,” “no,” and “because,” then you might sound boring and your students may stop depending on you for more exciting replies.
Giving them a touch of the real world such as items they can hold and manipulate, feel and hear, or even taste; connect them to what you are teaching, and somehow provides a lot more engaging experience that would make them look forward to the next topic.
2) Make Every Student Feel Belonged and Valued
Normally, the teacher does all the talking while the whole class listens or takes notes. Monotonous, right? Make your lessons interactive by creating a lively exchange of ideas that involves everyone. Surely, everybody will wake up!
In a typical classroom, some learners prefer to listen than talk because they might give a wrong answer. Interaction strongly encourages question and answer and likewise motivates each learner to try and be among those who are enjoying the talking scenario.
You know that when students are involved in a discussion, they are motivated to participate and in the long run build the courage to express themselves without fear. The Jigsaw method remains an effective strategy that involves students and makes your lessons interactive.
Let every student in your class feel “belonged” and your English class will be full of life. The best thing is it’s not only you now talking and explaining, but the entire class are happily engaged and may even race to stand and say something.
3) Don’t Be a So Serious Teacher – Laugh at Times
A fairly strict teacher is good, but super-strict can freeze your student’s blood. Sounds funny but it’s true. You don’t have to be too serious in class at all times.
Your students may have different learning styles, some may be okay with being fast while others may want a little play to learn. Try to loosen up a bit and enjoy each of your learner’s capacities and abilities. Remember, it is definitely okay to laugh with your students when there is something funny.
Teaching with care and kindness helps you evaluate your students not as a person but in their actions. Doing so allows them to believe in their capabilities and enjoy your English class. You may find that your students become more open to you when you’re a little relaxed.
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4) Use Technology and the internet to Learn English
Digital tools can be a fun way for learning English in the classroom. It helps students bring their stories to life. In fact, there are apps that allow them to create their own comic pages, fairy tales, puppet shows, cartoons, or 3D popup books.
Incorporating technology in your English classes puts variation in your teaching strategies and keeps your lessons interesting. Using a Smartboard interactive display, for instance, paves the way to expand cooperative learning through videoconferencing.
Games and apps are fun for students to use. Imagine how they can make their own e-book with their own drawings, music, and video. They can also make their own cartoon using their favorite characters and settings. For example, Toontastic .
There are a variety of ways you can employ technology to make your English class fun. Explore and see the interest level in your classroom increase exponentially.
5) Read and Speak English with a Lot of Action
Oral reading and speaking in English is an approach that nurtures the ability to read words and speak sentences accurately and quickly. Why not incorporate action? This way you keep reading lessons fun while students learn to speak English by speaking English.
Announce that everyone gets a turn if they want to. Students, by nature, find it fun trying if they can act out and speak English fluently. Come up with ideas that you know your students will engage in. One way is to let the class pick classmates to act out the story.
Young learners are natural storytellers encouraging them to unfold their own interesting real-life stories or create one with the rest of the class can bring to life through acting. Of course, if you can include strict pronunciations, then all the better. Your class will find it rewarding.
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6) Surprise your Class with Extraordinary Activities
What you have in your lesson plans doesn’t just include taking notes of your lectures. Think of original and creative ventures like going on a field trip, playing games in the field, meeting other people, or inviting a guest speaker.
For students, there is so much fun with things that are different from what they do in the classroom every day. With something new and different, there’s a good chance that your students will develop more interest.
Surprise activities that engage students are not only effective but entertaining. Your students will very love to learn when you present learning sessions in a variety of creative ways.
7) Don’t Forget Attractive and Exciting Materials
Teacher essentials are no longer just limited to basic classroom materials, but what students might need to enjoy art. I’m talking of colored markers, pencils, crayons, colored papers., and sticky notes that you can also use for games.
Classrooms today are so preoccupied with technology that many are forgetting how students love working in groups doing crafts. Other than using visual images to introduce a topic or language item, allowing students to engage in crafts can encourage self-expression that leads to joy.
So don’t limit your supply. Equip your classroom with what can make kids or teenagers excited to work, but try not to repeat the same type of art tools as this might be less interesting for them.
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Conclusion
Adding fun to your English class is similar to creating a real-world connection for students. This will give them a better understanding of not just learning English as a subject but why you are teaching the subject. Instead of simply lecturing your might all day, some variety that adds a lot of fun to your topics is not some waste of time and energy but how the students will love learning English.
Do you have other tips for making English classes more fun? Share them with us in the comments.
