In your class of adults, one person has not understood what you are teaching. What do you do?

Answer 1

If it is one person, then that person is having troubles. I would speak with them to see what the troubles are to get him in the right direction

Answer 2

First, I make sure that student has completed the in-class work and the homework. If the student isn't fulfilling their obligations then I am not likely to be bothered. Every adult is in school BY CHOICE, and part of that choice is choosing to do their work.

If the student has done the work and still doesn't understand, I go back and look at their test scores and the other information that was used to place them in my class. If I feel the student entered the class without the prerequisite skills, I will approach him or her personally and offer them the option of switching to a less advanced class.

If the student wants to stay in the class (or has to, in the case of employer-sponsored education) then I try to arrange a peer tutoring system. I make sure that student is always sitting beside a stronger student who can provide support and guidance. Beyond that there is not much I can do, as working as an adult ESL teacher means long hours for low wages (nine hours of teaching each day for eleven euros per hour!) and I'm not going to invest any more of myself in the class than I already do.

PS - The few times this has happened to me it has generally been because the student was initially placed at the wrong level. Once a student had dyslexia and had trouble reading and writing in his own language, so there wasn't much hope for him learning English in my school's environment. He would have needed private lessons from a Special Ed teacher.

Answer 3

talk to that person after the class and see what he/she has not understood, then try to explain once again using a different approach.adults may be more sensitive than children sometimes, so maybe they need some more tact.
offer to help with extra materials and advice on ways of learning and also try to see why the person has not understood- maybe it's because he/she has no proper basis or no abilities in studying that subject; in this case maybe the person should move to a lower level group, to get the basics of it.

Answer 4

It depends on why the student is struggling. Set up a one on one meeting with that person outside of class, if you are able.

Discuss what the difficulties are, make sure they are doing their work outside of class, figure out whether they have the necessary background and motivation for success, determine whether they are making the class a priority, etc. If it's simply a matter of clearing up a misconception, that should be an easy fix. Or you may determine the student needs to work on motivation, study skills, and other strategies to improve overall student habits. If other resources are available to the student such as tutoring, be sure to offer it. I have even offered to work one on one on a weekly basis with a student in order to get him successfully through the course. Whatever it takes. :-)

Just remember that in the end all you can do is make your assistance available, it's up to the student to actually master the materials. Sometimes you run into people who just aren't going to make it and it has nothing to do with you...it's discouraging but people come from all different educational backgrounds with all different levels of preparation and different skills as students. Sometimes a class just isn't a good fit or they aren't at the right place in their lives to achieve success in your class.

Answer 5

See if some personal one on one teaching in the environment of the class is needed. This is especially true if the student is female and you a male teacher or visa versa. We all know the problems private tutoring can get you into. So keep it public so that it seen that is all you are doing.

Answer 6

Meet with that person and see if they need additional help. It is possible they may have a learning disability. They should ask you questions if they are not sure if they don't know what you are talking about too. Also, explain it in a different way if possible. Sometimes people do better with a visual model, besides just hearing words.

Answer 7

Teach English as a second language.

Answer 8

If they have a hard time understanding your explanation, ask one of the other students to try explaining it. Sometimes a different point of view can make things more clear.

Answer 9

You can talk to him after class hours and you can tutor him or her.

Answer 10

give him special attension