STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING ENGLISH IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

CHRISTOPHER F. TORIO

As high school English teachers, it is our mandate to think about the strengths of our students, where they are in life, and what their specific needs are so we can create a classroom and a curriculum that gets them closer to their goals and supports them in the process. To do that, we must employ certain strategies that would enhance their learning of English and increase their proficiency in the language:

1. Journal writing.

You can help your students succeed by giving them opportunities to form relationships in class, and they can improve their English skills at the same time. Do so by letting them journal. The key to making this strategy work is allowing students to be personal in their journaling. Give them permission to write whatever they want, without the fear that you’ll read it. You can also remind them that you will not be grading what they write and that they should not stress about spelling, grammar or vocabulary.

2. Social media and technology.

We live in an age of technology, and today’s students have always lived in that era. They’ve never known a world without the Internet. It’s important that we, their teachers, remember this when we plan out our classes. High school students’lives are multimedia, and our classrooms should be, too. It’s not difficult to integrate technology into the classroom these days. Set up a classroom blog on BlogSpot. Have students write and film videos for YouTube. Send and receive homework via email. There are tons of ways to integrate technology into your classroom, so keep yourself aware of technology and be open to bringing it into class.

3. Previous knowledge.

Proficiency in English does not equal intelligence or experience. When you’re talking to a young student just becoming fluent in the English language, you can safely assume they lack life experience. But high school students aren’t in that same place. Even those least proficient in English have over a decade of life experience behind them. It’s important to respect your students’past and experience. You can do this by giving them a chance to share what they know with the rest of the class. Have an “expert” day where everyone shares their expertise on something. Ask students to share on a topic they know about. Have them tell their classmates why that topic interests them, and five things everyone should know about that subject. Then have a short Q&A session following the presentation.

4. Future goals.

When you already respect your students’past and enrich their present, the only thing that remains is to consider their future. Keep in mind what your students ultimately plan on doing with English and prepare them appropriately. Will they need English to accomplish everyday tasks? Focus on survival English. Will they use English for further education? Will they need to take standardized tests to get into college? Focus on academic English. Will they assimilate into an English-speaking culture? Don’t forget to include social English, too.

Your students have their whole future in front of them. — oOo—

The author is Teacher II (Senior High School) at Diosdado Macapagal High School, Mexico, Pampanga