The First Day!!
Conversation Circles in Classroom
The first day in an open class like the one I teach is always excitingly chaotic. I never know who is going to show up, what sorts of skills they will have, or what needs they have. It makes for a fun challenge in both the planning and teaching.
Of course, after a few years of doing this, I can make a number of assumptions (all will be native Spanish speakers, most know social language, and they all know more than I think - or even them - as Caleb Gattegno said. Yet still, the question is always: how do I get them to show me what they know in an effective and efficient manner?
So, I set up a lesson that looked like this:
