You still haven’t explained what the objectives are in terms of language learning. Is it something to do with rhythm?
There’s loads you can do with young kids and percussion instruments. They alleviate drilling and boredom.
1 Like
You clearly understand siht.
I don’t know what siht is. Some Hindu fringe cult religion?
3 Likes
It might involve drums.
You should be in top management.
I explained it several time. You even quoted me where I explained this was a music exploration class. I am simply leading this in English. This was one of the numerous things we did in this exploration class.
1 Like
Over qualified
Did my second link help out? I use the drum to make the lesson a bit more interesting, and to emphasize the importance of rhythm, and to demonstrate what rhythm is and how rhe English language is stress timed in a waybthat Mandarin isn’t. I point out the machine-gun syllable timing of Mandarin and how that is something most of them are doing (tattattattattat). The bone i throw is that while English is rhythmically more interesting, tonally Mandarin is like the violin of the orchestra
I have them clap along for some examples. Don’t have a game, though
5 Likes
I get that it’s fun, but I’m struggling to buy the rhythm bit.
1 Like
@BiggusDickus, this was the second link, take a look and let me know if you still dont get it
2 Likes
This is why many English teachers in Taiwan are vastly underrated, and underpaid.
Mandarin chinese teachers are playing Sunday league compared to some of you lot. 
2 Likes
uh oh you gone done it.
I need very little excuse to post this.
3 Likes
I do alright. Got lucky on this one, taught a masters course on how to teach listening and speaking some years back and asked the departing instructor if i could have her materials. Jazz chants was one of her topics, and my first thought on the sentence stress was that it couldn’t be true. But I looked into it and it is!
4 Likes
I think I get it. I’m struggling to get how effective it is.
As an aside, the British Council is a great organisation to work for.
1 Like
It’s a part of correct pronunciation, one that even native speakers who teach English aren’t really aware of. I raise aweness as part of a pronunciation lesson that focuses on Mandarin speakers. For long term effectiveness, i tell them this is one of the reasons why listening and shadowing is an important part of improving their pronunciation.
If the outcome is to improve pronunciation, this is a part of that and the drum is one of the tools in my toolbox. I bring the rubber bands to the same lesson, anyone know rhe rubber band trick for word stress?
4 Likes
I’m guessing it’s not shoot them with a rubber band if they get it wrong, but I can dream.
6 Likes
It sounds to me like I want to be a drill instructor. However, I’ll look into it more.
1 Like
First of all, on word stress and raising awareness from a source just for my favorite BD
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/word-stress
And now rubber bands for word stress:
2 Likes
Kudos to @TT for applying these approaches from EFL English pronunciation pedagogy into the classroom. I do teach jazz chants (which my pre-service English teachers find hilarious) and the use of rubber bands and other teaching aids (kazoos, modeling clay, Cuisenaire rods, etc.) for word stress and intonation, among other aspects of pronunciation where Chinese and English differ.
I don’t want to put words in the mouth of @stinsonlover but the activities he mentioned, while they do not appear directly relevant to language learning, are effective for other learning outcomes. I gather that @stinsonlover is teaching learners of a young age. As you are well aware, the national curriculum guidelines do not contain any performance indicators or content for learners who are below third grade in elementary school. I pity any English teacher who believes that their singular purpose is to teach a language, without considering other cognitive, affective, or social learning objectives. A teacher is a teacher.
In fact the legality and implementation of “English” for students in kindergarten is a gray area. I’ve spoken to officials in the MOE, all the way to the top, who are curious about my perspectives on this matter. The general consensus is that activities which are developmentally appropriate (including the sensory discovery activities mentioned, as well as drama, music and movement, or use of realia) are necessary for engaging children, resulting in incidental language learning, rather than the use of drilling, explicit language instruction, or other developmentally INappropriate practices associated with teaching English as a subject.
Apologies to anyone’s views I may have unintentionally misrepresented.
9 Likes
Good stuff , keep it going.
1 Like
Also if you çan get Taiwanese to clap on the off beat that’d be great.
2 Likes