You want to take your class of 30 adult ESL students to the computer lab for hands-on computer experience. Your lesson objective is to teach how to access and use free ESL web sites. For many students, it will be their first time navigating the web. They feel nervous…and so do you!
Read on for some tips from experts in the field on how to make ESL computer-lab time more productive and pain-free for everyone.
Sample lesson objective: teach how to access and use ESL web sites
BEFORE ENTERING THE LAB: Prep Your Students in Class
Use your classroom tools (SMART Board, computer, and wireless keyboard and mouse) to prep your students for success in the computer lab!
Model using ESL websites in class. Don’t always have the website up and running before they enter class. Show and tell them how to get to your website. Use the onscreen keyboard on the SMART Board to help model keyboarding skills. Explain how you navigate between pages and activities.
Hand over the mouse (and no one will get hurt)! Let the students come up to the SMART Board to navigate (scroll up or down, move backwards or forwards, etc). Pass around the wireless keyboard and mouse and have students show and tell each other how to open the Internet, change an address, find a site, etc.
For some tips from an expert in the field…Watch how Catherine McNally projects ESL websites on her interactive board in class to model technology skills while teaching English skills. Great demo of her using the onscreen keyboard, too!
Windows MediaHave students show and tell how to get to sites. Click on this Learning Out Loud: Tech Talk in English document for an example of how to get students talking in English while learning technology skills and terminology.
DURING ESL COMPUTER-LAB TIME (first time in the computer lab)
Students keep monitors off while you give opening instructions.
Preview ONE activity (example: vocab w/pictures on a4esl.org).
Have all students do that activity while you roam and check for understanding.
Call time.
Preview another activity on the same site (example: crossword puzzles on a4esl.org).
Have students do that activity while you roam and check for understanding.
NOW, turn students loose to explore other activities on that site.
Roam and check.
DURING ESL COMPUTER-LAB TIME (more practice)
Send students to http://nmusdadultschool.googlepages.com/esl2 (NMUSD Adult School website…Resources…Student Resources…ESL) to pick up the Websites for ESL Students (Hyperlink Document).
Students can work off the hyperlink document to test out multiple ESL sites without having to input the addresses in the address fields. (Saves time and alleviates headaches.)
