The first seminar group had been too large - so I had to split up the activity in a way I wasn't happy with. The second group had a group of 4 boys in it who had been rowdy and had not applied themselves very well to the task - they participated but didn't have the level of discussion I was looking for. While it had not been unsuccessful, it had not gone as well as with the seminar groups on MKT2023.
In the week I was approached by one of the students, Hidir from Turkey, worried about the assignment and the course - it had taken him 8 hours to read the chapter of reading I had set the group. Talking to him gave me a greater appreciation of the challenges of the international students on this module - of which there are many.
I did a formal lecture - and it had a lot of content - I had worried it was maybe too much - but they were very attentive. I took extra effort to explain the vocabulary and I think it paid off.
In the seminars I went through the assignment brief. I felt like I had better authority than last week, again a good level of attention, lots of note taking and good questions. I had been wondering whether learning through the activities/games might be too - not sure what's the word - stimulating. Now I've thought about it, and from reading the leaflet from the EFL office, I think they may be unaccustomed to academic discussion. Whether international or new to this level of study, I might need to support their discussion skills. Action: see whether CfAP have a leaflet on this & incorporate into next week's seminar.
With my international head on I created an ad for the EFL sessions and posted it on Nile, and shared it through Sticky Stuff.
On another note - I plan to develop a game on whiteboard like minesweeper for the 2nd year seminar.
Update: Hidir has today asked me to review a draft of his assignment. He is happier now, but I need to explain I can't assist at this level - he's in danger of being high maintenance.
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