Enthuasism and Fun with English!?
I might get drawn and quartered for saying this, but it's hard to find fun in the mundane grammar part of English! Overall, English should be fun, but it's hard to keep learners excited about it.
I'd love to hear any other English instructors feedback on how to make English more fun for the adult learner! Can you help me?
Hi Terry,
I really like the example you gave us about how a professor influenced your love of English and how to approach teaching it. This is a good strategy to use with many different subjects. It also helps students to see the value of good English skills.
Gary
I teach English in our college, and it's generally considered one of the most fun classes in the school. My theory is this:
Grammar is a fine thing, taken in moderation. It's important, but not the be-all, end-all of college English, nor should it be. College English should be about reading great writers and writing for fun as well as essays. When I first got this job, I asked the best professor I ever had for his advice. He told me to "Make it about the words they chose, not the punctuation. When they're hooked on writing, then slip in the grammar." And when I thought about it, that was exactly how he hooked me fifteen years earlier.
