The next Zoom Class. On Youtube
So, the first Zoom class was a bit of a learning curve. This leads me to wonder about the next one. What changes do I need to make and what we should improve?
A: Number one was the pace of the event.
This means I need to cut the small talk as this is not a TikTok video. I treated each person as a guest and not a student. This is not TikTok and it is not casual.
B: Number two is the introductions.
I introduced each student as a guest. This needs to be cut out completely since each student was kind of shy. It was hard enough to get them to read the sentences, never mind the introduction.
C: I may need separate classes.
Out of the 12 people, 3 spoke English very well, and the others were beginners. I may at some point need to separate the newbies from the true beginners. I may need to do an advanced vocabulary class of sorts.
D: I am not an English teacher.
I am a friend to talk to and a person who is trying to help with conversational English. This is important because I cannot and do not have the time to teach each person for 30 min on a Zoom call.
What to change on ZOOM?
For one it will be the speed at which we move. Less chatting to people and more chatting about the lesson. Focusing on pronunciation and much more on the speed at which we move. Hand out the material and let people read it over then read it back to me on a one-on-one basis.
What I am hoping for is that we can get through a few more people and move at a faster pace. This will give me a chance to talk to more people and show them the correct pronunciation.
The biggest challenge? Shyness.
This by far is the biggest challenge. It seems that people in small groups on a Zoom call are just as shy as they would be in person. I was sure that some of the shyness would go away on Zoom, but I was wrong.
Some of the people couldn’t put two words together during the Zoom class even though they were in the privacy of their own homes. The thought of posting all this online to YouTube could have been an issue but who knows? I think it is a general shyness in the people because they do not speak English. No matter, we will do the next class and hope it all goes well.
Zsolt Zsemba 