Grammar is not the point of instruction, it is a tool to expand their skills. Vary classroom activities. Boredom is the cause of many classroom management problems. Good lesson planning involves balancing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture activities throughout a class period. Teachers can move from direct instruction to partner activities to guided individual practice to small and large group activities focusing on a single or many instructional objectives.
Technology provides yet another opportunity to engage students in new ways.
Working on a CD-ROM seems more like playing to most students. Internet connections create a sense of adventure, videos entertain as they teach, and listening activities demand focused attention while they build skills. With all the resources at hand, planning a minimum of five different combinations of activities for a traditional period and doubling that number on a block schedule is manageable. By including vocabulary activities, review, games, projects and music, the possibilities for creating varied lessons are endless. Besides keeping students engaged, variety provides the important added benefit of engaging many different learning styles.