I've taught plenty of kids classes and older adults classes and never had a problem getting a response out of them but recently I started teaching a class of around 20 teenagers and find it difficult to get anything from them. They're just really non-responsive. I ask a question to the class and just get blank stares. I know they understand me but they just don't want to be proactive, and I have to call them out individually (even then it's like pulling teeth).

I know it's not that they don't like be because I get on with them well and have met some of them outside of school to play pool. But I think as teenagers they're just going through their anti-authority stage and feel they're literally too cool for school (I guess I was the same at that age).

Does anyone have any advice on how to effectively teach them? I think an option would be to make the class much more mechanical - plenty of rote repetition etc, but I'd rather not go that route if it can be avoided.

I don't use a book, just teach them oral English, asking them a lot of questions etc. Also helping them prepare for a university interview which will be in English.

You must make them interesting, show them great movie then get them involve in talking, maybe?

Personally, I do think you need more structure and initially to "force" them to say something (even small, obvious answers). It starts to break down the fear/cool factor when it becomes more embarrassing NOT to answer you. By structure, I mean pairwork, role play, etc, rather than simple drilling. I would also try to get some books (for yourself, primarily) with ready-made speaking activities. It will provide inspiration and "guaranteed" activities. Finally, make sure the topics are things the teenagers have an interest in, and make it fun. Good luck!

@chris8080

Yeah I think teenagers here can be very tough to teach. Aside from all the usual teenage angst and growing pains (u know, wondering who they are and their place in the sometimes scary world) they are also hounded by the GaoKao. So they are studying 12 hours a day and are under savage pressure. They are usually tired and depressed and simply don't wanna be there. If you ask them what they did last week and they reply "nothing" it's probably not them being unresponsive, rather they really did nothing but study last week.

So I think a little structure can be very helpful. Gives them something to focus on.

Also I think it's a very good idea to let them know you know how difficult and highly pressured their exams are. That might create some common ground and allow you to bond a bit more.

They're quite lucky to have you as a teacher. It's good to see a teacher who cares about his/her students.

Best of luck!

Daithi

I think, with Chinese teenagers especially, you need to behave in a somewhat casual manner - one of the problems of Chinese English-language teachers is, I think, too much formality, too much as an authority figure - learning a language is not just a matter of individually mastering some sort of rules, it's about interaction. The idea of 'forcing' them to give some response is not wrong, but it is easily overdone in a culture where pinning an individual down in front of his/her peers makes everybody freeze up and want to hide, so smile or be a bit casually humorous when you insist on answers from the picked-out individual whom you are putting on stage in front of everybody. Suggest you try to get somewhat loose conversation going (no, not so easy, but a lot will depend on your behavior as a not-too-authoritarian figure), mix it with some relevant non-threatening group repetitions of sentence structures and so forth. And you don't need to use a textbook, necessarily, but you do have to put in a little planning before class, so that you can lead into and away from individual responses by the use of some related structural practices, and/or throw in relevant grammar points. The most important thing to do is to get students to relax - note that every student in China has studied some English and very few of them become comfortable enough to experiment with it in any 'natural' manner, and most feel they're lousy with English and dislike studying it - and these things are mutually reinforcing.
I'm not criticizing anything you are presently doing because I don't know what it is, but the above is what has worked for me, for Chinese students. A little vague, perhaps, but remember, it's partly an acting job, on your part.
How many students in the class? The more there are over the number of about fifteen the harder it is to do this, and, well, that's a problem.
Their being under pressure for the gaokao is particularly a problem for oral language classes.

I think all the advise above is very useful. If I were you, though I would walk away form class structure and topics, but find out why the students are not willing to interact or work with you. There are plenty of reasons, why it could be but try to find out.

Since you have a class that does not respond at all, let's say you are on a road that leads to doom, "yours".

Also analyze the class and look for the culprits sabotaging your class, or unwilling to care or work. And find the ones that are generally interested but for some reason don't work.

After you find out what the/ their problem is, get them interested in doing funky subjects, or find interesting ways to teach it. For that I think there are hundred ways of doing that, group work, movie/book analysis, games, role play, getting out in the real world and fixing real problems, model U.N., One day as a king.

Another way or an addition is,...your kids are teenagers and have developed a reasonable amount of social and general intelligence and intellect, thus you can actually sit down with those brats and tell them the reality of your and their situation and find a solution for both of you. If they don't give a crap, nor the parents, not the school, and they really don't want. Then you shouldn't, or even more. So make sure that you have fun and enjoy your time. Use subject and topics that you are interested in. You can learn something new or do something is class, if someone is interested, you extend, if they are just vegetables sitting there, great! No interruption.

Once I had a class like that, and they did the same, I had the talk with them. They said they didn't care, only two students were interested and they were shut up by the group leaders. So I said, screw this, I brought my guitar [I am learning] and practiced [painful to the ear], coz I thought, they can waste their time, but why should I waste mine. Surprise surprise, almost half of the class played in a band or an instrument, and oops, we had some common ground. I wasn't crazy stranger, teacher, but the dude-teacher with a guitar. A week later they brought their instruments and from there on we started working things out.

One kid was actually pretty good with the guitar and I could hook him up with a band-demo.

Became a good class after that, took me about a month, to actually teach. But it worked.

Anyway, if you want to teach, you have to win the crowd. If not show that you are interesting, for who you are, and then in the beginning you may be the subject.

I knew this teacher bloke who overheard some of his students talking about gay stuff [negative-& stereotypes stuff]. Something about painting ones nails. The teacher was in a similar situation, so just to bring up a subject of discussion he painted [guy] his toenails. He became somewhat of a Rockstar after that.

I hope you get the point.

Teenagers are a tough bunch but just because they are so lost in their own hearts and souls, but a little mind-candy and they are all back the game.

God luck.

Oh the only thing about force, in my humble experience, never works. If you force someone to learn, you will get forced results. That's in any culture not just Chinese!

Incentives are the winners in this game. If you don't have the right incentives yet, then you haven't analyzed your crowd accurately enough, yet!

I'm coll with Hammer's suggestions - creativity is often necessary when following guidelines that aren't working. However, the idea of 'they can waste their time, but why should I waste mine' makes me consider that there is a reason: you are getting paid for it, and if the project of the kids' learning English is a worthwhile one, whether they want to or not - and it's worth considering that it may not be - then I think teaching is a responsibility that shouldn't be ignored.
After all, there is a hell of a lot of worthless, or even negative, activity going on in the world that goes by the name of 'work'.

@Alien
Exactly, we are teachers, teaching doesn't mean to always say something in class. We are teaching subjects but as every teacher knows, and according to the communication model and methodology, you need cooperation.

Without cooperation, a teacher is nothing more than nice looking furniture. Plus you always have to show the upper hand, and if you have to force and shout at the students, then you have actually failed, as teacher and educator.

I never did not work in class, but waving around a book or talking/lecturing without cooperation seems like not doing my job, right! Plus there is tons of other planning and correction work to be done. Sooner or later the kids/ teenagers will see that they have a harder time struggling through hours of classes, especially if you take all their gadgets and toys.

First is to know who they are - what are their interests, male and female, and goals. Once you've developed a long-term strategy that you want the kids to move towards - that they can also "buy into" - frequent small group discussions or workshops, brought back into the greater group.

Teenagers have the attention span of a gnat - so interesting class projects, which they can develop step by step (to show progress), with a common goal - akin to "game-playing" or "game-theory" typically works with most middle-senior school groups - who are typically glued to some mobile game or social media on their mobile device.

Pertinent and relevant field trips (with sculpted reports) can add to the diversity - but also to your responsibilities for their safety and security.