Archive for September, 2008

As this batch is nowhere near the size of September Part One, let’s start by padding out a little with a link to an interesting newspaper article on speed dating adapted for language learning, shall we?

Right, as that was the only article of interest I could find that was even vaguely connected to TEFL, down to business with links to the more serious stuff I’ve been writing elsewhere when not distracted by attempts at humour on this blog:

15 variations on TEFL boardgames

15 ways of simplifying your classroom language

15 more ways of simplifying your classroom language

Yet another 15 ways to make sure your students understand you

Almost certainly the final 15 ways of avoiding classroom misunderstandings

15 ways to adapt a textbook with too much stuff in it

15 more ways to cope with an overloaded textbook

Yet another 15 ways of dealing with a textbook that is packed full of material

15 ways of coping with a textbook that is too easy

15 more ways of using a textbook that is too low level for your class

That’s all for September, which seems a bit slack I know when everyone else is just getting down to business. If you want more of the same, or even better stuff I was writing before I became obsessed with adapting textbooks, have a look at:

All my stuff on UsingEnglish.com

TEFL.net TEFL articles (that enough TEFL for yer?)

TEFL.net Idea Thinktank

Or if you are a glutton for punishment:

My full list of publications with links

96. “Sick of our dirty classrooms? Home lessons available for just 50% more!”
97. “And your thought only pizza delivery boys would travel all the way to your house！”
98. “Our 100th international branch right here in your town is in a newer building than our Rome branch, less expensive than our London branch, more flexible than our Frankfurt branch, cleaner than our Naples branch, and with more polite staff than our Paris branch”
99. “We make illegal copies so you don’t have to” (more…)

Did you know that what you dream about can tell you what will happen in your classes? Try reading the descriptions below and in Part One to find something you have dreamed about, and then write it in the aims section of your observed lesson’s lesson plan…

What animals in your dreams tell you about your future lessons:

A dog/ a moose - you will have an exceedingly ugly student with a crush on you
 
Horses - you will be distracted from your grammar explanations etc. by a student’s extremely odd teeth

Cats- One of your students will start singing along unprompted when you do Tom’s Diner in your Present Continuous lesson

A flying bird- You will escape TEFL

Rats- The management of your school will leave as they find out about the financial problems in the company, without telling any of the teachers

Parrots - Too much drilling will make your students repeat everything you say, including questions and game instructions
 
Ants - Your boss will introduce even more paperwork aimed at standardizing lessons
 
Bees/ wasps - Your seemingly happy students will complain about too many games in the end of term feedback sheets
 
Bears- One student will be so disgusted by the chest hair showing when you wear an open collar shirt that they will ask to change classes
 
Hyenas - A student with a loud laugh that distracts the other groups will join the class

Again, if you want to learn Korean or try this vocab learning trick out, try to guess each word from your knowledge and the hints before scrolling down to check.

komun - it’s the most COMMON colour for a little dress
————
————- (more…)

“CELTA is a faraway planet populated by descendants of space travelers. Paranormal ‘gifts’ are called Flair here and vary by… type and strength. A caste system based on those strengths has come about over the centuries…” (more…)

Doesn’t last of course, especially the initial thrill of being in the chaos of a third world city or in the chaos left for you by the last person who had that DoS job, but if having some kind of career plan gets you out of the bed in the morning with more motivation than I had six months ago, wth- got to be a good thing!

Whether your next plan is/ will be how to become a teacher trainer, an ELT author, a better teacher or just someone who is making an active effort to fight the boredom, we at TEFLtastic have the article for you on our totally updated page right here.

70. ”If you want to chatter away in your own language, what the hell- you’re paying!”
71. ”We’ve found the dead rat under classroom 7B”
72. ”We will keep your teacher’s passport until you pass the FCE”
73. ”You just never know what will happen in the next class!” (more…)

“…great powers do not go to war against other heavily armed great powers just to settle… linguistic rivalries” (more…)

Here are some actual sentences taught in the Lonely Planet Korean phrasebook which, while not quite “My hovercraft is full of eels”, tickled me once I realised that trying to find silliness was another whole motivation for using language learning materials. If it doesn’t amuse you so much first off (and you don’t have the more sensible motivation of learning Korean), try picturing saying these things to immigration or the receptionist in your hotel:

p’ibu e t’ongjung-i issoyo = I have a pain in my skin
 
maengjangul umjigilsuga opsoyo = I can’t move my appendix

chon changnogyo indeyo, kohoenun chal annagayo = I’m a Presbyterian, but I’m not practicising

imshinjung ishin-gayo? = (more…)

“We are dealing with clouds, not clocks” (more…)