Archive for the ‘Teacher training’ Category

Look for lines like this:

“I got a real buzz working with some of the teenagers who didn’t really want to be there”

Newspapers are full of PR releases repackaged as “journalism” nowadays, and I don’t just mean rags like the Mirror (source of the article the quote comes from), and TEFL has more than its fair share. Here’s hoping that some people try Google before deciding that working as a TEFL teacher is something you should pay for the privilege of.

It was a quiet month (if you don’t count the sound of the cicadas), but that will just give you the chance to read all of them for once, starting with a new series of “well balanced…” articles on Usingenglish.com:

A well balanced use of L1 in class

A well balanced use of error correction

And back here in TEFL.netland

15 ways to prepare for the CELTA etc

15 ways to do needs analysis

Academic Vocabulary in Use review

And not one of mine but edited by me

Imagine That (Mental Imagery in the EFL Classroom) review by Darren Elliot

If that isn’t enough for you (and how could it be?), you could have a look at the same post for July, my newly updated list of links to my stuff, or my newly updated worksheet pages with links to stuff by category.

Finally, if you like any of my stuff, you’ll love ELTgames.com, from the ever fab Jon Marks- it is a lesson to all the rest of us about what a truly professional TEFL internet could be.

…from the Analects’ very opening lines:

“Isn’t it a pleasure when you can make practical use of the things you have studied? Isn’t it a pleasure to have an old friend visit from afar? Isn’t it the sure sign of a gentleman, that he does not take offense when others fail to recognize his ability?” 

Whoever would’ve thought that the average TEFL teacher had already achieved at least two of the first three things mentioned in the Analects of Kung the Master? We confucianally rock!

If you haven’t managed two out of three yet or would like help reaching all three, luckily the Sage’s disciple Te-fu Ta-tsutik wrote up some more practical advice based on the Master’s words:

Practical use of what you have studied

Few of us have TESOL as a first degree, and even English Lit rarely comes up in the average TEFL class. One solution is to study so much TEFL stuff that it outranks your degree as what you have studied. If you’ve done a TEFL Certificate and aren’t ready for a Diploma or MA yet, there are short courses on teaching Business English, young learners and one to one classes available. Alternatively, set yourself a personal study schedule of books to read. You can add to your motivation by aiming to read all the books in your school or local library by the end of the year in case you decide to leave then, or by volunteering to review for TEFL.net reviews.

The other approach is to change your classes to include whatever your first degree or other studies were about. Getting into ESP or EAP can be a good way of doing this. Even if it as very general class like Business English or IELTS, there should be some connection to your chosen specialist subject. For me, the best thing has been moving into Technical English by using parts of or all the whole of Tech Talk with my engineering students.  

Friends visiting

Move to Rome. Well, worked for me… Seriously though, choosing somewhere with good and cheap flight connections is something always worth bearing in mind.

Not taking offense

Two things have helped me in my usually successful quest for this one. One was climbing the slippery slope early on in my career, so that when I gave up ELT management etc I knew it was my choice rather than a lack of ambition or being left out for promotion. Another is to have a sideline that is at least as important as your teaching.

The books all teachers in Japan should read Part One- The best books about Japanese language and education

I’m sitting here mourning over the 100 or so books about Japan that I will be leaving on the school bookshelves rather than taking with me, and wondering quite how many books I have managed to read in 5 years. I don’t think there are any other countries that you can find so many interesting books about, especially ones that tell you as much about the world and human nature as they do about the country name in the title. Being the person I am, the books have been one of the best things about Japan for me. However, if you aren’t such a reader, do not despair- the five books below will be enough to make you aculturally sensitive teacher and keep you stimulated by understanding the things around you for at least a year or two:

1. Learning to Go to School in Japan

Working with Japanese preschool age kids can be an almost manic depressive swing between thinking they are the cutest, nicest kids in the world and wondering how they get away with stuff like hitting their teachers. This book not only explains how those two seemingly contradictary things are connected, but also explains how preschool education in Japan affects and reflects the whole society. Reading this book was the first time in Japan I thought “If you look at it that way, it all makes sense”, and inspired me to try and explain everything else on my JapanExplained blog.

2. Japanese English: Language and Culture Contacts

Not Engrish.com the book, but a serious and yet suprisingly readable examination of how English is used in the Japanese language and what that can tell us about Japanese society and languages in general. It can also help you misuse English expressions in the right way when speaking Japanese and understand and correct your students when they bring them into English.

3. Tuttle New Dictionary of Loanwords in Japanese

As you can imagine from the title, this is not a book to read through. Nonetheless, I did (!) and found it improved my Japanese, my teaching and led to loads of Japanese English worksheets. The introduction also gives a short introduction to the surprisingly systematic changes the Japanese make to English pronunciation, helping you gain the ability to change any English word into understandable Japanese. You’ll also learn a few words of some other languages or find out how you can use the languages you know in Japanese.

4. Preschool in Three Cultures

… being the US, China and Japan. Not only does it tell you quite a lot about all three societies, but also introduces a whole new way of doing research- asking teachers and parents to comment on what goes on in the other countries too.

5. The Japanese Educational Challenge

Although written when the marketing department of Free Press wanted a Japan-catching-up-panic book back in the 80s, the author has managed to turn it into more of general examination of the differences between Japanese and American society and education, and what if anything they can learn from each other.

Also worth a mention

Safety and Challenge for Japanese Learners of English

Although I don’t still use any of the activities in this book, it did inspire me to try and find my own principles for teaching in Japan and prompted some interesting pondering on how much you can generalise by nationality.

Teaching English to Children in Asia

Written by David Paul, director of David English House and founder of the great ETJ (English Teachers in Japan) teachers’ association. He can be a bit dogmatic about his child-centred ideas and you’ll almost certainly hear the same things if you go to one of his workshops, for example as part of the Introductionary Certificate in Teaching English to Children (recommended), but again it is guaranteed to prompt some serious reflection on how much change you need to make to CELTA-type techniques in a place like Japan.

Dictionary of Japan’s Cultural Code words by Boye LaFayette De Mente 
 
Try to ignore his claims to explain the “uniqueness” of Japan (and certainly ignore all his other books), but have at least a flick through this book for the kinds of words your students will get stuck on when trying to explain themselves in English because there are no real English equivalents. Also good for painless Japanese study and appearing to be a Japan expert/guru/unbearably pretensious prat when you drop words like wabi sabi into conversation back home.

Some courses, for example, demand a non-refundable interview/ application fee for the pleasure of being asked questions about grammar. Other courses, however, just say this:

“I understand and accept that should I be offered a place on the course I have applied for, I am committing myself to completing the course, and am therefore liable for payment of the entire course fee.”

Wait a minute- you what?? Let’s move that into other areas of life and see how it sounds:

“I understand that by coming for a job interview I am agreeing to work for you, even if I don’t like any of the answers to the questions I ask you at the end or the room we have the interview in smells of pee”

“I understand that by going on this blind date I am agreeing to marry you, even if the photo turns out not to be yours, and will be liable for alimony payments if I do not”

Etc.

Luckily, it was just badly written, didn’t mean that, and they are clearing it up after having it pointed out by me, but the person writing the blog I found this quote on was seriously thinking about paying it all in advance. If you should be only 23 and so incredibly naive too, let me spell it out in big friendly letters- AVOID CELTA COURSES THAT DEMAND INTERVIEW AND OTHER NON-REFUNDABLE FEES BEFORE YOU DECIDE THAT YOU WANT TO TAKE THE COURSE. Luckily, the vast majority of courses don’t charge such fees, giving even less justification to the ones that do (see my article for EL Gazette for more details).

Here’s the original  blog entry , in case you want to give some kind uncle advice or are interested in a TEFL trainer that takes suggestions for improvements (from me!) seriously and are considering Milan.

TEFL International is not only often quoted as one of the largest TEFL training organisations (see the stats below), it is also almost certainly the one most likely to set off a firestorm by mentioning it on the internet- hence its interest, and the need for these somewhat strict rules on comments: (more…)

Here are the links for stuff I have published here and elsewhere so far this month that you might have missed, in case the heat makes me lose the rest of my energy and I forget at the end of the month:

On Usingenglish.com (theeeeeeey’re back!)

Why does my teacher use games in an adult class?

Why does our teacher make us read difficult authentic texts?

How British is your English? Questionnaire and explaining unknown vocab speaking practice worksheets- one of my favourites!

Elsewhere on TEFLtastic

Korean speakers- common vocabulary mistakes in English

Determiners practice- starting presentations- designed to go with Market Leader, but also suitable for whoever else is unlucky enough to need to tie those two topics together…

Classroom language TEFL workshop notes- with accompanying teacher training worksheets below

Ranking classroom language- teacher training pairwork worksheets

Simplifying classroom language- teacher training worksheets, with tips on using gestures in class to give instructions etc.

Classroom language further reading and links

Teaching likes and dislikes and free time activities teacher training workshop plan

Business English pron worksheets section (the worksheets are old, but the section is new)

Intelligent Business Worksheets and Games section- also useful for other Bus Eng classes

Market Leader worksheets and games- ditto

My stuff elsewhere on TEFL.net

In the Idea Thinktank

15 games for the language of likes and dislikes

15 classroom language games

15 punishments for pre-school English classes

15 Business English games for describing your company and job

15 criteria for good kindergarten worksheets

In TEFL.net Articles

15 good reasons to write TEFL reviews

In TEFL.net reviews

A History of English Language Teaching Second Edition review

And if the heat is keeping you awake instead of making you sleepy, you can have a look at June’s links too (newly updated as I’d forgotten about the reviews):

New articles, worksheets and reviews June 2008

… and it’s not because of Interactive Whiteboards- see here for details. (more…)

Or not, but boy would they like you to read that article so quickly that you don’t realise that.

i-to-i is another organisation that gets all kinds of alarm bells ringing in my head, but can’t quite work out why… Just because it all sounds too good to be true??