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Utility of YL training

 
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fluffyhamster



Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:40 am    Post subject: Utility of YL training Reply with quote

Rather than butt in on other threads, I thought I'd start a new one. What tttompatz has said several times now (that adult-focussed certs are "virtually useless when it comes to teaching kids", with the implication being that one should do at least the YL extension to the CELTA in order to become minimally qualified in the YL field) got me thinking:

1) Is the CELTA YL extension actually any good? (My suspicion is that it's an even more dumbed-down form of teacher training). I haven't read much if any feedback on this on the forums.

2) Isn't a lot of YL teaching common sense? (I've met e.g. a few Japanese homeroom teachers who seemed to lack the necessary aptitudes to maintain discipline, or rather, to get their kids working and learning much. And I wasn't the "qualified" teacher in the room, apparently).

3) Aren't the linguistic facts and workings ultimately the same regardless of age? (Even though our selection of items may of course be more selective and age-appropriate the younger the learners are). Note that I'm talking about a minimal age at which the kids can at least converse in their own language (I can't see the point in at all formal FL schooling much below that age, I'm afraid).

4) Is there actually much demand for YL qualifications in the average (not high-falutin' specialist) language school, or among e.g. elementary school dispatch agencies as exist in Japan, for example? (I can answer the latter half of this last question LOL - No, there isn't).

(The flip side of the coin is the public school English teacher even, who might arguably be a professed expert in child psychology, classroom management, learner styles etc etc, and know a bit of literature, some phonics even, but who probably doesn't know quite the same range of things about the language[s] that a serious TEFL veteran of several years or more will).

Yup, it's that time of the month again when I'm considering applying to do a PGCE, and finding the prospect isn't exactly filling me with enthusiasm. (Not that I intend to work with YLs with the PGCE, but no doubt quite a lot of it is all cut from the same cloth).


Last edited by fluffyhamster on Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:10 pm; edited 2 times in total
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santi84



Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea

PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 11:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I considered an MA in TEYL at one point (not the YL extension of CELTA).

I decided against it. I am in Canada and if you want to teach children, it's a BEd or nothing (which is similar to the UK system of PGCE). The YL extension here is useless. Sure, it may help you get a part-time job working 3-9pm tutoring children in the tiny market of Korean-style cram schools here (or Kumon) but other than that, nadda.

I suppose it could be useful to someone who wants to teach children overseas but again, a BEd would be of far greater value. Unfortunately, a BEd takes more time and effort than most EFL students would like to invest. Here in Canada, you can't just choose the option of a BEd in your 3rd or 4th year - you need experience, first aid, volunteer work, and a very strict curriculum (mostly focused on subjects like Canadian History, French, Math (for children), stuff that is geared towards teaching only). It also requires almost a full year of teaching full-time as a practicum.

Again just my opinion, but I found the most useful training for teaching children (aside from the obvious BEd) was the library science courses I took as part of my TESL year at university (I did a full university year in TESL-only). The concept of "circle time" is pretty basic but very useful for child learners. Knowing which literary materials to choose, how to teach it to their 3 second attention spans, how to draw them towards certain words, how to choose music, etc. of course, that doesn't cover the discipline part of it. Fortunately, santi84 is a mom and just uses personal experience to whip them young in's into shape (or else they will walk all over you).
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