Job Discussion Forums

[Sashadroogie]

It isn't really a component, though. Just a brief overview of what it is.

[fluffyhamster]

As I've linked to this thread (over on the Japan forum just now) I thought I'd add a few thoughts about whose responsibility it should be to suggest course content, and the role that a bog-standard teacher should play in designing a connected course, syllabus or curriculum.

I've also had students (Japanese) tell, almost castigate!, me about how it should be my role to ascertain/declare/know what they need to learn, and how I was wrong to even ask or consult them. And you know what, I think they were absolutely right (though they certainly could've been a bit more polite and good-humoured about it). I mean, unless one is going to be teaching ESP, there's a pretty clear core of general English that needs to be mastered, and it shouldn't take that long for a teacher and/or placement tests, previous enrolment histories etc to establish the rough level(s) of the student(s). Could it be that even certified teachers often aren't sure enough about things and would usually prefer it if the students did at least the half the work by more or less teaching themselves?

Moving on: as soon as one teaches more than a single "unconnected" lesson, one is like it or not in the process of constructing if not designing an informal syllabus or curriculum. One would do well therefore to start thinking about and reading up on such matters, especially if one's cert didn't address them much. My money is always on lexical syllabuses as a relatively straightforward, all-encompassing and pretty interesting starting point, but there are of course a fair number of more general if not "wider-ranging" books available.

[spiral78]

[fluffyhamster]

I guess if I said it's such and such a time in Japan, you'd feel duty bound to point out the obvious and inform everyone that it's a good 8 or so hours earlier in Europe, Spiral.

But actually, it's not just Asians who can become impatient with "needs" analyses. I've also known some Europeans (albeit based in China, with Chinese companies) who raised at least an eyebrow about it.

[johnslat]

Dear fluffyhamster,

To me, it didn't sound as though you were limiting your remarks to Japan:

"I thought I'd add a few thoughts about whose responsibility it should be to suggest course content, and the role that a bog-standard teacher should play in designing a connected course, syllabus or curriculum."

Regards,
John

[VietCanada]

Mine was completely irrelevant to what I do in VN and did in Korea.

I rarely teach grammar at the level I was expected to learn it. I can easily find on line material much better than the provided material when I do need to go a little deeper.

I had to ignore my actual classroom experience (in VN and Korea) and lie to satisfy the examiners.

It was a total waste of money. Completely irrelevant to my day to day experience as an EFLer in VN. Other than the WP requirements.

I understand that it is useful to others particularly a program with observed teaching hours for those with no experience teaching. I have been tasked with helping thoroughly fresh off the boat newbies to get started teaching in Korea.

A uni degree in teaching with a major or minor in EFL is the way to go if you're at that stage in life. A masters in linguistics if your really serious. Then perhaps some TEFL or equivalent might be a good refresher.

[fluffyhamster]

I indeed wasn't, John, but the average reader would probably also notice the bottom-line/push-comes-to-shove delimiting 'Japanese' that I supplied in brackets.

[johnslat]

Dear fluffyhamster,

Well, that would explain it; I'm an above-average reader.

Regards,
John

[LongShiKong]

Having just completed the CELTA after years of teaching, it was definitely worth it, particularly for the detailed and critical feedback. I anticipated that in some respects the course would be harder for me than newbies in terms of becoming aware of, and then addressing habits counterproductive to lesson aims, and it was.

Actually, one such 'experienced' teacher failed. Although I hadn't watched her teach nor know how many 'not to standard' lessons she taught, I am confident, despite her faults she'd out-teach the CELTA-qualified teacher(s) some of us had to observe (as per CELTA req's). It came as a shock to those of us who observed these teachers---the fact one could take and pass a CELTA and know how to teach well, and then choose not to. There are regular teachers with B.Ed degrees too who (should?) know how to teach but either choose not to, or just don't, as my sister warned me prior to practicum.

And I learned more from Input Sessions than I thought I would. Despite the time and effort of having to write detailed meaning, form and phonological language analysis along with anticipated problems and solutions
was an extremely useful exercise in planning student-centered lessons---the latter, a step I only did mentally when prepping for B.Ed prac lessons. I've seen too many lousy attempts at pre-teaching vocab or explaining grammar that I can't imagine a TEFL course that overlooks this, such as the one I initially took.

Complaints? I guess the most frustrating thing about the course was that I felt I needed to stick to lesson aims: teach the lesson, not the students. It got me into trouble on more than one occasion. So, in that respect, I'd argue the CELTA might be a bit prescriptive. The key word here is 'might'. Tutors must assess teaching according to set criteria so if someone having successfully achieved 'above standard' in lessons 1 to 6 wanted to teach without a plan for 7 and 8, would the tutor approve given that they're being assessed in planning and anticipating language needs and issues?

[LongShiKong]

[Sashadroogie]

Congrats on your Celta complettion.

[Sashadroogie]